My dream is to have one Tablet PC for each student, each teacher and each administrator - all 3500 students, 130 teachers, and 10 administrators. While it is a dream that is more of a fantasy because I’ve tried unsuccessfully to get teachers to realize how a Tablet PC can release their student’s creativity, it would still be wonderful to have it come true. In the meantime, if you don’t have any tablets then one Tablet PC in the classroom is the best place to start.

Here are a few of my thoughts on how to use this one Tablet PC with a digital projector:

PowerPoint
I’ve already written a short article about using the power of PowerPoint during lectures. The students enjoy inking as well as building presentations. Just remember to keep the students focused with plenty of explicit instructions and a rubric designed to help them focus on the content and not the glitz of the Tablet PC.

Internet Sites
Animation is a great way to capture students’ attention. AP Exam Review by Apex has fantastic audio and video available on their internet website. I hook up the digital projector to the external port, display the website, and let the sound blast.

To improve the attention of the students, I constantly stop the audio and ask the following types of questions.

(1) What vocabulary words did they just hear?
(2) What do they think is coming next?
(3) Please repeat what you just heard.
(4) Can you think of a different example from the one used in this audio?

Keep the students’ minds active. Ask them to write a log of their own questions and then have them share these questions with each other. Have volunteers share their ideas with the class, while you write these on a blank PowerPoint slide (remember, a blank slide acts just like an overhead projector).

A risky way to use your own Tablet PC is to have it passed around the room. Have a crossword puzzle or MathPractice available on the screen.

Another possibility is to have a PDF to be on the Tablet PC screen for the students to read. You can even use an article in a .doc file format so that students can ink up with their own comments and questions.

Finally, let the students explore the internet with the Tablet PC. Above all, have it available for the students to use it at all times.

Once you start using the Tablet PC in the classroom, you might be able to persuade administration to invest in the technology. Let your classroom be the test bed.

Here are some ideas for using multiple Tablet PCs in the classroom.

Vision
MasterEye Vision is a wonderful product for the teacher to take over the screen of the other Tablet PCs. You can direct students to a particular idea or page, launch applications, send demos, etc.

Assessments
Just imagine the possibilities of having students take quizzes and exams on their Tablets, have the assessments graded by the computer and the scores recorded for you. The teacher’s only task is to help the students achieve the best possible scores.

GradeSummit is a perfect product for realizing this dream. It’s an online package that will help any teacher focus on a student’s education and not record keeping.

Maybe you can think of more challenging ways to use Tablet PCs in the classroom.

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Layne P. Heiny / Administrator for Tux Reports Network

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