UTD study reveals tablet computers can enhance memory for seniors

DALLAS - At 76, Shelley Hayden is getting out a lot more these days.

What opened new doors for the former economics teacher is the iPad.

'This a new world,' Hayden said. 'This is a miracle for someone like me who didn't even have cellphones. I didn't have a TV until I was 10 years old because TVs didn't exist.'

Hayden had never used a computer tablet until a few months ago when she joined a scientific study at the Center for Longevity at the University of Texas in Dallas.

For 12 -weeks, she and other seniors between the ages of 60 and 90 learned to use the iPad and various apps.

Two other groups were also part of the study. One was assigned to a group that socialized, but didn't learn new things. The third group was assigned to performing quiet, non-challenging daily tasks at home.

The affect on memory is now published research in The Gerontologist, a bimonthly journal.

'The people who learned to use the iPad not only learned a whole bunch of new skills that they could take with them, but they actually showed improvement in memory function at the end of three months,' said Denise Park, co-director of the Center for Vital Longevity.

Park is a cognitive neuroscientist who studies how the mind ages and how to maintain cognitive performance.

While the iPad was an important tool in the study because of its user friendliness, she said it wasn't the computer that made the difference. Instead, she said it was the act of learning something new.

'I can do anything with it,' Hayden said of the iPad. 'And when I got home after the 15 weeks, I did more and more.'

Hayden said she learns something new from her computer tablet every day. While sometimes she learns something new about the device and other times she discovers new information, she also enjoys playing games and emailing her grandchildren and other relatives.

No longer intimidated, Hayden has even taken an online college class, proving that 76 is not too old to learn new tricks.

Email jstjames@wfaa.com

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UTD study reveals tablet computers can enhance memory for seniors

DALLAS - At 76, Shelley Hayden is getting out a lot more these days.

What opened new doors for the former economics teacher is the iPad.

'This a new world,' Hayden said. 'This is a miracle for someone like me who didn't even have cellphones. I didn't have a TV until I was 10 years old because TVs didn't exist.'

Hayden had never used a computer tablet until a few months ago when she joined a scientific study at the Center for Longevity at the University of Texas in Dallas.

For 12 -weeks, she and other seniors between the ages of 60 and 90 learned to use the iPad and various apps.

Two other groups were also part of the study. One was assigned to a group that socialized, but didn't learn new things. The third group was assigned to performing quiet, non-challenging daily tasks at home.

The affect on memory is now published research in The Gerontologist, a bimonthly journal.

'The people who learned to use the iPad not only learned a whole bunch of new skills that they could take with them, but they actually showed improvement in memory function at the end of three months,' said Denise Park, co-director of the Center for Vital Longevity.

Park is a cognitive neuroscientist who studies how the mind ages and how to maintain cognitive performance.

While the iPad was an important tool in the study because of its user friendliness, she said it wasn't the computer that made the difference. Instead, she said it was the act of learning something new.

'I can do anything with it,' Hayden said of the iPad. 'And when I got home after the 15 weeks, I did more and more.'

Hayden said she learns something new from her computer tablet every day. While sometimes she learns something new about the device and other times she discovers new information, she also enjoys playing games and emailing her grandchildren and other relatives.

No longer intimidated, Hayden has even taken an online college class, proving that 76 is not too old to learn new tricks.

Email jstjames@wfaa.com

Health News Video

Credit: WFAA

By JANET ST. JAMES / WFAA More Video http://ift.tt/1hgKyaM For tablet reviews of the best budget tablets

Panasonic launches Windows hybrid tablet for classrooms

Mark Hachman

On Sunday, Panasonic formally launched its '3E' hybrid tablet for education, the next spiritual descendant of the Intel Classmate PC.

Panasonic debuted the ruggedized, 10-inch 3E tablet at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference, which will be priced beginning at $499. Panasonic, which is trying to establish a connected-classroom ecosystem in American schools, will also offer the tablets at a discount for poorer school districts.

Panasonic built the tablet with a camera sensor that can be covered by an attachable magnifying lens, turning it into a microscope of sorts. A temperature sensor is also included. Behind the 10-inch 1366 x 768 LCD five-point touch display lies an 1.3-GHz Atom AZ3740D quad-core chip from Intel, 2GB of RAM, as well as either 32GB or 64GB of flash storage. The 3E is powered by the Windows 8.1 Pro operating system from Microsoft. (A full list of the tablet's specs is here.)

Intel, interestingly, showed off a nearly identical hybrid at a recent 'future' event, offering a glimpse of future technologies such as its vision of a connected car and its RealSense cameras built into tablets and laptops. In April, Intel debuted the latest reference design of its education PCs, the Education 2-in-1, which looks virtually identical to the 3E tablet.

(According to a Panasonic representative, that hybrid and the 3E tablet share the same hardware 'foundation,' but the 3E represents a broader collaboration between itself, Intel, and Microsoft.)

Panasonic specifically designed the E3 for K-12 students, the company said. 'Delivering a student device was not our goal; we wanted to deliver the solution to the challenges faced specifically by K-12 students and educators,' Rance Poehler, president of the Panasonic System Communications Company of North America said in a statement. 'With our combined resources and vast education market experience, these three companies have the ability to collaborate on a solution that is greater than the sum of its parts.'

