The Reading Teacher Vol. 66 Issue 1 pp. 15–23 DOI:10.1002/TRTR.01090 © 2012 International Reading Association 15 R T EXPLORING THE USE OF THE iPAD FOR LITERACY LEARNING Amy Hutchison ■ Beth Beschorner ■ Denise Schmidt-Crawford Wondering how iPads measure up as a tool for literacy learning? This fourth-grade teacher explored the use of iPads to help her teach print-based literacy skills while providing students with the opportunity to learn digital literacy skills. A lthough mobile learning in education has been on the horizon for many years (Johnson, Levine, & Smith, 2009), the introduction of the iPad, and other tablets like it, has changed mobile learning possibilities for teachers and students. Traxler (2009) defined mobile learning simply as learning that is supported or delivered by a handheld or mobile device. Such mobile devices encourage ubiquitous learning through their ease of portability and access to information that can allow for learning to occur. Devices such as the iPad now promote anytime, anywhere learning in schools where the student does not have to be sitting in front of a computer in a laboratory setting (Brand & Kinash, 2010). The iPad has unique capabilities that were unparalleled prior to its introduction. It has most of the capabilities of a desktop or laptop computer, but with additional unique affordances, such as a multitouch screen and a seemingly endless variety of applications, that promote previously unseen possibilities for mobile learning. As teachers begin exploring the possibilities of using mobile devices such as the iPad in their classrooms, it will be important to examine how Amy Hutchison, Beth Beschorner, and Denise Schmidt-Crawford teach at Iowa State University, Ames, USA; e-mail amyhutch@iastate.edu, bab1@iastate.edu, and dschmidt@iastate.edu.