Educators Using a Tablet Desk Mount to Enhance Student Engagement
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Choosing the Right Mounting Solution for Tablets in Classrooms
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Expanding Beyond the Classroom: Streaming and Hybrid Learning
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Transform Your Classroom with Smart Tablet Mounting Solutions
The humble tablet has become a crucial teaching tool in the classroom. Whether in high school or college, learning has evolved to integrate tablets into the process, helping students stay present through visual diagrams, video content, audio learning, and real-time updates, making them effective tools for student engagement.
Since 2015, teachers from all subjects have used iPads to teach, creating fully digital learning environments in the classroom. This includes all subjects, including art, drama, writing, language, literature, music, history, math, science, business, and more, studied in high school and college. Tablets are favored over personal computers or laptops due to their compact, lightweight design and ease of use.
Using a tablet desk mount that attaches easily to a desk, table, or workstation is key. It allows students to write, read, study, draw, and listen without being distracted by holding the tablet, keeping their hands free, and helping maintain better posture in the classroom.
The Rise of Tablets in Education
From Textbooks to Touchscreens
The rise of tablets in the classroom started early with the introduction of desktop computers and personal digital assistants (PDAs) in the mid-to-late 1990s.
In 2010, the Apple iPad was introduced, a handheld tablet that sat somewhere between a smartphone and a laptop. The original marketing campaign was centred on the theme "Reinventing Textbooks." Apple saw the iPad as a replacement for bulky, expensive textbooks because it had access to thousands of books, videos, texts, and audio, essentially putting an entire library in every student's hands.
Schools across the USA saw the immediate advantages of using tablets in the classroom, with New York among the first districts to adopt the iPad. The use of tablets in education soon spread across the country. Those who ran business schools were among the first to introduce tablets, and business majors were among the first to endorse their use in their study spaces.
Others saw the advantages for special needs students in the classroom, serving as eyes, ears, and other learning tools to support their education.
Why Tablets Work for Different Learning Styles
Tablets in classrooms are generally positioned for academic use; however, learning extends to greater flexibility through video content, audio (including music), games, and internet access, making them a full multimedia suite to support students' education.
Teachers also found that tablets became a critical tool during the COVID-19 pandemic, used by students isolating at home for video-based learning. This allowed them to participate in classroom lessons, activities, and discussions without entering the classroom.
Plus, educators used tablets to support the education of students with special needs and preschoolers, employing a variety of video, audio, and tactile learning methods.
The Problem: Engagement vs Distraction
The Distraction Dilemma
Tablets are fantastic in the classroom; however, allowing students to use them for education does come with some downsides:
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Easy access to distractions: Having access to the internet at their fingertips is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, students have access to a wide range of educational tools, such as video, audio, and written text. On the other hand, they can access unrelated content, games, or social media.
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Over-reliance on screens: Traditional schooling methods, such as handwriting and textbooks, which have been shown to support memory and understanding, can be underused.
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Inconsistent use: Not every student has the self-discipline to focus and stay on task, resulting in uneven learning in the classroom.
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Physical discomfort: Holding or looking down at the tablet for extended periods can lead to poor posture, neck strain, and eye fatigue. Using desk tablet holders can limit this.
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Technical issues: Updates, app crashes, connectivity, and battery problems can all lead to lesson interruptions and disjointed learning.
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Screen time problems: Increased screen time can reduce direct interaction between teachers and students, leading to difficulties in communication and collective effort.
Ergonomics and Fatigue in the Classroom
An improper setup, whether in a science lab or classroom, can create lasting physical issues and hinder concentration. Poor posture from handheld devices is a real concern for students. Tablet holders alleviate distractions and physical strain.
A well-placed tablet, held with a tablet holder, can be supportive for students. Being adjustable removes the poor posture issue, and having it positioned correctly, with their hands free, allows them to focus on the screen, writing or using lab equipment.
Why Tablet Desk Mount Makes a Difference
Key advantages of using desk-mounted tablets in classrooms include:
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Stability creates consistency: Having a tablet in a fixed position introduces a stable classroom routine, reducing fidgeting and movement when it's in students' hands.
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Hands-Free learning for improved focus: Having a tablet mounted to the desk or workstation allows students to use their hands for writing, drawing, or working with tools in the lab or woodworking class.
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Better ergonomics: Using an adjustable tablet desk mount improves visibility during different lessons and projects, keeping the tablet's content at eye level for better focus and posture.
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Encourages interaction: a single tablet can be used by many students, which, in turn, can promote discussion and teamwork on the task or project.
