THE EDULABS TABLET COMPUTER DIFFERENCE IN EDUCATION
One of the most compelling and intelligent features of the “Edulabs Smart-Cloud Learning System”, is although tablet computers play an important role within our learning system, we are not a tablet computer sales or manufacturing company, therefore we are tablet “Independent” not “Dependent” upon or beholden to one set manufacturers brand or model. As lifelong educators, we have purposely designed our business model and Learning System platform in this manner to give us much greater flexibility and control over product pricing, operating systems, contents and applications, hardware and software, customization and branding. This control and flexibility allows us to stay true to our mission to make high quality education affordable-available-accessible to and for one and all!
Edulabs utilizing tablet computers, Smartphones and other mobile and digital devices to deliver proprietary and 3rd party licensed contents and applications through our proprietary “Cloud-Based” learning environment; customized around the differentiated learning needs of students.
The Educational Advisory Committee of Edulabs Learning Solutions has spent the past several months objectively performing independent and rigorous product testing and evaluating of over 30 of the top tablet computers currently available in the market to determine which one or ones are the best suited for the educational market. Our testing included but was not limited to Apple’s IPAD’s 1 & 2, Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and Samsung Galaxy Tab, ASUS Transformer Eee, ACER Iconia 500 (both Windows and Android OS versions), Viewsonic G-Tabs and also their ViewPads 10Pro (which has a dual operating system of Android and Windows) and 10S (Android only) and a special Windows only version of the Viewpad 10S, Motorola Xoom, Blackberry Playbook, Dell Streak 10, HTC Flyer, HP Touchpad, LG Optimus Pad as well as several comparable high quality lesser brands.
The committee included but didn’t limit their testing and evaluations to:
- Hardware and software specifications
- Durability
- Battery Life
- Warranties
- Customer Service
- Product Features
- Functionality
- Pricing
- Special discounts and incentives for bulk or educational purchasing
- Customization
- Repair or replacement cost and procedures
- Production and delivery capabilities
- Content and applications.
Whereas there are many excellent tablets in the market-place, not all of them are suited for use in education, therefore only a few met our extremely high standards and earned passing grades in our very tough grading system to be recommended for use with our proprietary “Cloud-Based” Learning System.
The 4 recommended tablet computers that have earned a passing grade are 1. Samsung Galaxy 10.1 2. ASUA Transformer Eee 3. ACER Iconia 500 (both the Windows and the Android versions) 4. The Viewsonic Viewpad 10s Android and a customized Viewsonic 10S Windows 7 OS only version.
Edulabs has worked with the Tablet manufacturers to develop customized and branded versions of their top selling models. The Edulabs Tablets are divided into two separate categories; 1. 3 models for Students in grades K-6 which is called the K.E.W.L. PAD (Kids Excited While Learning) and 2. 3 models for Students in grade levels 7-12 which is called the I.C.E. PAD (Intelligent Cloud-based Environment).
Special Features
Edu-Safe Cyber Protection System:
Edu-Safe Membership System: Each Edulabs K.E.W.L. PAD Tablet requires a user membership registration activation before it can be used. Whether at school, at home or at any other location, once our tablet devices are activated which requires a valid member log-on, our proprietary Edu-Safe membership system prevents youthful users from accessing inappropriate websites and contents routinely found in cyber-space. It also prevents non-members from entering our safe environment and or from contacting our members via email, instant messaging or in any other manner while our members are logged into our Edu-Safe system. Our Parental Controls also allows parents and or teachers to set, monitor or restrict usage permissions for their child or children.
The Edulabs Edu-Safe system is not filtering software but rather a proprietary safe system that is rooted in the firmware of the operating system, which makes the Edulabs K.E.W.L. PAD the first “Truly Safe Tablet” ever developed to protect young vulnerable children from the many dangers found in cyber-space! Our Edu-safe system is comprised of (a) Safe email powered ePals, the developers of the safest email for kids in the world (b) Safe social network (c) Mandatory safe cyber-safety courses designed by industry leader Learning.com (d) safe environment with many of the same features that attracts kids to some of the most popular socialnetworking sites such as Facebook (e) Safe and secure membership activation and 24/7 monitoring. Please Click Here For More Details.
