There are many parenting styles and I had been convinced that my son had to know and operate everything with ease and fluency. Part of learning. A discipline was a different subject and referred to any aspect of life from making bed, through homework to reading books. I could not see a difference while my son was doing homework with a paper and pencil vs. computer. Each one has destructions. Using computer gave him an edge and advantage. Now days using iPad resembles the same pros and cons and the discipline has to be taught along with it. iPad, also, will not replace hand drawing class or coloring book. It may augment them with modern approach to art and painting.
Tablets make a lot of sense for universities, where textbooks would otherwise pile up from courses that only have a peripheral interest. Most professionals keep only a few of their college texts for reference. The rest are just wasted resources and quickly obsolete.
They make sense for public schools, too, which are generally strapped for funds. There have been comments pointing out the disadvantage of younger students carrying around a full-blown computer to reference course material. Maybe better to store material on an e-book like a kindle to avoid the information overload.
Unclear whether the e-books have improved on display optics to make them less prone to impairing vision. This is a major issue because hours of intense study should only be done with hardcopy printed media unless display technology has been proven to be benign with respect to a person's vision.
i always feel text books are better options there is lot u can do when you use text books like kids can color the picture there, it creates a different feel plus we use sticky notes, markers etc, but with all the above text books also has its own negatives any additional information needed should be surfed unlike when you have a tablet. my option will be for Textbooks.
I wasn't really blaming the device, as I mentioned, I own a iPad myself. I was simply making the point that for my teenager, who does not make the right decision to focus on her work first then attend to social media second, it is a distraction I do not want for her. As adults, we can make decisions and understand their consequences, children and teens are not cognitively developed enough to do the same. It is therefore, the responsibility of the adult to take away the necessary distractions to make sure the children are properly focused.
This is a great discussion and the kind of thing product developers should look for in designing the next generation of tablet or e-reader. Take the things potential buyers don't like--the phone, the Internet--but enhance the screen for color, size and video. Simplify highlighting and note taking. Maybe a window to jot down questions to ask or send to the professor after class. Make it easy to upgrade so you don't have to buy a new tablet every couple of years. Offer several versions--a stripped-down model through the deluxe model--to make them affordable.
I'd also target colleges vs. the lower grades. High schools have lockers so kids don't have to carry the books everywhere. I still am attached to the printed word and I think the basics--such as using a dictionary rather spell-check--should be taught in grade and high school.
The tablet is not responsible for its owner's distractions as the tablet doesn't have the ability to turn on and off applications like email or Facebook by itself. So, if you are working or studying and suddenly receive an email of Facebook pop up alert saying you got a new message and you are curious enough and not disciplined enough that you have to open it immediately it is exclusively your fault and not the tablet's if you can't keep your focus on whatever you are working or studying. You can always choose to turn off the alerts or close your email and Facebook completely while you work/study. Is your phone also ringing and distracting you with unexpected calls or text messages when working or studying? Then you should have turn it off, too. It's just the same case. If you want to really focus on something and are not able to multi-task then it's your choice and responsibility to turn off everything that can cause you a distraction.
Let's not blame the devices and the Internet for our own faults, lack of responsibility or lack of discipline.
Do you also think that as soon as the employees get into the company's network area all the social network sites and non-work related websites should automatically be blocked?
A fear that students can get distracted using tablets and the Internet in class is just a mirror of those employees who get distracted at work by the same things. Otherwise, why not trust the students in the same way the employees are trusted? Responsibility and ethics are to be learned and practiced at an early stage. The sooner the better.
Online libraries, like Questia, offer a tool to highlight the books you are reading. You can also make notes, save them or print them. There are already some applications for tablets doing this or similar.
The growth and application of IT in education sector is tremendous for the last couple of years. Recently I had a visit to one of the European country. So as a part of research conference, I just visited one of the departments in a famous school. There teacher are taking class with the help of big LCD monitor and supporting IT infrastructure. Its teacher’s duty to prepare the study materials, based on syllabus either in PPT with necessary animation or in some other supporting format. With the help of these documents teachers are taking classes and for clarifying doubts students can browse the internet at real-time. Students can also access the same study materials either by Bluetooth mechanism or WIFI methods.
Using the tablet devices of learning purpose has both advantage and disadvantages; it have the convenience of storing and carrying all the data’s in a compactable device and retraceable, whenever needed. It can reduce the usage of papers and hence save the ecco system for much greenery. The major disadvantages are addiction for such devices during school days, handling with toxic substances like lead, magnesium, mercury etc, which are used for the manufacturing of such devices. Interaction with toxic metals during the growing up stage can cause health related problems too.
In my personal opinion, if technology is growing like this, near future the text books may disappear or pave the way for hand held devices in class room. Parents and students may call it as high-tech class rooms, but we have to teach students more about our nature, ecco system and how to lead a natural friendly life.
I don't understand your concern about kids using the iPad at school. This might vary from country to country but since kids start elementary school they already carry a cell phone with them to be reached by their parents at any time or vice versa. These same kids have access to a computer at home. What could be the difference of using a tablet at school or home to do their homework? Let's not forget that these are the kids who were born in the era of technology. They don't see technology and gadgets as something strange that can only be an option or alternative to some other things, e.g. books. They see technology and all the gadgets their parents use as something normal and part of their daily life. In this context, they can't be distracted by something that is absolutely normal in the lives. The mistake here comes from adults who were introduced to technology, gadgets and the Internet at a later time in their lives. Therefore, when having the first cell phone or the first computer or the first Internet connection they got distracted like a kid with a new toy. Now those adults think the kids of the 21st century can go through the same distraction without considering that the experience is completely different.
What health problems can an iPad cause to the kids? In fact, carrying a backpack full of heavy books five days a week for some long time is a real cause of health problems, for example, the beginning of lower back pain and injuries that go unnoticed most of the time.
I also see you don't trust the adaptability of the human being's body and mind to the fast paced evolution the world is experiencing. It has been proven by research conducted by neuroscientists that the human brain adapts and reacts faster than what many think.
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Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
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Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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