Tablet procurement within k12 educational environments. An analysis of the political influences, perceived device advantages, and hardware preferences

Аннотация

School reform has been a topic of continual discussion since the origins of the American public education system. Today’s schools are a clear reflection of the vision of Horace Mann and his efforts to usher in the common school era. However, the tools and resources available to today’s K12 institutions are vast and often divergent from the core curriculum of Mann’s time when only writing and reading were required to be taught (Hinsdale, 1898). The role of technology within public education has been a topic of continuing discussion as well. Since their introduction, the promise of technological innovations within the classroom have gone largely unfulfilled despite most communities making their largest educational investments in state-of-the-art technology (Oppenheimer, 2007). Educators have too often found been subject to following trends without fully understanding the true motivations, costs, and outcomes of their efforts. The rapid pace of ever-changing technology exaggerates this phenomenon. Often, the emphasis on e-learning has led educators to place far too much emphasis on the “e” and not upon the actual learning which we are attempting to foster (Imel, 2002). As technology is adopted, it is imperative that educators have a comprehensive knowledge of both the technology being adopted, and where it fits into the pedagogical process.