Tablet Computers in Classroom: Is It ? Boon or Bane
In the field of education teachers constantly
seek creative new ideas to make the classroom
more productive. Modern technology has long
been a resource for up-to-the-minute classroom innovations. With each new technological tool, however, there are some questions as to its classroom appropriateness or effectiveness.
Tablet computers are no exception.
Educators have been using computers in class for decades now. Schools have whole computer labs with which to teach students the basics of computer use. Computers quickly became more of a learning tool than a class subject and schools across the nation have put desktop computers in each classroom. But providing each student with their own desktop is ridiculously inefficient, though the benefits are the stuff of a modern educator’s dreams. Laptops solve the problem of space and size, but are still cumbersome. Happily, the latest generation of computers, tablet computers, are even more streamlined, lightweight and portable,making it feasible to assign one to each student in a school.
WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?
Predictably, many people question the suitability of tablet computers in the classroom. A tablet is only a limited resource without internet access. But many people are concerned about giving elementary to high school students such easy continuous access to the internet. The understandable concerns range from simple distraction to downright danger. Young students can discreetly listen to music, or be tempted to check their social networks when they should be researching a lesson. Additionally, more naïve students would be all the more accessible to online predators. The less mature the student, the greater the problems.
