Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Module 1: Tablet Use in Education, Emerging Technology

The proliferation of tablets on the market suggests that their popularity and need have skyrocketed.  It is worth mentioning also, that the development of touch screen technology has also facilitated, if not started, the growth of the tablet.  Thornburg (2009) mentions touch screen technology as a technology that has emerged in the last few years and has drastically changed the way people interact with technology.  From its early beginnings in the 1980’s, touch screens have developed into a wide range of ways that people can interact with technology.  This brings me back to the wide spread use of tablets.



It would be an understatement to say that technology has advanced at warp speed, and the need to access information through technological applications has necessitated a shift from cumbersome desktop computers, to mobile laptops, to completely portable and lightweight tablets.  I would exhaust all of the bandwidth of this blog detailing the history of the tablet, but in short it has developed as way to accommodate the need for constant access to information, applications, and other people.  The obvious benefit of tablet computers is the ease of use and the ease of travel.  Tablets contain the power and applications that desktop computers contain, yet portable.  In the classroom, tablets have the ability to, and will one day potentially, replace all printed textbooks.  Instead of accessing static print material students would have access to dynamic information in large amounts.  This creates a classroom with active learning where students become more self-directed and involved in the learning process.

There are however, challenges presented with the tablet use.  For me personally, the cost of tablets is the main inhibitor to being able to use them in the classroom.  As a first grade teacher, the dynamic effect that tablets could have on my classroom is immeasurable, but the cost of purchasing them is a deterrent.    Also, from a network standpoint, the bandwidth available could cause trouble browsing the Internet and other network accessed applications.  Because wireless access to the Internet is the main mode of browsing, as more students access the network it depletes the available network space.  Finally, the prospect of damage to devices is a major concern when it comes to student use.  While the desktop is cumbersome, its size provides a measure of security from damage.  However, the fragility of the portable tablets raises the questions as to whether replacement costs will also be a deterrent to having students use and travel with tablets.

Cisco does a great job of outlining potential problems associated with tablet use, and they can be accessed using the following website. http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns170/ns896/cisco_edu_tabletsin_whitepaper.pdf

More information can be found about tablet use in the classroom using the following links:
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le21/le39/docs/tdw_184.pdf
http://www.districtadministration.com/article/racing-ipad-k12-education




Resources:
Thornburg, D. D. (2009a). Current trends in educational technology. Lake Barrington, IL: Thornburg Center for Space Exploration.

4 comments:

  1. Margaret,

    I enjoyed reading your posting. I agree that incorporating tablets into classrooms is a great idea that can be beneficial to the students in the class. There are so many benefits for both teachers and students in the school system. However, there are so many drawbacks that could cause problems with students carrying tablets everywhere. I just feel at this point it would be a hassle more than anything because there would be so many issues with the tablets. I enjoyed watching your video as well. Good post!

    Brian

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  2. Margaret,
    Great post and your video was such a welcomed addition to the post. I tend to agree with Brian that the challenges of using tablets seem to outweigh the benefits to a degree. I would also contend that as students get older and more mature it would be easier and there would be fewer issues with damages and such. Brian, are there any specific challenges you could foresee other than the possibility of damages?

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  3. Margaret,
    I agree that the use of tablets in the classroom has an impact on instruction. When I think about the information in textbooks versus using a tablet, of course the tablet would be first choice. But you raise a good point about the availability of network space. For this reason, I also think it will take a while for textbooks to be taken out of rotation. My school purchased iPads as an attempt to implement them in the classrooms. However, due to funding the school only purchased enough for one iPad per class. How productive do they really expect us to be with just one? In this case, is it better to not have it at all?

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  4. Good post Margaret. It is quite refreshing to see the unlimited potential the use of tablets present to teachers. They allow teachers to utilize a variety of resources to meet the needs of their students. I recently received an iPad for my birthday and I take it everywhere. I use it for a litany of reasons, one being for my children an educational apps for everything from sight word review to various applications math computational practice. I personally do not believe textbooks will ever be obsolete only the current method in which they are presented.

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