Technology has advanced many aspects of everyone's life and has generally made it more productive or easier. In the case of education technology has improved in a wide range of varieties that have greatly enhanced the learning abilities of students. Recently the adaptation of laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices have been called into question of how they will affect the learning capabilities of students. There have been many implications of this technology into the classroom in an attempt to make it productive however none of these ideas have seen above average positive outcomes because it is being implemented the wrong way. Using new technology should not be mandatory and should definitely not be implemented in situations where it will not be valuable. If used with consideration and in moderate amount introducing new technology to the classroom could be the next step.

When considering the implementation of new technology, the social repercussions is not something that can be ignored. Today is a fast moving world that requires everything to be as fast paced as the person using it. Social media has taken of the digital world and there is no limit to where it can reach. In the case of younger children, it is a general fact that they are very easily distracted and will turn to anything to get them out of class. This problem is somewhat addressed with new technology. According to a review written by Brenda Alvarez the new tablet technology makes class more engaging and meaningful to each student. It requires less effort by the teacher so they can focus more on helping the student and less on creating activities to do. This side is argued in Rob Klindt's review by the fact that tablets provide more distraction than they do benefits. He claims that with a tablet in their hands the temptation to check social media or email will be too great to control and teachers will begin to lose the focus of their students. In my opinion either way the teacher decides to go it will work. Speaking from experience the temptation to use the internet will in class weighs heavy on your mind however there are restrictions that can be put into place to limit this.  Also with the smartphone technology students already have this capability for the most part. Furthermore, if a student is really willing to learn they will use it as a tool to help them progress in the classroom. If all a student wants to do show up and do nothing they will do this regardless if they have a connection to the internet or not. The best solution to this problem is to leave it up to the student. If they feel that they can focus on classwork and that new technology will help them then it is no question they should be allowed to have it. There are students that feel they learn better with hard copies to look at and I believe that this should be an option for the student as well.

Money is another issue that cannot be ignored. There is much debate about what method would actually be cheaper. As any college student knows textbooks can break the bank without even buying all the recommended text. Most students would love to see a situation where all of their books can be bought at a significantly reduced price. A study conducted by Steve Paxhia shows that there is a price difference in traditional texts and digital text. His studies show that students rarely ever buy new editions while most download digital copies to help save on cost. He states that the price difference between e-copies and traditional text is not enough to out-weigh the fact that most students prefer a traditional copy. His studies also include a survey that professors recommend uses other sources that provide a cheaper alternative for the student. With this trend he believes that we may never use tablet technology however if we do it would have to significantly reduce in cost. As far as primary education traditional texts are mainly controlled by one or two companies. These companies have stated that they are willing to create e-texts however the price would essentially be the same. With these facts in mind it is now a matter of which version would stand the test of time and which method works best. If reform could be made by the companies that create the textbooks money may not be an issue. Whatever way the books can be produced at a lower price will be the choice of college students and certainly the choice of school boards across the nation.

Critics of the tablet claim that they are extremely easy to break versus their book counterpart which are much more durable. This will always be an issue when it comes to this type of technology. The screens are prone to cracking if dropped and in general they need to be handled with much more care than a traditional textbook. One idea that is tossed out is the idea that having a tablet would teach a younger student about responsibility. If a student is forced to keep track of an expensive piece of technology, they will quickly learn what responsibility is and why it is important. The counter argument to this is that inevitably young students are forgetful. This forgetfulness will lead to a loss of money by the school which would defeat the purpose of having the new technology. If we pretend that we live in a perfect world though and no student forgets their tablet, there is still the potential for theft. As pointed out by Kris Hilgedick in his review, tablets are much more valuable than textbooks to the average person. This flaw applies to all levels of education and maybe more so at the higher level. This is a risk that will have to be factored into the equation of are tablets worth it. After considering all of these possibilities, tablets seem less likely to be implemented in schools. Theft and damage alone may be enough to outweigh the benefits without even considering any other repercussions.

One thing that has not yet been touched on is the actual infrastructure of the schools. If all of a sudden thousands of tablets and computers tried to access the internet it would completely shut down and seize up. As stated in the review by Magaret Rock, there would be hidden cost with any implementation of new technology. She theorizes that the whole internet system of the school would have to be redone. Not only would the internet infrastructure have to be redone, an immense team of tech support would be required for the constant repairs being made. Both of these expenses would amount to a lot of money. Coming from a school that has had limited implementation of newer technology it is easy to see how this would be a huge problem. The internet is prone to crashing while a textbook only needs to be opened. The remodel of the infrastructure would be a one-time cost however the tech support would be an ongoing expenditure that would negate some of the benefits of the implementation. It all comes down to if the child is learning in a better way to determine whether or not it would be worth it.

