Tablet PCs

Giving the Laptop a Push to the Next Level

            Tablet PCs are laptops with a twist, quite literally.  They have one hinge instead of two, allowing the user to flip the screen around, fold it back and create a clipboard.  It doesn?t just look like a clipboard, it acts like one too.  The user can use a writing stylus to actually ?write? on the laptop through the use of ink-enabled applications.

          Lyndon Godsall, Linda Crescimano, and  Risa Blair were part of a Tablet PC trial program at Pine Crest School (K-12).  They wrote about some of their findings in Exploring Tablet PCs.  Some of the uses they uncovered for this new technology include the use of One Note.  This program allows teachers to ?write?  on actual electronic documents, such as PowerPoint presentations (much like a smart board).  Teachers can also write on student generated documents to provide feedback.  Pine Crest also found Tablet PCs useful with math applications like MathJournal, allowing students to write out formulas and symbols that were previously difficult with just a keyboard.  They also used them for handwriting exercises at the elementary level. Science applications include programs like Physics Illustrator that allows students to draw shapes and through the use of animation discover the effects of different forces on the shapes.

          I think a Tablet PC would be a great addition to a Writing Workshop Program at the upper elementary level.  The teacher could have organizers, planning sheets, and other scaffolds downloaded to the tablet.  Students could complete planning and write a rough draft on the tablet.  Then students and teachers could revise the work using the writing capabilities.  Then students could work on final drafts.  The Tablet PC would allow the students to store not just their work, but also the revisions and lead to an entire new level of reflection and evaluation.  This would be a great addition to an electronic portfolio.

          As with all new technology, they are a bit pricey right now ranging from $1000- $2500, but in the not so distant future, Tablet PCs could replace composition books, allowing students to carry their tablets to classes and take notes, tests, etc on documents downloaded from a teacher?s site.  Many textbooks can be downloaded to the Tablet PCs as well. 

 

Some sites of interest?

School-wide Use of Table PCs: http://computertimes.asia1.com.sg/ctkids/story/0,5104,2674,00.html

Tablet PC Comparison and Reviews: www.tabletpc2.com/

Video of Tablet PC Use in Higher Education:

http://www.studenttabletpc.com/2006/02/excellent_video_on_how_a_teach.html

PowerPoint of Tablet PC Use: http://media.centerdigitaled.com/Gateway_Seminar_Presentations/Solsky.ppt