When it comes to home learning, access to a device is widely seen as the thing to worry about: if there are no devices in the home, no access to a device or no internet connection to make a device come alive, then there is inequality in provision.

But is access enough to overcome any disparity in experience or is the actual device an important point of difference, too? It’s a complicated issue.

“There are two dimensions to consider when talking about research on learning on devices: the usability and functionality of the technology, and the notion of mobile learning,” says Neil Morris, chair in educational technology, innovation and change at the University of Leeds.

In terms of usability and functionality, there are “many issues to consider”, he says, including screen size, power, weight, portability and accessibility. And how any device ranks for those components depends on the learning being done, he says.

“In essence, the ability of the device to support a particular type of learning depends on the learning activity,” he explains. “For example, if the learning activity is to listen to an audio podcast and think about some questions posed, then a smartphone with headphones is sufficient. If the learning activity is to write a 500-word article, a device with a large screen and a separate keyboard will be the optimum technology.”

All work and no PlayStation

Meanwhile, learning on a games console is “entirely possible”, Morris admits, but the distraction from other applications could be an issue, as well as the association of the games console with relaxation and fun instead of deep concentration.

Both of the market-leading consoles - the Xbox and the PlayStation - can be used to access the internet, and can function with a USB or wireless mouse and keyboard, although they do not come as standard with the device.

“You probably wouldn’t want to have a learning activity to decipher the textual meaning in a 19th-century poem happening on the screen on a games console, with all the peripheral activity taking place,” he says.

Diana Laurillard, professor of learning with digital technologies at the University College London Knowledge Lab, broadly agrees with this position.

“Laptops and desktops are OK, and tablets are mostly OK,” she says. “Mobile phones are variable and some will not work at all, and games consoles will rarely work.”

Age is a factor to be considered, too, she continues, recommending touchscreen devices for younger students as these are “much better than having to use a mouse, which little fingers struggle with”.

However, while smartphones do tick this box, they present other issues, according to Morris, such as “the small screen, the difficulties of manipulation and the lack of ability to do anything other than hold it in your hand”.

But, he continues, they are “great for taking photos of leaves in a wood and demonstrating creativity and digital skills by creating a collage”.

Laurillard agrees. “If you’re doing a field trip or museum trip, then the more portable tablet or phone is very good for taking notes, taking pictures or videos of what you’re seeing, communicating with your team or the teacher, taking pictures of QR codes and so on, whereas on a laptop or desktop, that would be impossible.”

Take your tablets

So, does all this suggest that, actually, just having one type of device is not enough?

The “basic requirement” is at least a tablet or a laptop to which the pupils have good personal access (and don’t have to battle parents or siblings for), with good connectivity to ensure videos can stream, says Laurillard.

However, she adds that success would depend on the pedagogy employed, not just the device.

“The really difficult issue that we know much less about is the pedagogy of blended and online learning,” she argues.

Teachers “could and should” have the support to experiment, and share ideas and good solutions to the challenges of blended and online learning.

“Teachers could now extend their teaching into blended learning, combining class and digital methods for homework. They have discovered how to guide students’ work at home and use digital methods to make it engaging. This is what those students now need to help them catch up.”

So, as long as a teacher has this freedom and support, are we saying a tablet or a laptop is optimal? If so, which is best if a parent or school has to choose between the two?

“A tablet,” says Laurillard, “but it’s a crude question. The best approach is to start with what the teacher and student need to do together, and how students should be able to work together. A touchscreen is especially good for very young students, but a nightmare if you want to write a lot, for example; then it needs a keyboard attachment. So, again, it depends.”

Morris agrees. “No single device has all of the usability, functionality and mobile affordances to make it universal,” he explains. “But the new generation of tablets are trying to do this with front and back cameras, a touchscreen, but also an external physical keyboard and mouse.”

Such devices have a “good screen size, long-life battery, are lightweight and compatible with lots of software/systems”.

However, having all this in one package will cost you, so it will be out of reach for many. That may soon change, though.

“They are trying to be the device you can use for everything,” Morris says. “As the cost of these devices comes down, we are probably going to see growth of these across the education sector.”

Unfortunately, then, there is no “right” answer on devices - for now, at least. Any decision a school or parent makes will have some benefits but some downsides, too. That will put the pressure on teachers to find a way of approaching home learning in a way that does not mean individual students are disadvantaged because of the device they have access to. Let’s not forget that, with very little help, teachers have been making really good progress on that for the 12 months of the pandemic. It would be nice, though, if they got more support and training to do so in the future.

Chris Parr is a freelance journalist

This article originally appeared in the 30 April 2021 issue under the headline “Tes focus on...learning on devices at home”