A college with no books and paper, only iPads (Philippines)

At the Meridian International (MINT) College in Taguig City, pens, papers and books have been replaced with one device: a tablet computer.

Beginning this school year, all freshmen students of MINT College will receive an Apple iPad 2, which they can use for studying, writing notes and sourcing information in and out of the classroom.

While many enthusiasts consider the iPad a toy, MINT College believes it is an important tool for education.

"It's only right that we use technology in the classroom," said Hendrik Kiamzon, chief marketing officer at MINT College.

"If you notice these days, kids are bombarded with information from different directions, [so] why not use it for advantage in delivering education?" he asked.

But of course, all this innovation in education comes at a price —and a hefty one at that.

According to Kiamzon, average tuition in the college per semester could run up to P80,000, inclusive of all the technological facilities such as the iPad.

But all students enrolled in a four-year course in MINT College are entitled to an iPad, he added.

Education 2.0

Lesson plans, class schedules, electronic books and teachers' presentations are just some of the information students can access using the iPad tablets paid for by their tuition.

No more heavy backpacks

But aside from modernizing education, another school has chosen to go the tablet way to literally ease the burdens of their students.

Tablet for education pains

In cash-strapped public education institutions, however, tablets offer a fresh way out of the proverbial budget headaches that have long deprived students of learning resources such as textbooks.

Similar waves of innovation are occurring in other parts of the world, such as in South Korea where the traditional textbooks could be replaced by tablet computers in four years' time.

Not a magic bullet

While the benefits brought by tablets to education is beyond argument, some believe that certain aspects of technology for use in classrooms still needs refining.

According to Noel Feria, a lecturer at the UP College of Education, assessing the profile of the students is important before leveraging it as a teaching method.