Let me start today by saying that I have no idea what direction the future of classroom devices will go. It seems like every device that is widely used now involves compromises, and the trend I have observed in tech is that limited platforms become less limited or they disappear.
Taking a snapshot of today, however, one would conclude that the two devices with the most heat in the classroom solution arena are the iPad and the Chromebook. Many schools are using traditional laptops, but you don't hear much about these at conferences. Currently discussions range about 80% iPad and 20% Chromebook, using statistics that I made up at this moment.
I've talked about the Chromebook in the past. It has some clear advantages, most specifically with price and best integration with the Google applications. There is also the HUGE advantage of not dealing with Apple, a marriage I am finding more dissatisfying by the day and one I will be writing about soon.
Today, however, I want to deal with only one aspect of the comparison, the clamshell vs. the tablet. All Chromebooks that I have seen employ the traditional laptop clamshell. They are smaller and lighter than a full-sized laptop, but they still have the fold over screen and keyboard. Many find this configuration better for writing and other creation tasks than typing on an iPad screen.
The problem as I see it arises when it comes to replacing textbooks. One of the “givens” of 1:1 programs is that texts will be available on the device, rather than in paper. Even though many would argue (and I would agree) that the format of the text will change, no one argues that students will not be reading significant passages. As well as “textbooks” students will also be reading novels and other supplementary texts. Given that these materials will not be available in paper form much longer, this is a must for any student device.
Here's where I find trouble reconciling form to function. Reading for any length of time on a clamshell device is inefficient and uncomfortable. When I was experimenting with devices, I tried reading with a small laptop by flipping it sideways and holding it like a book. The good news was that I could read; the bad news was that it was a miserable experience. The machine was heavy, holding the “dead weight” of the keyboard was uncomfortable, and navigation, looking up definitions, and notation was a nightmare. Reading with the clamshell in upright position was only slightly less uncomfortable. I have a hard time picturing students spending significant time reading this way, and no one argues that reading should be a less integral skill to instruction.
So as we look at this format, we need to respond to this issue. Some suggest that we will split out the reading functions, and students can have a single-use reader. However, this seems impractical and costly and contrary to the trend of devices doing more, not less. I don't want students carrying a backpack full of devices like they now carry a backpack full of books.
Ultimately, I don't want to compromise. I want my student devices to do EVERYTHING well, but I don't see how the clamshell model fixes this.
As always, I welcome your comments.
Image: 'waiting for linguine' http://www.flickr.com/photos/23688516@N00/3486181734 Found on flickrcc.net
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I actually haven’t had a pleasant reading experience with either type of device. I found that reading a clamshell device upright left me hunched over or with a crick in my neck. I think this was because I always read this type of device while at a table or desk. I never though of reading one of these on its side. As for the tablet format, I have generally read these while seated in a more comfortable chair but I find that notation is slow: sometimes there is a significant pause in the device’s speed when I am trying to underline something. More annoying is that I can write faster than I can type on a tablet keyboard so notations go slower for me. And then, when I am done with my notations, I can’t see them! I can see where they are and I know the passages to which they refer, but while flipping through the book, I can’t immediately see what my comment was whether insightful or trivial, whether long or short.