Mobile devices have positive impact on education, survey says
Electronic devices have the strong potential to distract students (and employees, for that matter) from getting work done, whether it involves gaming, browsing the web, or watching videos.
But a new survey from Poll Position found that nearly half of American adults (47 percent) think that gadgets (mobile devices, in particular, as cited in the survey, such as e-readers, tablets and smartphones) have more of a positive impact upon the education of youth in America.
Tablets, in particular, have been found to serve a useful purpose here, whether it be learning games for younger kids or now the pending revolution of the textbook market. (Not to mention it's a lot easier to carry around a single tablet than a ton of heavy schoolbooks.)
E-readers certainly have a place still for students in high school or college, and it helps for tighter budgets that they're a lot cheaper than tablets. Chromebooks also have seem to found a niche market in the education sector.
Nevertheless, at least one-third of American adults argued that the growing number of devices would have a negative effect, while 21 percent are still on the fence.
Of course, these numbers change a bit when you break them down by demographics. For example, 50 percent of those in the 18-29 year old age group see a positive effect, and 54 percent of participants in the 30-44 age group also believe in the positive effects of electronic devices in schools.
For reference, the survey is designed to be a representative sampling of all American adults and is based upon the responses of 1,145 registered voters nationwide polled via telephone on January 17.
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