Apple's iPad: Kindergartners getting tablet computers in Maine

Next fall, nearly 300 kindergartners in the central Maine city of Auburn will become the latest batch of youngsters around the country to get iPad 2 touchpad tablets to learn the basics about ABCs, 1-2-3s, drawing and even music.

The iPad is a powerful education tool with hundreds of teaching applications, said Superintendent Tom Morrill. With its touchpad screen, it's simple to use and can bring learning to life with imagery and sounds, he said. "It's a revolution in education," Morrill said. The $200,000 that Morrill is proposing to spend on iPads -- which retail for around $500 -- might be better spent on some other school program, said Sue Millard of Auburn, who has children in the fourth grade and high school. She also questions whether kindergartners are old enough to appreciate the effort.