Your thoughts on using tablets in education (elementary-high school)

In My Humble Opinion
1

My daughter’s school has a “newish” principal, with one of her goals being to integrate tablets (iPads, specifically) as an education tool. This year, my 7th-grader got her first iPad and my impression is that this integration has been, to be kind about it, less than successful:

  1. The distractions has shot through the roof.
  2. The machines tend to break, regardless of the protective case one purchases for it (she’s on her 2nd, and the screen flickers constantly.)
  3. The quality of the education applications leave a lot to be desired and, from my perspective, tend to rely on a “game-style” format.
  4. Implementation is spotty. Math doesn’t use them at all, science is heavily reliant on them.
  5. Note taking is a disaster and has resulted in far fewer notes being taken than last year.
  6. Security is non-existent - the students can download any app they want, excepting porn apps. This goes to #1.
  7. The kids are required to get their own (or use their parents) Apple ID, which is an email address, social media presence, iCloud access, etc. This isn’t that big a deal for me since Sophia is 13, but they also require the kindergartners to get an AppleID.

I fear in the rush to appear modern (and to increase funding+fund-raising opportunities) the school has done little to test the validity and effect of tablet-based education approaches on children’s education, have implemented them in a haphazard manner, and that the potential negative aspects of replacing books and paper with tablets have been poo-poohed.

OTOH, I could be wrong and these things work great in increasing the knowledge base compared to books&paper-using students, improves test scores, and generates better understanding of aspects of education and knowledge that is impossible via texts and paper.

Hence this thread. I’m interested in your opinion, especially if you are an educator or a parent with direct knowledge or experience of how tablets both positively and negatively impact education. Numbers would be great, especially comparative ITBS and other standardized test scores (which I can’t find on the web.)

Thanks in advance!

2

I don’t know about elementary school, but my iPad was a godsend in grad school. No need to lug books around, great for voice and written notes (though you definitely need a keyboard to get full use out of it) and perfect for on-the-fly research.

Now I use mine for brushing up on math (lots of good apps and video lessons), all my reading, and some basic foreign language apps.

I think they definitely have a place in the classroom, and one that will only grow over time. But teachers need good training on how to make use of them.

3

tech in schools can be a great tool if used properly. Problem is, deploying them never seems to be well thought out. It’s as if the mindset is:

  1. Hand out tablets to all the students.
  2. ???
  3. Success!

also, it’s my opinion that they should be kept in the classroom and doled out at the start of the day instead of letting the kids keep them with them. It’s moronic to hand out expensive, highly desirable items to adolescents and teens (an age group comprised mostly of irresponsible, destructive thieves) and then wonder why these things get broken or disappear.

4

My general perspective on computers/personal tech in the classroom is that it’s the biggest waste of money I’ve seen (both in equipment and staff), and does little to nothing to facilitate education that non-tech offerings would provide.

5

My nephew is in the 6th grade. First day of school everyone gets a Chromebook. I do not know how these devices are used specifically in the classroom (I was in town for a short visit) but he was doing math homework on his and my brother, who teaches grade school, sez in 2-3 years, every kid will have one. Google has an education push here. (Click on the video). I agree its a bit vague but keep digging around farther down on the screen (the Classroom video).

6

JohnT. Here is a linkspecific to Google tablets. Note: I own a Google Nexus 7. Nice device for the price. An equivalent Apple device would cost 2x as much. Its not a stretch to see how they and Chromebooks could be used in education. I can also see how they could be cheaper than books/paper/pens/pencils/crayons, etc. per student.

The new Amazon Kindle Voyagecomes out next month and I’m jumping in. Not only can I purchase e-books cheaper than paper books but the local library has e-book titles I can check out too. No more paper. And my entire library will be accessible from anywhere at anytime. That’s the seller for me and I think from the education side too.

As my brother said to me in my previous post. 2-3 years.

7

I agree, and I say this as someone who has administered grants for technology in education.

Usually it’s a waste because the people who push for (and attain) the funding for such technology give little thought as to how it’s going to integrate into the pedagogy. They just like the idea of it, and don’t really have a clue about how learning actually happens. This is exactly what happened with the iPads in LAUSD.

In general, few of the people who publically proclaim the loudest about “good teachers” and “bad teachers” (especially politicians) actually know shit about what makes teaching effective, and this type of ignorance also usually extends to those who push for flashy new technology.

