Tablets for Teaching Kids
Can the iPad and Android Tablet help improve early childhood skills?
Teachers are increasingly tech savvy
Types of interactive tech teachers use:
93% use Laptops/Desktops,
55% use Interactive Whiteboards,
34% use Tablets/iPads,
34% use handheld devices and
5% use multi-touch tables/surfaces.
So are kids:
More than 50% of teachers as well as administrators said children use technology 5 days a week in their classroom and less than 10% of them said children use technology less than once a week.
iPads and tablets are already widely used in the classroom:
In elementary school:
1/3 of students surveyed (32 percent) said they use small tablets versus 21 percent using larger tablets.
26 percent use basic ebook readers
5 percent netbooks
[a full 35 percent use smartphones]
In middle school, the numbers skew slightly more toward smart phones and laptops:
• 25 percent use small tablets;
• 23 percent use larger tablets;
• 17 percent use basic e-book readers; and
• 12 percent still use netbooks.
[ 70 percent of middle school students use laptops for learning; 66 percent use desktops; 47 percent use smart phones]
And in high school:
• 19 percent use full-size tablets for educational purposes;
• 17 percent use small tablets;
• 16 percent use basic e-book readers; and
• 10 percent use netbooks.
[75 % use laptops; 65% desktops and 60% smartphones]
Why should technology be used in the classroom?
80% of teachers and 69% of administrators said, “The children enjoy it”.
54% of teachers and 48% of administrators said, “Technology helps children meet the goals of the program”.
60% of teachers and 54% of administrators said, ”To support dual language learners”.
65% of teachers and 69% of administrators said, “To support children who have special needs”
And less than 10% of them said that they used technology only for teacher-controlled activities.
Ways students use tablets/iPads in school:
70% for research
70% for homework
55% check assignments
47% take notes in class
46% read digital textbooks
39% check class schedules
33% take exams
8 million: number of iPads in classrooms in first four years after introduction
94%: Apple’s share of tablets in education [see pros and cons below]
107,844: number of education apps in Apple’s App store
97,000: number of educational apps in Android’s Google Play store
Pros…and cons of iPads in k-12
iPads, Pros:
• Students love them- iPads in the classroom will get even the most stubborn students excited and engaged.
• Good battery life
• Apps galore
• Platform for e-textbooks
• Communication tool- Have any shy students not willing to speak out in class? Using iPads in the classroom can help fix that.
• Great content viewer
• User-friendly to students with disabilities- There are many apps for students with cognitive disabilities.
• Lightweight and portable
• Fast and easy to use
Cons:
• Doesn’t support flash- one of the biggest criticisms of the iPad is its lack of ability to work with Adobe Flash and JavaScript.
• No USB port
• Lack of multi-tasking- multiple windows and files can’t be kept open side by side. Expensive
• Potential to be distracting
• Lack of production capabilities- a great content viewer, but not as great for content creation.
• Typing is sometimes frustrating
• Not good for sharing. With the incapability to enter logins, each student needs his/her own. Personal information can’t be stored if students are sharing iPads.
Sources:
http://everdayfamily.com
http://edtechreview.in/data-statistics/531-kids-mobile-technology-infographic
http://thejournal.com/articles/2013/05/08/report-students-use-smart-phones-and-tablets-for-school-want-more.aspx
Pearson Student Mobile Device Survey 2013, published April 2013
Source (of education apps numbers): Ed Tech
