E-learning 'encouraged by tablet computers in schools'
E-learning has been given a significant push in India and other parts of the world as more and more schools consider the implementation of mobile technologies in their curriculums. The Payal Tiwari Foundation in association with the Pune Municipal Corporation and Sundaram Group this week gave students the first wave of tablet computers in a bid to increase their knowledge of online tools and encourage independent learning, the Indian Express reports. Amrut Shah of the Sundaram Group of companies said: "The tablet computer, consisting of 300 hours learning, is the first in Marathi [language]. We took up this venture so that we could bring Marathi-medium schools on a par with English-medium schools." This incentive in India follows a string of other educational facilities across the globe taking on the idea of the virtual classroom and the benefits it can bring. News provider NBC 29 recently reported that students at Charlottesville High School in Charlottesville, Virginia were awarded with the new tool that is predicted to give them an edge in the future and provide them with extensive IT knowledge as well as that gained through the specified school subjects. The school's principal Dr Thomas Taylor said the tablet computers would prepare students for the real world where the use of technology is paramount to many jobs. "We're invested in our community's youth, we want them to be successful now, and we also want them to be successful productive citizens," he added. Recent data showed the sales of tablet computers rose significantly in the past year and it is predicted that eight million more will be sold in the UK in 2012, new research from Sky has suggested. The poll also found that one in 12 people received a tablet computer for Christmas and that this led to a total of six 'screens' in each household - inclusive of laptops, mobile phones and televisions. Grainne Conole, director of the Beyond Distance Research Alliance at the University of Leicester, recently commented that the advancement of e-learning in the coming years will rely heavily on the uptake of mobile technologies such as tablets.