Table computer in school: Educational or recreational

 Reading

Read the passage carefully. Then complete the exercises that follow.

Tablet Computers in School:Educational or Recreational?

by Matthew Godfrey, Telegraph

As parents of three young children and regular users of the M251, my wife and I know how effective tablet devices are at preventing family meltdowns in traffic jams.A spell on the iPad is normally enough to stave off sibling scrapes in the car,as cries of "Are we there yet?" We are always grateful as well

5 for a little ('¡Peace) when we face another delay around junctions nine and ten. But as we hand the gadget over,we have mixed feelings. There is mild guilt: shouldn't we be engaging our children in stimulating conversation or playing an inventive game to stretch their imagination?And there is apprehension, too: at some stage, the contraption will need to be and software is such

10 wrenched back from them. The addictiveness of some games

that this can be like stealing a banana from starving monkey.

The Upside of the Digital Age

I have had an iPad for a year and confess that in-car

has been its principal function so far. entertainment for the kids.

This purpose could hardly be further removed

from the one advocated by more and more schools around the country: namely, that

rather than being a tool for simply pacifying children, iPads and (other handheld

15 devices can-and should--be used in classrooms to unlock pupils' potential, release

creativity, sustain interest and provide intellectual challenge. One of the UK's

principal champions of digital learning has been Sir Anthony Seldon, Master of

Wellington College in Berkshire. In 2012, he replaced the school's traditional library

with one that combines "ultramodern facilities with an old-fashioned reverence for

20 learning;" interactive screens and iPads are used mere than -printed material for

reading, research and learning. "Digitalization allows learning to be personalized and

far more vivid, active and challenging for young people, says

Seldon. "Shakespeare?

would certainly have used screen if he'd had the chance. In the hands of talented

teachers, technology can be profoundly transformative."

1 The M25 is road that encircles London.

2 William Shakespeare (1564-1616) lived in England. He wrote poetry and plays, and is generally regarded as the greatest writer in

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