Young pupils', their teacher's and classroom assistants' experiences of iPads in a Northern Ireland school: “Four and five years old, who would have thought they could do that?”

This paper describes an iPad project in a Northern Ireland primary school. It evaluates how the technology impacted on learning in literacy, numeracy and in pupil skills. The youngest pupils were asked about their iPad experiences using small-group interviews based on the circle time approach. Their teacher and two classroom assistants were interviewed about organisational, pedagogical and pupil skill patterns. The teacher reported improvements and greater readiness in pupils' ability to grasp initial key concepts in literacy and numeracy, including lower ability and special needs children. Motivation, concentration and confidence grew, as did spontaneous peer collaboration and the early stages of peer assessment. Classroom assistants had an innovative role in supporting iPad use and noted improved pupil communication, listening and fine motor skills. The children said that iPads helped them with writing, counting and drawing. They understood the purpose of specific apps, how to navigate them and what learning occurred.