I personally find the iPads an excellent idea for academic purposes. It makes school work so much more organized and easy to keep up with. I like to take notes with it and place each one into its own separate page. It makes studying so much more simple. It has come in handy on several occasions when it comes to homework. In own personal opinion I suggest the device to a wider variety of grades.
I think that it is a very good idea to have iPads. One reason is because it will be easier to write down the homework and type and write things down.