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Teaching with a Tablet PC, a new technology for the classroom and academic usage. Keywords: Tablet PC, Method, Classroom, Innovation

Abstract :

The continued emergence of Tablet PC’s with higher performance, lower price and handwriting to text conversion capabilities make this a potential teaching tool for the modern classroom. This paper will document methods that can be used in the classroom and for personal/professional and academic usage. As a teaching tool, a tablet PC can be used to pre-post lecture notes and then during class time, adding additional information to the general outline. This would eliminate the old method of J.I.T. teaching (writing on the board and students copying into their notes). Any Microsoft document (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) can be “imported” and then written on top of in a live, or distance learning environment. The usage of OneNote software to coordinate professional or academic activities allows the user to have information on hand and no longer requires printed documents to be collated, stored in folders and in drawers of file cabinets. Demonstrations of these teaching methods along with an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of this technology will be presented in this paper.

Introduction:

Teaching in the classroom has been conducted using traditional methods that have evolved over the years. Starting with chalk and a blackboard to markers and whiteboards, advancements in materials and technologies have created new tools for the instructor in the classroom. With the advent of over-head projectors and mylar transparencies, followed by power point presentations using a computer and a video projector, new technologies continue to evolve the class room to what it is today. All of these methods have their strengths and weaknesses from start-up costs and continuing costs required by the university, to time and energy needed by the instructor. Many faculty have used all of these methods and learned first- hand the advantages and shortcomings of each of these classroom tools.

Although the chalk/blackboard or marker/whiteboard is the least expensive method to use in the classroom, it is also the most time and energy intensive. The pace of the class is slowed down by writing on the board and when the instructor is speaking, students are too busy copying what was written to listen. There is also the issue of strain to an instructor’s shoulder, arm and wrist from the usage of a marker and erasing the board. Depending on the amount of material that needs to be written during the class, the length of the class and the number of classes an instructor teaches in a week this could lead to excessive wear to specific joints on the body and potential repetitive motion injuries to an instructor.

Freshman students tend to have poor note taking and organizational skills, and seldom make notes to themselves about ideas/concepts or specific points of interest that may come up in a discussion. Freshman students are usually not aware that they should also be writing down key points about what is said during a lecture. This causes students to lose important points of information because if it is not written on the board, it must not be worth copying to notes. If the instructor does not take the time to write every point made in a discussion of the subject matter at hand on the board, it is not captured by the students.

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Parthum, M. (2009, June), Teaching With A Tablet Pc, A New Technology For The Classroom And Academic Usage Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--5015