Smart devices and the teaching revolution

If you believe Apple, we are living in a 'post-PC era'. That is certainly not true though it makes for a great sound-bite to grab some column inches, but still the importance of the desktop computer has definitely diminished in recent years. This has been driven almost entirely by the rise of alternative computing devices, including ultralight laptops, tablets and smartphones. There are many things that can be done on these types of devices that don't require a PC at all, although from personal experience a full computer makes a lot of it much more straightforward. Tablet sales are on the decline, suggesting they are not the all out replacements for the traditional box some would have us believe, though to be fair desktops have seen declining sales for years.

Still, smart devices remain incredibly popular and the technological advances through the last half-decade has been nothing short of astonishing. The capabilities of a handheld device with multitudes of sensors and tonnes of computing power are remarkable, yet are becoming increasingly accessible. This accessibility has led to smart devices becoming valuable tools in a host of industries (as well as creating many more). Education is no exception.

My own teaching is perhaps an unfair yardstick to measure the importance of smart phones in the classroom, as the subjects I teach include designing apps and web pages, both of which include phones/tablets right at their core. However if you look not at the subject being taught but the teaching itself we can see how mobile technology is transforming education.

The clearest, most immediate proof of this lies with the iPad, Apple's dominant tablet computer. The large touch-screen and plethora of accessible, innovative educational apps has rapidly popularised iPads as an essential teaching tool. Effectively used, it is claimed^[1], integrating tablets can:

• improve communication - students have easy access to email, instant messaging, video streaming and social media for communicating and sharing media with tutors and other students, even across the world
• give instant access to information - as tablets have fully functional browsers the wealth of the World Wide Web can be accessed easily
• help with note-taking - not just with notes apps, but with the camera being able to record a lecture or take a snap of the whiteboard
• use creative apps - there are many tools for creating artwork, music and videos available that can back up, though not always replace traditional media

Research from Cardiff Metropolitan University seems to support this, with schools being generally positive about their use, though not directly discussing successes (Beauchamp & Hillier, 2014). In the US, there is research suggesting use of iPads has been beneficial to learning, with better results in literacy & numeracy and improved learning and concentration. However some recent statistics suggest tablets have been detrimental to results, with some core skills dropping in nations where adoption has been greatest (OECD, 2015). It is likely that iPads have some excellent and appropriate uses across all of education, but as with all new buzz technologies and ideas it has been over-hyped and shoved into every possible corner with the result it has supplanted more traditional, but still highly valuable teaching methods. If that is so then things will settle down and tablets and other smart devices will find their niches alongside established methods.

There is another enormous barrier to the adoption of smart technology in teaching of course: the cost. As remarkably useful as they are, at the end of the day tablets are highly advanced computing devices contained in a compact, lightweight body. They are expensive! At the time of writing, the cheapest tablet Apple will sell to the average customer is £219. Multiply that by the number of pupils and five-figures becomes the entry cost. Cheaper tablets exist but these bring different problems of suitability and compatibility (as good as it is in many areas, Android's educational ecosystem is nowhere compared to iOS'). This is also for an older model with low storage, so the functional lifespan will be shorter, not to mention breakages and repairs. This, at a time when austerity is tightening purse strings across the public sector.

For all the praise and recommendations you read proclaiming the iPad the most revolutionary teaching aid ever, the truth may be a little more subtle than that. It's certain they are versatile, convenient and functional in ways never before as achievable or as accessible, but it is also clear we are still in the process of discovering just how to make the best use of them. This will take time, but will undoubtedly happen, and by the time we do the technology will be cheaper yet more powerful. It will be an exciting time to look forward to.

References

Beauchamp, G. & Hillier, E., 2014. An Evaluation of iPad Implementation Across A Network of Primary Schools in Cardiff [Online] Available at https://www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/education/research/Documents/iPadImplementation2014.pdf, last accessed 16/1/2016

OECD, 2015. Students, Computers and Learning - Making the Connection [Online] Available at http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/education/students-computers-and-learning_9789264239555-en, last accessed 17/1/2016