Are Tablets The Future Of Education?

Working in education is always a balancing act between budget restrictions and the use of the latest technologies.
Does the future of education lie in the use of “Tablets”?

Will every student have access to their own personal mobile device?

This article seems to think so…….

e-Learning: Tablets in Education

http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/blogs/2011/10/28/e-learning-tablets-in-education/

“Just a decade ago, it was uncommon to find students with a mobile phone. Now everyone has one and the majority have a smart-phone. With ever improving technology, it’s not unfair to say that the majority of students in the next 5 years will also own their own tablet and there will be a huge demand for full integration with their teaching programme.”

 

We have evaluated some of the leading Tablets available on the market for use within an educational environment and although they are very good in the right circumstances there are of course positive and negative points to be considered.

Pricing

Some of the tablets available on the market are expensive and cannot always be justified budget wise.

It is also unfeasible to expect students to supply their own devices as this would be unfair.

This article does however offer some hope…..

India launches Aakash tablet computer priced at $35

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-15180831

“India has launched what it says is the world’s cheapest touch-screen tablet
computer, priced at just $35 (£23).”

Platform specifics

iOS, Android, Windows……..

Which platform is the best?

Big debate, I am certainly not going to go into detail of this here, once again each has its pros and cons.

However with the variety of platforms available on tablet devices it is difficult to pick a winner.

How do you supply platform agnostic apps?

How do you deliver the apps to the client tablets?

How do you centrally purchase paid for apps?

A simple answer to some of these points is to make your apps web-based but this can again cause problems with the different browser versions tablets have.

Infrastructure

A robust and secure Wireless Infrastructure is the key to widespread use of tablet devices. This in itself is both costly and needs resources to be managed efficiently.

Security

Physical security is an obvious first point of interest here, tablets are, by their very nature highly portable and also highly desirable therefore prone to theft.

Then the issue of data protection and remote management come into the frame, does the tablet in question contain sensitive data and can it be remotely locked / wiped.

Data security is also an issue here as you are allowing in some cases user owned devices access to areas of your infrastructure.

Although there are very few tablet based viruses at the moment, if these devices do become as popular as expected then viruses will undoubtedly become an issue.

Conclusion

I believe it is inevitable that the use of the tablet will become an important part of teaching and learning. Technology is increasingly led by user demands and at the moment more and more users are demanding tablet use become part of everyday life.

This article explains further…..

Tablets in the Enterprise: Risks and Rewards

http://www.cio.com/article/695629/Tablets_in_the_Enterprise_Risks_and_Rewards

“Not surprisingly, the use of tablets at businesses is predicted to grow dramatically over the next five years. According to Del Prete’s research, employee-owned mobile devices used to access business apps reached 41 percent in 2011, up 10 percent over 2010. It will continue to grow at this pace to reach 70 percent by 2015, says Del Prete.

In 2010, he adds, 6.8 billion mobile devices were in use; that number will more than triple to 29 billion devices in 2020.”

I have no doubt that the use of tablets will have a positive impact on educatuion in general; the stunning visuals and ease of user interaction lend themselves seamlessly to teaching environments.

The following article echoes this………

The Use of Tablets in Education

http://www.alwaysonmessage.com/2011/the-use-of-tablets-in-education/

“Throughout 2010 tablet technology was used within educational institutions throughout both the UK and the US, with some institutes becoming early adopters of this technology. And as consumers brace themselves for a flood of tablet devices expected to hit this year, this courting of tablets and education is likely to turn into a marriage.”

It is the responsibilty of the educational establish to embrace this technology and develop ways of embedding it within the learning environment, there is also a need for effective management of these devices to provide the best possible experience to the end-user.

Let’s hope these