Tablets for primary school children, Muscat announces education proposals

THORNY I SUGGEST TO HEAR TODAY'S SPEECH BY GONZI EXPLAINING THE USE OF THE TABLET.

Mber is perfectly right in that any form of computer even the latest tablet fad is just a piece of equipment which can be abused and become a time waster rather than application of technology to advance education. Indeed a chess set, a lego set or a fischer technik or meccano set or even a simple puzzles book stimulates the brain much more in terms of creativity and problem solving. One thing I note every weekend coming on the Gozo boat is that all children seem to own a tablet which they used solely and obsessionally to play games. Of course it hones their motor and reaction skills in a way that I find impossible to emulate but that is not learning unless one dreams of becoming a formula 1 driver or a fighter aircraft top gun. It is therefore important that providing tablets is not seen as on its own creating a more creative and innovative learning society . These devices must be supported by appropriate attractive applications if they are not to make our students more game playing couch potatoes. One important approach would be to convert all text books into electronic e-book form. This will allow students to just take their tablet to school and avoid the unbearable load in their satchel which is causing potential spinal problems. In primary schools as most of the books are locally published authors should be given support and incentives to convert the textbooks to e-books and in the process allow content to take advantage of for example hyperlinks to expand their pedagogical potential.

What a RESPONSIBLE step in the right direction! .... and than comes Gonzi with his copy an cut routine, copying Dr. Muscat's proposals and trying to make them his own WITH IRRESPONSIBIY GIVING OUT TABLETS like they were MARS BARS and these cost more than MARS BARS AND ONZI WANTS TO GIVE THEM TO 3 YEAR OLDS! Is this guy serious or just out of this world????

I think that pensioners also deserve a tablet as they have ample time to while away and it would keep them in contact with what happening in the world besides being able to download a free wealth of e=books. If this is not possible they should be given another free form of tablet to while away the time namely viagra.

Whilst not downplaying the use of tablets, computers and what nots, I have met with many I T wizards who can hardly write a sentence in English without committing grammatical or spelling mistakes. The crux of the matter lies with early reading of BOOKS - which somehow have been given the cold shoulder by all these electronic inventions. More's the pity as English Language education has plummeted abysmally during the last years, even though you often listen to people talking in 'Manglish'

Just by giving students a tablet will definitely not have any significant impact on their IT skills. The most they can learn from a tablet is how to use the tablet's interface. One big problem with technology is that it becomes obsolete in a couple of years, sometimes even in months. A tablet is just one particular device. There are many other devices that are better than tablets for certain tasks. Using tablets might actually be counter productive with school children. I think that even before giving out tablets, the teacher's notebooks or laptops should be upgraded. It would have made more sense to give tablets to teacher's or schools rather than school children!

Why just From 4 students? So the other students are 'bghula'. The PN government is going to give a tablet to all Primary and Secondary School Children. The PN has a record on IT as Joseph Muscat has acknowledged. It introduced laptops and computers in classes and now wants to improve on its record. What a difference from Labour that wants to discriminate between classes.

So many promises. Where is all the money going to come from. Of course, higher and higher taxes on everyone, not just the rich. Don't expect to get a penny from the EU for all these project. Not only should we not expect anything from the EU, but we probably will be accessed more funds to go to the EU> I am always leary of election time promises. So it's up to the floating voters to make the final decision. I think if we continue like this, the PL leader will lose his credibility. How Utopian.

Prosit PL. Ghad fadal hafna x'taghtu b'xejn sakemm twasslu t-80 miljun mormija fil-parlament u teatru bla saqaf. Hekk ghandhom ikunu l-prioritajiet xbin.

Great idea. I am sure we will see it in the PN's proposals tomorrow. But the PN will provide iPADs. Nothing like the Joneses for the PN.

Libraries certainly need to be turned into more active participants within Malta's social and community structure. The UK's council budget for libraries is usually of the order of 10 times what it is in Malta - and they don't have the National Archives and the National Bibliotheque to fund as well. The sum allocated in the PN's budget for new books by the Beltissebh library is pathetic, to say the least.

Finally someone willing to take education in Malta into the 21st Century! Laptops and interactive whiteboards are useful but ultimately they are products of the last century. Anyone in the right circles knows that tablets are the devices being recommended by foreign education consultants. The immediacy and tactility of tablets makes them ideal for children.Hopefully we will finally stop educating our children for the past!