Intel began developing the Classmate PC in 2006 as Intel's response to the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) effort that had begun shortly before. (Intel later quit the OLPC board after being asked to kill the project.) As the name suggests, the cheap computers were designed for primary education. Originally designed as a traditional clamshell PC, the Classmate PC has undergone several iterations, eventually evolving into its current form as a convertible tablet.

Panasonic designed the tablet for the rigors of the classroom, with dust and water resistance, and the ability to withstand a 70-cm drop. Last November, Intel acquired Kno, an education startup whose suite of educational software and lesson plans facilitates student learning, according to the company. That software is built into the 3E hybrid, Panasonic said.

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Harlow Council to give tablet computers to councillors

TABLET computers will be given to members of Harlow Council in a bid to reduce the cost of printing and sending council papers.

But, the move has been criticised by the Conservative opposition who say that tablets are not designed to handle large numbers of documents.

The Labour-run council say the equipment is being supplied to all 33 councillors as part of an on-going contract with O2 at no additional cost, however the authority says it is spending £48,500 on IT equipment and software across to meet Government security requirements.

Leader of Harlow Conservatives, Cllr Andrew Johnson said: 'This may sound like a move to modernisation, but the tablets will be the only source of information for councillors at home and in meetings.

'Tablets can be very useful for some activities, but not for handling large numbers of documents, being able to annotate them, store them or cross reference to other papers.

'I have serious concerns that members of planning committee will not be able to adequately prepare for meetings, with complex maps and plans only visible on a tiny screen. The same goes for trying to analyse large financial spreadsheets. Where has the consultation been on this issue? Has it really been thought through properly?'

The council says it prints more than 160,000 pieces of paper every year for meetings and the agenda and reports are posted or in some circumstances hand delivered to councillors.

By providing tablets the council estimates it will save £32,000 a year on printing costs; however it will still provide paper copies of agendas and reports to members of the public and press.

Leader of Harlow Council, Cllr Jon Clempner said: 'Due to Government security rules, Councillors IT equipment, which had come to the end of its life, had to be upgraded. The cheapest way of doing this was to issue tablets, rather than buy new laptops. For Councillors this will also enable them to not have printed copies of reports/meeting minutes, both saving thousands of pounds in printing, paper, postage and energy, and reducing the impact on the environment.

'Essentially tablets mean councillors can access council information and documents and respond to residents at any time of the day as always the council is seeking to minimise costs, and take the right long term decisions. We are always asking for officers and services to work more efficiently and that is the same for councillors. These tablets are not a luxury for Councillors they will simply help all Councillors meet the demands of their role.'

Cllr Joel Charles, Deputy Leader of Harlow Conservatives, added: 'It looks like the Labour Party are investing in a vanity project rather than using taxpayers' money to improve council services.'

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FATIH PROJECT DISTRIBUTES 732000 TABLETS

ANKARA - The EducationMinistry distributed 732,000 tablets to students as part of the Movement to Increase Opportunities and Technology project in an effort to improve the effective use of computers by students and teachers.

Withinthe scope of the Movement to Increase Opportunities and Technology (FATİH) Project, the Ministry of Education has distributed 732,000 tablet devices up to the present.

Information and Communication Technology is regarded as one of the fundamental phases of Turkish education. FATİH Project, which aims at effective use of this technology by students and teachers, made great progress with these activities which have been performed since November 2013, according to information received from the Ministry of Education (MEB).

The FATİH Project is focused on equality of opportunities and effective learning in education. One of the goals of the project is to set up smart boards (interactive white boards) and internet infrastructure readiness. The project envisages setting up smart boards and Internet infrastructure, distributing multifunctional cameras and copier machines, PCs and tablets for each teacher and student from fifth grade up to 12th grade and producing web-based content.

Within the scope of the Project, launched jointly by the MEB and the Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications, 84,921 smart boards were set up in 3,657 high schools (excluding vocational high schools) from Nov. 22 to the end of 2013.

Multifunctional printers, cameras and local area networks were also set up in these schools. 62,800 tablets were distributed to students and teachers.

Except for schools which had local area networks established, second phase local area network tenders for Internet infrastructure in other schools was also completed. Tenders for smart boards and multifunctional printers carried out by Ministry of Transportation, Maritime Affairs and Communications were completed and signed.

The ministry did not suspend the activities which are performed by the FATİH project. The ministry carried out the initial distribution of 675,000 tablets with a ceremony attended by Recep Tayyib Erdoğan on Feb. 17, 2014. As a result, 669,086 tablets were distributed. Within the framework of the FATİH Project, 601,131 tablets for students and 130,755 for teachers were distributed.

In total 731,886 tablets were distributed across the country, according to recent data received from the MEB. 101,644 smart boards to be set up.

The ministry is aiming to prepare and set up 101,644 of 347,367 smart boards and distribute 16,612 of 41,996 multifunctional printers by the end of 2014.

Activities performed by the Ministry of Transportation, Maritime affairs and Communications include: producing and distributing 347,367 smart boards , 13,645 A3 and 28,351 A4 multifunctional printers, evaluation of tablet PC set procurement tender (for 10.6 million tablet PC sets) and setting up second phase local area network tenders which are going to be completed in 2014. A management and support system will also be established while Internet accession in 3,657 schools is going to be continued across the country within the scope of the FATİH Project.

With the FATİH Project, Turkey is now one of the production bases in the field of information technologies. Domestically producing information technology tools and distributing them to the whole world will help make it possible for Turkey to develop software in all sectors, especially in education.

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