Upon researching the different types of tablets available for use in education, there seems to be three main devices. I will review each type of tablet device, and discuss pros and cons of each. The three devices I am focusing on are the Nook, Kindle, and iPad.
The Nook, sold by Barnes and Noble, is a tablet that has been used in schools. It's a more budget friendly option, and Barnes and Noble provides very good customer support. According to librarian, Jennifer LaGarde, as documented in our Graham textbook, customer support was one main reason she purchased Nooks for her library. She was concerned with the learning curve involved and wanted the reassurance of having good customer support. The downside to the Nook is that it is marketed by Barnes & Noble so this rules out the option to purchase books from Amazon.
The next option for a tablet is the Kindle. The Kindle is marketed by Amazon. The great thing about a Kindle is they are less expensive than iPad tablets. The Kindle-Fire is android based and the price is around $199, which according to Christopher Dawson, as cited in his article, is far cheaper for schools than anything else on the market. He also states that it has the capability to deliver web-based tablet applications.
The last option for a tablet is the Apple iPad. According to my research, the iPad seems to be the best product to use for educational purposes. Unfortunately, it is also the most expensive product out of all three type tablets I researched. The Apple iPad does offer many educational applications for use in the classroom, so the quality and uses of the iPad might outweigh the initial cost. I think it would be an awesome tool for educators in the classroom. According to John Titlow, who wrote "How the iPad is Changing Education", many people have seen the potential the iPad has to change education. There are some school districts who have implemented iPads into their classrooms. The potential cost of saving money on textbooks is a good motivation for instituting the use of iPads. According to students at Riverside Unified School District, using the iPad makes doing homework more fun! The teachers also saw an increased interest in learning among the students.
According to my research, the iPad seems to be the best tablet technology available for use in the classroom. Michael Graham, author of Google Apps Meets Common Core, states, "teachers must implement technology into the classroom if we want our students to succeed in the future." It is our duty to incorporate technology into our lesson plans to meet Common Core Standards and prepare our students for the future.
Sources:
Jennifer LaGarde, "Our Nook Adventure" Parts I, II, III, and IV.
Christopher Dawson, "The Kindle Fire Will Enable the Next Generation of 1:1 Education Apps".
"Schools See Rising Scores with iPads".
John Titlow, "How the iPad is Changing Education".
I don't think the LaGarde articles came from the Graham textbook, but otherwise this is a good review of this assignment.
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I have been looking for your second TECH assignment. It kind of looks like you have run the first 2 assignments together. I don't see much from the Uses tab and the Tablets in Education is a little slighted. I will give you credit, but reduced a bit, for the second assignment.
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