As an Instrument and Commercial student and later as a CFI do I really need ADS-B IN for my iPad?

What would that be used for? TCAS in flight?

As a general aviation safety enhancement, maybe. But it's not going to be useful for training purposes.

Not everyone has ADS-B out yet, so if you're looking for some sort of TCAS functionality I think it would be better to have a device which detects transponder returns. Not a bad idea at all in a congested area.

Airline pilots don't use ADS-B directly. It interfaces with other systems behind the scene.

It depends on how you define "need."

Required by the regs? No. Essential for learning the ins and outs of Instrument flight and Commercial maneuvers? Not really. An aid to safety? Sure, as long as you don't depend upon it as your sole means of separation.

I find it useful even when just bumping around the pattern. If you're using ForeFlight, you've got the Scout as a low cost alternative to some of the other ADS-B In options.

Even if not everyone has ADSB out, you'll still pick up the TIS signal from the ground. If you're flying around congested airspace, it can add a lot of value to safety. If you think you'll be flying a lot after training, it'll serve a useful function for many more years.

On the one hand, I would like to use ADS-B for added safety when flying VFR or to avoid VFR traffic that might not be in contact with ATC when I'm flying IFR.

On the other hand, I have found ATC and old fashioned visual scanning and vigilance to be effective in avoiding traffic.

My only concern is that, involuntarily, just like recent studies have shown that the advent of GPS navigation systems has diminished drivers' capacity for situational awareness, that ADS-B will make me a more complacent pilot. I don't want that to happen. I want to stay sharp, safe, and keep my skills sharp.

In addition, instead of scanning outside, ADS-B might become a distraction as it will take time from my visual scanning in order to look inside at the iPad screen.

So I'm on the fence on this.

I use my ipad coupled with a Stratux and it is amazing the amount of traffic I can see that now that I would never have known was around when in congested airspace.

I dont NEED it, but I WANT it whenever I fly!

Good points all. I would prefer something with an audible/visual proximity warning so I'm not forced to go heads down all the time to look for traffic. Given the fact that not everybody has ADS-B or even transponders, visual scan is still vital in GA if you want to avoid death.