While the original headline blames the Tablet PC for failing to meet expectations, I've rearranged it to actually mirror the contents of the study.
You can't toss Tablet PCs at students and then not expect the teachers to greatly influence how the PCs are being used in the classroom. That's just obvious for those who've watched teachers for a long time. Teachers will complain that they want training - and they'll want time off to get help and be paid for this time too. Otherwise, teachers will actually work against the program. Soooo, the lesson is to get the teachers to buy into the pilot program first and then get them into the classroom.
A study to test the use of Tablet PCs in the classroom showed that the computers had no effect on grades and that the student users had bad experiences with the technology, according to The Telegraph in Macon, Ga.
The study set out to test whether high-tech devices helped students at Houston County High School, in Warner Robins, Ga., improve academically, according to the article. Twenty-eight freshmen were given Tablet PCs, which were developed by Microsoft, in 2003, and their performance was monitored over the course of the school year.
The students said the Tablets helped them organize their homework better and send things to teachers more easily. Also, the multimedia projects they turned in were more sophisticated.
The project had design problems, however. Teachers didn't receive enough training on the machines at the beginning, and students — allowed to download software onto the Tablet PCs — were caught so often having online chats or browsing the Web during class that teachers moved to the back of the room in order to see the screens.
The machines also had no backup batteries and would be drained of power by midday. And one or two Tablets would need repairs each week.
Source:
Seattle Times