Position Paper
Position Paper: The future of education is tablet laptops/eportfolios.
Posted on June 28, 2008 by tbeck | Edit
I believe that the future of education for students in Grade 7 and above is the replacement of pencils, paper and binders with e-portfolios and tablets. I believe that the net-generation, ‘N-Geners’ of students is here to stay and that we, as educators must adapt the way this future generation of students are taught. They need to connect to their learning through digital mediums. They need to collaborate and make connections amongst themselves digitally. They need to show their understanding digitally. They need to organize themselves digitally. They need to have the infinite world of on-line resources at their fingertips at all times, not for two half hour periods a week. I will first give two paragraphs in support of these statements and then explore contrasting philosophies for two paragraphs.
Tablet technology is the next wave of cutting edge, educational tools. They are relatively new to Middle and High schools however, my initial research points to schools who have implemented tablets find them to have been very positive and are looking to increase their use within their school districts. “Tablets are just so much easier to use, write on, and take notes on, now the biggest challenge we have is to figure out how to buy more.” (article 2) As well, students using tablets have found the technology to increase their enjoyment of school. “Students at Kent have embraced tablet computing to such a degree that they expect teachers to make tablets the focal point of every lesson. At a time when many students would rather fiddle with their Xbox than do their homework, the tablet–and the knowledge-thirsting culture it has spawned–is one huge step on the road toward an educational promised land.” (article 2) Tablets allow N-Geners to collaborate in a meaningful way with fellow students. It has allowed students to take ownership of their learning and collaborate in dynamic ways. Tablet technology creates a feeling in students that they “know” what they have been taught as they have been able to digest the information at their own pace. As well, if they are the scribe for the day, they know they have to be accurate in their presentation of the math concepts taught. “The benefit of students using tablets to analyse and critique problems was two-fold. First, the students took ownership of their learning. They knew they would have to present their work and they wanted to be mathematically accurate. Second, they were excited to be in class! Upon comparison of exam scores given to this tablet class and to a non-tablet classroom, the scores for an identical exam involving proofs by contradiction, contra-positive, and induction were 16% higher for the tablet classroom. In addition, surveys given indicated that the students felt they had learned the concepts well.” (article 1)
Tablets also allow students to increase their organization of their physical space and make their work more useful to themselves by allowing student to access their work digitally. “San Onofre students have their desks completely free of clutter, and can utilize the tablets in whatever way they wish.” “Sherer has students write out problems on their tablet screens and e-mail them to her. She says the approach cuts down on paper and makes it easier for her to evaluate all the students in a class at once.” As well, students are allowed the opportunity to save, and go back to work later as it is saved digitally. Students can digest work at their own pace as seen with “Once the material was transmitted to their machines, students were able to use the electronic pens adjoined to the tablet technology to annotate the material however they saw fit. According to Schroeder, the tablets fostered in-class interaction through onscreen, two-way communication. He says the system also afforded students the opportunity to deconstruct and replay class material as they first received it, step by step.” (article 2)
Although I had a hard time finding substantial resources that were outlining the drawbacks of tablet technology in the classroom, I did find a few. First, an article outlining the cost of purchasing tablets for a classroom. It also stated they found that the screen thickness made it hard to read under certain lighting. “This technology has a few drawbacks. The pricing of tablets is still higher than laptop computers. Because of the need for thicker layers of screen protection, some of the screens can be difficult to see under certain lighting conditions. “ (article 3) However, it also went on to say the following, “The next stage for our school is to expand our investigation and put
tablets in the hands of our student population. Wherever we decide to start, we believe the ink-enabled tablet will have an enormous effect on the way students learn.” (article 3)
Another site I found talks about the issues of students being overwhelmed and intimidated by technology. “ Integrating technology can sometimes hinder the education process. Technology can be a distraction for students and even teachers. It can be overwhelming and intimidating. ” (article 4) This has not been my experience with Grade 7 N-Geners. The article then goes on to the issue of skill and drill and students spending too much time on the “bells and whistles” and not on the content. “ Technology is costly, time consuming and requires adequate skill. Time spent learning and teaching technology is time taken away from content instruction. The overuse of basic tools can be boring and deter teachers and students. “Many times students concentrate on the bells and whistles of technology and forget basic requirements resulting in a hodgepodge of facts presented in a spectacularly disorganized way.” (article 4) We all know these are easily solved problems.
The article does present some arguments against technology that I actually find valid to some extent. You do need to have a good tech support staff and technology does “go down” from time to time. Staff are not always tech savy and open to doing technology. And finally, Money! You need money to do technology well and to maintain your system. The article also raises a question I don’t actually have an answer for and that is, how does spell-check and instant messaging deter from students formal writing skills. “Instant messaging has been very detrimental to writing quality.” (article 4) Does this matter? Do students need to know how to spell? Is instant messaging a good or bad form of communication? I don’t know the answers to these questions, but they could certainly be seen as a drawback to technology.
We were asked to consider our public for this paper, which consists of teachers in a technology program that are learning how to use technology in ways that enhance student learning. I think it is self evident for the public for this paper, that digital tools when used effectively enhance student learning. I chose the digital tools (tablets) that I have researched and written about as they excite me and I feel I could use them to really enhance my students understanding of math and their representations of their learning. I look forward to using tablet technology in my field study as I feel this will enhance my teaching practices, which I feel is important for my journey as a teacher.
Bibliography
Article 4
http://www.jvkco.net/mrb/technology/cons.html
webpage giving cons for the use of technology
Article 3
Godsall, Lyndon; Crescimano, Linda; Blair, Risa
Learning and Leading with Technology
Pricing for different tablets. The pricing of tablets is still higher than laptop computers. Because of the need for thicker layers of screen protection, some of the screens can be difficult to see under certain lighting conditions. The next stage for Pine Crest School is to expand their investigation and put tablets in the hands of their student population. Wherever they decide to start, they believe the ink-enabled tablet will have an enormous effect on the way students learn and teachers teach.
Article 2
Milner, Jacob
Tablet PCs: The write Approach
Focuses on the use of pen-based table personal computers in several schools in the U.S. The Lenovo ThinkPad X41 tablet computers had transformed the way teachers did their jobs at Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh, California. At San Onofre Elementary School in San Clemente, California, the transforming effects of tablet technology are apparent in the classroom of third-grade teacher Heather Sherer, which steamlined her math lessons by giving students on their tablets instead of on paper. INSETS: A LARGER PURPOSE;DIGGING DEEPER;TALKIN’ ABOUT TABLETS.
Article 1
K. Renee Fister a; Maeve L. McCarthy
Mathematics instruction and the tablet PC
The use of tablet PCs in teaching is a relatively new phenomenon. A cross between a notebook computer and a personal digital assistant (PDA), the tablet PC has all of the features of a notebook with the additional capability that the screen can also be used for input. Tablet PCs are usually equipped with a stylus that allows the user to write on the screen. Handwriting recognition software converts this input into text for use with software such as internet browsers and email programs. As an educational tool, two of the most important features of the tablet PC are annotation and wireless communication. The annotation feature allows the user to write on almost any document much as one would annotate a printout of the same document. The wireless communication feature allows tablet PCs to share information with one another. The advantages of these features and their impact on the Murray State University (MSU) classroom will be discussed in the evaluation section.
