While some parents might be weary of their child using a tablet in the classroom for the fear they might be a distraction or not a good learning tool, many studies have concluded otherwise. A study was conducted in an elementary school in Taiwan that assessed six fifth-grade students. They were asked to participate in mathematical problem solving activities and their actions were analyzed in terms of time-on-task and the distractions between using a touchscreen and a pen tablet. The results concluded that children using touch screens maintained greater attention than children without touch screens or pen tablets. The children with touch screens had more time-on-task and less distractions than children with pen tablets (Chiu). The worry of children not being able to maintain focus while using a tablet in the classroom has been invalidated, and children are more likely to maintain focus on the school curriculum when using a tablet.
Technology will help children participate in a place-based educational environment which is learning through participation and experiences. A study of K-12 curriculum was conducted by the University of Michigan and is recommending, “That calculators and computers be introduced into the mathematics classroom at the earliest grade practicable. Calculators and computers should be utilized to enhance the understanding of arithmetic and geometry as well as the learning of problem-solving” (National Science Board). Technology helps children troubleshoot math problems with real world scenarios which helps them understand the subject conceptually.
Boni Hamilton has been teaching for more than 25 years and served as an Assistant Director for Instructional Technology in Colorado. She explains that,“Students learn when they participate in learning – by exploring ideas, connecting the ideas to what they already understand, and creating ways to share their knowledge with others” (Hamilton 14). When students are taking an active role in their learning, they learn and retain information that is shown because they are able to connect it to what they already know. While using some interactive applications the room will be louder than normal because children are conversing and learning together actively. If a student is having technical problems, they normally ask their classmate before asking the teacher. This helps students troubleshoot and learn together.
A study was performed by the Emerging Technologies in Education on a target group of 246 children. The children were split up into three smaller groups: group one was taught conventionally, group two used a contemporary teaching method but no technology, group three used the an application on a tablet (Fokides). The results concluded indicated that the students in the third group, that used the application on the tablet, outperformed the students in the other two groups. From this study, it was evident that tablets help students succeed in school.
Tablets help students succeed in school as long as they have a good balance between classroom discussion and screen time. By using tablets, students will be able to reach their full potential and score well in school because they know how to be active learners and want to participate in their learning.
Chiu, C., Chen, C., Lin, C., & Chou, Y. “Students’ Attention when using Touchscreens and Pen Tablets in a Mathematics Classroom.” Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice, vol. 16, 2017, pp. 91-106.
Fokides, E., & Atsikpasi, P. (2017, August 31). Tablets in Education. Results from the Initiative ETiE, for Teaching Plants to Primary School Students. Retrieved from https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1152703
Hamilton, Boni, and International Society for Technology in Education. Integrating Technology in the Classroom: Tools to Meet the Needs of Every Student. International Society for Technology in Education, Eugene, Oregon, 2015.
National Science Board (U.S.). Commission on Precollege Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology, and National Science Board (U.S.). Commission on Precollege Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology. Educating Americans for the 21st Century: A Plan of Action for Improving Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education for all American Elementary and Secondary Students so that their Achievement is the Best in the World by 1995 : A Report to the American People and the National Science Board. National Science Board Commission on Precollege Education in Mathematics, Science, and Technology, Washington, D.C, 1983.
Tablet Learning 