Tablets: Should High Schools Implement Them Into Their Classrooms?
Brett McKinney
Tablets or PPDs (Post-PC Devices) are relatively recent advancements in computer technology. They are somewhat of a cross between smart-phone and a laptop, offering the format and similar functionality of a smart-phone and some of the capabilities of a laptop, with portability that is somewhere in between. The use of these devices is probably in its infancy, and many of the potential uses for educational purposes probably have yet to be developed. The popularity of these relatively new devices, in education and as a productivity tool in the business world, would indicate that they are likely to become an important part of high school education in the near future. This paper will first discuss the rapid evolution of technology in the past. The potential pitfalls and benefits of choosing to use tablet devices in high school education today will be examined. The following pages will also explore the current uses of these new devices in education today, and the potential for short term educational use advancements. It will also offer a comparison between the use of tablets and computers for educational purposes and discuss the advantages and disadvantages to choosing these devices over computers or additional computers for a high school today.
As recently as the mid 1990’s computer access and use was largely restricted in many high schools. At that time laptop computers were a technological revolution, wireless connectivity was unheard of, and the portable technologies that exist a mere fifteen years later were unimaginable to most of us. “While the origins of e-learning date as far back as the 60's, the nature of technology facilitated learning has experienced exponential rates of change even in the last decade (Murphy, 2011).” A little over a decade ago, in many high schools, student use of computers was limited to typing courses and very basic computer skills courses in a classroom designated as a computer lab. Occasionally, there were a few other computers spread throughout the school such as in the library. Content area classrooms rarely had a computer for teachers let alone for student use. Times have certainly changed. Today it is not uncommon for content area classrooms to have a desktop for each student, or a ratio that approaches one computer for each student. Students today complete a great deal of their core content class work with the use of a computer. The use of laptops in the high school classroom has started, in many cases, to take the place of the desktop. Over the past two years a new technological advancement has come to the forefront in high school education. With Apple, Inc.’s 2010 release of the iPad and similar windows and android based devices, tablet technologies are being looked at as supplements and in some cases replacements for computer technology for the high school classroom.
When Apple first announced the release of the iPad they marketed the device for multimedia and entertainment purposes. Their marketing highlighted the web browsing capabilities, video and music playback features, and the use of the device as a reader of e-books and other electronic media. “I don’t believe Apple anticipated the demand for iPads as educational devices. When they were first released, more than one Apple sales representative suggested that iPads were designed for personal media consumption and laptops would be a more appropriate investment for schools (Gliksman, 2011).” Due to this marketing strategy a great deal of people view these devices in such a manner. Much of the tax paying public will need to be convinced that spending their tax dollars on these devices for educational purposes is worthwhile and justifiable. Currently, it is a tough argument to say that these devices are capable of replacing desktop or laptop computers. Thus the idea of their use in high schools has to be sold as a necessary supplement to what students are learning on those technologies.
Another downside to the use of tablets is that they are currently formatted for use primarily as a single user device. Thus the most effective implementation of them into the classroom would require the purchase of one for each student.
Sharing: iPads are intensely personal devices that record your digital footprint - logins, preferences and more. There’s no login process. This makes them difficult to share. A 1:1 iPad implementation requires very different planning than an implementation that shares iPads among students. My hope is that educational app developers will see the obvious need for sharing in schools and add login layers to their apps (Gliksman, 2011).
From a usability standpoint the main negative is the lack of an efficient input device. The touch screen while very user friendly is not nearly as efficient as the traditional keyboard and mouse that are used with desktops. Even the integrated keyboard and mouse of a laptop are far superior to the offerings available for tablets.
While these devices may be a tough sell to parents and other tax payers of a school district, and some other drawbacks exist, they do offer a variety of benefits to a high school student’s education.
While these devices may be a tough sell to parents and other tax payers of a school district, and some other drawbacks exist, they do offer a variety of benefits to a high school student’s education.
