This

 

I'll start by saying that I am far from an Apple fan boy as I find their systems far too restrictive without hacking. Having said that, I bought an Ipad for my 4 y.o. daughter due the simplicity and the highly intuitive user interface. I use it sparingly and will admit that the UI is great for web surfing. I have tried using it for taking notes using the on-screen and wireless keyboard but have found both frustrating and revert to the netbook for light duty work, or my work laptop for heavy duty stuff.

The i-pad would work well for you for flow charting and drawing, especially using the adobe application that uses layers. If that, and web surfing is going to be your primary funciton it'll work...if you want to take notes in class grab a decent netbook or notebook...function over form!

 

You bought an iPad for your 4 year old?

 

lol, ridic

 

Why not? Give the child something to keep their mind off of causing trouble.

Ever see a child with a phone? They forget everything else.

 

Ever see a child with a $5 toy? They forget everything else.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll definitely check out the Asus tablet and I'll see if I can find an iPad to mess around on a bit. For now I'll stick with a pencil .

 

I so want a Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9. It frustrates me how Apple has all of their products on the market where most of the Android tabs are still on the drawing board.

 

I realize it sounds ridiculous to buy an iPad for a 4 y.o., but she was really interested in playing with the computer but wanted to touch the screen rather than use the mouse or keyboard. There are a ton of apps for kids, and she uses apps for learning to spell, matching, reading etc that work really well. It's actually frightening to watch how easily she whips around from app to app. I did invest in a very solid case, and there are firm rules around where and how she uses it. I look at what I've spent on various V-Tech/Leap Frog "kid technology" and can say that the ipad gives way better value.

 

I suppose I underestimated the intelligence of 4 year olds (not yours, just 4 year olds in general). I guess some 4 year olds are in Kindergarten? Maybe 1st grade? Makes more sense when I think about it that way.

I'm glad you bought a good case and have rules about where/when to use it. It's never too early to start teaching kids responsibility.