Running head: UTILIZING TABLET TECHNOLOGY IN K-12 CLASSROOMS
Utilizing Tablet Technology to Support Cognitive Development in K-12 Classrooms
Joelle Etheridge
Georgia College
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UTILIZING TABLET TECHNOLOGY IN K-12 CLASSROOMS
Utilizing Tablet Technology to Support Cognitive Development in K-12 Classrooms
Introduction
iPads and similar tablet-type devices are a new technology that many feel may
revolutionize education and teaching. The iPad is clearly a success story in marketing with the
large number of units sold and the appeal to the general public; however, the degree of
importance these devices have for education is debatable. Murry and Olcese (2011) point out
that although many technology proponents believe students would benefit immensely and every
child should have one, even to the point that some school districts are calling for 1:1 computer
programs, their research indicates that tablets really do not perform any new functions that
cannot be duplicated with existing technology. It is important for educators and especially
library media specialists to be informed in all educational technology, especially those that affect
library programs. “As a school media specialist, you have an obligation to be the expert at your
school in current technologies, particularly those that will help promote information literacy”
(Lanning and Bryner, 2010, p.129). The iPad’s application of being an e-Reader will directly
affect purchases and funding in the library media area, and to make informed decisions on
acquisitions of these devices as well as the educational apps that support them, it is vital that
educators understand exactly what these devices can and cannot do for our students. Because
iPads and similar tablets have only been available for a few years, research is currently being
done to determine how these devices can be used in today’s pedagogy, and if their use makes a
significant difference in learning outcomes. The focus of this investigation will be on
determining how iPads and other tablets can best be employed by educators to support various
levels of cognitive development.
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Theoretical Framework
The importance of computers in education and our everyday lives is undeniable, and the
iPad and other tablets are basically portable computers. Although the focus of research done by
Murry and Olcese (2011) indicated that iPads could not perform any educational benefits that
could not be met by any other means, does this mean iPads are a bad investment? Media
specialists are cautioned when considering new technology for purchase to consider whether it
will allow you to do something new or add value to something you already do (Lanning and
Bryner, 2010). By this definition, iPads would seem to be reasonable alternatives to the desktop
classroom computers simply because of their portability. Making a decision to invest in
technology should depend on more than convenience however, and this investigation is to
determine how tablet technology fits into educational philosophies. To establish the worth of
tablets as an educational tool, their applications can be compared to concepts and levels of
learning described by popular educational theorists. Olsen and Bruner describe the acquisition of
knowledge of children in stages ranging from the simplest imitation stage to the most advanced
cognitive stage in which children consider objective ideas (1999).
Because the iPad and other tablets have numerous educational apps available for practice
and remediation, they possibly could be a tool to assist in scaffolding students in the acquisition
of skills. Walqui and van Lier focus on scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development in
adolescent English learners in their 2010 work. The concept of the Zone of Proximal
Development is an idea developed by Vygotsky along with his belief that learning is social in
nature (Walqui & van Lier, 2010). Scaffolding is often associated with the ZPD and therefore
Vygotsky, but in reality Jerome Bruner is the originator of the concept of scaffolding.
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Bruner and Olsen described in their work, Folk Psychology and Folk Pedagogy, how
children acquire knowledge in stages. The first stage of “Doers,” where children learn by
imitation, corresponds to the “Apprentice” stage in scaffolding. The second stage of “Knowers”
in which children learn facts seems to be an area in which tablet technology would be useful.
The third stage of “Thinkers” occurs when children construct mental models to understand what
they experience. The role of the teacher is to aid students’ understanding with discussion and
collaboration. Again, this concept seems to overlap with scaffolding where the teacher’s role is
to support and encourage the learner’s autonomy (Walqui & van Lier, p.25). The final stage of
Olsen and Bruner’s cognitive development is seeing children as “Knowledgeable,” or when
children can consider objective ideas and can compare their own personal knowledge with
widely held beliefs (Olsen & Bruner, p. 22). The focus of this study will be to determine if iPads
and other tablets support both the various levels of cognitive development and the theory of
scaffolding.
