Technology use has been greatly debated amongst schools, whether schools should make the switch from out of date textbooks to new technology in the classrooms. While making the switch to using technology sure comes with many positive effects, such as easier communication and more access to information, greater integrity and self control are necessary. Technology such as iPads, and laptops, does bring up the moral issue of using them as they're intended to be used for, which is a tool for knowledge, not a place to play games or text friends when you're not supposed to.

The pros of having an iPad at use in the classroom are very important and show the innovation in the classroom. The quality of learning is used correctly, the iPad will make a big impact in modern day education. iPads help with organizational skills, having all your notes, resources, and textbooks on one device is practical and keeps everything organized. You can record lecture and take pictures of visual aids for learning. Each student gets an individual system for how they learn. iPads are efficient for typing and good for the environment by cutting back paper usage.

iPads provide all in one access to school necessities like textbooks, notes, dictionaries, and researching tools. Our world is moving forward with technological advances and iPads in the classroom promote the use of technology to learn and grow. Things like quizlet and kahoot are beneficial to study and get the understanding material for class.communication with teachers during the whole school day is very helpful, if you need to ask a teacher about an assignment before class you have the tools to do so. Turning in assignments can be done outside of class and at home.

Despite the pros of iPad’s, there are many cons related to morality in the classroom. One of the biggest topics under debate is the overall impact on education. Studies show that when you write something you retain the information better. When using an iPad, the student is just tapping on a screen rather than writing it out which sends signals to the brain. Having hands on activity such as turning a page in a book engages the brain and allows for better retention. Using an iPad also loses the importance of penmanship. Also not all books are online which can be a negative when you cannot annotate it online or have access to it.

Another con to having iPads is that they may disrupt a student's moral thinking. While there are pros to having an iPad such as using the educational apps, there are also many apps that will only distract students from their school work. Popular gaming apps that are not blocked by a school's internet service will distract a student during class and instead of studying, they would be playing a game. It is also much easier to cheat with the iPad rather than written assignments. A student could share their work with another much easier, can copy and paste quicker which is wrong.

iPads are an overall good tool for students. As long as they are used correctly by the right person then they will help students learn and expand their thinking. Cheating is wrong, but as long as a student knows and understands that then they will not want to cheat. It is not the iPads that do the cheating, but the student who does the cheating only with the help of a iPad. All of the negatives can be avoided if the student takes the proper action to use these properly.

iPads also are a tool that can keeps students more organized, because all of the materials for success are in one place. For example, all of a student's documents can be in one place, such as Google Drive. Google also provides a numerous amounts of resources, like a translator, a place to turn in assignments, and a search engine where other websites like dictionary and thesauruses can be utilized. But, the temporary battery of the iPads serve as a disadvantage for students who tend to be unprepared for class. But, as long as students come prepared to class or chargers are available for use at school, students can still use their iPads.

The endless access to information is very useful. To be in class and during a lecture have ideas and questions come up and be able to look them up. Also researching for essays, projects, and other school work is done faster and easier on the iPads. The use of the Internet to look up anything for school is very useful. Having to go to the computer lab for research takes time out of class and makes more homework for that night. iPads are beneficial for access to learning and gaining knowledge.

Overall, iPad use in the classroom is beneficial for everyone involved, however steps can be taken to improve the way students use their iPads. For example, air watch and other apps to lock students into what they're supposed to be doing is a great way to eliminate distractions such as playing games or texting. However, students will always find ways to get distracted if they are not engaged in the lesson happening. So, the most beneficial way to get students to not want to play games during class is to involve kids in the lesson and make them feel like they're a part learning process, not glued to their seats taking notes.

Works Cited
By Brian Handwerk, For National Geographic News PUBLISHED December 10, 2013. "IPads
Improve Classroom Learning, Study Finds." National Geographic. National Geographic
Society, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
Guernsey, Lisa. "The Smart Way to Use IPads in the Classroom." N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. Konnikova, Maria. "What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 02 June 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens." Scientific
American. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
"A Third of Students Using 'distracting' Classroom IPads for Play, Not Work: Study." The Globe
and Mail. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

Regina Vicini - Technology Debate