Will the real tablet please stand up?
As the holidays approach, a slew of new devices are coming out for the shopping season. This week alone will see the roll out of the Asus Slider, the Kindle Fire, and the Nook Color Tablet. There are so many to choose from and so many questions arise:
- which features are most important?
- what is the magical price that makes tablets affordable?
- how would we manage 100, 200, 500 devices anyways?
Why are the tablet wars so important? Here are a few reasons why I keep such a close eye on these new technologies.
LEARNING There are so many ways to use computers and interactive devices to enhance learning and to promote creativity. Having so much power and knowledge at their fingertips, students can stop memorizing and can focus more on crtical thinking.
OWNERSHIP Imagine every student had their own device to use 24X7 (okay - maybe we should unplug to sleep at some point). Students would have a much more consistent technology experience not using different devices during the course of the day - they would be masters of their one device. Also, if this is the student's device, they would treat it like GOLD!
THE REAL WORLD A tablet for every student would prepare students for life after high school (or college). In the work force, employers will expect that these students will have the necessary computer skills to achieve (and make money) in the working world.
As tablets get cheaper and cheaper we will begin to see many schools considering a one-to-one program but many things will have to change. Teachers will have to run their classes differently to harness the power of students with information at their fingertips. Students will have to learn netiquette, digital citizenship, and appropriate use very quickly. Parents will have to understand how connected their children's world will be in 10, 20, 50 years! The Indian government has subsidized tablets for their students so they are as cheap as $35 brand new! (http://www.akashtablet.com/) As tablets get closer to having everything students need (digital textbooks, notetaking, internet, and more), we will have to adopt a piece of the changing world into education. What tablet will be the best choice? Only time will tell.