Literature Review
Olsen and Bruner argue that a child imitates what is shown to him or her by adults, and
that a child’s prior knowledge should not be disregarded by the teacher (1999). Children see
their parents using iPads and learn to use them themselves; therefore it is unwise to discard iPads
as an educational tool since the student oftentimes already knows how to use it (Aronin and
Floyd, 2013). Since children are exposed to technology in their daily lives it makes sense to
incorporate it into the classroom (Beschorner and Hutchinson, 2013). This is an example of
tapping into the child’s “Funds of Knowledge” and “educators can adopt an instructional
philosophy that is focused on family knowledge as well as classroom knowledge” (Huerta,
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2009). Furthermore, some research has shown an improvement in student achievement when
technology is used in learning (Aronin and Floyd, 2013).
A concern by many in the education arena is whether the benefits of iPads are worth the
cost. In a study by Cullen and Gasparini (2011), iPads were not given to individual students but
were shared by groups of about five fourth grade students resulting in collaboration between the
students. Walqui and van Lier tell us “that learning, especially in the early stages, is essentially
social in nature. Ideas are initially acquired in interaction with others and only later are they
owned conceptually” (2010). Not only does grouping cut the expense of equipping each child
with an iPad, but working in a group facilitates learning better than individual work. In the
Beschorner and Hutchinson study (2013), two preschool classes received six iPads per classroom
to use in learning literacy. The children worked in groups with the iPads with limited assistance
from the teachers to encourage independence among the students, and the observations made
during the study support the use of iPads in preschool classrooms to promote emergent writing
skills and social learning.
Although some proponents claim to “have seen the integration of handheld computers as
a pathway to increase student learning and achievement” (Banister 2010), just giving iPads to
students in the hopes they will use them for educational pursuits will most likely be unsuccessful.
In the Cullen and Gasparini study (2011), along with the successful fourth grade class
implementation of iPads, 40 university students in a geology class also received iPads. Due to
the fact that most students did not know how to use the iPad and had limited training or
instructions on how to use it in their class work, the iPad was unsuccessful. The fourth grade
class in the study had technical support from the researchers, as well as workshops with the
teacher, students, and their families on how to use the iPad. Walqui and van Lier (2010) would
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UTILIZING TABLET TECHNOLOGY IN K-12 CLASSROOMS
agree that the reason for the two different outcomes had a lot to do with scaffolding, or the lack
of. Because the fourth grade teacher received training in the use of the iPad she could help
scaffold her students learning when they ran into a problem. Not so with the university students
whose professor received no training and the students were too busy to devote time to learning
on their own. Researchers believe a big part of using iPads in education will be the ability of
teachers to understand how to use them (Churchill, Fox, and King, 2012). Olsen and Bruner
(1999) propose the role of the teacher is to help children understand better with discussion and
collaboration, and this was missing from the study of the university students. Walqui and Van
Lier argue “The essence of scaffolding is not something planned into the design of a lesson or
syllabus. It is by definition, unplanned, something that happens on the spot when a learner says
or does something that foreshadows a new development or a promising direction” (p. 24). This
is something that could have happened more easily in a fourth grade classroom than in the
university classroom. A large part of the failure of the college student study seems to be poor
planning by the researchers.
A good example of poor planning when trying to implement the iPad was the Los
Angeles Unified School District’s purchase of iPads for all of its students, who quickly used
them for non educational pursuits. The iPads were later taken away, however the article argues
that we should not jump to the conclusion that iPads and education are incompatible. The author
believes “Los Angeles’s mistake, meanwhile, may not have been giving students iPads, but
trying to turn iPads into something else” (Leonard, 2013). There are examples of schools that
have successfully incorporated iPads into the curriculum. Some of the activities done on the
iPads in these schools include the incorporation of social media, such as creating a twitter
account posing as a famous historical person. This use relates to Olsen and Bruner’s idea that
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student’s prior knowledge should be accessed to help in the learning process. There is also a
“genius bar” at a school run by students who help teachers with any problems they may have
with their iPads (Leonard, 2013). Students of today are more knowledgeable about technology
than previous generations (Paxhia, 2011). It seems unwise not to take advantage of their
knowledge and some researchers encourage the use of technical devices such as smartphones and
iPads in the classroom giving the opportunity for collaboration between teachers and students to
determine which apps they enjoy and would like to use for learning (Peluso, 2012).