8

The kids are allowed to take them home. Also, there are no e-books versions of their textbooks loaded on the tablets - just a bunch of “educational apps” that are suspiciously close to being games.

9

I’ve seen references to studies about the differences in reading printed text and electronic text, with these studies purporting that:

  1. Printed text is memorized more readily, and
  2. One reads printed text quicker, up to 30% quicker (i.e., a child that reads 100 words/minute of e-text will read 130 words/minute of printed text)

Anybody know if this is true, still up for debate, or complete BS?

10

Steve Jobs had something to say about this.

11

Isn’t he, like, dead?

12

Yes carnivorousplant, he’s dead. Did you see that I used the word “had” instead of “has”? Ya sure?

If you watch the video from 1980 I posted above, you may be interested in this video 27 years later. The software/hardware thingy Jobs mentioned in 1980 is addressed, yet again.

13

Humor.
It is a difficult concept.
:slight_smile:

14

if it meant heavy textbooks would be available as ebooks, that would be a plus.

this could be an example of a minus - time consuming media as apps or whatever you have to sit through to get to the point. just no. add them as an external link* if you must, but the ebooks should just be textbooks without these sort of distractions as the main driver of information.
*with descriptive titles so students don’t waste their time.

15

In retrospect, yes.

16

Why mention the man’s death in this discussion? What is the gain for you?

17

Steve Jobs was a salesman, first and foremost.

18

Giving kids a tablet to carry around with them is a very bad idea.
Instead, they should have a cloud based system with monitors hardwired to their desks. At home, they can just use their own device. And of course, lower income families should get a free one from the district. (With the understanding that the tablets stay home.)

19

Our district began issuing tablets last year to every kid in fourth grade and up. They are using a Dell Netbook 10.

Most of the kids seem to really enjoy them. The ones who don’t care so much for them seem have a lot of technology at home already in the form of smart phones and personal computers. The ones who really like having them have much more limited access to computers at home.

Some teachers use them heavily and some not at all, but that is similar to those same teachers other use of technology. Some teachers use Blackboard (it’s on-line) to post assignments and grades, etc., and some not at all.

But overall, I think it’s a good idea to provide the netbooks or other devices if a district is able to do so.

In today’s climate, one almost needs some computer ability and an internet access to keep up with things- grades, assignments and research, social things, and even things like paying for lunch at school. Sure, you can pay for lunch without using the internet and a computer, but it is much easier to just log on from your home.

Most places of employment won’t accept paper applications anymore, so having at least a passing familiarity with computers and tech is an asset to any kids future. Knowing how to fill out an application and upload a resume is very handy. Or potentially very frustrating, if not even impossible.

We are undergoing a computer upgrade at work right now. When we moved from paper to computers many years ago, the change was incredibly painful for the people there who had never used a computer (or used one very little). They are suffering again with the upgrade, but not as painfully as they did with the first big change.

My daughter is in college now and would not be able to function very well without technology. A huge part of her school stuff is online- the class syllabus, notes, study guides, reviews, grades, finances, assignments, and education support such as the teaching assistants posting test reviews and study group times. Lots of those things sync with her calendar, which is handy. Even textbooks are available in electronic only form now.

So, I’m all for schools providing technology if they are able to afford to do so. We are in the middle of a sea change (from paper to electronic), so not everyone is on board yet, but it is the future and the kids who are familiar will have a better time of it in the future.

20

No technology is going to be the magic theory of everything. It’s all just tools, and individual teachers and classrooms vary in how they use the tools. For example, lots of college teachers use PowerPoint, which is enormously useful, but I always preferred the old chalkboard. Doesn’t mean projectors aren’t useful.

Games can be a powerful tool. Teachers use non-electronic games all the time. And electronic games have a long learning history- how do you know about the Oregon trail? There are some great math and vocabulary games out there making good use of spaced repetition. But there are crappy fake learning games as well. Just saying something is a “game” doesn’t make it good or bad.

And there is something to say for being on the cutting edge, even when all the kinks haven’t been worked out. It creates a sense of wonder, a comfort with technology, and can spark new ideas. I remember being amazed by the strange laserdisc “game stories” my middle school science teacher brought to school- obviously tech that was going nowhere. This sparked an interest in non-linear story telling, which ultimately led to a career based on technology. The magic of learning isn’t always point A to point B.