The Connection

Nicole LaBeau provides an excellent post in her blog where we are sometimes like a deer when it comes to new technology. We find ourselves on the road of change but don't really know where to go and need help making a move before those strange lights coming at us get too close. Using a Tablet PC is like this. We have it, wonder what to do with it, and need some guidance.

So, why use a tablet PC?
The first response I notice from teachers when this discussion begins is typically a glossy look in their eyes that conveys, "Yeah, so what? I can type faster than I can write." I think the disconnect is that people think using the stylus replaces typing, permanently, and, therefore, the Tablet PC offers no real advantage over a laptop. The realization that one doesn't need to stop using the keyboard with a Tablet PC is something I have to stress. I will be the first to admit that there are certainly times when typing beats the heck out of writing; like when I'm in my office answering email or creating a document in Word or crunching data using Excel. Using a Tablet PC goes beyond the keyboard, though.

Productivity
At conferences, I can draw a picture when, to me, the concept being presented makes more sense being written down visually compared to simple note taking. Writing notes is also a lot less distracting to others than the constant click, click, click, of the keyboard. More than one person has leaned over to see what I was doing and asked for a demonstration. I can write to my blog live (as long as I have a wireless connection!), take a picture of a workshop presenter with my cell phone and use Bluetooth technology to send the picture to my computer and load it into the blog, all on the fly and all without a keyboard.

I can walk around class with my Tablet PC and immediately access documents, web pages, recordings, videos, etc., that I have pre-loaded into my OneNote classroom lesson plan notebook. Further, I can work with a cooperative group of students and instantly bring back any information I had previously shown to the entire class in order to reiterate a point and provide more individual clarification. OneNote allows me to digitally have the entire school year of lessons with me all the time. "Hey, Mr. B., remember that time when you showed us that web site with the cool animations of molecular movement?" "Yep, I do, in fact, I can bring it up right now," (from my OneNote notebook).

I can add my own handwritten comments to anything in a shared OneNote notebook that I use to collaborate with my colleagues on teaching techniques, tools, and assessments.

Students can send me their papers electronically, I can ink (write using the stylus) on them, save them, and return them electronically. No paper exchanges hands. Think of the peer editing that could take place should all students have access to a Tablet PC.

Engagement
Various screen capturing methods using OneNote (windows key + S) or the SnipIt! program provide visuals to help make any email note, worksheet, or anywhere text is used, more meaningful.

I can present a PowerPoint presentation using a Tablet PC that is wirelessly connected to a projector and add inking to make the presentation more engaging. Imagine brainstorming on the spot with your students and recording their thoughts using inking tools along with your original presentation. I can save the ink annotations along with the presentation and make it available online for students to review on their own. Better yet, I could go further and have the Tablet PC record the presentation along with the inking and the audio from the class using Camtasia software (available on our computers) and save it all as a movie for replay. Anytime, anywhere learning?

Looking ahead, I can imagine all students using tablet PCs one day along with Classroom Presenter software where students interact with a teacher's presentation and provide visual feedback to the teacher for immediate or post teaching review. This is going further than using the CPS units.

Teachers can create and/or display anything on their Tablet screen and have their students use the stylus to interact with it. Provide a storyboard of people buying tickets for a train in World Language class and let students create a possible dialogue by writing on the Tablet in the target language. Let students correct the grammar in a sentence projected on the screen or identify the parts of a cell, balance a chemical equation, fill out a business form properly, write the next two or three notes to a music score, identify muscle groups and predict which muscle groups are needed to perform certain movements, have students create their own military deployment plans for previous wars and compare those to what actually took place in history, use the Ink Art program to demonstrate brush strokes and color manipulation, and on and on.

Mobility
I've noticed some teachers walk around with the Tablet PC in their classroom and enter grades into the electronic grade book using the stylus and the Input Panel. No need to set the Tablet down somewhere and type in a score as would have to be done if they had a laptop to use instead.

Teachers could also write comments in OneNote to help them remember specific situations where students may be confused on a concept. A digital reminder like this can help them remember to make lesson plan adjustments down the road. Sure, paper can do the same thing, as long as you can keep track of the paper!

I can access information from files on the network or send an email on the fly if I need to get some information while I carry the Tablet PC. I don't need the keyboard. Have you ever used your own handwriting to respond to an email? You can.

Your Turn

I invite you to share your own experiences with the Tablet PC. How does it help you become more productive as a teacher, with lesson planning, and in the classroom interacting with students. How does it help you as a coach or as an activity sponsor? Feel free to build upon a use already mentioned. I'd like to hear about the negative aspects of the Tablet PC, too. What doesn't work like you think it should? Don't be shy.

Remember, one person's love of a particular Tablet PC use may not be important to another but it's the possibilities that move us along. Let's brainstorm and keep supporting everyone who finds themselves a deer on the road of technology change.