Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
How technology has impacted school
How technology has impacted school
Replacing textbooks with tablets in schools
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: How technology has impacted school
Is the education of the future generations at stake, or will it become more effective with the use of tablets in school? The country’s classrooms are unquestionably going through a technological uprising. Samsung and Apple are watching the sales of these devices increase immensely. There are several theories as to why the tablet would be a negative impact on the children in school. However, experts believe that the tablet is taking over America’s schools and don’t have such horrible impacts on students like society seems to accept as true. 81% of K-12 teachers say that tablets really do help students in the classroom. (“Tablets VS Textbooks.” Web). With the world evolving into a more technologically advanced environment for people to live, the introduction of electronic tablets in school have caused a controversy as to whether they should replace the textbook in grades K-12 with factors behind this decision being cost of materials, policy on tablet usage, and the acceptability of new media; all of which have caused a debate of the pros and cons of its usage, the impact such usage will have on students, the input from faculty, the health issues that experts have concluded with the usage of tablets, and the future of education based on the path that schools are taking. Still, like always, the main problem of discussion is the cost.
First, the price of tablets are astonishingly cheaper compared to the original textbook. However, it all depends on how many students a school district has enrolled. The Los Angeles Unified School District is the second largest school district in the country, whom have recently spent $30 million to give 35,000 iPads to students. This is part of a multiyear deal with Apple that will ultimately give all 6...
... middle of paper ...
... still give quality instruction to our children,” board chairman Ray Snow adds. “I think a trial session would be appropriate and then if successful, switch from books.” The conversion from standard textbooks to an electronic device would be a suitable move for everyone (Capek).
The use of tablets in grades K-12 have several positive and negative aspects of which these include: Cost of materials, policies on tablets, the aging of textbooks and electronic devices, the pros and cons of both the tablet and textbook, the impact on students that the tablet will give, the input from experienced faculty, and the health issues regarding the usage of the digital textbook. These are all factors as to whether America’s schools will transfer over to such devices. As technology has advanced, so has education, which is driving essential changes in how we work, live, and learn.
In addition, textbooks are heavy to carry around and it takes longer to find a page. Likewise with digital textbooks they are compatible with tablets, smartphones, and laptops; it’s much easier to carry around and affordable price. However, some people may argue that digital textbooks can be a distraction for people because they would not bother read anymore. The author and poet Dana Gioia argues that electronics alternatives may be a bad influence that will lead society to not read anymore. Gioia complicates matters further when she writes, “While no single activity is responsible for the decline in reading, the cumulative presence and availability of electronic alternatives increasingly have drawn Americans away from reading” (161). I think Gioia is mistaken because she overlooks on electronics being a bad influence; but doesn’t see the benefits of electronics. To demonstrate, most of my textbooks are digital, which I can easily carry my tablet around where ever I go. Also, I save more money on digital textbooks and are simple to annotated the text. Journalist Ellen Lee interview a student from Liberty University, and he states that he prefers digital textbooks because he can tap his iPad, opens the digital copy and quickly open the page. Nevertheless, he also like digital textbooks because it has a feature that allows to highlight and mark the
... I’d rather have paper to write down and make my own citations and marks depending on the subject, but if I’m reading a novel, then using a tablet is great, and I’m able to carry as many books as I need. It’s amazing how technology has shaped our educational system over the years and especially in the last 10 years. Honestly, it was only a matter of time before we arrived at this crossroad. It still remains to be seen how this path will be navigated and implemented fully, but I’m excited to be on the journey.
How much better would it be for students to carry one tablet as opposed to several heavy books? Because of the ability to constantly customize, update and tailor learning, many schools are starting to go digital. Printed textbooks should be replaced by tablets for three main reasons: tablets increase student interactivity and creativity, they improve grades and responsibility, and provide students with more up-to-date information.
... while the survivors are forced to reduce production to remain profitable. Moreover, information from the 2007 Census reveals that only 41 percent of households earning less than $40,000 own a computer with internet access, and this number drops dramatically as income decreases. The possibility that in the long run hard copy textbooks will at least remain at current prices, while any increase is conditional on future market conditions, raises an important question for how low-income students will be able to purchase high-priced textbooks. Here are some important questions: Will the government be forced to step in and change university policies? Will the government be forced to provide deeper subsidies to low-income families to purchase or rent these high priced textbooks? If the former takes hold, then what will be the outcome for the digital textbook market?
Tablets can help improve the way students attain their studies. According to Cam Lincoln “Students who used the iPad version of the textbook scored 20 percent higher on standardized test versus students who learned with traditional textbook”(parag.2).This demonstrates that, students who used the iPad version of the textbook learned more effectively than the students who learned with traditional textbooks. The iPad clearly shows that it can help improved test scores. According to National Association for the Education of Young Children “for children with minimal exposure to technology or limited engli...
