ENGLISH DEBATE FACTS

 National Budget
The budget of DepEd shall increase from Php633. 3-Billion in 2022 to Php710. 6- Billion in 2023.
 Average Tablet Price

Cherry Mobile Superion S1 DTV Php2,999

Cherry Mobile Superion S2 Php2,999

MyPhone myT6s Php3,099

Cherry Mobile Superion S+ DTV Php3,499

Cherry Mobile Flare Tab Php3,699

Cherry Mobile Superion S2 with keyboard Php3,699

Cherry Mobile Superion S2+ Php3,699

MyPhone myT8 Php3,999

Lenovo Tab E7 Php4,250

- With it’s cheap price can we even ensure that these tablets can withstand and ensure
quality service for learning students? Most technological devices with cheap prices often
have issues in lagging and function. Suppose in a room setting and a student’s tablet is
lagging, then that means he/she gets behind of the discussed lesson.

 Amount of students in the Philippines

- 9.2 million students have enrolled for school year 2022-2023, according to the Department
of Education (DepEd). Based on data by DepEd's Learning Information System as of July
29, a total of 9,192,331 have already been enrolled since the registration started on
Monday.
- Of the number of enrollees, 4.28 million are elementary pupils, 2.97 million are junior high
students, 1.34 million are senior high school students and 608,114 are kindergarten pupils.
- With over 9.2 million learners in the Philippines do you think the government can supply a
tablet per student? I think not, especially since even one of the most important aids in
learning such as a classrooms are not enough. With the pandemic and the economic
decline and high inflation in the Philippines achieving the said replacement of textbooks
over tablets are just unattainable.

 Effect of tablets on the health of students

- Mobile phones communicate with base stations using radiofrequency (RF) radiation. If RF
radiation is high enough, it has a ‘thermal’ effect, which means it raises body temperature.
There are concerns that the low levels of RF radiation emitted by mobile phones could
cause health problems such as headaches or brain tumours. May 2011, the World Health
Organization (WHO) classified RF radiation as ‘possibly carcinogenic for humans, based on
an increased risk for glioma, a type of brain cancer’.
- A tablet’s screen has these effect in our eyes such as blurred vision and dry eyes, irritation,
painful throbbing headaches around eye region.
 Tablet’s life span

- The average life span of a tablet battery is only three to five years. Of course, your tablet's
battery could last much longer than that — or for less time.

 Tablet battery life

- The average battery life of your Android tablet depends on how often you use it. Most
tablets have a run time that ranges from 3 to 8 hours. Cheaper models usually require
more charging than expensive tablets do. If you only use the tablet once or twice a day, it
may last for a week or longer between charges.

 Tablet charging power consumption

- Suppose tablets are left at school and are forbidden to take home, then who are left to
charge the tablets? The teachers? A tablet charged from 0% takes about 5-6 hours to
become fully charged. Does the teachers still have to wait at school until they are fully
charged?
- In that context tablets are definitely easier and much more convenient. If there are any
study materials that needs to be studied at home students can easily access that through
their textbooks.
- Rather than in tablets where you have risks of tablets being damaged and broken either by
water or a tablet falls to the ground and many others. Even students have a hard time
taking care of their own mobile phones, how much more a tablet.

 Tablets provide distraction for students

- A tablet which has access to internet can be downloaded with games that surely a student
can enjoy even on class.
- 87% of K-12 teachers believe that “today’s digital technologies are creating an easily
distracted generation with short attention spans.” Four-fifths of students aged 8 – 18
multitask while using digital media.

 Expensive repair costs

- Whenever there is a damaged tablet who gets to pay for the damages? The student who
caused the damage or the school who owns the tablet? Moreover, repair costs are
expensive and adds more to the financial burden.

 Textbooks advantages

- Textbooks are more versatile and is not fragile which is perfect for every type of learners
knowing there are many careless students out there.
- In the case of textbooks being more heavy for students, there can be an alternative for that.
In a room setting a teacher can advise the students beforehand if the book will be used the
following day or if not, in that case books that won’t be used will be left at home and it gives
less carrying burden for the student. Or lockers are also available for rooms who has them.
- Textbooks has more life span than tablets which can be easily damaged or broken.
- People who read print text comprehend more, remember more, and learn more than those
who read digital text. The brain interprets printed and digital text in different ways, and
people generally read digital text 20-30% slower than print.  In addition, students who type
lecture notes instead of write their notes by hand tended to write more, process less, and
perform worse on recall tests.
- Manufacturing tablets is environmentally destructive and dangerous to human health.
According to the New York Times, the “adverse health impacts from making one e-reader
are estimated to be 70 times greater than those from making a single book.” One tablet
requires the extraction of 33 pounds of minerals, 79 gallons of water, and 100 kilowatt
hours of fossil fuels resulting in 66 pounds of carbon dioxide. Print books produce 100 times
fewer greenhouse gases. Two gallons of water are required to make the pulp slurry that is
pressed and heat-dried to make paper, and only two kilowatt hours are required to form and
dry the sheets of paper.
- Tablets can be hacked and can be used for various threatening terrorism especially since
students are using them
- Tablets are more likely to be stolen by thieves. A gadget can have its own value once
pawned so tablets are definitely an eye-candy for snatchers and thieves.
- Tablets may be too difficult for less-digital proficient teachers to use. With the latest digital
advancements nowadays teenagers are quick to adapt and learn, which is the opposite for
some aged people. With the replacement of textbooks to tablets some teachers may have a
hard time comprehending on how to operate such tablets, moreover in terms of technology
teenagers are more skilled and can cheat their way in tablets without the teacher noticing.
- I believe replacement of textbooks to tablets are unnecessary and doesn’t really bring a
much more effective learning to students. Why replace a perfectly effective and convenient
textbooks over tablets that can be faulty and can malfunction even on times of class?