Teenagers might be glued to their smartphones, but those aren’t the only mobile devices they’re likely to use on a regular basis. The use of technology in education, aka ‘edtech,’ also has students using school-issued mobile devices, including tablets, in the classroom.
If you aren’t familiar with how this technology is impacting schools, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered in this mobile edtech crash course:
Lesson #1: Mobile Edtech Is (Almost) Everywhere
According to a report issued by Project Tomorrow, 33 percent of U.S. high schoolers are equipped with school-issued mobile devices, and 31 percent of middle school and elementary students have one in-hand as well.
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And, depending who’s surveyed, the percentage can be even higher. According to a Pew Research Center online survey, 43 percent of Advanced Placement and National Writing Project teachers in middle and high schools say they or their students use a tablet computer in the classroom.
While the adoption of mobile devices might seem like a more natural fit for certain school districts, the use of this technology isn’t reserved to private or large schools. In an article for THE Journal, David Nagel reports that among “high schoolers in Title I schools, 32 percent use school-issued mobile devices (only slightly less than the 33 percent national average). Thirty percent of middle school students in Title I schools also use school-issued devices. Twenty-five percent of elementary (grade 3–5) students in Title I schools use school-issued devices.”
Lesson #2: iPads Aren’t The Only Game In Town
When you think about tablets in schools, you likely think iPad, and with good reason. Education continues to be the industry with the most iOS activations – 83 percent according to a recent CIO.com article.
However, both Google’s Chromebook and Microsoft’s Surface 3 provide edtech products that have made news of late. As Dian Schaffhauser explains in a recent article for THE Journal, Chromebook is, “definitely filling a gap that addresses specific education needs,” and is shining in education for three reasons – price, form factor and simple device management. Not to be outdone, Microsoft is making its presence felt by offering two deals to schools – a 10 percent discount to those who buy the Surface 3, Type Cover and stylus as bundle and a new “unique Surface 3 configuration” exclusively for schools and other educational institutions.
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