Challenges and Benefits of Implementing Tablets in Classroom for e-Learning in a K-12 Education Environment – Case Study of a School in United Arab Emirates

In the recent past, there has been an increase in the trend to integrate technology into education in an attempt to enhance and improve traditional teaching methodology. A great deal of research has already been done to prove the usefulness of e-learning and m-learning in both secondary and higher education environment. Several countries including but not limited to United States (US) and New Zealand (NZ) have already implemented e-learning systems in K-12 educational institutions. Following the trend, countries in Arabian Gulf including United Arab Emirates (UAE) are moving towards e-learning and m-learning as an initiative to cope with the latest technology and pedagogy trends of the developed nations. The intention of this study is to identify the challenges and issues in implementation of tablets for e-learning in a K-12 education environment and explores the benefits resulting if this system is implemented successfully from UAE’s perspective. For this study, several issues prevailing in a private school in UAE for the implementation of elearning using tablets have been identified and expected benefits after the successful implementation of the system are being discussed through empirical evidence and discussion with the school’s administration, teachers and information technology (IT) staff.