TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Touch screen technologies have been amongst us for many years now, with the first touch screen being invented back in 1965 by an inventor named E.A. Johnson. In the 1980’s Hewlett Packard released the first computer with touch screen capabilities and throughout the 1990’s touch screen technologies were used in personal digital assistants (PDA’s) and some of the earliest versions of smartphones (Bellis, n.d.). Though it is the emergence of such technologies as tablets, MP3 devices and smartphones that has hugely popularised touch screen technologies over the past decade. Touch screen technologies have significantly changed the way we interact with our personal devices and due to WI-FI and 3G internet connections we are able to use many of the touch screen capable devices that are available on the market right now, anywhere, anytime (Evans, 2012.).
A touch screen is an electronic visual display that can detect and respond to fingers or hands when touched. Fingers are used to interact and navigate through visual and audio displays to surf the internet, listen to music, play games and watch videos, providing incredibly easy access to a multitude of engaging multimedia content. Finger gestures – tapping, scrolling, swiping, pinching and dragging are used to preform different tasks. Today, touch screens are used in many different technologies – Smartphones, tablets, MP3 players, computers, bank ATM’s, supermarket checkouts, airport check-ins, shopping mall kiosks etc.
There are two main different types of touch screen technologies that are used today; resistive and capacitive:
- Resistive touch screens are mostly used by grocery stores, hotels, restaurants, retail stores and the medical industry. They work by sensing pressure applied to the screen. Resistive touchscreens can be operated with a finger, a fingernail, a stylus or any other object. (Catanzariti, 2010)
Resistive touch screen technology
- Capacitive touch screens work by sensing the conductive properties of an object. Capacitive touch screens are made of glass which makes them extremely durable and scratch resistant. They cannot be used with a gloved finger or stylus and do not rely on pressure thus making capacitive touch screens more responsive than resistive screens when it comes to different finger gestures such as swiping and pinching. Devices such as Apple’s iPhone 4 and Samsung’s Galaxy S use capacitive touch. (Catanzariti, 2010)
Capacitive touch screen technology
With the release of the iPhone in 2007, Apple saw 11 million units sold within the first year and eventually an overall total of 72 million iPhones sold worldwide by 2011. In 2010 Apple released the iPad which sold a staggering 32 million units in just one year (Schwarz, 2012). In 2010, Google estimated at least 65,000 mobile phones powered by Google's Android operating system were being shipped every day (AFP, 2010). Credit Suisse have estimated annual global smartphones sales will surpass 1 billion units in 2014 “Global sales are predicted to grow nearly 46% to 687.9 million units this year, and then to reach 1.05 billion units in 2014.” (Graziano, 2012).
(Source: http://barefigur.es/)
At Apples educational event in January 2012, they announced that there are already 1.5 million iPads in use at educational institutions and schools worldwide and there are currently over 20,000 educational learning apps especially built for the iPad, and of course Apple are only looking to increase these numbers over the coming years (Rao, 2012).
According to market-research, in 2009 only 2% of devices bought for the under 15 year old market had touch features though it is predicted that by 2015, 50% of technology devices bought for under fifteens will feature touch screens (Modiselle 2012).
Over the past 10 years, interactive whiteboard sales have steadily increased. An annual survey carried out by the The British Educational Suppliers Association reported that “in 2004 26% of primary schools in the United Kingdom had an interactive whiteboard of some kind. This number was up 5% from 2003. Furthermore, 73% of primary schools have at least one whiteboard in the school.” and in 2008, a U.S. company reported the sales of 557,000 interactive whiteboards. Currently there are over two million interactive whiteboard installed in education institutions worldwide (Team Clarus, 2012) and the global market for interactive whiteboards is projected to reach US$1.85 billion by the year 2018 (PRWeb, 2012).
TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS
There are a huge number of companies creating touch screen technologies today, some even specialising in interactive learning tools especially created for the education industry aiming to provide successful, captivating learning experiences tailored to the needs of individual students. Here is an overview of a few touch screen technology providers and what products they offer in terms of education:
• Promethean: ActivBoard 500 Pro –
The ActivBoard 500 Pro is basically a highly visual, interactive, feature-rich whiteboard that can be either wall mounted or mobile. A projector is attached to the board which projects a computer screen onto the whiteboard. Software developed by Promethean is then run on a computer which ultimately transforms the board into a highly interactive touch screen whiteboard. The board allows for multiple student interactivity which results in an extremely powerful student collaboration tool. Along with hands and fingers, many other Promethean products can be used alongside to complement the ActivBoard 500 Pro. The ActivBoard 500 Pro would be a great advantage for teachers to be able to efficiently teach students different concepts whilst maintaining student focus and attention (Promethean, n.d.).• Promethean: ActivTable –
Promethean’s ActivTable is truly an impressive touch screen learning experience. The table is basically desk with a touch screen surface that allows up to six users to interact with the table at once, promoting collaborative learning in small groups aged four to eleven. The ActivTable has web browser capabilities, support for a variety of applications and the ability for teachers to create tailor made activities. One of the many great features the ActivTable provides is the ability for teachers to track individual student contribution to activities and use of learning tools (Promethean, n.d.).
• Promethean: ActivPanel –The ActivPanel duplicates all the features of Promethean’s ActivBoard but on a smaller scale. The ActivePanel is a handheld tablet device that can project computer screen and ActivBoard images on the device, making the ActivPanel ideal for special needs students who may not be able to reach or see the ActivBoard from afar, giving them the ability to join in on lessons (Promethean, n.d.).
• SMART Tech: Smart Table –
Similar to Prometheans ActivTable, the Smart Table is an interactive digital desk designed for early childhood education that allows several students to interact with the table at once working together, moving objects around the screen. SMART Tech has created the Smart Table with extreme ease of use, perfect for not only small children but also children with special needs to use and interact with the SMART Table with little help from teachers. Audio and visual prompts provide the instruction students need in order to proceed with learning (SMART Tech, n.d.).• Apple: iPad –
It is no secret that the Apple iPad is an extremely powerful learning tool for students. With the appropriate apps installed, the iPad is perfect for students of all ages. Apple discuss the benefits of using iPads for educational purposes “iPad inspires creativity and hands-on learning with features you won’t find in any other educational tool — on a device that students really want to use. Powerful built-in apps and apps from the App Store like iTunes U let students engage with content in interactive ways, find information in an instant, and access an entire library wherever they go. And with iBooks textbooks, iPad takes learning to a whole new level.” (Apple, n.d).
• Google: Android –Google’s Android is a platform which can be used on a many different handheld tablet devices made by reputable brands such as Acer, Samsung, Asus and Toshiba. Google’s Android could be a great, cost effective alternative to Apple’s iPad in that the price range for these tablets are extremely varied, ranging anywhere between $250 NZD to $999 NZD. Currently there are over 3000 free educational apps offered by Android (Oxford, 2011).
• Microsoft/Samsung: Samsung SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense –
Microsoft
has developed a new touch screen technology recently renamed
‘PixelSense’. The fact that PixelSense can recognised not only hands and
fingers, but any object placed on the surface makes this new technology
stand out. Samsung have already integrated PixelSense into their new
Samsung SUR40, which is basically a desk with a high definition touch
screen table top that multiple users can interact with at the same time.
The Samsung SUR40 can also be mounted upon walls rather than used as a
desk, making this new technology very versatile, resulting in the
Samsung SUR40 having multiple uses within the classroom (Samsung, n.d.).There are also a number of different touch screen computers available on the market today. Hewlett Packard, Dell and Sony have all joined in on the touch screen revolution.
THE IMPACT OF TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
Lessons can become more detailed and accurate. When the computer it’s hooked up to has access to the internet, simply imagine the information it can access and share to the students. If a teacher needs to show a map, all that’s needed to be done is search up an image of it in cyberspace. He or she no longer needs to draw it using a chalk or marker, which can be time consuming and often ends up inaccurately.”
Classroom lessons can become more engaging and interesting with interactive whiteboards. Teachers can simply search the internet and show students educational YouTube or TeacherTube videos directly on the whiteboard screen. Websites like Google Maps or Google Earth become fun and interactive allowing the students a chance to explore different environments (Kaczuwka, 2008).
The BECTA have researched key benefits of interactive whiteboards for students:
• “Greater opportunities for participation and collaboration, developing students’ personal and social skills (Levy, 2002)
• Students are able to cope with more complex concepts as a result of clearer, more efficient and more dynamic presentation (Smith, 2001)
• Different learning styles can be accommodated as teachers can call on a variety of resources to suit particular needs (Bell, 2002)
• Enables students to be more creative in presentations to their classmates, increasing self-confidence (Levy, 2002)
• Students do not have to use a keyboard to engage with the technology, increasing access for younger children and students with disabilities (Goodison, 2002).”
