Would it be easier for children to dive into the ocean of knowledge if they were helped by the ease of technology via tablet computers? The role of gadgets in education is often contested and debated, but tablet computers seem to offer more to educators than any other technology did in the past. With a single investment, schools will be able to provide updated information to students that would not only reduce costs but also make learning more enjoyable for children, say many. So, should tablet computers be used in schools? Post your comments on our Facebook page, ‘Gulf News Al Nisr Publishing UAE’ or tell us at readers@gulfnews.com
15:34 Gulf News: Tablets will reduce human interaction, directly impacting cognitive development of children.
15:37 Lakshmi Ajay: Children have a tendency to make use of such electronic gadgets for purposes other than studying, which can bring about a negative impact.
15:39 Anureet Kaur: Regardless of anything, students should not be deprived of reading text books. Technology can be complicated at times. Schools should emphasise on reading text books. The more you are attached to technology, the less you would enjoy reading.
15:39 Kritika Narayan: Many gadgets produced are having a heavy side effect on children’s lifestyle and now such developments will deeply affect the child’s brain, too.
15:40 Shereen Mir: Individuals from a very young age will get addicted to technology and would want to keep updated every time. Introduction of tablets might even divert their attention from the basic purpose of teaching or learning.
15:40 Shajitha Shifa: With the help of tablets, students can easily learn the structures of chemical substance in 3D, which is not possible with books. It would help students understand better.
15:40 Shweta Madhu: It is more student-friendly and definitely helps them understand lessons better and more effectively. Besides it makes the learning and teaching process more interesting.
15:41 Akshaya Parthasarathy: Introducing tablets for learning is a great initiative, but it’s only as far as school. Beyond that, most students would be inside a box blocking their social world and are too busy with their technological one.
15:43 Lodhi Azmat Allah: Using tablets in schools is good but how it would work is difficult to tell. Teachers who are old don’t know how to use computers or tablets. So, new technology would really help but we would need to change the whole system.
15:43 Leah Thomas: Sixty per cent of students in regular classrooms learn best with visual-spatial presentations. Tablet computers allow teachers and students to view, create and manipulate charts, graphs and images.
15:44 Kritika Narayan: Like deteriorating reading habits, the introduction of tablets will deteriorate the habit of writing too!
15:46 Mathew Litty: My main contention is how will teachers know that the students are using the tablet in the classroom for that particular subject. He or she could be busy doing something else. So, are teachers going to monitor a group of 30 students in a class? But yes, tablets can help you at times.
15:46 Shweta Madhu: It definitely helps students gain more knowledge in a short period of time. I think tablets can revolutionise education. Just imagine pictures, graphs and visuals, in the form of videos, which would make learning more fun and interesting, hence the students would learn better.
15:47 Anureet Kaur: Yes, we all do log on to Facebook during college … I admit. But that happens during breaks between lectures and there’s nothing wrong with it. Lectures can get boring at times and hence you need a small break to refresh your mind.
15:47 Gautham Manoj: Students who take advantage of interactive lessons nowadays learn more and in turn score more. In India, many schools have taken up this initiative and have experienced their best results.
15:48 Shweta Madhu: The writing and reading habit should be cultivated in a child by their parents and teachers. The tablets should be used only to make the learning process more interesting thus sustaining the child’s quest for knowledge.
15:51 Gulf News: Technology should not replace traditional learning methods like writing by hand.
15:52 Anureet Kaur: No. It should not. Because everyone still enjoys writing with their ballpoint pen on a crisp paper. There is an excitement in opening your notebooks on your first day of class.
15:52 Mathew Litty: No. What is the use of text books and why are they being used if we have the latest gadgets? The writing styles have completely changed. I have seen a few notebooks of some teenagers studying in school. I am quite disappointed to say that it looks pathetic. The writing and the reading habit has become poor. Schools should look at ways of motivating the students and making each and every class more interesting and lively, not with the use of the latest gadgets though.
15:54 Kritika Narayan: For instance, when I prepared for my board exams, I used volumes of paper! I wrote and learned and that, today, helps me remember almost everything in year 12.
15:56 Gulf News: Technology will make education more accessible.
15:57 Shajitha Shifa: Poor people may not be able to afford to buy school books each year but if they can buy a tablet computer then it would help them throughout their lives.
15:57 Lakshmi Ajay: A young child has to explore the uses of his hands and the perfect place to learn is the school. The use of tablets naturally leads to the exemption of something vital in a child’s growth.
15:57 Leah Thomas: If textbooks can be made available online or through a school server, the cost of replacing all the textbooks every year or two can be reduced drastically. Children would be able to access text books that are searchable, and without having to lug around 2-3 kilograms of books every day.
15:58 Anureet Kaur: The pros are that information can be easily accessible - there are so many things that you can search online; it is easy to type notes and pass it on or edit them and the best thing is that you do not need to worry about selling your text books or buying new or second hand ones. That is one of the major worries for any student. The only thing is that it is expensive. But I still believe that in the long run the pros outweigh the cons.
3:58 Shajitha Shifa: Due to technology, we get to look at the world that is outside our textbooks. Whatever be your doubt just type it, you will get the answer. Technology will make education more accessible.
15:58 Anureet Kaur: Students like something that is more visual rather than just black and white print. It’s exciting.
15:59 Lakshmi Ajay: No. If the case of children with financial problems is taken then a tablet computer might be difficult to purchase, as a huge amount of money needs to be acquired at a single go. This might prove financially difficult for poor families.
16:00 Akshaya Parthasarathy: Agree, technology has played a vital part in our life – if a child wants to search for Newton’s first law, technology provides him with triple the information he initially came for, but nothing can replace the true value of the text books and the experience of writing and learning.
16:00 Gautham Manoj: You only need to spend a lot of time on tablets if you are doing something else. One should have self-control. A tablet is certainly cheaper in the long run but as some have mentioned earlier, viruses, bugs and other things might raise the cost a bit.
16:01 Lakshmi Ajay: Many financially poor families often may never have bought books in their entire lives. They can easily get second and books free of cost from older students who are willing to give them away. In such a situation, tablet computers can be a problem.
16:05 Pavan Kumar: Today, if a teacher asks questions in class, students need to search for the answers in the textbooks. But if the students will be allowed to use these gadgets they won’t even bother about the answer.
