One of the major emerging trends that I found through out the last few weeks is the integration of tablets/iPads into the classroom and learning. Below is an infographic that displays how tablets are taking over the markets.
Students these days are surrounded by technology and learn how to use it at a very young age; therefore, I certainly don’t find it very surprising that education is diving into the digital realm along with the students. Tablets have many pros that help reinforce the decision as to why tablets should be incorporated into the classroom. Shilpy Pattar lists the five key reasons that iPads (tablets) should be used in education:
1) They’re easy to carry
2) They increase retention rates
3) They allow students to attend class anywhere
4) They accommodate individual learning styles and differentiated instruction
5) They engage students with interactive learning
Clive Sheperd writes in his blog that “using a tablet seems more fun, more contemporary, more engaging … it's much more likely to be used in a 'lean back' mode, which is more conducive to reflective learning”.
Headmaster Mike Brown from Trinity Episcopal School explains in a video how iPads are engaging to students – they provide students with a plethora of information at the tips of their fingers.
Kristy Nelson, a teacher at the school, states “The iPads are ideal for any kind of learner - visual, audio or kinesthetic”. Mary Rokyta, another teacher at that school, shares “They'll do this stuff for hours, and they'll think it's a game because it's in a game format, and they have fun doing it … The private practice on the iPad allows students to be less intimidated, and it facilitates students who are on different learning levels”.
Opelika students also agree that iPads are useful in their learning. ““You can do more stuff on here than on paper. It’s very self-explanatory.” Kambria said she likes instantly knowing whether her answer to a problem is correct or incorrect.” The following is a video of an interview with an elementary teacher. She goes to explain how students become engaged in their learning with the use of an iPad.
However she does note that iPads are only considered to be a tool for learning. Christine Keeling also supports this; “It’s a lot different than a “Dick and Jane” book, but an iPad, as a tool, provides a vehicle to make education fun and lets everyone do it at their own pace, even while they are in the same classroom, she said.”
An article by Allison Rupp states that after three months of using iPads in a Knoxville school the teachers found that there were already significant advantages for both the students and themselves. I.e. Students were able to save their work in one location – nothing could get “lost” and the teachers were able to cover more in a single class. A science teacher at the same school stated that "It sort of gives them virtual, hands-on experience, like with the brain… They can look at it in ways they couldn't without the iPad." “At home, students could watch their teacher explaining exactly how to diagram nouns and verbs. The assignment was also loaded on iCalendar.”
As a teacher who was away at times for professional development and training, it was always difficult to expect a substitute to cover/teach the lesson you would you have otherwise taught yourself with an iPad you would be able to record your lessons when you’re away and your students wouldn’t miss out. That’s what one teacher from the Knoxville school did. Not only does recording lessons help out the teacher but it also helps out the students who have to miss school. Ben White, another teacher at the Knoxville school, also states that he gets his students to record him explaining their homework to them on their iPads so that they don’t have an excuse for not doing their homework.
As mentioned earlier, one of Shilpy Pattar’s key reasons to use an iPad in education was because they are easy to carry. I want to explain that a bit more – with all the apps, files and notes that can be stored into a tablet there becomes less of a need to carry around paper, pens and notebooks. There’s also one other main thing that weighs down most students each day to and from school that becomes obsolete – textbooks. An editorial in the FayObserver explains that textbook companies are creating more and more textbooks in e-book formats. “Better, they have found that tablets allow them to expand the scope of textbooks, adding, for example, pop-up calculators in math texts, or videos in history books.” Not only do e-book formats of textbooks help save the students back from pain but also helps everyone save money as e-books are much cheaper than hardcover copies.
So far I’ve covered the benefits that tablets have for the average student in North America. Now I want to delve into the use of tablets to help those who have difficulty learning whether due to learning disabilities, living in remote areas and even due to poverty.
Let’s start with how a tablet can be the starting point for better communication with a child with autism. The video below is of a mother explaining how the introduction of a tablet to her autistic child has helped them communicate better.
The article attached to the video explains that “Though there are other computers designed for children with autism, a growing number of experts say that the iPad is better. It's cheaper, faster, more versatile, more user-friendly, more portable, more engaging and infinitely “cooler” for young people. A large number of iPad applications or “apps” have been created that address the most common disabilities found in autistic children: attention span, communication, and organization or sequencing.” I believe that the benefits that the tablet has for autistic children can also aid other children with learning disabilities or anyone in general who may have difficulty with attention, communication and organization/sequencing.
In third world countries, up-to-date education can be difficult to achieve. There are a few nations that are taking some significant steps in order to change that. The Ministry of Education in Thailand has created an initiative called “one-tablet-per-child” which will give each student in Thailand a tablet starting in 2012. This will impact 800,000 students. Mitsutoshi Miyagi explains that the Ministry of Education will also do a study on if/how tablets have an affect on the student’s eyesight and their learning. They also stated the following “Tablets have also been issued to students in other parts of the region. iPads were issued to students in Singapore early this year, while in Philippines, Bangladesh, and in other Asian countries some students will receive laptop style computers under similar state programs.”
The Ministry of Education in Bangkok is also doing a pilot program where they are giving 50 first grade students and 50 fourth grade students tablet PCs. Like Thailand its’ study will focus on the students’ eye sight as well as their performance in learning, reading and writing.
In India, the situation is not quite the same. Although the government is not supplying students with free tablets/iPads, two electrical engineers created a tablet that most families in India can afford – the Aakash. The Aakash can be used by the families for distance learning, learning English, math and so forth. The article states “The Aakash is a ray of hope that India can leverage technology to get more of its 220 million students enough tools to escape poverty and poor teaching”.
Like all other tools, there will always be some skepticism about how effective tablets are and if there will be some adverse consequences such as the article titled “Will turning to tablet computer to educate pupils kill handwriting?” discusses. However that debate is a discussion for another time.
The main reason I chose to research in more depth this trend is that I hope to some day create useful resources for French as a second language using technology. And since tablets seem to be becoming the “new thing” I wanted to see if there was much out in terms of apps for tablets for learning French. The only thing I came across thus far was an app for tablets called “Hello-Hello” for Basic French. This tells me that there is much room for competition in this domain. However, I fear that once I finally create a resource for tablets there will be something newer and better. So for now I’ll keep doing my research and try to keep up-to-date with new trends.
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