Article by Adella N, Year 6, Primary Matters journalist

Debate rages about the use of technology in schools. On one hand, some people think there shouldn’t be iPads in schools, but on the other, people speak about the many amazing things iPads do for learning.

The pro iPad side would argue that iPads also make learning far more interesting. Let’s say we were studying volcanoes. It is fascinating to watch a video of one erupting rather than looking at a picture in a book. It also takes a lot of time and effort to research a topic in a book. The instant nature of the internet speeds up a child’s learning process and creates higher quality work. This issue has many different dimensions to it and it isn’t a simple issue. For example, if we didn’t have iPads in schools, we would go through so much paper every day. A school will use an average of 2,000 sheets of paper per day. This means that during a full school year of 160 days, a school will go through over 320,000 sheets of paper! We are in the middle of a climate change fight, therefore, using iPads is a tool in the fight against climate change.

The anti Ipad side would say there are several reasons why iPads perhaps shouldn’t be used in schools. Too much screen time can lead to bad posture, back aches, neck and shoulder strain, wrist pain, sore eyes, headaches, stress and poor sleep.  Teachers also say that iPads can be very distracting in the classroom and make it difficult for students to pay attention to them, especially those students who have concentration issues.

On the other hand, some teachers believed that iPads had a positive impact on learning and found them an invaluable learning tool. They say that iPads can make lessons more entertaining which makes it easier for students to remember what is being taught.

In my opinion, perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss new technology and that iPads have firmly established themselves as an important learning tool.