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Upgraded classroom organization: Mounted tablets help keep the classroom workstation or desk tidy and clutter-free, especially during lab experiments or art sessions.
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Better viewing angles for engagement: The ability to adjust a tablet improves visibility for different tasks, such as standing at a science lesson or sitting during a math class.
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Improves teacher engagement: With tablets rolled out across the classroom, teachers can better control and engage the class, making it easier to monitor students' screens during everyday activities.
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Fully scalable: Tablets can be introduced into science labs, classrooms, and other digital training environments, suitable for students at all school levels from K–12.
Choosing the Right Mounting Solution for Tablets in Classrooms
ARKON Mounts is a category leader in classroom tablet-mount systems, offering high-quality modular solutions. These combine clamp, drill-base, and adjustable arm solutions, along with spring-loaded and lockable tablet holders.
When selecting the best tablet mounts for classroom workstations and desks, several key features should be considered.
Mounting and Base Types
Do you need to have a fixed classroom tablet mount? There are many different tablet mounting bases, including weighted options like the Slim-Grip® Ultra Pro Tablet Stand, which are perfect for moving between desks or classrooms. There are also more secure tablet clamp mounts for desks, like the Slim-Grip® Ultra Pro Tablet Mount with Arm, which can be fixed to the sides of desks for a semi-permanent installation.
For a fully secure, permanent fix, drill-based tablet holders can be used. Tablet mounting systems such as the Slim-Grip® Ultra Pro Drill-Base Tablet Mount feature a 4-hole AMPS drill base that can be screwed onto desks or workstations and are ideal for classroom environments, such as science labs, where a stable tablet offers safety.
Other mounting systems include suction and adhesive mounting systems, which can also securely grip flat surfaces.
Arms and Shafts
Is a straight shaft okay, or do you need flexibility? Simple arms or shafts with ball ends are used to adjust each tablet mount, so every student can adjust the tablet to their personal preferences. When standing, tablets can be angled back, and when students are sitting at desks, they can be positioned more upright.
For those who need more adjustability, multi-angle arms can be used, like in the Slim-Grip® Ultra Pro Tablet Holder with Multi-Angle Arm and Drill-Base Mount. These offer much more flexibility in movement and placement, making them ideal for classrooms where the tablet needs to be angled for different activities, viewing positions, or group interactions.
For more flexibility, there are tablet holders that feature goosenecks, which can be adjusted easily but also stay in place thanks to their sturdy design.
Tablet Holders
Locking or spring-loaded? Lastly, various tablet holders are available for workstation and desk tablet mounts. More common are spring-loaded mechanisms, which you'll find in tablet mounting systems like the Slim-Grip® Ultra Pro Universal Tablet Holder with Drill-Base, which features the ARKON Mounts Slim-Grip® Ultra Pro Universal Tablet Holder and comes with several legs for mounting tablets of different sizes. These allow tablets to be quickly inserted at the beginning of the lesson and released at the end.
For a more secure fit, ARKON Mounts offers a range of locking tablet holder options, such as the LockVise™ Locking Tablet Mount, which secures the tablet in the holder with a key. These locking tablet options are well-suited for schools and classrooms with heavy student traffic, ensuring tablets are securely held in their holders.
Customization Options
Every classroom is different, and not every off-the-shelf mount works, so custom-built mounting systems might be the way forward for some education establishments. ARKON Mounts can help with this. With lots of modular systems and mounting options, custom-built tablet mounting systems are available.
Select the base, arm, and tablet holder that meets your classroom requirements. ARKON Mounts sales team can show you what options are available so you can build the perfect personalized desk mounting system to fit your needs.
Expanding Beyond the Classroom: Streaming and Hybrid Learning
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for more remote working options became clear. Tablets and their mounting systems became tools in keeping education moving during this challenging and disruptive time. Having tablets on standby for similar occurrences is a solid option for schools.
Having a streaming setup with classroom tablet mounts for teachers in areas with unpredictable weather or where students live in remote areas allows them to dial in remotely without having to navigate difficult terrain, so students don't miss crucial lessons.
Transform Your Classroom with Smart Tablet Mounting Solutions
Tablet desk mount systems transform classrooms, drive engagement, increase accessibility, and boost teaching efficiency when paired with robust hardware. This makes them a preferred solution for modern digital learning environments.
Ready for a classroom upgrade? Since 1988, ARKON Mounts has been developing and producing modular systems that are superior to generic stands in design and quality. With a limited lifetime warranty and customization options, ARKON Mounts should be a go-to for your next classroom tablet holder, helping you build a future-proof learning space. Contact us today to bring advanced mounting solutions to your school.
