?Ali and his classmates sit next to each other in
?an eighth-grade science class in Saudi Arabia.?Their students have used Twitter and Skype to
?share math problems and tweet about tadpoles". ?The benefit is their students get a more global
?perspective than they would with just a book. They
?have a much bigger audience for their ideas. 6
?Studies have shown that having tablets in the classroom can improve students' test
?scores. A study of 266 kindergarten students in the United States showed that students
?with tablets scored higher on every reading test, compared to students without them
?(Bebell et al. 2012). Another study in California reported that middle school students
?with iPads did 20 percent better on their math tests, compared to students who just
?used a textbook (Bonnington 2012). Part of this is because tablets allow teachers to help
?students instantly. When students' scores on an online test are low, teachers can direct
?them right away to a video or website for extra instruction. Students can also email or
?text their teachers for help and get instant feedback. ?Still, no technology is perfect. Many students are often expected to complete
?tablet assignments at home. One problem is that not all families have Internet access. ?Other times, Internet connections are slow or stop working. This can put children at a
?disadvantage. For this reason, governments around the world are also investing millions
?in fast, reliable Internet for schools and cities, but this will take time. ?? For teachers, another disadvantage is that students can get easily distracted on their
?tablets. After they complete their assignments, some students end up playing a game
?or texting a friend. They stop concentrating on the teacher and the classroom. This can
?be frustrating to teachers. It can make students miss important information. Too much
?distraction can also have a negative impact on students' grades. ?How can these kinds of problems be solved? For one, teachers are going to need
?more training in using tablet instruction. Second, schools will have to make sure that
?children are accessing the right content at the right time. And parents must also learn
?to adapt to technology they never had in school. But, if students, parents, and teachers
?can work together, the "classroom without walls" could become the classroom of the
?future and prepare children even better for our connected, digital world.Using the Global Book Series
?app, schoolchildren from other countries create and upload presentations about their
?countries with photos and videos.2012.