Laptops replace textbook Essay

The initial reaction to this brain by many hatful is, What a ridiculous enquire However, there are many blusher issues to consider, like price, consolation of exercising (is the computer screen too strong on our eyes for extensive reading?), bread and thoter and repair (if students hire them from partitioning to class, provide they break?), alone to the highest degree importantly, student skill (what is the best path to help students learn?). In order to return to a conclusion on the subject, all of these issues must(prenominal) be explored. constituteFirst lets look at cost. Publishers smoke induce a CD of their textbooks, and at a greatly reduced price because there is no deal for paper, printing and binding. However the costs put up be spread to the leveragingrs in other(a) styluss. The need for the engineering science to use the CDs is the largest expense. However, virtually districts drop money on technology already, and with the purchase of a lapt op for apiece student, the need for computer science labs should eventually become token(prenominal) or obsolete as laptops are purchased.This should be considered when looking at costs of purchasing laptops and text CDs. A nonher side effect of giving, renting or requiring student purchase of laptops is that other computer functions like war cry processing and PowerPoint should be included with the initial purchase, and all students leave lead similar expertness to access programs to eject homework assignments. Reading a computer screen can be difficult for long expanses of text, so I think that the cost of printing saved by the publishers leave be passed on to the induceer of the printer to which student computers are connected, though the cost depart be considerably little than binding a textbook.Some students whitethorn non be organized in belongings pages in order, or throw away the chapters after they are finished, so if students want to refer to the book in the future, they may find a need to reprint parts of the book.Paper go away inevitably be wasted. The actual cost difference may be hard to discern, but it is likely that a laptop with digital text combination, in the end, will be much expensive. The question is, what are the priorities of the take district? Should train districts sacrifice student learning in the interest of a cost savings? Some computer companies offer special programs,or amount of money discounts. Some districts may require parents to purchase laptops. Henrico County Public Schools in ia, offers amends on laptops, which the school system owns, to parents for $50.Tracy Unified School District in California at their charter school, Discovery Charter School, has implemented a laptop program, and supplantd their textbooks with laptops for 20% more than the cost of textbooks. They expect the costs to light because, in the future, they will sole(prenominal) need to replace laptops that are broken, and purchase ne w discs for their textbooksEase of useNext, consider ease of use. If a school can hook up a tuner network, students should be adequate to access online sources from most places in the school, including field of view hall. Teachers should no longer attain that students could not get into the library or lab to complete assignments, and students will be free to explore the force of the technology more completely.In fact, teachers may find themselves changing their method of teaching to best hold the technology. Schools that implement a laptop program should employ technology wad to teach students and teachers how to use them, to maintain the machines, as well as spare networks in order. This is very important to help minimize frustration on the part of students and teachers. It is very frustrating to discombobulate a lesson planned and not be able-bodied to go forward because things out of your control are not working properly.Student learningStudent learning is the most impo rtant thing to consider when deciding teaching methods. laptop computer computers throw in the towel for more interactivity with subjects by utilise multimedia methods. Publishers Holt, Rinehart and Winston show concepts like photosynthesis victimisation animation which enhances printed words on the subject. Students can also reach WebQuests and other simulations such as frog dissections on the Internet. Students can create projects using PowerPoint and many other programs to illustrate what they energise learned. All these things support a constructivist atmosphere which has been shown to enhance learning.Pros and consA good way to analyze the question is to create a list of pros and cons on the subject. In the category of prosThe ability to replace outdated and incorrect data quickly and inexpensively.Computer literacy, which can be important in the job world, becomes second nature to students who endure constant access to a computer.Interactivity is enhanced with laptops a nd a constructivist atmosphere is fostered. single-valued function of laptops allow a student led atmosphere by instituting a more project-based method of learning, also promoting a constructivist atmosphere.Concepts are easier to grasp when presented in a multimedia way.A laptop for each student builds a bridge across the digital divide.Giving students an expensive piece of equipment encourages responsibility for the equipment.Many students and teachers who lease been part of laptop programs in schools address change magnitude organization capability.Students can trade places with teachers, offering new information that was not known to the teacher or class, fostering a sense of hook and self-esteem.Some texts offer students the ability to highlight and annotate while field of operationing.Teachers in laptop schools report that students create longer and more well pen assignments because they need not use resource books to locatespelling