Schools using tablets instead of books

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teenujohn
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Re: Schools using tablets instead of books

Post by teenujohn »

I can't agree with this. Now adays schools using tablets instead of books. It shows the technology growth. Tablets are not a harmful one, and iit has many uses. But the importance of reading book is very high. Reading will improve our thinking and helps to know more information. To improve our communication and writing reading is very essential.
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[Kyrielle]
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Post by [Kyrielle] »

While I am an avid book reader and I love to sit down with an actual book, there are times that a kindle or the app on my phone is more compact. I like the tablets in Junior/Senior high school. Their books can be very heavy and they carry enough stuff around. In my children's school the tablets don't leave the class room, everything goes to cloud and they can access from home. No more excuses not to do homework.
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marmar122097
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Post by marmar122097 »

This is just a thought, but economically would it make more sense to purchase a set of tablets that will last many years than a whole library of books? I know upkeep is probably less, and ebooks often cost less... but I'm no expert. Thoughts?
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Zackadoom
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Post by Zackadoom »

When I was in college, I used my own tablet for textbooks that were available for tablets. I think the idea of it is good provided kids know how to use actual books. So, basically, books up to a certain age.
School-provided tablets? That could get really cost-ineffective.
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Queenbee_3
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Post by Queenbee_3 »

Schools should continue to use real books. Children today get enough screen time on various devices that it is important that they take a break and experience reading a book or magazine in its paper form. Many argue that schools need to make the change to laptops and tablets in order to keep up with technology but today's students are more knowledgeable about technology than my generation.
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brendabowman89
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Post by brendabowman89 »

I have a child in Elementary school, so this is a topic that I can relate to. My son loves books, he does not mind an actual book. At the end of this school year his school entered into a program that would allow students who have a long bus ride to be able to use a tablet for school purposes such as research and homework. I was immediately against it. If he lost, damaged, or "looked up inappropriate content" then I would be held responsible for fixing it. Now that was an understandable request for the school to make, but children are so easily influenced by others that I did not feel my son was ready for that kind of responsibility. We do not allow him unsupervised internet access, due to fact that we are concerned about what he may be exposed to online and a tablet would give him the chance to be online unsupervised. There is nothing wrong with a book, and should he need entertainment for a long ride he can read a book. If he needs to do research then he can do it at home where he will be supervised. I understand that some students may not have internet access at home, but a public library is free. Many children are being allowed too much time in front of a screen as it is, and I worry about the damage to their eye sight when constantly being allowed to stare at a screen all day long.
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Post by barb429 »

I don't think that schools should exclusively use tablets instead of books. Even though today's youth is very technologically savvy, some people do not retain information as well using a tablet. It's also a huge responsibility to send a child home with a tablet. Textbooks are expensive enough to replace if they are lost or destroyed, but tablets are much easier to damage by dropping, spilling something on them, etc.
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nymeriastar
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Post by nymeriastar »

As a teacher, I can see the benefits of using tablets in a classroom; however, in the classrooms I been in that use tablets, some students seem to not be able to peer their eyes away from them when it is time to pay attention to the teacher. I think this could be solved by having students use the kindle that is just for reading (the name escapes me, but you get the idea: no apps, etc).
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erica_bvs
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Post by erica_bvs »

At my high school, we had iPads. The advantages were numerous. Backpacks were lighter since students didn't have to carry around all the heavy textbooks that would weight them down and give them back problems. Students could take notes, write papers, use educational apps, and so forth. Of course, there are also disadvantages. Some students wouldn't pay attention to the teacher and play games or go on social media during the class time. Overall I totally support tablets, laptops, and iPads in the classroom as long as the school has a good system to keep students off of distracting apps and tuned in to the lesson.
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Cb01uq
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Post by Cb01uq »