The use of a tablet is not always the best tool for all areas of education. The subject the
university students were studying (geology) may also have been a factor in the failure of the
iPads. There are successful implementations of iPads in curriculums such as a university music
program. Teachers and students all enjoyed using the iPad and the various music apps they were
able to use (Riley, 2013).
There are several applications of the iPad that most of the researchers agree on. One of
the positives for the iPad was the fact that it was lightweight and could keep students from
having to carry around a large load of textbooks in a backpack (Murry and Olcese, 2011).
Unfortunately, the use of the iPad as an e-Reader did not show that students achieve higher
results from reading text on an iPad, than with a traditional book and in fact the iPads were a
distraction to learning at times. However the students did seem more engaged with the iPad than
traditional methods (Sheppard, 2011). High levels of engagement were also seen at Morrisville
State College in New York when a class of 26 students used an iPad to read the eTextbook.
Students felt the eTextbook was easier to learn, and the iPad was easy and enjoyable to use.
However there did not seem to be any improvements in grades just because they used the iPads
(Sloan, 2013).
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In a nontraditional classroom with nontraditional students, such as those with autism or
other learning disorders, iPads seemed to make a difference in their learning outcome.
Emotionally disturbed students were given traditional math worksheets on paper and the same
material on iPads and researchers found these students to be more engaged in learning and got
more questions right and done faster with the iPad than with a worksheet (Haydon, Hawkins,
Denune, Kimener, McCoy, and Basham, 2012). Students with varying degrees of autism showed
improvement in reading tests when allowed to read on an iPad (Price, 2011). A student with
multiple disabilities learned to use an iPad in her home for leisure activities. Over a seven week
period, the girl learned to do 15 of the 17 steps on the task analysis made by the researchers
(Helps, and Herzberg, 2013).
Many educators are not aware of exactly how iPads can help in an educational setting.
Harris suggests “we must resist the siren call of tablets and focus instead on instructional
objectives. Namely: Why are these devices being purchased? What pedagogical changes will be
made because of them? How will learning and assessment make use of the new tools? Most
important, where are we going to find content to fill the otherwise empty devices?” (Harris,
2014). Many schools are attempting to figure out these questions and some have found a place
for iPads and other similar devices in their curriculum. The director of technology at Center
Grove Community School Corporation had this to say about the iPads place in schools: “The
iPad is a wonderful device, but it can’t do everything…I’ll pick the iPad every time for
portability, research, and small projects. But when I want to work on a large project, I’ll choose
a laptop over the iPad…Students are going to need access to both” (Waters, 2010). A
technology integration specialist who works at Barnstable Public School District seems to agree
that iPads are going to be useful in some, but not all areas, and as educators we need to find out
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what those areas are. In her words, “This is really about finding the right tool for the right job”
(Waters, 2010).
Research Questions
After reviewing these first articles, several questions have emerged on the value of iPads
and other tablets in education. Does the iPad support Olsen and Bruner’s levels of cognitive
development? How can tablets be used so that they support cognitive development and therefore
become a valuable educational tool? What subjects and/or students would best be served by
tablet use? What can tablets do better than other teaching methods? Do student’s
comprehension and achievement increase with the use of iPads? Do the measurable benefits of
tablets justify their expense? The answers to these questions would give educators a clearer
understanding when deciding how to implement tablet technology into the school curriculum.
Methodology
Position Statement
In collecting and analyzing the qualitative data for this study, the philosophical paradigm
of phenomenology will be incorporated. “Meaning is shaped through individual experiences of
the world” (Savin-Baden & Major, 2013), and the experiences of educators using iPads and other
tablets with their students will form the foundation of this study. Using personal interviews and
surveys as data collection methods, the experiences and opinions of these educators can be
examined.
The purpose in doing this study is to gain information on the usefulness of tablets in
classrooms so that informed decisions can be made on the acquisition and use of such devices.
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As part of the study, this researcher purchased a tablet and became familiar with the applications
available to tablet users. The experiences of the researcher with the tablet have resulted in
personal opinions about the value of these devices in education which will be included in the
findings. Because of the inclusion of the researcher in the study, the data collection will occur in
two stages. Phase I will be the personal experiences of the researcher, and Phase II will be the
personal experiences of educators in K-12 classrooms.
