Tablets Leading the Charge
Tablet sales are “leading the charge,” reported The Globe and Mail on March 7, 2011.
“In all, consumers and businesses are expected to buy as many as 60 million tablets this year,” the article continued. “Tablets are also starting to make inroads beyond the consumer market. Corporations, which were among the first to adopt Smart phones, are also making use of tablets in areas such as sales.”
Branksome Hall may have been ahead of the curve in the school’s decision to introduce tablet technology to our students and faculty.
In 2010, Branksome Hall introduced its One-to-One laptop initiative — that’s one laptop per student. The program is being phased in over three years, starting with Grade 7 and 8 students during the 2010 –11 school year, and eventually including students in Grades 9 to 12.
At their back-to-school “open the box” event, students were excited about their school-approved tablets, which came with a long-life battery, carrying case, academic software and other features. Many of the tablet owners are regularly using their laptops as digital notebooks. The tablets are already providing a platform for enhanced teaching, learning and communication.
“The overall aim of this program is to enhance the quality of learning by providing students with better access to technological resources,” says Terence Carty, Director of Information Technology. “Research shows that students in one-to-one environments are highly engaged and motivated. They develop 21st-century, self-directed learning skills that will serve them well in university and their careers.”