The quest for the optimal mobile device that can advance education by improving access to learning materials and reducing costs is engaging many countries, including India. Among the more promising gadgets for the task are e-readers, which use e-ink display technology that closely matches the look and feel of a printed black and white page. Tablet computers, on the other hand, offer a full-colour, backlit screen alternative suitable for multimedia and rich content. These technologies can significantly aid the teaching-learning process. And this concept has been put to the test in a field setting in Ghana involving distribution of e-readers to hundreds of school students. One striking outcome: 43 per cent of the students, who had never used a computer, learned to use the gadget quickly. Students who had access to only a few books at home were able to read an average of 107 titles overnight. These ranged from wirelessly delivered sponsored texts to open access volumes that they downloaded. Also, several students discovered that they could listen to music, and read newspapers using the data connection. Importantly, though, 40 per cent of the gadgets broke while in use mainly because of fragile screens. These results from the project make it clear that there are key problems to be ironed out.
India's grand plan to identify a tablet device for educational purposes has been virtually stillborn. The Centre has conceded that the Aakash tablet computer distributed in limited numbers does not measure up due to problems such as heating of the device, limited battery life and unsuitable screen technology. The Department of Information Technology, which has been working with the IIT system, must show the competence necessary to come up with a robust set of specifications for the ideal “low cost access-cum-computing” device for students. The key factor that should underscore the programme is a falling price curve for the hardware. Amazon's Kindle, an e-reader, has witnessed a price fall from $399 in 2007, to $79 now. If a similar graph can be ensured in India, there can be a free or subsidised reading-learning device in every schoolbag. Moreover, the gadget must be able to exploit the ubiquitous availability of mobile data connectivity. Crucially, learning materials need to be available free of copyright costs. Literature could be sourced, for instance, using Creative Commons permission for use by students. It would be a great leap forward if a robust, affordable device can be produced through multiple vendors on an open licensing platform, with the Centre specifying the benchmarks, and monitoring compliance through a certification mechanism.
Keywords: gadgets for students, low cost gadgets, gadgets in education, educational gadgets, e-reader, Aakash tablet, tablet computer, Amazon Kindle, e-learning
A good library cant be established unless we dont have a good librarian who tells up where to look for books of a concerned topic or author. Likewise in order to ensure e-learning as a library to students through tablets etc a good librarian whether it could be a guardian or a teacher is needed to tell the students what to look for ? and where to look for ?
Disparity about knowledge of computer in rural and urban or poor and non poor population is also an obstacle in obtaining the goal of adequate and equal study material for all students.
The idea of having e-readers of tablets in bag of every school going children is ecellent but it raises some basic questions like wheather it will produce the same results which a teacher-student interaction does ? Availability of the device to every student ? and many more. Also, it might lead to addition to play games on the dvice rather then physically going to the ground and play.
It is pathetic to watch children carrying loads of books to school. It is high time some e-learning gadgets are introduced for easy learning with more models and visuals and to reduce luggage.
That's the right point.These e readers are exceptionally better than tablets in terms of battery life,cost and easy to handle without any problem.Most important that they are education focused appropriate for students.Introducing this not only revolutionize education but also reduce weight of school bags over students.Govt should invest their brain and money on these new age pocket libraries.
It would really a great ambition to be digitally equipped. We have to break the increasing bag size of the little kids & the monotony of the conventional way of education. It's indeed true that people are more fascinated towards gadgets rather than the conventional text books. It's give you such a immense pleasure that you rediscover the whole new learning process. You can study, you can visualize, realize & discover the plethora of knowledge.Perhaps Ghana's case is an evidence for same.
We can work further to remove the flaws of pc/tab like Akash. It would be really a gift for our future generation.
Computers for learning is a myth.By providing readymade answers at the push of a button or two the computers take away the learning process. Idea of going to school is not to memorize some facts but to learn how to learn which is a life long continual process. Just because a child pushes the buttons in a calculator and gets the correct answers the child cannot be said to know maths. Very many times the student gets the correct answers at the push of some buttons but does not really grasp. If the batteries in a calculator are down it may spit out wrong answers which the student is not capable of figuring out.
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