Participants and Settings
Phase I – The researcher will be the participant in the initial phase.
Phase II - The participants for the second part of this study will be teachers from
kindergarten through twelfth grade in a local school system. There are three elementary schools,
two middle schools, and one high school in this county. The demographics of the county as
reported by the US Census Bureau shows the population to be 28,569 in 2013 with 73.5 % white,
24.5% black, and 1.3% Hispanic. The median household income from 2008-2012 was $53,085,
with 14.2% of the population below the poverty level. 89% of the population had a high school
diploma or higher education (US Census Bureau, 2013).
To recruit participants, I will send out a mass email to the teachers at the Elementary,
Middle, and High Schools requesting them to participate in my study. All interviews will be
conducted at the school the teacher is employed at. The online surveys may be taken at the
school, the teacher’s residence, or anywhere the teacher feels comfortable.
Data Collection and Analysis
Phase I – The researcher will select and purchase a tablet. Without any outside training,
the researcher will become familiar with tablet use and the apps that are available to determine
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the difficulty of tablet use, tasks that can be performed, and reliability of the technology.
Observations will be kept in a journal.
Phase II – Over the course of approximately two months (August 10, 2014 – October 1,
2014), data will be collected through surveys and interviews. Teachers will receive a link to an
online survey that will ask questions on how they use iPad/Tablet technology in their classrooms
(Appendix A). Some teachers may be selected to do an interview with more extensive questions.
These interviews will allow the teacher to explain in detail any uses of the iPad not mentioned in
the survey (Appendix B).
Findings
Phase I – Observations and experiences of purchasing and using a tablet were recorded
by the researcher in a journal (Appendix C). A Nexus 7 tablet was purchased to aid in
determining how tablets functioned, how easy they were to use, and the types of applications
they offered. Prior to the purchase, the researcher had never used a tablet. There was some
trouble with the initial setup, requiring a trip to the place of purchase for technical help. The
tablet was found to be easy to use and very engaging. The researcher’s brother, who has mild
autism, was able to use it independently with no instruction and selected and downloaded apps
that appealed to him. Searching the internet is quick and simple with the tablet, however the 7inch screen makes it difficult to see and utilize some websites even with the capability of
enlarging the image. The virtual keyboard is uncomfortable to type on, making note taking
difficult and writing papers impossible. There is a full size keyboard available as an additional
purchase. A technical problem arose during the use of the tablet requiring it to be exchanged for
a new one, illustrating how even with proper use, failures can occur. The use of the tablet as an
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eReader was explored and found to be very satisfactory. Books and magazines can be easily
purchased and downloaded and the image quality is very good. The Nexus 7 can also be used as
a camera and live video chats are available through Google “Hangouts.”
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References
Aronin, S., & Floyd, K. K. (2013). Using an iPad in inclusive preschool classrooms to introduce
STEM concepts. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 45(4), 34-39.
Banister, S. (2010). Integrating the iPod touch in K-12 education: visions and vices. Computers
in the Schools, 27 (2), 121-131. DOI: 10.1080/073805610003801590.
Beschorner, B. & Hutchinson, A. (2013). iPads as a literacy teaching tool in early childhood.
International Journal of Education in Mathematics, Science and Technology, 1(1), 16-24
Churchill, D., Fox, B., King, M. (2012) Study of affordances of iPads and teachers private
theories. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 2(3), 251-254.
Culen, A., Gasparini, A. (2011). iPad: a new classroom technology? A report from two pilot
studies. INFuture2011:Information Sciences and e-Society. Department of Information
Services, University of Zagreb. ISBN 978-953-175-408-8, p. 199-208.
Harris, C. (2014). Tablets in school- what’s ahead in 2014. School Library Journal,
www.thedigitalshift.com/2014/01/opinion/the-next-big-thing/tablet-takeaways-2013next-big-thing Retrieved 12 February 2014.
Haydon, T., Hawkins, R., Denune, H., Kimener, L., McCoy, D., Basham, J. (2012). A
comparison of iPads and worksheets on math skills of high school students with
emotional disturbance. Behavioral Disorders, 37 (4), 232-243.
