Education Technology in K-12 Schools

Eighteen years ago, first-graders could walk into a public school computer lab and sit down at an Apple computer sporting a green monitor that students thought weighed as much as them. Today, computer labs are integral as all public and private K-12 schools come jam-packed with technology the previous generation would have never dreamed of, as they were too busy being engrossed in the now-retro Oregon Trail.

Apple products have been at the forefront of education at every technological development imaginable (although many years ago, Microsoft did step into Apple's niche market). Some schools are using iPod Touches in their educational platform, even when stepping up from the K-12 to the higher education level, so steps to the next level of technology--the e-reader, the remedy to those back-breaking textbooks--would be the next logical step around the corner. And Apple is ready to provide with a tablet that is coming out early next year.

So does this mean that e-books will finally make it into the K-12 system, that children will no longer suffer back pain from backpacks that weigh more than the amount of food they consume each week?

Unfortunately, there are difficulties that schools must face when introducing e-books into the classroom. The first difficulty, of course, is the cost of the e-reader itself. While this will be an upfront cost that could potentially pay itself off over the years, younger children have the tendency to drop textbooks, toss them around, return them to the schools in less-than-acceptable condition. A tablet, or other form of reader, that undergoes a similar amount of stress may not return functional at all.

The next problem with the e-reader in the classroom is the need to update them with the texts. While the e-readers will save the school money by allowing them to purchase digital material rather than printed material, this involves the added labor of keeping the e-reader technologically maintained, with updates not only to the texts themselves, but to the software the tablet utilizes. It's the same idea as iTunes and iPods constantly updating themselves.

Then there's the economy. With budget cuts hitting schools to the point of cutting back cultural mainstays such as music and art classes, e-readers and a little back pain start dropping further and further down on priority lists, with changes taking decades to come.

Top these reasons off with the biggest monkey on the back - E-readers can serve as a massive classroom distraction just as much as a classroom tool, and you have a classroom full of elementary school children becoming distracted with their new devices. You could even bring in very specific issues, like a violation to the rights of the blind, although the read-aloud features of different e-readers like the Kindle 2 make this a little less of a concern.

Despite this, the K-12 industry - faculty, parents, and students alike--look forward to the day when there is a substitute to the back-breaking textbooks that continue to accumulate in thickness each and every year.