Specialized Educational Contents: Each Edulabs Edu-Tab comes bundled at no extra cost with tons of premium contents and applications. Click here for a complete list of our educational contents.
Specifications
| Operating System | Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich |
|---|---|
| Processor | 1 Ghz CPU (dual core) |
| Screen Size |
Model 1: 7 inch Model 2: 8.9 inch Model 3: 10 inch |
| Weight |
Model 1: 600g Model 2: 650g Model 3: 700g |
| Camera |
Model 1: Front facing Model 2: Front and Rear facing Model 3: Front and Rear facing Front Camera Rear Camera |
| Battery | 8 hour battery life (normal usage) |
| Storage & Memory |
Storage: 4GB, 8GB or 16GB
Memory: 1GB RAM USB |
| Expandable Memory | Up to 32GB microSDHC |
| Other Features |
Accelerometer/Gravity sensor Light sensor Gorilla Glass Screen |
| Optional Features |
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DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
In teaching reading, one size does not fit all. Today’s schools serve children from a variety of families and backgrounds, with a variety of learning strengths and needs. Differentiated instruction is a flexible and individual approach to instruction. When a teacher reaches out to an individual or small group and varies her teaching to create the best learning experience possible, that teacher is differentiating instruction. It’s not easy, but it is critical for success.
What Exactly Is Differentiated Instruction?
At its most basic level, differentiation consists of the efforts of teachers to respond to variance among learners in the classroom. Whenever a teacher reaches out to an individual or small group to vary his or her teaching in order to create the best learning experience possible, that teacher is differentiating instruction.
Teachers can differentiate at least four classroom elements based on student readiness, interest, or learning profile: Content – what the student needs to learn or how the student will get access to the information; Process – activities in which the student engages in order to make sense of or master the content; Products – culminating projects that ask the student to rehearse, apply, and extend what he or she has learned in a unit; and Learning environment – the way the classroom works and feels.
Content
Examples of differentiating content at the elementary level include the following: Using reading materials at varying readability levels; Putting text materials on tape; Using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students; Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means; Using reading buddies; and Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners.
Process
Examples of differentiating process or activities at the elementary level include the following: Using tiered activities through which all learners work with the same important understandings and skills, but proceed with different levels of support, challenge, or complexity; Providing interest centers that encourage students to explore subsets of the class topic of particular interest to them; Developing personal agendas (task lists written by the teacher and containing both in-common work for the whole class and work that addresses individual needs of learners) to be completed either during specified agenda time or as students complete other work early; Offering manipulatives or other hands-on supports for students who need them; and Varying the length of time a student may take to complete a task in order to provide additional support for a struggling learner or to encourage an advanced learner to pursue a topic in greater depth.
Products
Examples of differentiating products at the elementary level include the following: Giving students options of how to express required learning (e.g., create a puppet show, write a letter, or develop a mural with labels); Using rubrics that match and extend students’ varied skills levels; Allowing students to work alone or in small groups on their products; and Encouraging students to create their own product assignments as long as the assignments contain required elements.
Learning environment
Examples of differentiating learning environment at the elementary level include: Making sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distraction, as well as places that invite student collaboration; Providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings; Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs; Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students and cannot help them immediately; and Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly (Tomlinson, 1995, 1999; Winebrenner, 1992, 1996).
When it comes to teaching children, it’s critical that teachers understand that one size doesn’t fit all because students learn differently. Therefore schools and teachers should embrace and utilize various traditional and blended teaching methodologies, because the main objectives of teaching is to find effective ways to get students to learn! Today’s 21st Century tech driven learners need to be best prepared to live and thrive and not just survive in today’s 21st Century tech driven world. More often than not, today’s students know much more about technology and how to use it than their teachers, therefore, it is incumbent upon our teachers, schools, local-state and national Governments, businesses and communities to all work together to figure out the best way or ways to ensue that our students are provided the best opportunities to learn to produce the best learning outcomes to prepare them for the 21st century; which we all benefit from if we do it… and pay a very heavy long lasting societal price if we don’t!
Here are some of the various teaching methodologies that are proving to be quite effective in covering the various learning styles of students: http://www.edulabsglobal.com/blending-mobile-traditional-learning/