Helps, D. H., & Herzberg, T. S. (2013). The use of an iPad2 as a leisure activity for a student
with multiple disabilities. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 107(3), 232-236.
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UTILIZING TABLET TECHNOLOGY IN K-12 CLASSROOMS
Huerta, G. (2009) Educational Foundations: Diverse Histories, Diverse perspectives. Boston,
New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Lanning, S., Bryner, J. (2010) Essential Reference Services for Today’s School Media
Specialists. Santa Barbara, California: Libraries Unlimited. 129.
Leonard, D. (2013). The iPad goes to school. Bloomberg Businessweek, (4352), 80-82.
Murry, O.T., & Olcese, N.R. (2011). Teaching and learning with iPads, ready or not?
TechTrends, 55(6), 42-49.
Olsen, D. & Bruner, J. (1999). Folk psychology and folk pedagogy. In D. Olsen & N. Torrance
(Eds.), Handbook of education and human development: New models of learning,
teaching and schooling (pp.9-27). Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Paxhia, S. (2011) The challenges of higher education digital publishing. Springer
Science+Business Media, LLC.
Peluso, D. C. (2012). The fast-paced iPad revolution: Can educators stay up to date and relevant
about these ubiquitous devices? British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(4), E125E127. doi:10.1111/j. 1467-8535.2012.01310.x
Price, A. (2011). Making a difference with smart tablets. Teacher Librarian, 39(1), 31-34.
Riley, P. (2013). Teaching, learning, and living with iPads. Music Educators Journal, 100 (1),
doi: 10.1177/0027432113489152
Savin-Baden, M. & Major, C. (2013). Qualitative Research – The Essential Guide to Theory and
Practice.
Sheppard, D. (2011). Reading with iPads – the difference makes a difference. Education Today,
Term 3, 12-15. Retrieved from www.minnisjournals.com.au/articles/pads tt311.pdf .
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UTILIZING TABLET TECHNOLOGY IN K-12 CLASSROOMS
Sloan, R.H. (2013). Using an eTextbook and iPad: results of a pilot program. J. Educational
Technology Systems, 41 (1) 87-104.
US Census Bureau. State and County QuickFacts. Last Revised: 27 March 2014.
www.quickfacts.census.gov
Walqui, A. & van Lier, L. (2010). Scaffolding reframed. Scaffolding the academic success of
adolescent English learners: a pedagogy of promise (pp.15-41). West Ed Publishing.
Waters, J. K. (2010). Enter the iPad (or not?) T H E Journal, 37 (6) 38-45.
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Appendix A
Survey
1. What grade level do you teach?
o Elementary (K-5)
o Middle School (6-8)
o High School (9-12)
2. How many years have you been teaching?
o 1 to 5
o 6 to 10
o 11 to 15
o Over 16
3. Select the subjects you use iPads or other tablets with:
o English Language Arts
o Mathematics
o Social Studies/History/Geography
o Sciences
o Art/Music
o Foreign Language
o Other
4. How do you use iPads or other tablets in your classes? Select all that apply:
o eReader
o research using internet
o tutoring and practice skills
o educational games
o special apps such as music programs
o collaborative learning
o watch videos
o create presentations
o other
5. Do you feel your students are more engaged in lessons using tablet technology?
o Yes
o No
6. Have you received any training in using tablets with students such as a workshop or
class?
o Yes
o No
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7. What do you feel is an appropriate tablet to student ratio for you classroom?
o 1:1
o 1:2
o 1:4
o 1:6
8. Select all problems you have had while using tablets with students:
o Mechanical problem with tablet
o Wireless connection problems
o Distracting to students during a lesson
o Misuse by student
9. Do you feel there is anything an iPad or other tablet can do that cannot be done by
any other means such as computers, laptops, smartboards, etc.?
o Yes
o No
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Appendix B
Interview Questions for the Research Study:
1. What grade(s) do you teach?
2. Do you use iPads or other tablets to teach skills (ex. - music programs, math skills,
spelling)? Which apps do you use to accomplish this?
3. Do you use iPads or other tablets to reinforce learning (ex. - practice problems,
tutoring)? Which apps do you use to accomplish this?
