Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

boss.king

macrumors 603
Apr 8, 2009
6,142
6,900
Who's fault is it for a University student not paying attention because he's to busy playing on his tablet than using it to take notes? I know this, but like the OP mentioned, it saves paper, and another posted how it saves from carrying a ton of books around.

If I could carry all my books in my iPad and do school work from it, then I would.

It also attract crime, and unlike textbooks, can be expensive to replace. Also, what it saves in paper is just consumed in energy. What benefit is that?
 

dinggus

macrumors 65816
Jan 17, 2012
1,309
63
It also attract crime, and unlike textbooks, can be expensive to replace. Also, what it saves in paper is just consumed in energy. What benefit is that?

Are we arguing about each others opinions? I never heard of having a tablet attracts crime. Textbooks when I went to college were $100+, say my bag gets stolen with 4 or 5 textbooks, that would have paid for an iPad that I can just hand carry.
 

boss.king

macrumors 603
Apr 8, 2009
6,142
6,900
Are we arguing about each others opinions? I never heard of having a tablet attracts crime. Textbooks when I went to college were $100+, say my bag gets stolen with 4 or 5 textbooks, that would have paid for an iPad that I can just hand carry.

I'd imagine we are, that's what a forum is for. What I meant when I say I attracts crime, I mean it is a target for theft, much like most smartphones and other electronics.
 

iBreatheApple

macrumors 68030
Sep 3, 2011
2,948
1,021
Florida
I heard one of my friend's children mention something about an "iPad lab" the other day. Out of curiosity I said, "You guys have iPads in your computer lab?" and he said we don't have a computer lab we just have iPad lab." I thought that was pretty awesome, haha.
 

Hastings101

macrumors 68020
Jun 22, 2010
2,339
1,460
K
Personally, as someone that works in schools, I think they're more trouble than they're worth. Students tend to focus on other things instead of the work they're to do on their tablets (the school I've been at for a few weeks uses iPads), and while it is a teacher's job to keep students on task it is pretty much impossible to monitor all student's tablet activities (unlike on a traditional computer where there's an abundance of cheap software to do this, there's limited software and it's pricey for districts that need to save money so they tend to skip it). Not to mention there always seems to be one network problem or another that only affects one or two specific iPads, it's a real pain. Maybe in five or six years it will be easier but if I were a full-time teacher right now I would never allow a tablet in my classroom.
 

zioxide

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2006
5,737
3,726
Who's fault is it for a University student not paying attention because he's to busy playing on his tablet than using it to take notes? I know this, but like the OP mentioned, it saves paper, and another posted how it saves from carrying a ton of books around.

If someone wants to spend $10,000-$50,000 a year on school and then just play on their tablet during class, let them. It's their own money they are pissing away.

It also attract crime, and unlike textbooks, can be expensive to replace. Also, what it saves in paper is just consumed in energy. What benefit is that?

Tell that to my sister who's in a nursing program and spends $1000-$1500 per semester JUST on her textbooks. And these are textbooks that are 3 inches thick and weigh 20 pounds.

It's way more efficient to carry around a 1 pound tablet than 60 pounds worth of books every where you go.
 

boss.king

macrumors 603
Apr 8, 2009
6,142
6,900
T
ell that to my sister who's in a nursing program and spends $1000-$1500 per semester JUST on her textbooks. And these are textbooks that are 3 inches thick and weigh 20 pounds.

It's way more efficient to carry around a 1 pound tablet than 60 pounds worth of books every where you go.

I never said they shouldn't be used at university. By that point its up to the student to learn. At school though, they are worth more than the textbooks.
 

skepticidis

Suspended
Jan 31, 2013
16
0
Orlando, FL
Personally, as someone that works in schools, I think they're more trouble than they're worth. Students tend to focus on other things instead of the work they're to do on their tablets (the school I've been at for a few weeks uses iPads), and while it is a teacher's job to keep students on task it is pretty much impossible to monitor all student's tablet activities (unlike on a traditional computer where there's an abundance of cheap software to do this, there's limited software and it's pricey for districts that need to save money so they tend to skip it). Not to mention there always seems to be one network problem or another that only affects one or two specific iPads, it's a real pain. Maybe in five or six years it will be easier but if I were a full-time teacher right now I would never allow a tablet in my classroom.

Seriously, I had enough trouble paying attention in class throughout all my years of school. I'm a fan of kids learning how to use computers, but not really using computers when they should be paying attention to the teacher. Or being tempted to use their computers during class instruction.
 

ejb190

macrumors 65816
A month or so back there was an interview on NPR with a school superintendent (formerly the principal) of a school that was getting an iPad for every student. I tried to find the podcast, but I couldn't come up with it.

But his big point was the school didn't just go out, get a bunch of iPads and hand them out to the students. They planned and prepared for three years before it happened. The teachers were ready. The students were ready.

