In our changing technological times, devices like tablets have become so useful to university students that some programs actually require them. In fact, the advantages of integrating tablets into classroom situations are so plentiful that textbook manufacturers and government bodies are doing what they can to make them a key tool for students in public schools. What are the benefits to using a tablet PC if you’re a postgraduate student? Here are just a few:
- In programs that require tablets, instructors can augment in-class lectures by sharing useful media through the tablets. This can facilitate the learning experience and give students a way to interact with digital lecture materials.
- Tablets also make it easier for you to interact with others. The most obvious application is in the form of emailing in school assignments. This saves paper and time and makes it easier for professors to sort and grade papers. But what’s arguably an even bigger benefit for students is the fact that tablets can assist with teamwork. IM and social networking programs can help students connect in and out of class to work on their assignments. During classes with team projects, students can exchange ideas with their teammates during lecture without disturbing class.
- There are a lot of useful apps you can install on your tablet PC or iPad. For example, the Dictionary.com app can help with writing papers, while the Page app can assist with formatting papers. Numbers, another affordable app, is a great alternative to Excel, and a bit more streamlined. IM+ is an excellent application which allows students to communicate across a number of different IM platforms while running only a single program. Having access to the World Wide Web can also put other informational sources at your fingertips, so that if something catches your interest while you’re in class or doing your homework, you can look up more information.
- Virtual textbooks are an up-and-coming thing. Your school may or may not have started integrating them into the curricula. If they are available, though, they have a number of great advantages. They cost less than paper textbooks, they’re easier to carry around, and they also are usually kept up to date by their manufacturers, which saves you from encountering outdated and incorrect information. This may be especially handy if you are studying in a technical field and want to keep up with new developments.
Perhaps one of the best things about tablets all around is the way they have of creating a more immersive educational environment. The whole is more than the sum of its parts. If you actually live in campus, an immersive educational environment is something you are probably already enjoying, but for commuter students, there can be more of a gap between the classroom and the home. Having a tablet can help you to connect with the classroom and with fellow students when you’re not on campus, which in turn can enhance your college experience and make it easier to learn new material. And if you do live on campus, a tablet can still provide you with numerous conveniences which can enrich your academic life.
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Blake H. is a freelance journalist and occasional blogger specializing in topics related to business and education. He currently writing on behalf a company offering postgraduate courses.