Rebuilding the infrastructure and higher a massive tech support system may have other drawbacks other than it being expensive. The reason that this is a debated topic is because of the advancement of technology. Keeping this in mind we must also consider that the advancement of technology is inevitable. No one knows what the next big breakthrough will be and it is because of this that people are hesitant to try these new techniques. There is no knowing that when and if these tactical are put into place they may become obsolete in a matter of years which would not help anyone. We would then find ourselves in the same exact predicament that we are currently in. Searching for what the best solution is and having no idea which route to take.

Although there are a lot of drawbacks that come with trying to implement new technology, there are benefits that deserve to be recognized. There were many cases where the student said that they had an easier time understanding and focusing on what they were learning. Kris HIlgedick goes on to say that the new technology allows students to make it their own. He claims that if a student is able to interact and change what they are working on, it will improve test scores as well as their grasp on the subject. Other positives that are cited many times are the fact that the world is rapidly changing and students are simply keeping up with the times. By being able to work with new technology and use the internet they are more likely to adapt to the changing world when it comes time to find a job. It is based off the theory that if it is introduced at a younger age then it will have a greater effect on the students. This strategy may work well if not for the clumsiness of little kids. There are those that would be able to handle the new technology and it work well for them however children are still children. It may have the greatest positive outcome in the long run if it is implemented at a young age however I believe that there should be a minimum age allowed to use it. It would be most efficient if older students and higher education had access to it.

There has been much talk about using new technology to improve learning in higher education. When a survey was taken by Steve Paxhia, it was found that about 75% of college students preferred traditional text over a digital version. There are a wide variety of reasons as to why this may be however it is known that students prefer a hard text. Of these students surveyed it was found that roughly 58% were not using the most recent edition of the text. This stat leads you to believe that although students may prefer traditional text, they are willing to forfeit some accuracy for a cheaper price. This is further expanded on when it was discovered that some professors told students to download texts that would be used for the class. New technology might cost more right now however in the future when it is cheaper it may be the most popular option among college students. 

After analyzing all the evidence an ultimate theory can be compiled. Teaching styles have evolved and adapted over the years and the introduction of new technology cannot be stopped. When looking at the current situation of teaching we are at a happy median of using technology but it has not consumed everything. There are many assignments that are to be turned in online but also physical class assignments that have to be completed. If you are well adapted to this style of learning it can be a very productive way to learn. You are able to use the assignments online to really dig into what you don't know and go as slow as you want. At the same time when you come to class there is still that hard physical copy that you are able to review with the teacher just to make sure you are fully understanding what is taught. If education were to transition to an entirely online ordeal, then what would be the point of paying for expensive classes just so you don't have to attend. The complete opposite of this is to have nothing at all online and have everything in class. I don't believe this is the best solution either because then we are not utilizing all of the tools we have at our disposal to achieve the highest level of learning. With the introduction of the tablet along with other innovative technology it is possible that we will see a shift to a more online society however I feel that this also detracts from the learning experience. For example, college is supposed to be the time of your life because you are experiencing new things. If you were to go to college and everything was online, it would be less exciting. You would meet less people and would not receive the "typical" college experience. There are certain ways that the newer technology should be implemented and if done so correctly, it could be very helpful to the students.

All the theories describe can then be put into practice. Starting with lower education (k-5) tablets should not be placed directly into the hands of a student. The students are far too young to know how to responsibly take care of them so it would be pointless to give it to them. In the classroom however is where all of the changes need to be made. At this age the students are at their most malleable. The classroom is where you hone in the technology to fit the needs of each student to provide them with the best learning possibility. The next age interval to be considered is 6-12 grade. At these ages it is perfectly acceptable to hold the students accountable for their piece of technology. Modifications in the classroom as well as what the student is doing at home may yield the best results. This scheme works on more than one level. It starts to teach the student responsibility about what to expect out of life. It teaches the student 21ST century skills that they will be able to take with them for the rest of their lives. It also adds to the learning possibilities of the student. Using this method, the student can fully utilize all the tools they are given and mold education to fit what works best for them. When addressing higher education, the implementation of technology becomes tricky. While most students would prefer a physical text and actually learn material they are also willing to give it up if there is a cheaper alternative. The fine line that needs to be walked here is using technology as a way to ease the financial trouble of college students and not as a way to supplement classes. These tactics will help to smooth the transition to newer technology and allow it to be used in its most efficient format.

The advancement of technology and implementation of it in our school system cannot be stopped. Instead of trying to regulate the advancement of technology we should focus on reforming the ways it is implemented. If all the methods are thoroughly thought out and used correctly the benefits could be astronomical. There is still a long way to go in determining what ways are best for implementation however it is a necessary change that could aid many students in their learning.

