Technology Questions» Tablet PC

Moodle, Tablet PCs, and Atomic Models

Layne Heiny — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:24:42 +0000

The other day I wrote about the digital academy students learning to use Tablet PCs in the classroom. Today, I wanted to quickly share a victory for learning.

Students in the digital academy started to download chemistry problem sets and complete them using the Tablet PC. I require that the students ink their work so that I know the work is not a copy-paste of someone else’s work (from the internet or from each other).

Here is a copy of the problem set for the atomic model.

Chemistry Problem Sets

You will notice that the problem sets include a series of questions near the end. Based on answers, my hope has always been to find common mistakes or misunderstandings and correct them. The process has been slow when done by hand. The combination of the Tablet PC, MS-Word, and Moodle (provides the drop boxes) allows the students to complete their work, submit the work digitally, and allows me to grade the assignment.

Important. The presented scenario is possible without Tablet PCs and drop boxes, however, the time to get to the presentation stage would be greater.

A further enhancement is I can now clip answers and easily project the answers to the class. We can discuss answers and hopefully have students reflect on mistakes.

Questions and Problems
How is Thomson’s model of the atom different from Dalton’s model of the atom? Draw a picture of each.
How is the Rutherford model different from the previous models?
What was wrong with Rutherford’s model of the atom? Why did it need to be modified?

This is an example of a student submission.

From the submission, we can see that the student wrote about Rutherford’s experiment and did not answer the question. Next, we can see from his answer in number 3 that the student did not understand the historical sequence of the models (Dalton, Thomson, Rutherford, and Bohr….).

Once these answers were projected, I was surprised by the number of students who thought both answers were ‘correct.’ Even after taking time to dissect the questions, several students remained puzzled. Their interpretation was that the question asked “how” and the answers explains “how” …

Since we are in the early stages of working with Tablet PCs, I’m looking forward to other ways of sharing student answers. Right or wrong, I’m convinced seeing student answers projected made a favorable impact on learning for some kids. Suddenly their work on the Tablet PC became real. They already knew I was reading what they were writing but now they are faced with having to reflect on what they are writing.

Do you use Tablet PCs in your classroom? What assignments have been successful for you?

5 Life-Improving Technologies

Layne Heiny — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:31:11 +0000

Quick. Name 5 technologies you’ve purchased over the past 5 years that improved your life.

Yeah, I struggled, too.

I purchase tons of technology every year but adding the condition that my life was improved – well – now the list narrows. Here is my list and the reasons why my life was improved.

Number 1: Apple iPhone 3GS

No, not the previous iPhones. Only the Apple 3GS meets the criteria of improving my life. Previous versions felt more like beta products but the latest version with the latest OS provides a steady stream of contact information for me.

Reason #1: Text messaging
My daughters check in with me from college everyday. I receive text messages from my family and friends – and enhance these messages with images of what is happening.

Reason #2: Financial planning
Several apps exist for me to watch where I am spending money and how close I am to reaching goals. Just the other day I caught a credit card company attempting to backdate two overlimit fees after I’d paid off the credit card.

Reason #3: Entertainment
Apps include places to dine, movies available in the local theaters, and a great application for keeping track of my golf swing.

Without a doubt, my life improved with the purchase of the Apple 3GS. If you are into the Android and expecting big things from it – just remember that my list is actual products in my hands today.

Number 2: TabletKiosk Slate PC

There is no doubt that this made my life very easy. I can hear the groans of the haters right now. But don’t rush to judgment. The Tablet PC is a full computer, operates quickly, and can be used as if it’s just a desktop. Haters usually point out that they own a 5-year old Tablet PC – and it never worked. Well, yeah. Early Tablet PCs were not great. In fact, some of them down right sucked.

Reason #1: Dissertation
After spending 4 years researching and writing a dissertation, the slate made my work easier. I was able to keep articles within OneNote, keep notes handy, and write the document all with the pen. The truth is that haters of the pen technology just never gave it a try with something important. However, I can tell you from personal experience that the pen is much better to edit and comment on long documents than the keyboard.

Reason #2: Lesson planning
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had an idea and needed to just write something down quickly, maybe a link or two in the browser or just scribbling nonsense down. Since the Tablet PC and I were hooked together for years – launching applications was quick and easy.

Number 3: Targus Wireless Presenter

No seriously. As a teacher, I can’t stand PowerPoints but see them as the fastest way to quickly provide information to the most number of students. Yes, some students fall asleep – but that’s why we place zeros in grade books. This is also why the wireless presenter made my life easier. This simple gadget allows me to stand anywhere in the classroom (e.g., next to the Knucklehead who wants to sleep, draw, or text). The personal stress of having to deliver PowerPoints really lowered with this product.

