EDUC 8848 Emerging & Future Technologies
•Identify a current
technology that has emerged in the last few years that shapes learning or
productivity in your industry.
In
2011, advances in tablet computers ignited the imagination of educators
nationwide. The success of iPad, in the
fourth quarter of 2011 peaked at more than 3 million units a month, in
comparison to Samsung Galaxy and Sony’s Tablet S in a rapidly growing new
market. Tablets, distinctly different
from tablet PCs, have come to be viewed as not just a new category, but indeed
a new emerging technology that blends features of laptops, smartphones, and
earlier tablet computers with always-connected Internet, and thousands of apps personalizing
the computing experience (Horizon 2012 Report).
Tablets portability, large display, and touch
screen, makes them ideal devices for one-to-one learning, as well as
fieldwork. Learning institutions are
beginning to rely on them in place of cumbersome laboratory equipment, video
equipment, and various other expensive tools not nearly as portable or as
inexpensive to replace. Tablets growing
number of features, gives traction to other educational technologies—from facilitating
real-time data mining to offering a plethora of game-based apps.
•What problems or challenges have been associated
with this technology?
As
these new devices gain more popularity, and are adopted by the majority, their independency
will make them standout from other mobile devices, such as smartphones,
e-readers, or tablet PCs. Their larger
screens and richer gestured-based interfaces makes them ideal tools and
visually compelling for sharing content, videos, images, and presentations, in
addition to their portability.
•What societal need does it meet, and what are its
benefits?
The
societal needs that the tablet meets is its ability to serve as a video player
with instant access to libraries of contents, digital readers, newsstands for
magazines and new subscriptions with a mere touch.
Real-time two-way video phones, sharable photo viewers and
cameras, easy email and web browsers; and rich, full-featured game platforms —
all in a slim, lightweight, portable package that fits in a purse or briefcase
— but which significantly omits a traditional keyboard. When the iPad was introduced, it was
described as a “lean back” experience as contrasted to the “lean forward”
experience of typical computers. One of
the great benefits of this innovation is how they are used: a swipe, a tap, or
a pinch allows users to interact with the device in completely new ways that
are intuitive and simple. They require
no manuals or instructions.
The Horizon 2012 Report stated that the tablet itself encourages exploration of its capabilities,
simply by placing the device in the hands of a small child. A custom-configured keyboard can be purchased
for those must have. Screen technology
has already advanced to the point that tablets are exceptionally effective in
displaying content such as photographs, books, and videos. What
makes tablets so powerful is that students already use these or very similar
devices outside the classroom to download apps, connect to their social
networks, and immerse themselves in informal learning experiences. The rate of adoption for the tablet is almost assured by the fact that students are already quite comfortable using similar devices in both academic and social
settings.
A
sampling of tablet computing applications across disciplines includes the
following:
Chemistry. Students
also use the iPads throughout the chemistry courses to clarify experiment
set-up and answer other procedural questions.
http://www.go.nmc.org/hjjvi
Lecture Capture. Tablet
apps, such as McGraw Hill’s “Tegrity,” are used by the University of Colorado, Georgia
Tech University, Fordham Law School, and many others as a campus-wide solution
for recording and deploying class lectures.
http://www.go.nmc.org/zmgnp
Tablet Computing in Practice:
The following links provide examples of tablet computing in use
in higher education settings:
Solar-Powered iPad Devices--In partnership with
Apple, the Zimbabwe government is bringing solar-powered iPad devices to rural
institutions across Africa that have not had consistent — or any — computer
access in the past due to lack of electricity. http://www.go.nmc.org/ctjzq
The iPad Replaces University Textbooks--The University of Adelaide will replace textbooks with Apple
iPads for first year students in its Science program. The University sees this
as a way to allow the evolution of student learning environments to augment individual
student growth. http://www.go.nmc.org/vblpb
•What would make this technology even better,
avoiding the pitfalls you identified?
Perhaps what makes this technology great, is the fact that its pattern after the mobile phone. Both iOS and Android-based
tablets were designed with the app model in mind and with hundreds of thousands
of specialized apps available to extend the functionality of the tablet. Apps
that have many features in common with mobile apps, allows for more detailed
interfaces or viewing area. Additionally,
apps for tablets are inexpensive and very easy to add to the device, using same
tools and online stores as mobile apps use.
Reference:
Keywords:
iPads, tablets, smartphones
