Tablet PCs in the ClassroomSam Kamin, Chad Peiper

A Tablet PC enhances instruction by combining the advantages of using a blackboard and having prepared slides. The instructor can start from a blank screen or import PDF or PPT.

Lecturing with Tablet PCs

Better than blackboard

• Projection: Easier for student to see

• Save, correct, and post notes to website

• Incorporate difficult-to-write material: images, graphs, statistical tables, etc.

Better than PowerPoint

• Adds flexibility to slides

• Improves pacing of class

• Encourages note-taking

• Keep record of the teaching process

In a classroom equipped with networked Tablet PCs, learning can be enhanced in numerous ways.

A dynamic alternative to paper

• As natural to use as paper

• As quiet as paper (unlike keyboards)

• Students can receive content from instructor

For more information, see slice.cs.uiuc.edu, or contact Prof. Sam Kamin at kamin@cs.uiuc.edu

Support received from

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Improved learning through better communication

• Opportunities for creating a communicative classroom, where learning is enhanced by continual interaction with teacher and among students, are endless:

• Students can ask questions privately in class.

• Students can “live blog” a class.

• Teacher can assign collaborative, in-class exercises.

• and many more...!

• Instructor can monitor student progress and adjust teaching in real time using a “teacher’s dashboard.”

• Our research: Studying ways that computer analysis of students’ writing, and better user-interface design, can make a dashboard faster and easier to use.

For teachers, improves transparency of class.

Learning with Tablet PCs

and the Computer Science Dept.