I hate the idea of moving away from books! We are on our conputers, phones & tablets enough as it is! We need to keep paper books alive!
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nymeriastar
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Post by nymeriastar »

erica_bvs wrote:At my high school, we had iPads. The advantages were numerous. Backpacks were lighter since students didn't have to carry around all the heavy textbooks that would weight them down and give them back problems. Students could take notes, write papers, use educational apps, and so forth. Of course, there are also disadvantages. Some students wouldn't pay attention to the teacher and play games or go on social media during the class time. Overall I totally support tablets, laptops, and iPads in the classroom as long as the school has a good system to keep students off of distracting apps and tuned in to the lesson.
Fully agree with you, Erica. There is no denying that using tablets with a strict school system that avoids them from using them for any other purpose would solve many of the situations teachers are facing when using tablets in the classroom.
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lrankintx
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Post by lrankintx »

Working for a large school district in special education and also having a visually impaired son my preference is 100% tablets or chromebooks over regular textbooks. My daughter in law teaches at a medium sized middle school which exclusively uses chromebooks....

The advantages of tablets or chromebooks over regular textbooks for the visually impaired are very obvious....not all textbooks/library books come in large print but on a tablet the text size can be adjusted as large as necessary as well as being to adjust the text color or background for more visual distinction.

No more lost textbooks and the ease of which content can be changed in a tablet bring the cost down. If you have a college student and have had to buy textbooks you know what a racquet they are in the U.S. My daughter is a college professor and never requires a book for her classroom that costs more than 25$. She remembers what it was like to be a poor college student and having to spend 100$ on one book!

-- 13 Jul 2016, 20:47 --
Zackadoom wrote:When I was in college, I used my own tablet for textbooks that were available for tablets. I think the idea of it is good provided kids know how to use actual books. So, basically, books up to a certain age.
School-provided tablets? That could get really cost-ineffective.

Actually, Google sells Chromebooks for Education, which are small, rugged laptops, to schools for less than a hundred dollars each....when you think about the fact that one textbook can easily cost a hundred dollars and add in the fact that you can easily add and delete content compared to having to reprint textbooks all the time, the cost is much more workable than books. At my daughter in laws school, each student carries their chromebook to the classroom and home. They download the work at school so even if they don't have an internet connection at home they can still do their work.
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nymeriastar
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Post by nymeriastar »

lrankintx wrote:Working for a large school district in special education and also having a visually impaired son my preference is 100% tablets or chromebooks over regular textbooks. My daughter in law teaches at a medium sized middle school which exclusively uses chromebooks....

The advantages of tablets or chromebooks over regular textbooks for the visually impaired are very obvious....not all textbooks/library books come in large print but on a tablet the text size can be adjusted as large as necessary as well as being to adjust the text color or background for more visual distinction.

No more lost textbooks and the ease of which content can be changed in a tablet bring the cost down. If you have a college student and have had to buy textbooks you know what a racquet they are in the U.S. My daughter is a college professor and never requires a book for her classroom that costs more than 25$. She remembers what it was like to be a poor college student and having to spend 100$ on one book!

-- 13 Jul 2016, 20:47 --

That is actually a very interesting perspective to know!! I might have to reconsider my position regarding the use of them in schools.
Zackadoom wrote:When I was in college, I used my own tablet for textbooks that were available for tablets. I think the idea of it is good provided kids know how to use actual books. So, basically, books up to a certain age.
School-provided tablets? That could get really cost-ineffective.

Actually, Google sells Chromebooks for Education, which are small, rugged laptops, to schools for less than a hundred dollars each....when you think about the fact that one textbook can easily cost a hundred dollars and add in the fact that you can easily add and delete content compared to having to reprint textbooks all the time, the cost is much more workable than books. At my daughter in laws school, each student carries their chromebook to the classroom and home. They download the work at school so even if they don't have an internet connection at home they can still do their work.
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Booky_BettyC
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Post by Booky_BettyC »

I think they should stick to books. I think having tablets is ridiculous to be honest. It would just be an added factor on the already winning side of kids constantly using electronics and not "being kids". It's school. . .not play time. If there is a separate class for tablets to be used for learning however, I think that would be more appropriate.
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Post by Sarah_Khan »

I think if we don't figure in the cost of the tablets then it would be a great idea to have both in school. While I prefer books I still think tablets would allow us to teach kids in a way they've never been taught before. They could be very useful... specially with today's kids.
I think it's time to embrace technology in a school environment instead of fighting it. We need to acknowledge and appreciate the differences between generations. :)
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