This is the con argument on JC advancing from tablet laptops to tablets/ipads. To view the pro click here.

Game over. The option to restart flashes across the screen. In only a matter of seconds, a new game of Temple Run is launched, rather than a new set of Spanish notes. If the technology department transitions into tablets instead of keeping laptops, this scene will become a reoccurring trend, and it will be game over for students’ grades and wallets.

Tablets, such as the iPad, are for entertainment.  Students see these devices as symbols of leisure and will not perceive them as serious tools to further their education.

Some may argue that tablets will get students engaged in learning, but they’ll do the opposite. They hold more distractions than our current laptops, ranging from countless apps to music and movies. Rather than simply searching the Internet and playing games like Solitaire, tablets will allow students to choose from an assortment of activities to divert attention from their studies.

Not only are distractions a serious pitfall of this potential technological conversion, there are added costs as well.  According to Director of Technology Greg Russell, the ThinkPad 2 Tablet 2, one of many devices the technology department is testing, does not come with a keyboard. This is a common thing among other tablets as well, and although attachable keyboards are available for purchase, they are an additional cost.

Another price tacked onto students’ bills would be repairs to the fragile tablets. According to Russell, he allowed a few students to assess the ThinkPad 2 Tablet 2 and they “unanimously” said that they thought they’d break it. Students may end up paying out of pocket for this damage.

In order to spice up the current decaying laptops that students love to hate, the technology department should continue to upgrade the models that we currently have. JC should also provide students with the option to purchase upgraded laptops at the end of their sophomore years. This would avoid the problem of failing battery life and dying laptops which occur when anyone is stuck with a laptop for four years.

Instead of transitioning into devices that represent fun and games, JC should maintain its current technology. Implementing tablets will hurt students more than losing a life in Doodle Jump does.

Kailey Tracy is the Copy Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.