So you take a teacher who has been teaching the same way for 20 years and put them in a classroom full of kids and iPads. That isn't going to work. But you train the teachers to use the technology and amazing things can happen.
 

MuddyPaws1

macrumors 6502
Jul 14, 2012
399
0
I'm sure it'll be different in the upcoming generations.

As for PE, come on, that is a joke. Some push ups, sit ups, 1 mile run, basketball. People should have enough discipline to stay in shape.

Wow...you need to go visit a school for a bit.

----------

It's way more efficient to carry around a 1 pound tablet than 60 pounds worth of books every where you go.

Unfortunately only a very small percentage of textbooks are actually available digitally.

And, for a high school, it doesn't make financial sense since you have to buy the textbook for each student...every year, for every class.
 

dinggus

macrumors 65816
Jan 17, 2012
1,309
63
Wow...you need to go visit a school for a bit

School? So any type of school? Because I'm pretty sure PE isn't mandatory until high school for 2 years only. Why would I go? I remember PE was lame for getting into shape and girls loved teasing us by making their PE shorts as short as possible.
 

iBreatheApple

macrumors 68030
Sep 3, 2011
2,948
1,021
Florida
Tell that to my sister who's in a nursing program and spends $1000-$1500 per semester JUST on her textbooks. And these are textbooks that are 3 inches thick and weigh 20 pounds.


Not sure where your sister goes to school but in most places the entire RN program as one combine package of books that covers the entire program for about $1000 flat.
 

matttye

macrumors 601
Mar 25, 2009
4,957
32
Lincoln, England
I'm all for it. Tablets will take over everything, not just schools.

Lawyers can carry a tablet to court instead of big heavy case files.

Doctors can store and review all their notes on a tablet and access them wherever they are.

Ultimately going paperless should be good for the planet, so I'm all for it :)
 

MuddyPaws1

macrumors 6502
Jul 14, 2012
399
0
School? So any type of school? Because I'm pretty sure PE isn't mandatory until high school for 2 years only. Why would I go? I remember PE was lame for getting into shape and girls loved teasing us by making their PE shorts as short as possible.

Times have changed and so have the school requirements. In my state PE is required at the elementary, middle and high school level with a full curriculum dictated by the state board of education which includes hygiene and the science behind muscle growth. They also go through a section on body image and how the media plays into that. Most of the standards are adapted from "Moving into the Future, National Standards for Physical Education."

Kids at my local school even go snowshoeing and that section is more than just going out on snowshoes. They have to learn how to dress, pack and hydrate for physical activity in a cold weather situation.

Each grade level has a different set of content standards, expectations and benchmarks.

Gone are the days where you just smash the fat kid with a dodge ball and called it a day.
 

Kissaragi

macrumors 68020
Nov 16, 2006
2,340
370
To be honest, based on the class i went to school with, 70% of them would be surfing porn or playing angry birds most of the time if they were allowed tablets. Technology is very useful and will become commonplace but there will have to be some way of monitoring what students are doing on them or more likely tablets provided by the school.

Im only talking about high school level. As soon as you get to college or anything then its your choice if you are there and if you want to waste your time and money playing fruit ninja then go for it.
 

zioxide

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2006
5,737
3,726
Not sure where your sister goes to school but in most places the entire RN program as one combine package of books that covers the entire program for about $1000 flat.

She looked at over a dozen schools around here and none of them do anything like that unfortunately.
 

0098386

Suspended
Jan 18, 2005
21,574
2,908
I've always loved gadgets and electronics, I was the one super nerdy kid at my school growing up. But I never saw the benefit of using laptops in lectures, and even when I was giving lectures (on a digital-related course) I still stuck to the whiteboard.

There's a speed and accuracy with pen and paper that they don't have yet with tablets/laptops. My Cintiq and Wacom tablets don't register at a natural speed too, and you think they would!

I think as a remote display they would be great though. If you've got a giant lecture hall and you want people (especially with bad eyesight) to be able to see, just hook up a camera pointed at the board and have it displayed on an iPad.

I don't know where the benefits of using them in a school environment would be. I'm sure they bring in some benefits!
 

Tsuchiya

macrumors 68020
Jun 7, 2008
2,310
372
I think it's inevitable, but not entirely necessary. Tech like iPads might engage and excite kids, but they are also massive distractions. Unless you lock the devices down and only utilise apps which cater specifically for your syllabus, just stick to pen and paper.

When you get to university level though, tablets are the way to go. I started my law course just using pen and paper but I gave that up quickly. Typing is just so much faster, and because my lecturers tend to just upload powerpoint slides for us to download I prefer to just download them and annotate on the fly.

It means I'm paying more attention to what is being said rather then worrying about getting everything down. It is useful being able to quickly search for cases or legislature in tutorials too.
 

rockyroad55

macrumors 601
Jul 14, 2010
4,152
59
Phila, PA
Not unfair. You were told to put it away and you took it back out. You're in the wrong here.

Anyway, I support tablets being used in edu purposes.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.