and grammar mistakes. Students report that they learn about writing styles better because of the instantaneous corrections.If the district uses digital texts, students will not need to carry huge and heavy textbooks from class to class. Backpacks will be lighter and damage to spines will be less likely. Students also may need to spend less time in their lockers. The cons are not as numerous, but contain more enceinte itemsThe possibility of theft (will the laptops make students a target?)Breakage and maintenance are expensive and can cause students to lose time on projects.The laptops themselves are expensive, although some vendors offer huge discounts to schools and for quantities purchased.There is a need to have a good connection to the Internet, preferably a wireless one.The teachers must be on board, or they will not hold the laptops and the resource will be wasted (and the money spent will be wasted).Plagiarism is a greater temptation with easier access to the Internet.Students may become distracted and get off task more easily. applied science failure, of all types.In fact, on a survey given to teachers at Piscataquis Community High School in Maine on their One-to-One laptop computer Program, there were only three main complaints after two historic period of involvement in the program 1) Laptops causing distractions, 2) inappropriate use of the computers, and 3) technology failure.One perspective to consider is that when school districts buy textbooks, students have a few activities they can accomplish using them. They can read and study to learn. They may find practice quizzes and further resources in textbooks but they must take the initiative to go to the library, or search for information, and grade their quizzes.The functions of a textbook are few, though important. When a school districts buys a laptop and digital information for a student, the student finds him/herself able to not only read and study to learn, but able to fully synthesize the information with interactive quizzes , and links for further information, as well as an ability to produce a paper or other end product. Students will not need to have a computer at home, or visit a public library or computer lab to complete their assignments.As well, all students will be using the comparable programs. The most useful places to find information about laptop programs is from schools that have implemented them for three years or more, so the Hawthorne affect has diminished, since most of them have been in the news, studied or scrutinized in some way. in like manner by then, the novelty of using new technology, which can inspire students to study more, has worn off. In Maine, standardized test scores for eighth graders have been only slightly elevated or the same over non-laptop schools.In an article by Andrew Speyer called Technology in Schools Why Laptops?, Mr. Speyer states that A laptop in a schoolroom will not result in students having higher SAT scores. It will not guarantee that students will ha ve higher grades, better attention, or learn the daily material more completely. . . Control will shift from a teacher-based experience to a collaborative experience. If there is any single argument for the use of laptops in a classroom this would be it. Even with no significant improvement in scores, laptops are still worth having because they support constructivist methods, which has been shown to improve learning.In fact, the question that arises in the newest literature is not Should schools use laptop computers?, but erect hand helds replace laptops?ConclusionLaptops can not only replace textbooks, but can enhance student learning overall. Using computers on a consistent basis can move a classroom toward a more collaborative method of learning. With laptops students would beable to have access to the Internet for research, word processing, and PowerPoint programs anytime, even in study hall.If a school district can take the money they would normally spend on textbooks and add some of their technology money, they may be able to achieve a goal of providing a laptop computer for each student over time. Even if standardized test scores extend the same, there are still advantages to having a laptop for each student. unbendable Ed students write longer, more complete assignments, possibly due to ease the of using word processing and better resource searching ability. buy laptops and digital textbooks may be a huge step to take, but a district may be able to work their way into them slowly by introducing laptops a grade level at a time, or in various other ways. If the goal of the district is to increase student learning, individual laptops may be a good way to do it. Laptop learning supports constructivist activities, which have been shown to improve learning.Activities which students have a say in choosing for themselves, and choosing their own methods to complete, allow them to become more intent and involved with their learning. They can become more lik e partners in their own learning, rather than fairly inactive absorbers. With a laptop a complete project can be accomplished, but with a textbook, only half of a project can be accomplished.AUTHOR Alisa HumphreyReferencesCurtis, D. (2003, December 16). The Maine Event. Edutopia Online. Retrieved October 10, 2004 from http//www.glef.org/php/article.php?id=Art_1119. Chapman, G. (1998, June 15). knife thrust to trade class textbooks for laptop PCs is a misuse of technology. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2004 from http//www.utexas.edu/lbj/21cp/laptops.htm. Cook, G. (2002, July). Laptop Learning. ASJB.com. 189 (7). Retrieved October 9, 2004 from http//www.asbj.com/2002/07/0702coverstory.html. Harris, Walter J. & Smith, Lori. (February 2004). Laptop use by seventh grade students with disabilities Perceptions of special education teachers. Maine studyP