Gilley (2010), a teacher at Kent County High School in Maryland, USA discusses the benefits of interactive whiteboards “What makes it worthwhile are the interactive features and getting the kids at the board to connect with the material, because on the whiteboard you can present it in a way you cannot do with a chalkboard or overhead projector. I don’t believe you have to trick kids into learning, because they like learning new things, but you almost have to have technology to capture their attention anymore.”
Interactive whiteboards and desks will provide engaging multimedia learning experiences, maintaining student focus and motivation in a fun, exciting school environment. Schools that have already implemented touch screen technologies into their classrooms have had students confirm that using an iPad makes learning and doing homework more enjoyable and their teachers have also confirmed that students are more eager to participate in learning when iPads are involved (Titlow, 2012). Croy (2010), a seventh grade English teacher expresses how enthused his students were to work with the iPad in his classroom “my students were so engaged with everything the iPad could do, I had to pry it from one student’s hand to get it into the hands of another, and then back to mine. The best part of the students hands-on experience was that there was no explanation. Everyone just “knew” what to do. This is a device that will serve students well. No more frustrations with computer ailments, and lost papers. Cool apps will keep them engaged. I loved how my students explored our world in Maps. I wish I could have given them more time with the device.”
In 2010 a randomly selected class of students in a United States high school were each given iPads with an educational math app (HMH Fuse) installed on the device instead of textbooks. Students were encouraged to take their iPads home, personalise them and also use them in their other classes over the course of one year. Preliminary results show the iPad class students tested out at 90.5% proficient, while the students in traditional textbook classes tested out at 60% proficient (McPhail, 2011). These results show just how important it is for educational institutions to provide students with powerful technology that aids students in reaching their full academic potential.
Statistics showing student academic achievements while learning with HMH Fuse app on the iPad, compared to traditional textbook learning
In 2010, Fraser Speirs implemented his project ‘The iPad Project’ into the U.K. school where he works and each student aged 5 to 15 received an iPad. Since then, Fraser has announced how successful the project has become and has benefitted the students to a great degree. Fraser Spiers’ (2010) update on the progress of the iPad Project “So many people have asked me to explain the educational impact of the iPad. I simply can’t yet get to grips with everything that’s happening. Put simply, the iPad deployment has transformed our school. Not evenly and not everywhere yet, but it’s coming. What we’re reaching in some classes is the transformation stage. We’re seeing the iPad completely change the way that certain subjects are taught. Our best example so far is Art. I will write and share more about what we’re doing in Art over time but it’s fair to say that it is already far beyond anything I expected in the first year, let alone the first month.”
Another study in 2010 pinpointed student opinions on interactive whiteboards. Students were asked what advantages they thought interactive whiteboards have over traditional whiteboards or blackboards. Their answers were mainly that the interactive whiteboard was fun because it’s able to be controlled by hands. The students liked the fact the whiteboard was animated and made lessons “more like a game”. The students were then asked if they believed they would learn better when an interactive whiteboard was used in the classroom and 90% of students had positive comments on this question. (Lan, T.-S. & Hsiao, T.-Y. 2010).
ISSUES AND RISKS THAT COULD POSSIBLY HINDER THE IMPLEMENTATION OF TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGIES IN EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
There may be some risks or issues that could possibly arise before and after implementing touch screen technologies into the education industry.