I purchased my own projector for the classroom and it almost made the list. The problem is that the cost is fairly high for something that should be ubiquitous in the classroom. Maybe I was just annoyed by the fact I purchased my own.

Number 4: Wireless-N Broadband Router

This just had to be on the list. Whenever I’m home, all of my computers and family iPhones route through this baby. Previous to these wireless devices, I was tied to a desk. Now, I must admit that setup for early versions sucked. The latest wireless-n devices though from Cisco installed without a fuss. Now, I am free to roam my home – remaining on the internet.

Number 5: HP TouchSmart

Reason #1: Screen size
I’m getting old and my eyes just get too tired to see small things. My glasses don’t help while reading a computer screen and there are times I need to just take off my glasses. The HP TouchSmart has a large enough screen that I can use 1900 x 1200 resolution and not squint. Two MS-Word documents can be open side-by-side and I can quickly read them, edit them, etc.

Reason #2: Windows 7 RC
I installed the Windows 7RC on this computer – and slowly migrated all of my website work over to it. The other machines have Vista installed. While some haters complain about Windows Vista – eh – it worked – and was far better than Windows XP for the Tablet PC.

Now, the TouchSmart was purchased from Sam’s Club at an extreme discount. The unit was the demonstration one. The mouse cover was broken and so I ended up with a $300 discount over a new one. The system turned out to be less expensive than purchasing a desktop and new monitor. Maybe this biased placing this as number 5 over so many other items I’ve purchased.

After scanning this list, maybe you’ve noticed some things not on there. Years ago I would have placed Linux at the top. Last year I might have placed my HP color Laser printer – but when it stopped working – oh – what a hassle. Another item not on my list is the simple connectivity to the internet through cable – at speeds much faster than DSL. I also didn’t list stand alone software. MS-Office 2007 would make a software list. Social services are also growing in importance, for example, FriendFeed is still a great source for relaxation. Heck, just yesterday, Zee helped with some plugins on this site. Maybe you are curious about Twitter. Why isn’t Twitter on the list? Twitter does not improve my life. I don’t get value from it yet. I’ll still try – but the reality is that it seems like a sink hole, a time waster.

Go ahead, what are your top 5 technologies that improved your life? Please take some time and explain why your list is the same or different from mine.

Apple Tablet versus Apple Tablet PC

Layne Heiny — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:46:47 +0000

I love words. Words help us understand. Words allow us to express our views. Words let us describe our intentions. Words, though, can also mislead. And misleading consumers is what some people in the industry must avoid.

Years ago, I was a proponent of Apple producing a Tablet Personal Computer. I believed then – and still do to this day – that Apple could improve on the design and quality of the Tablet PC.

This is not going to happen. Apple will not produce a Tablet PC. Instead, Apple will produce a Tablet.

What is the difference?

A Tablet PC is a fully-functional computer. The owner can operate commercial and open source software. The owner is free from the confines of the desk. Feature sets provide portability and increased productivity. In contrast, a Tablet is a niche product. A Tablet is designed for one function – it’s a device and not a computer system.

Apple is poised to release a Tablet “Pad” to the world. We already have these “reading devices.” We have the Kindle, Nook, CrunchPad, and many others already on the market. We don’t need a device locking us into reading the New York Times subscriptions.

Here is the important clip:

“I’m hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP, or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that.”

Bill Keller speaks to the digital group at The New York Times from Nieman Journalism Lab on Vimeo.

If Apple decides to release a Tablet and not a Tablet PC – are you still excited? I’m not.

Microsoft Courier concept tablet(s)

Loren Heiny — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:44:55 +0000

Gizmodo has an interesting video of a concept device being explored by Microsoft, called Courier. Essentially it’s a dual screen design that supports both multi-touch and pen input. Think of it as two multi-touch slates joined together to create one seemless experience. For instance, content can easily be slid from one screen to the other.

I’m a great fan of multi-slate concepts like this, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is a concept design and to be practical we’re talking about either very thin and light slates or alternatively a dual-screen slate. Maybe with the coming generations of Intel processors we might see designs like this coming to fruition. However, I’d be on the lookout for ultra-thin single slates first before dual screen implementations.

The OLPC group has suggested that particularly for book-oriented applications that this kind of dual screen device is the way to go. It might be. It definitely would be a great host for the electronic workbooks I’ve been working on. However, I’m even keener on the general principles of super lightness and super thinness for a single screened device.

