How do you Decide which Tablet to Purchase?

There are so many options when purchasing a tablet. So, how do you pick the correct one for you?

-->

In previous posts I have mentioned, when choosing a tablet you need to look at how you are going to use it. If you just want to just read books on the tablet then an e-Reader would be a good choice, but be conscious of licensing agreements if using them in a school setting. Some of the e-Readers can run a few apps, but they are mostly just for books. (See post on Article Reviews I did. These articles discuss the e-Readers as an option, additionally what some schools/libraries encountered with the Kindle.)

Amazon continues to work on making the Kindle, especially the Kindle Fire, more and more like a tablet instead of an e-Reader. The article, "The Kindle Fire will enable the next generation of 1:1 education apps" discusses how Amazon developed the Silk browser to have their own version of a cloud computing which is always connected to the backbone of the Internet. This provides fast connecting speed that will be a huge benefit to textbooks that embed links in the text. 

Some schools don't consider how they are going to use the tablets and just jump to buy the iPad, when all they intended to do is use them for students to read books. If a school only intends to use tablets for reading books, then an e-Reader would be the best choice. Because of licensing agreements associated with using the Kindle, schools might be better off with the Nook. But if schools have the financial and personnel resources the Kindle Fire will offer them more options to expand beyond just reading textbooks on a tablet. Students can also access a variety of newspapers and magazines, through a subscription the school would need. With schools being over crowded and the lack of school funds for expansions, I can see some smaller schools using their library spaces for classrooms and having the library become a smaller space or a cart to take to the classrooms. I don't recommend this idea, I just can see the potential of this happening. 

We have looked at the e-Readers now lets move on to the iPad. We all know that Apple has been a leader in education software and apps, and the e-Reader market that has the Android base can access some of the same ones or same type of apps, but Apple offers better security which is important when purchasing apps for a school. Where the iPad really separates itself from the Android based tablets is in the ability to create. For example, iMovie offers the opportunity for teachers to have the students create a movie on a certain subject in a short period of time. Students could quickly take a novel they are reading in class and make their own movie. When I was in elementary school we had to create and act out plays to tell a history lesson. This took up many class sessions to provide time for the students to write and plan, plus the days to perform all the plays. A teacher could have students make a short film one day and then view them the next day. With all the CCS that teachers need to meet, this assignment would be a great way to meet certain core standards and not take away from valuable teaching time. 

In looking at some of the apps that are available for education, the article "Interesting Ways to Use an iPad in the Classroom" suggests over 100 different apps to use in the classroom. I like the math education apps. My oldest daughter is very visual and when she was in third grade we got her a tutor to help her with math. The teacher/tutor looked for a math software game for her to play on the computer. This helped her, but because it was a school program Madelyn could only use it a school. The apps offer a way for the student to use the math education app at school and then they could potentially be able to access it a home on a laptop, tablet or other mobile device to continue to re-enforce what they are learning. As we all know, repetition is the best way to learn something. 

I use more of the productivity apps, my calendar, clock, calculator, notes, Safari/Google, e-mail, etc. I really like having my NIV study Bible on my iPad for my other class but also it is easier to carry the iPad instead of my heavy Bible. I also use iPhoto and iBooks extensively. There are many free or very low cost apps of all types. Some would say they like the smaller size of the e-Reader, but the smaller size also means smaller or no virtual keyboard. The iPad has a large sized virtual keyboard that can make typing easier. Also the Apple provides more GB to run the larger apps. My daughters were telling me their father has an Android tablet. I asked them how they would compare it to the iPad. They said they liked the bigger screen of the iPad and some of the apps they like they couldn't play on the Android. 

This all goes back to when deciding to purchase a tablet for personal use or for use in a school, one must look at how it will be used. I would recommend reading the article, "What do Students Think of Using iPads in Class? Pilot Survey Results" for ideas of how to use tablets in the classroom: reference tool, documents/presentations, e-Books, projects and distributing documents. This article discusses how students and teachers responded to using iPads in their class setting. The students liked using the iPads, but they would have preferred having one of their own. Also they felt typing is easier on a laptop than the iPad, plus they liked being able to keep multiple windows open on the laptop versus not being able to do this on the iPad. (It is my understanding that the Android does offer this feature.)

 I would pick the apps/software one needs/wants then look at which tablet will be able to run those in the most efficient and cost effective manner. The hardware might be cheaper but it is the software that makes the machine.