The new school year is here with a new OBJECT OF THE QUARTER!
What did students’ “tablets” look like in the past?
Long before digital screens, students had a completely different kind of “tablet” in their everyday lives — slate tablets, on which they wrote, did calculations, and learned letters and numbers using a slate pencil. Made a mistake? No problem — a sponge or cloth, and the tablet was ready for the next exercise. No battery. No Wi-Fi.
These tablets also preserve personal stories. The collection of the Ogres Museum of History and Art includes schoolchildren’s slate tablets on which scratches, lines, and individual traces of writing can still be seen.
How old is this particular tablet? Visit the Ogres Museum of History and Art at 36 Brīvības Street and come see this special object for yourself.
Image: Schoolchild’s slate tablet. Collection of the Ogres Museum of History and Art