Learning with Tablet PCs: True Learning Tools or = Trendy Devices: Syllabus

Syllabus Magazine

Learning with Tablet PCs: True Learning Tools or = Trendy=20 Devices

By Cyprien Lomas
Ulrich Rauch=20

Tablet PCs have arrived on our = campuses:=20 appealing, lightweight devices that have all the features of = laptops plus=20 the option of pen-based or keyboard entry. But even with their = obvious=20 potential for mobile computing applications, their best uses in = classrooms=20 are yet to be defined.

In the accelerating upward spiral of eLearning technology, = great effort=20 has been made to lead the somewhat confused user to a golden land = of=20 personal computing. Recent developments such as portals, learning = objects,=20 and ePortfolios have been offered to make information more = accessible.

However, these technologies also require a = sophisticated and=20 knowledgeable user base and a will to engage. New monolithic = projects pop=20 up with the regularity of Paris fashion shows; last year=92s fad = is this=20 year=92s faux pas. The onus of finding the right fit for emerging = technology=20 often remains with the inexperienced user.

A similar trend = is=20 occurring in the classroom. With electronic delivery of media = allowing=20 rapid delivery of extensive=97maybe too much=97material, special = value is=20 being placed on the assemblage of knowledge through social = interactions.=20 Successful students interact with one another and the media to = master a=20 subject. Now, the social and collaborative aspects of education = are being=20 recognized as more important than the simple consumption of = educational=20 materials.

The=20 Tablet PC is at the perfect juxtaposition of the
monolithic = technology=20 initiatives now dominating
the eLearning landscape and the=20 spontaneous, playful,
social learning environments reminiscent = of=20 schoolyards
and chalkboards.

Thus, = there=20 is a dynamic relationship between content and interaction. = Currently,=20 widely used tools such as e-mail, discussion boards, and chat = rooms can be=20 seen as examples of the increasing need and opportunity for = collaborative=20 interaction in a classroom setting. While most students are adept = at such=20 tools, applying them in an academic situation requires careful = design and=20 experienced coaching.

The most fascinating aspect of these=20 collaborative modalities is the cyclical development of content = and=20 interaction, where object-oriented collaborative interactions = point toward=20 the re-use of the interactions themselves as learning objects. In = the end,=20 knowledge building becomes three-dimensional, across-content, and=20 content-based interactions, and the result is new learning=20 objects.

Object-Oriented Collaboration and the = Tablet=20 PC
How does the Tablet PC fit into this model of=20 object-oriented collaboration? It is most promising to consider = the Tablet=20 PC as a social device. In itself, the Tablet PC might easily be a=20 candidate for a fad. It is not widely available and everybody = wants one,=20 even unseen. It is the culmination of many years of research and = is as=20 appealing and portable as any personal digital device. =

Yet, the=20 Tablet PC is at the perfect juxtaposition of the monolithic = technology=20 initiatives now dominating the eLearning landscape and the = spontaneous,=20 playful, social learning environments reminiscent of schoolyards = and=20 chalkboards. The Tablet is a return to the basics of intuitive = computing,=20 where =91the basics=92 has been elevated by the dialectical mixing = of rich=20 content and rich interaction.

A Tablet=92s primary input = is=20 pen-based. Tablet PCs allow the user to input data in the manner = that they=20 are most comfortable with. Data can be entered as symbols, lines, = and=20 scribbles. Alternately, the user can revert to the keyboard. The = Tablet=92s=20 shape and profile allow for easy passing and sharing among peers. = Unlike=20 laptops, the screen is less individualized and does not serve as a = barrier=20 between users.

Even more promising is the ability to set up = ad-hoc,=20 peer-to-peer wireless networks independent of the existing IT=20 infrastructure. Most Tablets come with 802.11b wireless = capabilities=20 built-in. So as more campuses develop a wireless infrastructure, = Tablet=20 PCs will be a good tool to provide students with instant access to = facts,=20 figures, simulations, and other course content. Using applications = such as=20 Silicon Chalk, Colligo, or others, users can discover one another, = set up=20 connections, and start to communicate in an informal manner. These = features make the Tablet PC the number one candidate for a return = to the=20 small-scale, simple, collaborative, 'back-to-basics'-type of = learning=20 environment.

... it is clear that without = the=20 complete trust,
buy-in, and unconditional support of these = players,=20
IT modernization projects will die on the=20 vine.

Back to the=20 =93Basics=94
Can a Tablet PC properly reflect the = richness of=20 content in object repositories, ePortfolios, and in simulations of = reality? The real strength of the Tablet is seen when it = encourages users=20 to explore unmediated, peer-to-peer forms of communication. This = signals a=20 move away from learning via pure dialogue toward an emphasis on = learning=20 within social structures and processes that are supported but not=20 dominated by technology.

In an environment where facts can = be=20 instantly verified, teaching value shifts from =91knowing=92 to = processing.=20 Much of the promise of the Tablet PC rests in its potential to = support the=20 creation of adhoc communities, where a given task is jointly = processed.=20 Rather than teaching facts, an emphasis can be placed on teaching = inquiry=20 within a discipline. In the classroom or beyond, communities can = then=20 spring up effortlessly, allowing the sharing of research, data, = and the=20 collection of data and collaboration between students.
In this = context=20 the Tablet PC has two roles: It streamlines processes like data = creation=20 and presentation through its easy-to-use stylus and its intuitive=20 interface. But it also presents itself as collaborative tool, = connecting=20 to the human and technical network alike.

In the first = role, it is=20 a workable platform or outlet for the built-up eLearning = infrastructures=20 of the past several years. But in its second role, it promises new = approaches to technology in learning. Social interactions and = group=20 processes may supplant technology as the gateway to knowledge. = This will=20 lift the Tablet PC and its applications from the level of a fad = into the=20 ranks of a =91true blue=92 learning tool.

Cyprien Lomas is a research associate of = Skylight: The=20 Science Centre for Learning and Teaching and a member of the = Faculty of=20 Science at the University of British Columbia.
cyprien.lomas@ubc.ca

Ulri= ch=20 Rauch, Ph.D. is the director in Arts Instructional Support and = Information=20 Technology at the University of British Columbia.
ulrich.rauch@ubc.ca

This article originally appeared in the 9/1/20= 03=20 Issue of Syllabus

=20

Poll=20 Results

Sponsored Links: