David Cirigliano no longer carries a traditional pad of paper to class, yet the second-year Northeastern University student says he is better prepared and organized than ever at exam time.

Cirigliano is among the majority of college and K-12 students who have ditched paper notebooks for new, more powerful portable computers such as Tablet PCs. Nearly 90 percent of college students now own computers -- up from 61 percent in 1998, according to a 2003 Student Monitor study, "Computing & the Internet."

Because Tablet PCs include all the functionality of a laptop plus other features such as pen-and-ink capabilities, students and faculty at Winona State University in Minnesota selected Tablet PCs as the campus' standard personal computer. Similar in size, power and cost to a normal laptop, Tablet PCs allow students to type using a keyboard, take handwritten notes, draw directly on the screen or use the pen as they would a mouse. Notes taken in digital ink can be saved, searched or converted to standard text. Optional software such as Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 turns a Tablet PC into a virtual notebook, in which students can digitally organize and share classroom notes. OneNote also allows students to record classroom audio and video notes that sync with their typed or written notes.

According to a recent study, Winona State students prefer the Tablet PC because of its all-in-one quality. Tablet PCs offer Winona students and staff members all the advantages of a traditional laptop, plus a highly mobile design that makes it possible to use computers more effectively and conveniently in practically any situation. Faculty preferred the Tablet PC's flat note-input screens, because their use enables teachers to see student faces -- not just the back of a laptop -- in class. The distracting clatter of students typing on a laptop keyboard also has been reduced.

Professors are discovering the benefits of the Tablet PC as well. At the University of Washington in Seattle, instructors have begun to use Tablet PCs to handwrite notes for overhead slide presentations, combining the immediacy of overhead projectors with the flexibility of the Tablet PC.

Older ways of note-taking and studying no longer interest Northeastern student Cirigliano, particularly when he's preparing for exams. Instead of flipping through endless paper notes, Cirigliano can enter a keyword into a search box and search through an entire semester of digital notes. "Within seconds," he said, "I can find what I'm looking for." Today's technology helps students such as Cirigliano be better organized and develop better study and research habits -- providing a clear advantage in today's competitive academic environment.

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Source: Microsoft Corp.

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