Tablets are taken, but who will swallow the bill?
News | Published in TESS on 12 October, 2012 | By: Henry Hepburn
iPad trial sees ‘enormous’ increase in use of technology and understanding
Tablet
computers may offer new ways of learning that fire up pupils and
parents as well as enhancing the personalisation and choice to which
Curriculum for Excellence aspires, a study shows.
Parents, however, are concerned that the benefits may be diluted by asking families to foot the bill.
The
research, commissioned by Education Scotland, tracked classes in five
primaries and three secondaries across six local authorities. In seven
schools, each pupil involved had an iPad, and in six they were able to
take the iPads home.
There were about 365 iPads issued in total,
leading to an “enormous” increase in the use of technology on a daily
basis in school: from 10 per cent of pupils beforehand to 81 per cent
during the study.
Almost all pupils (94 per cent) said the iPads
helped them understand difficult ideas, while 92 per cent said they
learned more and just under 100 per cent thought lessons were more fun.
But 45 per cent still felt they were not allowed to use them as much as they would like.
The
most common use at home was for completing homework (77 per cent)
whereas only 64 per cent used them for leisure. Some 84 per cent of
parents said their children were more likely to complete homework if
using an iPad.
“Parents did not see the mobile device as a
learning device at the start of the initiative but they changed their
views by the end,” said research team leader Kevin Burden, of the
University of Hull, who spoke at a “learning through technology” event
in Glasgow this week.
The director of postgraduate professional
development told TESS he had been “struck by the level of parental
engagement - parents seem genuinely enthused”. He said 51 per cent of
parents were now prepared to buy a personal device.
The use of
personal devices such as iPads “maps very well” against Curriculum for
Excellence, Mr Burden added, whereas in England “they are more hamstrung
by the national curriculum”, which does not give the same prominence to
skills and competencies.
Mr Burden stressed the independence of
his research, although he acknowledged that Apple had helped train
school staff involved in the project.
Projects took place over
three to six months earlier this year. A P5 class of 32 at Sciennes
Primary in Edinburgh was involved, with each pupil getting an iPad to
use in and out of school.
Teacher Fiona Barker said that, at first, iPads were a means of doing standard lessons in different ways.
Then
pupils started exploring apps: “Personalisation and choice are not easy
with 30 children, but with the iPads it became very easy.”
The
tablets drove creative projects - for example, by allowing children to
explore old road-safety videos, then make their own for younger pupils
in the school.
The only downside was that at home one or two
children only used their iPads for games, although that was resolved by
removing certain apps.
Sciennes Primary depute head Lucy Gallagher said the ideal scenario would be for all pupils to have their own device from P5.
Tina
Woolnough, of the National Parent Forum, believes it likely that all
pupils will use handheld devices in the near future, but is concerned
that this will be “probably at parental expense if local authorities can
get away with it”.
A report on the project will be published by Education Scotland in the coming weeks.
henry.hepburn@tess.co.uk
