iPad Tops Students’ Lists for Christmas

A recent Neilsen survey of technology topping holiday lists for children reveals interesting differences by age. While the iPad tops the list for younger students (31% of students aged 6-12 want the Apple tablet), just 18% of youth 13 put it on their list. While 25% of younger students want the Nintendo DS, gaming devices (portable and tethered) fell below 15% for older teens.

The survey is a fascinating insight to the digital lives of young people. The high numbers for younger children suggest that these students want it all. The top 10 items on the 17-item list peaked the interest of at least 20% of kids. That means that each of those kids picked at least 2 items on the list with most choosing 3 or more. The computer was at the top of the list for only 20% of teens, followed by a television and smartphone with 19% each and the iPad (18%), a Blu-ray player (17%), and e-reader (15%).

Are older students more discriminating? More aware that they may have to choose between items? Is that choice based on time, learning a technology, experience with them, or scarce resources (money)?

Bailey Mitchell, CTO of Forsyth County Schools in Georgia, allows students to “bring your own technology” (BYOT) to school and connect to the network. He fully expects the iPad to become a top technology choice this January, and if the price were to come down a bit…well, school CTOs, look out. Expect a lot more attempts to connect to your network in 2011.