4. Do you use iPads or other tablets to acquire knowledge (ex. - web searches, dictionary
or thesaurus use, eReader)? Describe how you use them.
5. Do you use iPads or other tablets to construct new ideas and knowledge (ex. –
collaborative learning, group online projects)? How do you accomplish this?
6. Name and describe the educational apps you feel are the most useful for your students.
7. Do you feel your students are more engaged using the iPad or other tablet than with
traditional learning tools?
8. Do you feel students understand concepts quicker when using the iPad or other tablet
than with traditional learning methods?
9. Do you use tablets with any students that may be classified as special needs students?
Describe their experiences using tablets.
10. What do you feel is the most important use of an iPad or other tablet in education?
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Appendix C
Tablet Journal
December 16, 2013 (Purchase the Tablet) My mother and I went to Office Max in Milledgeville
to browse for an iPad or similar tablet for my Christmas present. Being somewhat
overwhelmed at the amount of devices and being completely ignorant of what we wanted, we
waited for a sales assistant. Eventually, a smoky-smelling employee returned from his cigarette
break to help us. We would have preferred “non-smoking” but he seemed like the only person
in the building who wasn’t helping someone. One of the first questions he asked was: “How big
of a screen do you want?” This must be a big deal to most people but as long as it was bigger
than the screen on my phone I did not care about the difference in a few inches. He
recommended the tablet he used which was the Nexus7 that ran on Google. He explained the
features to us and insisted that he and his wife loved it. Since we had nothing else to go on we
bought it. If I hated it, I could choose a different model in a few years, and I needed something
to start with.
December 25, 2013 Finally! After a week and a half of waiting, I get to play with my new toy! I
open the box and l take out my beautiful sleek tablet and gently place it into the protective
(and expensive) case made especially for 7-inch tablets. I was surprised to find no instruction
booklet…only a 3 inch x 3 inch scrap of paper with 2 illustrations showing where the “on” and
“volume” buttons were and how to plug in the battery charger; the opposite side had the same
illustrations with the captions in French. After allowing the battery to charge for 2 hours, I try
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to set up the tablet with our home Windstream wireless internet. The salesman had told us we
must have wireless to do the initial setup. Our wireless modem is several years old and I had no
idea what the password was so I attempted to use our Windstream email password thinking
that might work…wrong! By putting in the wrong password, the wireless wouldn’t talk to the
tablet and I could get no further into the setup. My dad and I used our home computer to
search for instructions for the Nexus tablet and found that new modems have a button on them
that you can push to allow the devices to “talk to each other”. Since our modem was an older
model, we had no button. The good news is that after searching for information on the
Windstream site, we found out the password for our modem was the 10 digit number in
brackets that you needed a magnifying glass to find. I now had the correct password, but my
tablet would not let me reenter the password. I needed to be able to get to a settings menu,
but first I needed to get to a home screen. I would need to go to another wireless connection,
set up my tablet, and then I could get to the setting to cancel my incorrect password and enter
the correct one. I decided I needed some expert help. Mom suggested we wait a few days
until everyone had exchanged the gifts they hated, so that it wouldn’t be so busy and we could
find a service technician at the store without having to wait so long.
December 28, 2013 I took the tablet back to Office Max, went to the service desk and
explained to the employee what the problem was. I asked if he could connect it to the internet
at the store, then I would be able to get to the home page. Unfortunately, he said their
wireless was not working very well that morning and suggested I go to the Starbucks down the
street and try and get reception there! I asked him to try at the store first since I did not know
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what I was doing and I needed help and I assumed he would not be able to go to Starbucks to
set up my tablet. Eventually the internet showed up on the tablet and the technician put in the
password for their Wi-Fi and he was able to complete the set up with my gmail account
information. Finally the home screen appeared. After that, he started giving me some tips on
how to use it, but because of my lack of technical skills I had no idea what he was talking about
half the time. After that I felt I deserved a Duncan Donuts coffee and jelly donut! I’m not a fan
of Starbucks, even if I can use their Wi-Fi!
I come home and find I can access the home screen but I still have to be able to connect
with our Windstream Wi-Fi. I go into the settings icon and run into the same problem.
