In the present era, technology has become an integral part of education. We have seen a tremendous increase in the use of computing devices by school students to complete their homework and also to keep themselves entertained. As a parent, you need to understand which device is best suited for your children’s needs. The choice usually comes down to either a laptop or a tablet. Here is a breakdown of both these gadgets in order to help you make the right choice.
Laptops
Laptops have today become necessary student tools. To what do laptops owe their popularity, and is it really the best computing gadget you could buy for your children?
Pros
A laptop is an intellectual laboratory that comes with great functionality, powerful processors, and a physical keyboard. Associate professor of communication studies at the University of Michigan, Scott Campbell, says that keyboards provide a greater amount of functionality when writing, and flexibility when it comes to creativity.
According to Rebecca Levey, co-founder of KidzVuz and editor of Mom Blog Magazine, laptops help kids to develop computing skills that will be required in their professional careers. Therefore, parents prefer laptops over tablets so that children can learn to use programs and tools that will be of use in their workplace in the future.
The popularity of laptops in the education sector has resulted in manufacturers selling these devices on huge student discounts. In fact, many companies offer discounted software along with the hardware. As a parent, you may wish to make the most of such offers. You may check this list of Laptops for Students if you are interested to buy one for yourself.
Cons
Carrying around a bulky laptop is certainly not pleasant! One of the lightest laptops in the world, the 13-inch Macbook Air, weighs about 1.35 kgs. On an average, a tablet weighs somewhere between 0.4 kg to 0.9kg. When it comes to children, a lighter computing device definitely makes more sense.
In addition, a parent must remember that laptops have many moving components. If children are going to be handling such devices, you will surely face problems like broken hinges and food particles stuck under the keys. Since tablets are more compactly built, they come with a significantly lesser risk of things going wrong.
Tablets
Tablets are slowly eating into the desktop and laptops markets. As a parent, it is essential to understand the reasons as to why a tablet may or may not be the best educational tool for your kids.
Pros
Tablets can be used to do homework, create art, play games, and a lot more. Tablets are handy devices that can also be used for doing research, writing essays, taking notes in class, and even recording lecture sessions.
Roslyn Public Schools in New York recently handed out iPads to its students and teachers. Instructors now email assignments to their pupils, who then complete them on the tablet, and mail them back. The teachers correct these on the iPad itself, and return them to the students. No paper is exchanged between the two parties. This helps reduce paper consumption, and also eliminates any confusion about assignment submissions and corrections.
Since physical keyboards maybe better suited to do some tasks, companies like Logitech are designing keyboards that can be paired with a touchscreen device via Bluetooth. Further, software designers are increasingly coming up with PC programs that run on mobile devices as well, such as Microsoft Office and Skype. Another advantage of using a tablet is the availability of thousands of fun productivity and study apps.
Cons
The functionality of a laptop is superior to a tablet. If you think your child will be interested in programming or film-making, then a touchscreen device will not be of much help. In fact, Apple’s iPad does not even run Scratch, a free multimedia authoring software used by millions of kids.
Verdict
Tech experts say that a laptop is the way to go for students of all ages. As a parent, you are probably looking for a long-term investment. A laptop can be upgraded with higher RAM and larger capacity hard drives, but a tablet does not come with such flexibility. Furthermore, a tablet does not have all the functionalities of a laptop. Until better technological advancements take place in the world of handhelds, a laptop is certainly a better study tool for your children.