If you were to ask some high school students, “Have you ever looked up a sports score or checked your Twitter feed in class on your phone or computer?” what do you think their answer would be? The answers from most, if not all, of the students would be “yes”. Technology use has drastically increased over the past few years, and this dramatic increase is having its effects on classrooms. With online textbooks, homework, and lectures, it is inevitable for it to have an effect. Technology is rising at a rapid pace, and it is rapidly being integrated into secondary classrooms in many forms, such as online textbooks, homework, and lectures. Because of this swift incorporation of technology, high school students have a decreased focus in the classroom, have decreased motivation and patience, and it has changed the roles of teachers and students, in addition to having negative effects on a students’ writing and spelling skills.
"Tablets vs. Textbooks - ProCon.org." ProConorg Headlines. ProCon.org, 9 Apr. 2014. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
In a article by Titlow, John Paul it says “New technologies are often too costly for students and their families who are struggling through a recession.” Also some of the families are fortunate to send their kids to free public school but can’t afford a tablet if the students were given one and it accidently broke. In another article by Brown, Byron W it says, “The required text for the course, Jeffrey Perloff's sixth edition of Microeconomics, will lighten their wallets by a hefty $206.67 retail. Or $147.52 from Amazon. The book is a 20-chapter behemoth that tips the scales at over three pounds, more than the weight of two iPads. This shows that the textbooks are cheaper than a $500 dollar tablet if they had to replace it. It basically proven that students would rather pay a replacement fine or damaged book than a
Imagine having ten of these textbooks. Do you know how many trees people would have to cut down for the paper in textbooks. People would not have to cut down trees when we use laptops! In the website “tablets vs textbooks” it said that “a school with 100 teachers uses on average 250,000 pieces of paper annually” This piece of evidence emphasizes that by using 250,000 pieces of paper that means you would have to cut down? Just one tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333.3 sheets from the website “conservation”.
With the United States’ low amount of high schools allowing laptops and tablets in school, the high schools should allow laptops and tablets to be used to benefit students, because the “trend of integrating technology into education will definitely increase” (Wang). I am a high school student, and in the classes that I am allowed my laptop and tablet, I feel like it has helped me more than not having one. In the future, the high schools of the United States should not lag behind Asian countries with education, but surpass them.
So just like decisions are not based solely on the benefits for one specific group of people, the transferring of physical books to e-books are not exclusively profitable to one group. Not only do students benefit from this change, but teachers as well. The benefits of e-books are numerous, a well known newspaper discusses a few of these benefits aimed toward, and with high regard to teachers. ". . . Some of these new electronic platforms permit individual instructors to modify the text for their own classes' use, eliminating material that isn't required and adding the instructor's own material, such as video clips, study aids, or self-test material" (Hull).
Should students’ textbooks be replaced by laptops? One study done by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) found that 77% of K-12 teachers found technology to "increase student motivation to learn”. Laptops should replace textbooks because they're more Eco friendly, cost less in the long run and are easier for students to carry.
Do you ever think about how much technology has changed the way we work, learn, play, and even think? Technology is a major beneficiary to society; especially in the classroom where we get the opportunity to learn and grow. In recent years, schools have begun implementing tablets and other devices in the classroom to better student’s education. The use of technology in the classroom provides more of a personalized learning experience and gives students a widespread availability to engage in learning. Technology is necessary in today’s modern globe, it is basically “the pen and paper of our time and the lens through which we experience much of our world” (Warlick, 2013). Technology is not just considered the “internet”, it is so much greater than that. Overall, it enhances the quality of education and engages students deeper than ever before. With all the significant gains, why would people argue that technology hinders students more than it helps? Critics may try to repute the use of technology in the classroom but I believe what really matters “is the way we use it, the context that we use it in, and the learners who we use it for” (Chong, 2012).
Advances in technology have drowned the human race. Even though these advances have their countless benefits, they also have their downsides. Along the same lines, replacing high school textbooks with laptop computers does have some advantages, but also has many disadvantages. Laptops in high schools are a huge distraction for students, they are very expensive to initially buy and maintain, and they can cause many health problems. Replacing textbooks with laptops in high schools ignores the negative effects on students, leading one to conclude that it is a terrible idea.
As more people began to access the Internet through smart phones and tablets rather than laptops and computers, it is not a surprise that they would also want to transform the American education system by bringing tablets into classrooms. In fact, a few schools around the country have already replaced textbooks with tablets and have seen improvements in students’ standardized test scores. Using tablets instead of textbooks is not only convenient and helpful, but it can also reduce the amount of paper wastes in school. However, it is not a good idea to completely transform textbooks with tablets with the current technology, for it can not only be damaging to the environment and costly to set up, but also might not be effective in improving K-12 education in the long run.