Tablet PCs to replace tons of Textbooks in Public schools
Tablet PCs to replace tons of Textbooks in Public schools
Last year, La Salle Green Hills in Mandaluyong City issued 500 electronic tablets (e-tablets) to selected students. The goal of the project is to lessen the burden of carrying heavy loads in their bags when going to school.
This project will now be implemented by public schools in Makati City. However, just like what La Salle did, it would only be available to some pre-selected students.
Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay said that they will be providing tablets to senior high school enrollees in selected public schools on a pilot basis. Senior high school teachers will also get tablet computers “to have a more interactive and encouraging classroom scenario.”
“We are just preparing the mechanics and guidelines before we can officially give the tablet computers to our students,” Binay said in a statement.
The city Mayor said that this program will address spine injuries which is becoming a common problem among schoolchildren due to heavy school bags.
The device was designed by information technology expert Jun Lozada, known to the public as the star witness in the NBN-ZTE Sc@nd$l. It can hold as many as 10,000 books, Lozada said.
Lozada was prompted to design e-tablets when a doctor said that one of the causes of scoliosis is carrying a heavy bag.
Source: ABS-CBN news
Comments:
"Scoliosis is a condition in which the spine bends to the side abnormally; either to
the right or left. The curvature can be moderate to severe."- A defination from medicalnewstoday website.
First and foremost, I researched about the causes of scoliosis and here's what I got.
From WEBMD site, causes are the following:
Congenital scoliosis. Due to a bone abnormality present at birth.
Neuromuscular scoliosis. A result of abnormal muscles or nerves. Frequently seen in people with spina bifida or cerebral palsy or in those with various conditions that are accompanied by, or result in, paralysis.
Degenerative scoliosis. This may result from traumatic (from an injury or illness) bone collapse, previous major back surgery, or osteoporosis (thining of the bones).
Idiopathic scoliosis. The most common type of scoliosis, idiopathic scoliosis, has no specific identifiable cause. There are many theories, but none have been found to be conclusive. There is, however, strong evidence that idiopathic scoliosis is inherited. According to the National Health Service (NHS), UK, in 80% of cases there is no known cause - it is idiopathic(medicalnewstoday).
Medicalnewstoday however mentioned all of the causes listed in WEBMD and added the following:
Leg length - if one leg is longer than the other the individual may develop scoliosis.
Other causes - bad posture, using backpacks or satchels, and exercise may also cause scoliosis.
Bottom line, there is no real strong scientific evidence that carrying backpacks with heavy loads causes scoliosis. But still theories will soon be proven. At least this program can be categorized as a preventive measure to avoid having scoliosis.
LEARNING development
E-tablets are easy to bring anywhere compared to textbooks. What I am afraid of is the level of memory retention rate. It's just like having a cellphone where people are becoming too dependent on the address book. Most people could not even remember their own personal home phone number without looking at the address book. I hope that these pre-selected students can adapt these changes in their learning environment.