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I Finally Got an iPad

 The content of this blog post sounds really random and silly, but it is something I find worthy of blogging. 

After spending more than a year without using the MIT iPad loaner program, I finally decided to request a loaner iPad, which arrived today. I don't have statistics on the percentage of MIT undergraduates that use loaner iPads, but I am pretty sure that it is probably around 95%. Although iPads are not required and not stated as necessary materials on class syllabi, by this point the professors and instructors kind of assume that you have an iPad to submit problem sets or take home tests electronically. After COVID, MIT significantly changed the problem set submission process. It's crazy to think that in 2019 MIT still had students submit physical problem sets in boxes that are no longer used, even though there was the technology back then to have electronic ones. Now, however, most classes ask for submissions via Gradescope or Canvas. As a result, students now use their iPads to take notes, which significantly decreases the weight they have to carry every day. Also, it is nice to save and store notes as PDFs. 

Now, you may wonder why on Earth did I not request an iPad right away the day I arrived on campus. What took me so long to finally request one? Well, you see, my reason for not wanting an iPad was kind of stupid. I didn't want to become distracted by the iPad's other features like email, browser during class. Therefore, I decided to stay with the old fashion way of taking notes by hand and scanning my handwritten problem sets. It wasn't until a month ago that I realized how inefficient the process of submitting handwritten problem sets was. First of all, I have to print them. Second, I have to take a few minutes to scan them and then send them by email, then download them on my computer and finally upload it onto the website. The quality of scanned PDFs isn't that good compared to PDFs of problem sets done on apps like Notability or notes. I am sure that some people were scratching their heads when they saw me using my phone to scan my problem sets in the library. 

I have come to realize that while iPads do have some distractions, I can be intentional with technology usage to minimize these problems. If I apply the principles of digital minimalism by specifying my iPad usage to only be for problem sets, notes, and academic matters, then I don't need to worry about losing focus in class. I did not sign into iMessage on my iPad and did not download distracting apps like Discord or Messenger since I can do those on my computer if I want to communicate with others. 

Another huge benefit of the iPad which people don't really use the iPad for is reading ebooks. I am still a huge advocate of paper books because they are better for one's eyes, but sometimes ebooks are handy if all the physical books get checked out and the only options available are ebooks. The Libby app was what contributed to my binge-reading addiction during my senior year spring back when my old family iPad worked. After it stopped working in freshman fall, I reverted back to paper books. I sometimes read on my phone but didn't like how small it is. So I am happy I can for once go back to reading ebooks on the iPad if I want to. Gee, why didn't I think of immediately requesting an iPad right after my family couldn't support the Libby app back in October of 2021? 

I think the moral of this case study is that it is good to be cautious or wary of technology's downsides, but also to not take things to the extreme and freak out about every single little thing that could go wrong. 


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