I’ve got to say though, it’s terrific to see Microsoft still in the Tablet (spelled with a capital T and leveraging both pen input and multitouch) game. You can almost see how Outlook, OneNote, Powerpoint, and the browser fit so effortlessly into a design like this. If Word can be squeezed in here too, then the Office team should be standing in line for a device like this. Here’s hoping so.

9to5Mac spreads equal opportunity rumors

Loren Heiny — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:44:00 +0000

9to5mac.com doesn’t just advance Apple tablet rumors, they also pass along one for the Windows tablet enthusiasts:

“Oh, and we’ve recieved something much, much bigger and juicier from Redmond as well. This is something more interesting to tablet fans, but is still in late prototype phases.”

Living outdoors with Lenovo

Loren Heiny — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:56:28 +0000

Warner Crocker has some hands on time with the latest Lenovo Tablet PC that sports on outdoor friendly display option. This looks very encouraging. Be sure to check out his video.

Also on Gottabemobile is this news on a Fujitsu Tablet with multitouch. Finger painting is around the corner

Would you give away your library for an iPod, eBook, or PC?

Loren Heiny — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:56:23 +0000

This ABC News article talks about some schools not only adopting electronic devices for education, but also doing away with their hardbound libraries.

Replacing libraries is an important trend that the Tablet PC industry needs to be keenly aware of. Why? Because it may prove out to be one of the leading economic incentives for schools migrating to electronic devices. That’s a big deal for Tablets, because up to this point, Tablets have been more about ink than reading device. That needs to adapt on the marketing and engineering side if Tablet PCs want to stay competitive in schools.

My engineering instinct, in particular, tells me that what OEMs, Intel and Microsoft should be doing is working on adding Tablet features, such as ink and the like, to eReaders.

I heard Ray Ozzie in a speech question whether specialized devices like eReaders would win out over general purpose machines. If I understand him correctly Microsoft is taking a wait and see attitude to better understand which platform wins out. I think that’s the wrong approach. Doing nothing is like not being in the game at all. Further, in the electronics world, there is no one device that’s going to win out in the end. Because there is no one end. It’s part of an evolutionary process. And if you want any say in the matter about the role of Office or Windows, you’ve got to join the evolutionary steps and misteps. If you wait for a winner, if you wait for a billion dollar market, you’ll miss all of the opportunities to add your DNA to the market.

Now back to Tablet PCs for a minute. You could argue, like Ray Ozzie does, that since Tablet PCs are general purpose computing devices and support ink as a superset, that they are an ideal device for schools. I agree in the abstract.

However, suspend your enthusiasm for a minute and brainstorm about what an ideal general computing device for an elementary school might be like. Start there. I think you’ll envision a different kind of device. In fact, I think you’ll start seeing a slate-like Tablet PC that’s more eReader than keyboard. That’s right, the keyboard doesn’t have to be the most predominant feature of a useful education computer. I think this is one reason that some schools are even trying out iPod Touches which don’t have any physical keyboard at all.

Like Steve Jobs points out, eReaders up to this point, are a niche market. He’s right. It’s a relatively new market after all. However eReaders have the benefit of focused price points and have the basics for reading. What they are missing is the ink and interactivity of a Tablet. Now whether you start with a Tablet PC and shrink it down to an eReader size or build up from an eReader form factor and add ink, handwriting recognition, and the like, I don’t think it matters too much. (I used to think building down was the way to go, though personally I favor building up now. Better to start with a minimal set and add what’s needed rather than commit to carrying extra weight (in hardware and software) that you may never loose.) Either way it’s probably going to take about the same number of years to evolve into a really great product.

Now there are some significant hardware challenges with eReaders–the battery life and display being front and center. I’d argue that software and content ought to be high up on the list too. However, even trimmed down Tablet PCs are going to have very similar issues. They are both essentially computing devices after all–just tuned for different uses.

I need to build up a prototype or mockup that better illustrates some of what I’m thinking here.

Another day, another tablet

Loren Heiny — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:04:37 +0000

There sure have been a lot of tablets introduced or talk of tablets this past dozen months. And today is no different.

Engadget is linking to an article introducing the Sinchun UMPC–yep a tablet. I say ‘tablet’ with a little ‘t’ because like many of its contemporaries it’s a device that doesn’t have a targetted Tablet PC OS. Instead it’ll launch with XP Home and some custom software to make it tablet (little t) minded. No smooth Windows 7 Touch here; No high-quality Windows handwriting recognition; No Messenger ink; No math recognition.