Eventually I decide to delete the entry and start over again. A forget option kept popping up
and I decided to select that button, believing I would delete the selected wifi. To my surprise,
as soon as I did, the password option came back up and I was able to type in the correct
password and hook up to the internet. There were loud cheers from family members who had
been watching me when it finally connected. After that I explored the already loaded apps. I
also found the digital instruction manual in the list of books they gave me. I guess it makes
sense to have the instructions on the tablet, but if you can’t get to the home screen the
instructions are useless.
December 29, 2013 I went to the “app store” and downloaded several free games and books.
I found a bowling game, a mini-golf game, and “Puppy Run” which is a game that consists of
making a puppy run around a course without crashing into a wall. With that game, I found out
how people make money off of free games. I had a problem getting the digital puppy to turn
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and dodge obstacles so he ended up hitting walls and dying. Eventually I used up all my lives
and they said I had to give them money to buy another one. I then used that game to find out
how to uninstall and remove an app from the home screen. I went to the instruction book and
found how to drag and drop the icon off the screen, then went to the “Playstore” and
uninstalled the app from there. I have not purchased any music, games, or books, but I
understand you can buy gift cards and have that credited to your account to purchase
apps…this may be a good idea for friends and family for my birthday. One good thing I like is
that Google has lots of classic literature available free. I read Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in one
evening. It was not too different from reading a traditional print book, but the pages are not
numbered, so I can see why it would be difficult for a teacher to have a class go to a particular
page especially if they have different size screens on their devices.
January 14, 2014 Over the progression of several weeks, I believe I have learned to use the
tablet sufficiently enough to instruct someone on how to use most of the features of this
particular model. I have read the digital copies of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
and The Picture of Dorian Gray and am currently reading The Hounds of the Baskervilles. I am
definitely taking advantage of the free titles. I have used the tablet to view YouTube videos of
ballet moves. I was unsure how to do a turn I learned in dance class and decided to look it up
on my tablet. I was impressed with the array of videos I found, and watched several other
demonstrations of steps that were suggested after I watched the one I was looking for. My only
concern with watching video is that it stops and starts a lot as it is loading. As I was watching
the various fairy dances in the ballet “Sleeping Beauty” it didn’t want to load a certain video.
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However I think using the tablet is quicker than using a computer to look up facts. When my
dad wondered what other movies a certain actor played in, I turned on my tablet, which comes
on quicker than my laptop, typed in the movie and found the cast list and clicked on the actor
and began reading the list of movies he had been in. I downloaded an app for a show I like to
watch but had the same problem as I do when watching it on my computer – it has to pause to
download but that may be a fault with my wireless. However I think it does play a little better
on my tablet than on the computer.
My 21-year-old brother, who has mild autism, but who has always had a knack for using
technology was able to use my tablet with no instruction. He chooses and downloads free
games and will even uninstall the ones he doesn’t like to play. When I first started using it, the
home screen locked up on me, and he was the one who figured out how to open it. I think this
is a good indication that tablet devices are very suitable for students with learning disabilities.
I brought my tablet to our first class Wednesday night, and had a little trouble with
connecting with the wireless until I saw the GC password information written on the board. I
do not believe I will be doing any of my school work on the tablet - my laptop is the tool for
that. The digital keyboard they give you for typing is horrible to use, however you can purchase
a keyboard (and other accessories) to use with the tablet. Even with a full size keyboard, the
screen is small and would make it more difficult to see when writing a paper. I guess that
explains why the salesman asked what size screen I wanted! I will try to do our Google Hangout
with my tablet, but again I think I will prefer my laptop because of the bigger screen.
Everything like email, D2L, Livetext, and other sites are easily accessed but are just so small that
I don’t like trying to use them.
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UTILIZING TABLET TECHNOLOGY IN K-12 CLASSROOMS
From my initial findings, I agree with the studies that say tablets are light and portable,
and are good for accessing the internet (if you are next to Wi-Fi). I also agree that tablets are a
good tool for education, but they are not always the best tool.
