Tablets are swiftly becoming a staple in American classrooms. Many school districts have now adopted 1:1 initiatives, meaning each student has access to a tablet device in school.
As a result, devices like the iPad, Kindle Fire, and Microsoft Surface are extremely popular in classrooms. Technological advances like these can fill many gaps in interactive study materials.
Still, there are also considerable drawbacks and disadvantages of tablets for students in the use of tablets to study. So if you are concerned about the possible adverse effects of tablets in the classroom, I will try to identify both the advantages and disadvantages of using tablets in the classroom.
Everything about the pros and cons of using tablets in education discussed here is based on information and findings from various research and teachers’ personal experiences.
Advantages Of Using Tablets In The Classroom
Ease of Taking Notes And More Storage
Taking notes begins to look like something distant and tedious. Why load yourself with the papers and books when you can have them all stored in a single device?
Most importantly, tablets come with way more storage than paper. Students can save their work on their tablets and access it anytime. This is especially useful for students who need to review the material later or who want to keep a digital portfolio of their work.
Quickest Access To Information
Imagine that you are in class, and while taking notes on a topic, mention a name that does not know how to write. In many cases, the classes are so crowded that stopping the class to ask the teacher for it would delay everyone. So instead, you need to do a simple search using an electronic device.
The same could happen if you studied art and wanted to see the works while writing. Yes, it is true that teachers still use slides or digital presentations. However, imagine that you can access that image in excellent quality and expand everything you need. It helps a lot.
There is no doubt that such a device can help make the experience in the classroom more complete. It also makes things easier for teachers. In a classroom where all students use tablets, there is no need to resort to photocopies; it is as simple as sharing readings and files with students.
Visually More Stimulating And Engaging
In general, tablets are just more engaging than paper and pencils. They are more visually stimulating and can hold students’ attention for longer. This can be a great way to keep students on task and engaged in the material.
Studies have shown that students are more likely to pay attention and participate in class using tablets. This is likely because tablets are more visually stimulating with bright colors and touch screens.
A more interactive environment facilitates better learning and, at the same time, forces teachers to optimize the way they teach. An example is the use of virtual classrooms, class assignments and exercises are uploaded by students directly to the network, and this is done without printed works.
More Effective For Learning
Tablets offer students a more tactile and hands-on learning experience. With a tablet, students can interact with content in a way that’s not possible with pen and paper.
For example, they can annotate texts, draw diagrams, and take notes directly on the screen. This hands-on approach to learning is more effective than traditional methods, like lectures and textbooks.
Based on the surveys and studies done on the teachers about their experience on how the use of tablets affects their students’ learning ability and other critical aspects such as problem-solving, communication skills, collaboration ability, etc.
| Educational Activity | Improvement Percentage |
| Improvement of Learning Experience | 64% |
| Improvement of Communication Skills | 67% |
| Improvement of low-performing students | 56% |
| Increase in Motivation For Learning | 86% |
| Helping Gifted students | 65% |
| Integration Of knowledge and skills | 52% |
Increases Students Interactivity
Tablets are quite interactive as they can be used for much more than just taking notes or completing assignments. With a tablet, students can research, watch videos, take quizzes, and more. This increased interactivity can lead to a more engaging and interactive classroom.
Better Classroom Collaboration
Tablets also offer increased collaboration opportunities. For example, with apps like Google Docs, students can work on projects together in real time. This can be a great way to foster collaboration and teamwork in the classroom.
More Personalized Learning Experience
Tablets offer a personalized and individualized learning experience that can be customized to each student’s needs. This technology can provide educators with new ways to deliver content and assess student understanding.
For example, a student can use a tablet to take notes, create presentations, and conduct research. This type of technology can also be used to store and organize course materials. In addition, a tablet can be used to access online resources, such as educational apps and websites.
Disadvantages Of Using Tablets In The Classroom
As you can see, tablets offer several advantages for personalized learning. With this type of technology, both teachers and students can utilize it to maximize the learning experience. But like every other technological invention, using tablets in class also has some negative effects.
Not Helpful For Developing Critical Thinking
Some studies suggest that compared to students who learned with traditional methods, those who used tablets in the classroom performed worse on tests requiring them to use critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
This may be because tablets allow students to find answers more quickly and easily without engaging in deeper-level thinking.
Negative Effects On Health
To state the negative effects of tablets in the classroom, one must start with the adverse effects of tablets on health, precisely the harm that the blue ray light of the tablet’s screen might do to the health.
In addition, keeping your eyes fixed for so long on a screen can have some seriously negative effects.
Tablets Can Be A Distraction
Students who used tablets in the classroom were likelier to have shorter attention spans and less engaged in the material. Even if students use them for educational purposes, they can still be easily sidetracked by games, social media, and other apps.
The ability to access social networks from the same device is a difficult temptation to resist, and students might try to sneak into their social media accounts whenever possible.
Lack Of Tech-Savvy Teachers
For teachers, despite the advantages, there may also be disadvantages. For example, not all teachers are used to new technologies; therefore, their contents may not be adapted for them.
Tablets Are Quite Costly
Another very important factor is the economic one. While tablets can be an excellent investment for the classroom, they can also be expensive. Not every school can afford to outfit every student with a tablet, and purchasing something like a tablet could make it unattainable for some families.
More Stressful For The Students
Students who used tablets in the classroom were more likely to report feeling overwhelmed and stressed. This is likely because students often need to constantly check their devices for fear of missing something important. The constant flow of information can overwhelm students, leading to increased stress levels.
Conclusion
21st-century innovations like tablets or IPads constantly challenge the ways of traditional learning with more dynamic ones. However, this change can affect both students and teachers positively and negatively. So, while tablets may be convenient and seemingly helpful in the classroom, they may also hinder the development of some students. So more studies should be done to find ways to let students and teachers find the right strategies that fully integrate new technologies but don’t let the negative side affect the student’s learning.