Financial:
Implementing touch screen technologies into schools across New Zealand may be at the higher end of the financial scale though the enormous amount of benefits that touch screen technologies would bring into the learning environment heavily outweighs the high costs of implementing these systems. Due to the huge rise in popularity of touch screen technologies over the past decade, the cost of touch screen devices has fallen. Currently, Apple’s iPad 2 runs for around $580 NZD, and the iPod Touch at $260 NZD making these touch screen devices considerably cheaper than computers (Dick Smith, n.d.). With over 20,000 educational learning apps available for purchase anywhere between $1.29 and $10, some even completely free, it is clear that touch screen technologies far surpasses traditional computers when considering value for money. Software is not the only savings touch screen technologies would bring to educational institutions, the costs of textbooks would be greatly minimised due to e-books being readily available on such devices as Apples iPad (Titlow, 2012). Interactive whiteboards and desks can costs thousands of dollars, though it is likely only one whiteboard or desk would be necessary per classroom, whereas one handheld device such as the iPad or iPod Touch per student would be the preferred.Software/Application Regulation:
The Ministry of Education will need to take the proper steps in ensuring all software and applications correspond with the laws in New Zealand. Software and application content must be extensively reviewed and ensured of its age appropriation.Software Crashes/Glitches:
Many of the companies who specifically provide touch screen technologies especially for the education industry also provide supporting software for the hardware. Of course, software crashes and technical glitches are very probable and precautions for these types of situations will need to be taken. Companies that provide the software’s have online or phone based support systems where software problems can be easily diagnosed and resolved.Accidental Hardware Damage:
Classroom rules and regulation regarding proper etiquette and expected behaviour whilst using and interacting with these technologies will need to be implemented and enforced by teachers to avoid as much accidental damage to the hardware as possible. If technologies need to be repaired or replaced it may disrupt learning and leave students at a disadvantage. These types of situations are almost guaranteed to arise; warranties must be purchased or included when investing in touch screen technologies for the classroom. It is also important that warranties are kept up to date or extended or upgraded to ensure full coverage on accidental damage to the products and extra unexpected costs are avoided. Some of the touch screen technologies available for education purposes are extremely durable with spill proof surfaces made with scratch resistant, tough Gorilla Glass.Possible Limitations and Disadvantages in Classroom Environments:
There are a few limitations and disadvantages to consider before implementing touch screen technologies into education institutions.• The screens on tablet devices will need to be big enough to touch buttons without missing
• Battery life may not be the best, especially if the device is run on full screen brightness
• There may be problems viewing the touch screen when direct sunlight is shining on the devices
• Touch screens may get dirty very easily (Plnetworking, 2011)
• Keyboard input can be difficult on tablet devices (Pledgingforchange, 2011)
FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
It is important for education institutions to consider implementing touch screen technologies into their classrooms. Today’s young students are brought up in a technological world therefore traditional teaching methods may not be as beneficial as they once were. Considering the large amount of benefits touch screen technologies provides for the young students of today it is vital education institutions provide these extremely helpful tools for their students. The statistics show that students really enjoy using touch screen technologies within the classroom and that they feel they can have a better learning experience with these technologies compared to traditional methods of teaching. Motivation is a key factor in successful learning and studies show that students feel more motivated to learn where touch screen technologies are involved. Many of the touch screen technologies created especially for educational purposes provide students with the ability to easily collaborate with their fellow classmates resulting in class time not only being educational but social and fun as well, giving students a chance to develop key social skills in a working, team environment. Touch screen technologies are extremely beneficial for teachers, allowing them to save time with the ability to easily compile and present visually stimulating, in depth, accurate and detailed lessons for their students.
As touch screen technologies are only advancing year to year it is vital educational institutions invest in providing current technologies for their students and teachers or risk being left behind, resulting in the upgrade to future technologies far more financially expensive and time consuming.
There are a number of different touch screen technologies that can be incorporated into every day teaching and learning and educational institutions should consider trial running some of these technologies in their classrooms to get an idea of which technologies would work best for their students. Feedback and statistics of how well the students are responding to the technologies would greatly contribute to the feasibility of introducing the technologies permanently. Once all statistical data is gathered, education providers can then consider which technologies are best suited to their particular institution and make further plans to implement these technologies. Teachers may need to be briefly trained in the chosen technology to ensure no technical mishaps cut into classroom learning time. Students may also need to be trained in some of the touch screen technologies mentioned earlier, though this should not be a huge task considering touch screen technologies are praised on simplicity and ease of use. Of course there will also be a large number of students already extremely adept in the use of touch screen technologies considering the huge popularity of touch screen devices over the past decade, hence the name ‘touch generation’ (Modiselle (2012) appropriately given to today’s generation of students.
Overall, implementing touch screen technologies into educational institutions across New Zealand would be a huge technological leap in the right direction. The ability for New Zealand to supply its students with top notch educational learning will benefit the students of today immensely, paving the way for future generations of students to come, supplying them with the key skills and knowledge they will need for the technological future.
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