Teaching with TabletPCs

1
Teaching with TabletPCs

• White Blackboards, Digital Chalk and Slate
  Computers?
• Utilizing new technologies with traditional
  pedagogies

2
Academic Media Technology looking to future

• The Instructional Technology Group (ITG) wanted
  to explore the use of electronic whiteboards like
  SmartBoards.
• The StatLab was interested in overflow solutions
  for their computer classroom.
• Cluster Support Services (now ACS) was looking
  into imaging workflows for notebooks.
• Media Services was looking at alternative ways of
  providing audio/video capabilities in smaller
  rooms where overhead projector installation
  wasnt desirable.

3
Faculty Focused

• Professor Brown approaches StatLab
• He already has a TabletPC
• Thrilled at having his handwritten notes
  translated to text
• Notes available to the students via email at the
  end of class.

4
This Professors Pedagogy

• Uses chalkboards extensively
• Likes to send students to the board
• Lots of charts, formulas and graphs
• Wants students to discuss amongst themselves
• Computers used towards the end of the semester

5
Next Door
6
Notebook considerations

• The StatLab (and others) were interested in
  mobile classrooms
• Notebooks could be used as overflow machines when
  standard desktop computer labs exceed capacity.
• Slate TabletPCs too specialized for general use.
  Not enough of a benefit over convertible
  TabletPCs.
• Wanted to control as many aspects as possible for
  imaging purposes including drivers, component
  reliability and vendor relations.

7
Room requirements

• Nearby IT support required
• Notebooks and classroom would need to be in close
  proximity to minimize preparation time
• Class size needed to be manageable for pilot
• Needed DVD/VHS and projection
• Ceiling too high for projector install

8
Classroom Management Software

• Professor doesnt want to compete with the
  technology
• Restrict access to internet/email/IM
• Send all of the students to the board at the same
  time!
• View student screens remotely
• Live collaboration, learning and teaching

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Putting it all together

• Everyone draw a Supply and Demand curve given the
  following information
• Student with tablet writes question with diagram
  for professor review (times N of students)
• Write the formula for amortization or solve for
• SynchronEyes offers other tools not used
• Quizzes, File sharing, Screen captures

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Putting it all together (Election Day Special)

• Survey Voted Early, Voted Today, Will Vote
  Today, Will Not Vote
• How many stars/stripes in McCains logo?
• How many stars/stripes in the Obama logo?
• How many ballot measures are there in CT this
  year?

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Technologies

• 20 Tablet PCs
• 15 Lenovo X41 Tablet PCs
• Smaller and lighter/Not as Fast
• 5 Gateway M280e Tablet PCs
• Larger screen/Faster/Built-in CDRW
• SmartBoard 3000i
• SynchronEyes Classroom Management Software
• Microsoft OneNoteWindows Journal

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Challenges

• SmartBoard vs. Professor Brown
• SmartBoard vs. other professors
• SmartBoard vs. Laptops
• Professor Browns Fujitsu
• Problems with quirky Intel Driver
• StatLab provided Lenovo Tablet as backup
• Handwriting recognition dropped as principal
  component of experiment

15
Lessons Learned

• Students dont want it if it affects their grade
• Not all students prepared to use computers at the
  same level
• It takes up to 10 minutes for everyone to login
• As opposed to 2 minutes for pen and paper
• Learning curve for professors can slow actual
  instruction time
• Gender consideration (100 correlation)

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Lessons Learned (cont.)

• Can be very idiosyncratic with touch
• Writing equations much more informative and
  intuitive than typing them
• Images tell stories better than words whether it
  be a graph, picture or line

17
Lessons Learned (continued)

• Feedback shows that students appreciated being
  part of the trial but would have liked a more
  prepared and stable experiment
• Machines can serve other purposes
• Spill over for larger classes
• Quick installs of software not for main StatLab

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Professor Brown Quotes

• Why waste the students time having them copy
  what youre writing on the board? It doesnt make
  sense
• We all know the best way to learn is to teach.

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That was then

• The Bass Library Tablet PCs
• DyKnow Software
• Every action is time-coded and recorded
• Focus is on the screen in front of you, not in
  front of the classroom.
• SynchronEyes
• Vista
• Dual Touch
• Faster
• Closer to undergraduates

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Bass Library Tablets (continued)

• DyKnow Software
• Every action is time-coded and recorded
• Focus is on the screen in front of you, not in
  front of the classroom.
• Uniform environment
• Proximity technically not required
• SynchronEyes
• Focused primarily on the projected image
• Mac compatible
• Both offer Application restriction
• Quizzing, polling, chat

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Other digital ink

• CopyCams
• Sympodiums
• Wacom Cintiq/Pen-based Tablets
• Writing pads (ie Adesso)
• SmartBoards
• Other technologies
• LiveScribe, MS Surface, PolyVision, Cameras

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Support

• ITG Ken Panko and Library Barbara Rockenbach
• Student Technology Collaborative
• John Graves, Center for Language Study
• Academic Computing
• MSDN-AA