That’s actually becoming the trend nowadays. That is, forget the XP Tablet OS or even a version of Vista or Windows 7 that’s truly Tablet (big ‘T’) capable.

I’m guessing this is all about pricing, but it’s a total shame. As Microsoft insists that its Tablet capabilities are premium features it constrains them to the upper Windows SKUs. All the while, companies are exploring the tablet market–what works, what doesn’t–with apparently little help from Windows itself.

Yeah, Microsoft is smart when it comes to business and has all eyes focused on the forthcoming launch of 7, but the problem is that the Windows-minded focus is leaving the Tablet-features focus in the cold. And here’s where Microsoft–not just Windows–had a lead.

Following TabletKiosk on Twitter

Loren Heiny — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:25:06 +0000

TabletKiosk has joined the Twittersphere. Following.

Launch of Apple Tablet will boost Tablet PC sales

TQ — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

The number of Apple tablet stories keeps growing. Today we have another round courtesy of an analyst report from Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster. MacRumors and a handful of other blogs and publications are following the story. Let’s not forget though, these stories are in large part based on rumors and conjecture–rumors that up to this point have not proven so accurate.

Anyway, after a bit of reading and reflection, I decided to add to the mix and come up with my own Apple tablet prediction that’s actually more about the Tablet PC than any Apple tablet per se. My prediction? That the launch of an Apple tablet will boost Tablet PC sales–regardless of whether the Apple tablet is a smashing success or not.

Let me explain where I’m coming from on this. A little background is in order:

You see, way back when my family ran a computer store that sold through the Internet and as part of their daily business they handled a wide variety of email. This gave me an idea: What about writing a program to help managed the email that would benefit both the customer and the business. Think of this as an email support system that was both visible on both sides of the firewall. It solved a bunch of different problems, but one in particular applies here.

As part of the email management system, I wrote routines to parse through the emails, counting words and phrases, clustering and classifying by topic, tone and so on and as an added one more extra bit of analysis graphed these measurements over time.

So let’s say a new processor was about to come out from AMD. More often than not, you’d see a spike of questions come in before the product launch that would peak at the launch itself and trail off as people bought the product or not or the product became scarce after an initial spike in sales.

Anyway, what fascinated me at the time, was that if you’d overlay let’s say Intel’s CPU sales for that period you would more often than not see a similar albeit smaller spike for its processors around the time of the AMD processor spike.

After a little thinking I realized what was going on. For highly anticipated products that generated a lot of interest, there’d often be an initial surge of sales for that product, but all of the pre-launch optimism and rumors didn’t match the reality that everyone expected or needed. For them, they’d either buy nothing or purchase an alternative product that better matched what they wanted. Whether the hype preceeding a product launch was stalling the market or the actual product couldn’t match the rumors, or it was too expensive, or whatever, the pattern was quite common.

So my best guess is that we’ll see something similar here with the much rumored Apple tablet. My prediction is that whenever the Apple tablet–or whatever it is–becomes officially available we’ll see a surge in Tablet PC sales. Since Windows 7 is going to be arriving on the shelves this fall and there’s also a lot of interest and respect for it, a fall or early 2010 launch for an Apple tablet might just be extremely well timed for Microsoft’s Tablet PCs.

True, this might mean that the back to school Tablet PC/Netbook sales might stall in anticipation of a possible Apple tablet–but I’m not so sure students would want to jeopardize their school work without a computer that they think they need for school. Similarly it might cause sales of the CrunchPad to stall a bit if it comes out before an Apple tablet. However, my guess is that initial Apple tablet sales will do well in the premium market and the more mature Tablet PC, Netbook, etc markets will get a slight bounce at this time too as people search out products that better match their expectations or price points.

I expect the non-Apple bounce to occur whether Apple actually releases a true Tablet or not and whether it sells well or not. In other words all the talk of tablets and their benefits are spreading the word about Tablet PCs themselves. There has been some negative commentary, but most of it is mixed with lots of caveats, so it looks like the time is ripe for some form of mobile touch/tablet device.

You can already see the possible forming of this sympathetic bounce now. If you read through the various posts and comment threads about all the things people are expecting to see in an Apple tablet, quite a few are anticipating some form of handwriting. So if Apple releases a tablet without handwriting or let’s say is too expensive, think about what might happen: There will more than likely be a significant number of people that decide to pass on the Apple tablet and pick up a Windows 7-based Tablet PC/Netbook or similar where they can get these features or better prices.

That’s my prediction anyway.