Just how big is the universe, how small is an atom, and how long have we humans lived on Earth, compared with dinosaurs? Such answers are better learned with an iPad, according to a new study that shows just how tablets tap neurocognitive abilities that help students understand enormous scale and other difficult concepts.
Students saw learning gains after as little as 20 minutes of study on the iPad, the research found, and if supported with guidance from an instructor their improvement may have been even more pronounced, the scientists suggest. “The bottom line is that these iPads and similar tools actually do make a difference,” said physicist Matthew Schneps, a founding member of the Science Education Department at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Massachusetts.
It’s great to see studies like this being done. I don’t find the results surprising, but what it does show is that the new technologies we have available today, need to be used in different and innovative ways. As stated in this article, educators cannot just simply take paper based textbooks and place them on a tablet and hope that improves student results.