Barbara Schroeder identifies 10 ways to use an iPad as an educator:
As a reading device tablets are nearly identical to the eReader devices that preceded them. They offer similar screen sizes and clear easy to read displays. Tablets also have the advantage of independent connectivity, allowing the user to download media directly to their device. These devices offer the potential to replace the traditional textbook. As of now the demand for eTextbooks exceeds the supply, but this potential appears as if it will be a reality in the near future. “After trying out the Apple iPad for a short period—about three weeks—three out of four college freshman said they’d be willing to purchase an Apple iPad personally if at least half of the textbooks they used during their college career were available digitally (Schaffhauser, 2011).” The potential for tablet technology is also currently impeded by the cost to do so. Some expect this barrier to be eliminated in the future. Dian Schaffhauser quotes Scott Perkins, coordinator of mobile learning research at
“Until those digital textbooks are equal to or more cost-efficient than the print textbook, there’s not much motivation to spend the money on technology-and I don’t mean just for [our school], but in general, for faculty, for students, for universities. If textbooks are going to be just as expensive, then why would we spend $500 to $700 on a reader platform?” “It should be more cost efficient. You don’t have to cut down trees, print, bind, and store and ship, and so on. But so far we’ve not seen that movement (Schaffhauser, 2011).”
As a listening device tablets have the same capabilities as the iPod and similar devices with slightly less portability. As a viewing device the combination of screen size, accessibility, and portability is unrivaled by any other technology. Computers are as capable and offer larger screen sizes but even laptops cannot compete with the portability of a tablet. Smaller devices such as smart-phones offer similar access to video media and are superior in terms of portability, but the screen size and resolution when compared to a tablet is lacking significantly.
Much like the video viewing capabilities, tablets are unrivaled in their ability to be used as portable research devices. These devices can easily be taken just about anywhere a student would need to go and in most of those places would have access to the web for conducting research for nearly any topic.
Another major benefit for students and teachers is the capability of PPDs to be used as a portable organizer. With calendar and note taking apps these devices provide an organizational tool that an individual can take with them and access quickly if needed.
Another significant ability of tablets for high school education purposes is their ability as communication and collaboration devices. The iPad 2 as well as other devices are Web 2.0 compatible. Students can use these devices to edit Web 2.0 based web pages if their class has such a site. They can also use their tablets to send and receive electronic messages allowing them to communicate with teachers and classmates.
Possibly the most productive use of tablets for students is their capabilities as a note taking device. In his blog, the Apple Blog, Josh Pigford identifies seven note taking applications for the iPad. He opens his blog post on note taking applications by stating: “Whether you’re writing a simple article for a blog, piecing together the next blockbuster hit, or penning a 500 page romance novel, there are quite a few options for helping you get all of that information organized and drafted. There really are enough to choose from with a wide enough range of options that you’re sure to find something to fit your needs (Pigford, 2011).”
While there are many benefits of using PPDs in the classroom for both students and teachers, the greatest reason for implementing these devices into a high school classroom does not really involve how they are used. The best reason that teachers should implement these devices is that it will better prepare students for their future outside of the classroom. That is what education is really all about preparing students for their future, and providing them with skills and knowledge to help them succeed in life. Students today often do not feel technologically prepared when they finish high school. “Although 60 percent of students reported that their teachers used technology to teach, only 26 percent said that they were encouraged to use technology themselves to learn. Forty-three percent were uncertain that they felt prepared to use technology in college and the workforce, and wanted to do more with it in their courses (BizEd, 2011).” In Murphy’s study he cites 36 colleges and universities that are using iPads in some capacity for their students (Murphy, 2011). Tablets are also being used by businesses and their use in the business world is expanding rapidly. Keir Thomas cites the ChangeWave survey:
“It asked 1641 business IT buyers if they were planning to get tablets and, if they already had them, what they used them for. Seven percent of respondents said their company provides employees with tablets. Fourteen percent of respondents said they planned to get tablets in the first quarter of this year—a rapid rate of growth (Thomas, 2011).”
Valentino Luccio observes “A recent study from Robert Half Technology shows that companies nationwide expect to increase tablet usage by 50 percent within the next two years. As mobile technologies develop and more computer tablets hit the market, businesses are seeing the benefits of utilizing the devices (Luccio, 2011).” It is evident that today’s high school students are likely to encounter these devices in their future. Whether a student plans to enter college or find a job after graduation there is a good chance that they will be asked to use a tablet in their future endeavors. To fully prepare a high school student they need to be exposed to the technologies that they are likely to work with outside of school.