January 30, 2014
My family and I had been playing with my tablet a lot, since we couldn’t go
outside due to the intense cold and freak snow storm. I “hung out” with my friend Justin using
Google Hangouts. He wanted to see how it worked on his iPhone and I wanted to see how it
worked on my tablet. Unfortunately he was in his room with the lights off and his phone up
close to his face, so the first image of him was a pair of eyes in the glow of his phone and
nothing else. I was a little alarmed since I was pretty sure this is how people discover the
monster in horror films. Our hangout lasted about a minute and a half before the transmission
froze. I’m not sure if it was my tablet, his phone, the Wi-Fi connection, or his phone connection
that was to blame for the poor quality of the hangout. I proved that video chats can be done
with the tablet, but will continue to use my laptop for future hangouts.
Later that day, I turned on my tablet to finish another chapter in “The Hound of the
Baskervilles”. The Google name came up followed by the trademark “X” with the colors pulsing
around it like normal. I waited for the home screen to appear. Suddenly, I realized it was
taking longer than usual to come up, after five minutes I knew something was dreadfully
wrong! I tried turning it off by pressing the power button for a few seconds and when that
didn’t work I tried plugging it into the charger to see if that would make a difference - it didn’t.
As upset as I was that my tablet had not lasted a month before it broke, I realized this was a
learning opportunity for me and another example of the problems with tablets. I went to the
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UTILIZING TABLET TECHNOLOGY IN K-12 CLASSROOMS
computer to look up troubleshooting the Nexus 7. I’d learned in technology for teachers that
most computer repair people Google problems people have so I figured I’d give that a shot. I
clicked on “Your Nexus won’t charge/come on”. It was the closest thing to my problem. There
was a video demonstrating how you could plug and unplug the device, while hitting the power
button for the no charging problem, and if the device wouldn’t come one you hit the power and
the volume button and it will take you somewhere. The only helpful thing there was the
suggestion to hold down the power button for 15 seconds. I held it down and at nine seconds
the tablet turned off. The next morning I charged it for several hours, thinking maybe the
battery ran down, or maybe it was a onetime fluke. Unfortunately, the tablet still wouldn’t get
out of the loading limbo it was stuck in. I turned it off again and decided I needed professional
help. I would go to Office Max again and see if they could help me. If I needed a new one, then
the warranty mom bought with it, wouldn’t be wasted. However I knew my brother wouldn’t
be happy when he had to replay all those golf games in order to earn enough coins to purchase
his favorite course. I wasn’t happy because I didn’t get to finish my book. This just goes to
show, you cannot trust technology not to fail. Putting all your eggs in the technology basket is
unwise.
February 1, 2014
We took the tablet to Office Max today, and the man at the service desk
says he has no idea what went wrong, furthermore it shouldn’t have done that since it was one
of the best tablets made, and no one has ever taken a tablet back to them with this problem.
Somehow the fact that we had a rare problem made me feel a little better. He said what might
have happened was I had turned it off when it was still downloading something and that’s what
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UTILIZING TABLET TECHNOLOGY IN K-12 CLASSROOMS
messed it up. You would have thought this should have occurred with other Nexus owners as
well, so I’m not convinced that was the problem. The technician called the manager (who he
said was a little stressed out due to the fact that they were merging with another company and
he was having extra work thrust upon him, so we should not be offended if he wasn’t very
pleasant). The manager did not know what was wrong either. Both explained that we could
send it back to the company or call them, but mom and I just wanted to exchange it for another
one. They said this was the only time they could exchange it for us, and that if it happened
again we would have to call the company and get them to see about it.
We got a tablet just like the old one, and again stopped by Dunkin Donuts. I decided to
get two doughnuts this time since I was still unhappy about the whole tablet ordeal, and I had
just run a 5K at the Indian Mounds that morning.
I turned on the tablet when I got home and set it up like before, but more smoothly now
that I knew what I was doing, and was pleased to find somehow through the power of
technology, the books I had read were still on there and later on the apps I downloaded
appeared too. Unfortunately it was just the games and not the scores so we would have to
replay them all.
I now am a little afraid to turn the tablet off. I leave it on standby most the time and
make sure nothing is downloading when I do turn it off. I understand how people get phobias
about things. Mom said it was like not trusting a new person after a bad breakup. If one
person hurt you, the next one probably will too. Hopefully after a while I will not be afraid of
the tablet breaking on me again, but for now, better safe than sorry.
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