Smart Tablets in the College Classroom can Enhance Learning and Help College Students Do More Than Just Take Notes

The first iPad was released in the spring of 2010.  Ever since then, the smart tablet industry has exploded with new upgrades and devices being released more and more frequently.  Tablets are becoming more common among college students because of how portable they are and other features that make them easier to read and take notes on.  

Comparing note taking methods

The "Pen vs. Keyboard" study I found interesting because it focused on how taking notes on laptops causes students to write notes verbatim rather than summarize the information and put it into their own words.  Because most people can type faster than they can write, laptops are more beneficial if the goal was to get the most information down the quickest.  What was found was that, while more information got recorded on a laptop, actually writing out notes helped the students more because they were forced to think about how they should write out the information.  It requires more cognitive thinking to organize the information that is being presented and to write it out in your own words. After reading this study, I found myself on team pen and favoring the old-fashioned way of taking notes.  Who needs to use a laptop when clearly journals are cheaper and more beneficial to learning?  The technology of tablets quickly changed my mind.

Tablets have more interactive features

Tablets are great tools not only for taking notes, but for students to be interactive in class and truly engage in lectures.  Taking notes on a tablet is very similar to taking notes on paper because of its ability to act as a notepad.  With the use of a stylus, it provides more versatility in the classroom than a notebook or a laptop can provide. As we have seen in class, with the use of our iPads, we are able to be interactive during the lecture by having the presentation on our individual screens.  It discourages multitasking because we are unable to split our screens and therefore get distracted by other activities. 

Acceptance of technology in the classroom

The journal article I found talks about how the key to incorporating technology into the classroom is finding the appropriate way to use them.  It begins with the idea that we have tried to resist technology for the longest time in the classroom setting and it has become very difficult to do.  With all the new online programs that are now used almost universally across the country, it is near impossible to avoid such advancements. "Technology will never replace good teaching, but it does have the potential to enhance good teaching and engage students more actively with the texts and the writing process." (Medicus and Wood)  While the use of tablets and other digital devices in the classroom can be beneficial, it by no means substitutes the power of human interaction.  Technology provides another tool for teachers and professors to use in order to enhance their lectures and assignments.  Students now a days need more stimulus to keep them engaged in a discussion.  By incorporating the use of iPads or other technologies, it keeps them interested and involved for longer periods of time.

Tablets can make college more affordable

Tablets have many other benefits, such as the ability to buy eTextbooks and have complete access to them at any time.  Generally, eTexts are cheaper than buying hard copies of them and also easier to carry.  According to another article I found, when you use a tablet, "not only are they less expensive than their laptop counterparts, but they also offer additional savings through e-books—a cheaper, lighter alternative to expensive textbooks." (Verizon)  Depending on the tablet, the amount that you would save on textbooks would make the purchase worth it after one or two semesters of college.

Whether it be an iPad, Microsoft Surface, or any other smart tablet, they all have different benefits that enhance learning in the college classroom.  Integrating new technologies into the college setting can be a good thing, if they are used appropriately.