Tablet computer

Many people use tablet computers at home for reading, watching movies, playing games, or other forms of entertainment. Tablet computers are also becoming increasingly popular in the workplace, where they can be used for everything from scanning credit cards to hosting virtual meetings. But while tablets are already very common at home and on the job, there is one place where they have not yet fully taken hold: in the classroom. Although there are several ways in which tablets can benefit children, K-12 schools should continue to use old-fashioned paper, pens, and textbooks instead of giving tablets to their students.

Proponents of tablets point out that the devices are smaller, lighter, and easier to carry than textbooks. Because tablets can hold the equivalent of 8,000-64,000 books, switching to tablets would eliminate the heavy book bags that many children carry to and from school every day. It would also free up space in the classroom that is otherwise taken up by textbooks, paper exams, homework assignments, and other materials. While the tablet is certainly much more portable and convenient than a textbook, this convenience comes with a price. Tablets are much easier to misplace than a heavy textbook. A lost textbook might cost a student thirty or forty dollars at the most. A lost tablet, on the other hand, can cost hundreds of dollars. In addition, because tablets are much more expensive, they are also much more tempting to steal. Few people would pay top dollar for a copy of a ninth-grade history textbook—the same cannot be said for a tablet. Moreover, a broken tablet can be costly and difficult to repair. A torn page in a textbook, on the other hand, can be fixed easily with a simple piece of tape.

Another argument in favor of tablets is that they help students become more engaged in learning. According to the U.S. Department of Education, lessons that incorporate technology can help students reach learning objectives 30-80 times faster than traditional instruction alone. Many teachers believe that their students are more motivated and involved with a lesson when technology is involved. However, the fact that students find tablet technology so appealing also has its drawbacks. Although all students are likely to lose focus on the lesson now and then, students who use tablets are much more prone to distraction than students using traditional textbooks. Unlike paper books, tablets have apps, games, email, cameras, websites, social media, and other diversions available instantly at the touch of a finger. According to education expert Lesley Lanir, more than two thirds of teachers believe that “today’s digital technologies do more to distract students than to help them academically.”Tablets may engage students, but there is no guarantee that they are actually being engaged in the lesson instead of tablets themselves.

Fans of tablets also argue that today’s children need to work with tablets so that they are familiar with 21^st century technology, thus preparing them for jobs that require advanced computer knowledge. This may indeed be the case; however, there are some problems with this argument. First, many children already know how to use computers because they have access to them at home. In fact, Lanir’s research found that over 80% of teachers believe that “today’s students are too 'plugged in’ and need more time away from their digital technologies.” Lanir’s findings suggest that school should be a place where students are exposed to different types of learning instead of being further immersed in technology.

Of course, there are also students whose families cannot afford to have this technology at home. For these students, gaining experience with tablets at school can be extremely helpful. However, if they do not have access to these devices at home, they are likely to feel less confident than their peers in using the tablets at school. This may make them fall behind in class. Furthermore, if the students do not have broadband Internet at home, they will not be able to access Internet-based homework or work collaboratively with their peers on projects. Finally, tablet technology is generally only available in wealthier school districts. If, as tablet supporters suggest, students need tablets in order to prepare them for the 21^st century job market, then students in poorer districts are being put at a disadvantage. There is already an achievement gap between wealthy students and poor students; the unequal distribution of tablets is only going to further this gap.

There are several advantages to giving tablets to school-age children. However, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Instead of spending money on tablets or other technology, school districts should invest their money in hiring, retaining, and training quality teachers. New technology fads will come and go, but one thing remains constant: a class is only as good as the person teaching it.