Flickr / Brad Flickinger
Coming on the heels of Apple’s e-textbook announcement is a study that reveals the benefits of using iPads in the classroom. A pilot study administered by Apple and textbook publishing company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt found that Algebra 1 students using an iPad were more likely to score “Proficient” or “Advanced” on subject tests than those using old-fashioned textbooks.
78 percent of students using an e-textbook for the course received scores in the “Proficient” or “Advanced” range, compared to only 59 percent of students who learned from paper course books. There are a few explanations for this 20 percent jump in scores. Coleman Kells, the principal of Amelia Earhart Middle School where the study was conducted said that students learning on the iPad were “more engaged” than those who were not. Similarly, a sleek iPad could be less daunting than a traditional textbook. According to Marita Scarfi, CEO digital-focused marketing agency Organic, Inc, the move to tablets could allow students to learn in “snackable chunks.”
As technology in the classroom becomes increasingly commonplace, studies like this one indicate how digitizing education could improve schools.
[via Wired]
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