There are many benefits to high school student through the implementation of tablet technologies into their classrooms. Unfortunately schools do need to operate under budgetary constraints. When push comes to shove where does the acquisition of tablets stand in comparison to other technology. If a budget decision needs to be made between laptops and tablets what device should be chosen? The following is a comparison of the two technologies:
· Cost: Laptops are generally cheaper than tablets
· Portability: Tablets are far more portable and useable on the go than a laptop
· Potential for Use Outside of High School: While tablets are being used extensively and their use is growing rapidly, they still have a long way to go before they eclipse computers in usage beyond high school.
· Potential to Replace Textbooks: The purchase of PPD could alleviate the need for schools to purchase many textbooks, and in the future could replace the textbook completely. While this is true if textbooks are available electronically for tablets they would be accessible on computer technology as well. PPDs do make better and more convenient readers than a laptop.
· Communication tool: Computers are powerful communication devices with the ability to send and receive, and input information to send and receive very quickly. Tablets are good communication devices as well, and are much more portable. The tablets lack of an efficient input method when compared to a computer, makes the computer the better communication tool for a high school student.
· Educational Gaming: Options exist for both the computer and tablets. It would be hard to argue that one device is better than the other for this purpose.
· Share-ability & Management: A laptop can be set up with multiple log-ins and easily shared among several students. As discussed above tablets, specifically the iPad, are very personal devices and are difficult to share.
· Students Need to be Exposed to Cutting Edge Technology: Tablets have the edge here. There seems to be a growing trend in many industries to put these devices to use in a productive manner. In many instances tablets are serving as a more practical replacement of laptops.
While it is true that tablet use, as a productive tool, is becoming more prevalent computers are still the predominant technology in the business world. Computer use is also extremely important for college students. In order to be prepared for life outside of high school a student must know how to use a computer. Knowing how to use a tablet is useful, knowing how to use a computer is necessary. Tablets may one day be the predominant technology used in the world. Today that title belongs to the computer by a large margin.
If a school has room in the budget to implement tablets into their classrooms their students would be well served by such an acquisition. There are a great many benefits to a high school student using and understanding how to use tablet technology. Tablet use will increase a students productivity and provide them with skills that will probably be valuable outside of the classroom.
References Cited
BizEd Staff. (2011) Preparing Teens for Campus Tech, BizEd March/April 2011, 63-64
Gliksman, Sam. (2011) One Year Later: Assessing the Impact of iPads on Education, http://ipadeducators.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?user=371wq83chgfc5
Luccio, Valentino. (2011) Laptops Gather Dust as Business Turns to Tablets, http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/article/Laptops-gather-dust-as-business-turns-to-tablets-1050645.php
Murphy, Glen D. (2011) Post-PC Devices: A Summary of Early iPad Technology Adoption in Tertiary Environments, e-Journal of Business Education &Scholarship of Teaching, v.5 iss. 1, 18-32
Pigford, Josh (2007) Note Taking Application Faceoff, http://gigaom.com/apple/note-taking-application-faceoff/
Schaffhauser, Dian (2011) Is the iPad Ready to Replace the Printed Textbook?, http://campustechnology.com/Articles/2011/06/15/Is-the-iPad-Ready-To-Replace-the-Printed-Textbook.aspx?p=1
Schroder, Barbara (2011) 7 Reasons You Need an iPad in Your Classroom and 10 Ways to Use Them, http://itcboisestate.wordpress.com/2011/01/04/10_ways_ipad/
Thomas, Keir (2011) How Useful are Tablets for Business?, http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/article/372955/how_useful_tablets_business_/
I can see both positives and negatives to these types of devices. A major positive is in the long run it will save money on textbooks and second kids will only have a few items to carry (if you've scene what these backpacks look like you know what I'm talking about) One negative is of course with some students the potential for losing it and theft is a possibility.
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