Since the debut of the iPad, a tablet has captured the imagination of consumers. In just one year, the IPAD exceeded even the most optimistic of projections to define a new category of branded products and become the best-selling gadget of all time, and Forrester analysts project that by 2011, sales of tablet than doubled.
But the tablets are ready for the classroom? Although tablets have taken over consumers, the higher education market has been slower to adopt, and understandably so. In grades to the grades of job placement after graduation, devices that are used in classrooms are linked to important results.
Vineet Madan is vice president of McGraw-Hill Higher Education eLabs, which works with colleges and universities, teachers and students, along with technology partners to develop innovative, cutting-edge digital educational tools to improve the way instructors teach and students learn.
As a result, colleges and universities must exercise caution when considering adopting new technology on a large scale. However, recent reports IPAD pilot programs in schools across the country have been positive, and some schools have even begun to distribute pills to all students. We ended the first school year after IPAD, do we know enough to make the "fad, not magic" call? I think so.
Looking at all the pills offered in the context of student behavior and some of the recent trends in education, it is clear that the tablets are ready for the classroom. Here's a look at the main reasons why.
1. The tablets are the best way to introduce textbooks
The tablets are cable of providing electronic books enhanced with images, video and audio. These elements are impossible to include in print or in an e-book standard. Read about music? No thanks, I'll keep my self-promotion score while playing the audio. See a picture of Martin Luther King, Jr. as I read his "I Have a Dream" speech? I guess it's OK, but with a touch of my finger, I'm seeing. The result is a more integrated learning experience that is more attractive to students. This is not the future - this is now.
By allowing students to highlight text, make notes in the margin and access to a dictionary directly in the book itself, the tablets are matched (and in some cases, surpassing) all that a traditional book - printed or digital - can offer.
2. The classrooms are ready for tablets
Although the tablets are a recent phenomenon, many students in high school and college have been using smartphones for years, and are already well acquainted with the touch-screen technology. Because they have become so accustomed to using these devices, students are increasingly expecting to use in the classroom. When the classrooms are not applying what has become "everyday" technology, we are doing a disservice to students.
In addition, students - and consumers in general - are becoming more comfortable tablets for advanced tasks. According to a new study by Nielsen, 35% of tablet owners said they used their desktop computers less frequently or not now, and 32% of laptop users said the same thing. Most tellingly, over 75% of tablet owners said they used their tablet for the tasks you ever used your PC or laptop. While the tablets can not match completely portable in terms of functionality (yet), may make students of today most of the road.
3. Appropriate tablets Lifestyles students
The appeal of tablets for a college student is obvious: it is thin, light, and spring to life immediately, making them much easier to take (and use) the class of a laptop or netbook. Increased battery life means that students do not have to worry about carrying a charger with them. Have you forgotten what the professor said at the end of the class over the medium term? Launch Tegrity, tap the conference and play in seconds. That is faster than texting a half dozen classmates and waiting for what could be an inaccurate response.
4. Tablets have the software to be competitive
Some of the most innovative software everything is developed specifically for tablets. In addition to the thousands of exciting educational applications available, the tablets are fully compatible with online teaching and learning platforms such as Blackboard, which are becoming the norm in colleges and universities. In fact, the current lack tablets - limited multitasking - it could be your greatest asset in education, because it forces students to concentrate on one task at a time.
5. Tablets Integrate with IT education trends
Cloud-based solutions have become increasingly popular among colleges and universities seeking to offer the device sync experiences agnostic. Tablets align well with this trend, given its portability and constant connectivity options. With tablets and cloud-based systems, students can work anywhere on campus and make sure your work is saved in a central location and accessible from all devices. Nor has to pay for the computing power they no longer need.
6. The tablets are increasingly available
One of the main reasons that the tablets have been slow to penetrate the market of higher education was its limited availability. Apple supply chain issues and the difficulty that some manufacturers have faced tablets Android to get their products to market have made it difficult for schools to take seriously about adoption. As these issues are resolved during the next year, expect to see more and more pills to appear on campus.
below the price points will be compressed even more attractive to colleges and universities. For nearly a year, Apple was virtually uncontested in the market for Tablet PC. increased competition should lower prices. The wave of tablets introduced at CES in January is just the tip of the iceberg. With dozens to hundreds of offerings, many based on Google's open, source Android OS, price points expected to fall rapidly as they have for laptops, smart phones and HDTV sets. Heck, Apple's original IPAD can be had for as little as $ 349 if you get the right time and do not mind a refurbished phone.
How close are we now tablets teams moving on campus? Closer than you think. I wrote this article in a tablet with a touchscreen keyboard.