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:

Horizon Report 2012 Higher Education Edition. NMC2012 Horizon Report (2012). http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2012-horizon-report-HE.pdf

 

Keywords: iPads, tablets, smartphones