Your school has been selected to receive enough money to add tablets to every classroom. The editor of the school newspaper has asked you to write an article about educational apps. The audience for your article will be other students, teachers, and parents. Using more than one source, develop a thesis/controlling idea to explain how apps affect the way people learn. Once you have a thesis/controlling idea, select the most relevant information to support your thesis/controlling idea.

Then, write a multi-paragraph explanatory article explaining your thesis/controlling idea. Clearly organize your article and elaborate on your ideas. Unless quoting directly from the sources, use your own words. Be sure to reference the source title or number when quoting or paraphrasing details or facts from the sources.
Source #1
Learning Styles
Do you seem to understand more by reading the instruction manual or by having someone demonstrate how to use something? Do you prefer to touch, feel or experience to learn or have someone tell you information? Each of us has a preferred learning style.

Learners will use multiple ways to give, receive and store information, and most will have a preferred style. . . .

There are three major learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic/tactile.

Visual Learners
Visual learners are those who rely most on sight. They tend to prefer seeing things written down and often use pictures, maps, graphs, charts, and other visual learning tools. They remember things best by seeing something written and like handouts and other written mediums. Visual learners often have a good sense of direction and can often be observed doodling or drawing.

Auditory Learners
Auditory learners are those who generally learn best by listening. They prefer demonstrations, videos, lectures, discussions, and reading aloud. Auditory learners remember best through hearing or saying items aloud and can be observed reading out loud to themselves.

Kinesthetic/TactileLearners
Kinesthetic or tactile learners are those who learn best through touching, feeling, and experiencing that which they are trying to learn. They remember best by writing or physically manipulating the information. Kinesthetic learners prefer role plays, experiments, simulations and other hands-on activities.

Source #2
Tablets in the Classroom Push Learning, Teaching
For the last few minutes they’ve been conjugating verbs, each typing away on a small tablet when a message pops up on the screen: “Eyes on the Teacher.” Stephens, with tablet in hand, asks for volunteers to come up front, plug their tablet into a projector and share their answers. Bringing technology to the classroom is nothing new, but those at Amplify and other major companies are spending time and money rethinking the possibilities. And there’s a lot at stake. School districts across the country are weighing the value of continuing to spend money on traditional textbooks as they incorporate more digital experiences. Amplify’s business model includes partnering with a tablet manufacturer, currently ASUS®, and developing its own software for the tablet.
The pilot project was free for the school districts and will end soon. Time will tell how the market responds. Fulton County Schools Superintendent Robert M. Avossa said his district has been excited about the pilot and is weighing how to move forward. . . .
Back at Autrey Mill Middle School, Stephens keeps close tabs on what students are doing through a special Amplify platform on her tablet. She quickly sees questions and answers submitted by the class and knows immediately if a student has wandered off to search the Internet or check email.
Lectures are a thing of the past, replaced by quick polls and Internet searches. Part of what is being learned is how to navigate the sea of information online and how to identify a trusted source. Students are also learning skills they will need after they graduate
As class wraps up for the day, Stephens sends a prompt to the tablets with three emoticons: a smiley face with “Got It,” a frown face with “Not Sure,” and a sad face with “Confused.” The students, in the comfort of tech-anonymity, no longer have to admit in front of their classmates that they just don’t get it. It’s a remarkable side benefit to more technology in the classroom and educators say it allows them to quickly identify those who are struggling without the added embarrassment.
“It gives us a chance to express ourselves,” said student Eunice Min. “Kids who don’t like to talk in front of the class, it gives them an opportunity to participate.”