At the wake of the launching of the iPad, many people had mixed views about the device. Some were excited to have another fantastic product from Apple. Others were more concerned that the iPad didn’t offer anything new to the table. But despite these mixed reactions, it is undeniable that the device can help the world in many ways. In fact, Abilene Christian University or ACU moves into the future with iPad technology.

How do they plan to do this? Unlike some schools where Apple products are given to some students, ACU does not plan on giving away free iPad units to their students. They already give away free iPhones and iPod Touch devices to their freshmen. Their plan with the iPad is more on using the device to help improve one aspect of their campus. ACU moves into the future with iPad technology by publishing a school paper using the device.

As soon as the iPad is released in a couple of months, the school’s student paper, the Optimist, will soon have a new device that they can use to publish their work. This will be on top of the actual print and online version of their paper. With a paper published on the iPad, the Optimist will soon be available on the iPhones and iPod Touch devices of the students. As of now, a team is working on coming up with the app for the mobile newspaper.

This move is a way for the administration to keep up with the way young people access information these days. Since students these days choose to access their news using mobile devices, publishing a newspaper with content that can be accessed using specific computer applications is a good idea. Soon, more and more colleges  and universities will follow ACU’s lead, making technology a huge part of one’s education.

“Source: Abilene Reporter News“