Working in Ed Tech

Why pay for software?

2008-07-17T14:15:00.007-04:00

Most tech savvy schools understand that they need software to fully leverage (and thus justify the expense of) classroom laptops. Beyond MS Office, there are now LOTS of free Web 2.0 tools--my favorite being blogs, Google Docs, De.licio.us, and wikis. But what about software that is used during instruction that has an impact on teaching, feedback, material coverage, student achievement, retention...learning? Examples include SAS Curriculum Pathways, Atomic Learning, Plato Straight Curve, ANGEL Learning LMS, Waterford Early Learning, and DyKnow Vision/Monitor. The challenge is that many educators still expect this software to be free. Sure, I like free stuff, too, but often times the "solution" of open source software presents hidden costs, limited support, and difficult integration with existing infrastructure.

My view is that using technology with learning is a not a research project. Rather, it is a production-level, high stakes business that must work with consistency and efficiency. Buying licenses for any of the above commercial software only amounts to a paltry 2-7% of the cost of the laptop. This is clearly a good deal if you look at the financial commitment of the laptop itself. Yet this potentially invaluable instructional software still competes for funding with things like webcams or backpacks. Unfortunately, many schools still choose to allocate that last $40/machine to a branded laptop backpack instead of proven instructional software, and I'm not surprised when many of these students end up having very nice laptops that they use infrequently.

So why pay for software? To ensure reliability, high utilization of laptops, and meaningful learning outcomes. Education is not an experiment. Schools that invest a bit extra in the right tools can significantly increase their chance for success with technology and learning.

DyKnow and friends at NECC

2008-06-11T15:39:00.002-04:00

A cadre of people from DyKnow will decend on San Antonio Jun 30-Jul 2 for the annual National Education Computing Conference. It is targeted at K12 tech decision makers and usually garners 12,000 people. However, I hear that attendance is down this year due to travel costs, but that just means the lucky folks who attend will get even more attention from us. :)

We are doing a couple things differently this year. We will not have a booth. Instead, we have rented out a meeting room with a partner and are bringing in several key customers to share their experiences using DyKnow software. I'm talking about everything from learning outcomes to classroom examples to network impact. I think it's always better for peers to hear from peers instead of vendor types, so I'm excited about this. You may see the schedule and sign up info here.

We will have a big presence with partner HP in their booth #8185, as well as involvement with a Tablet PC advocacy group called WIPTE. Check out this schedule for when you can use Tablet PCs in their lab and hear from other users.

DyKnow 5.1 is out!

2008-06-10T10:03:00.007-04:00

Summer is here, and that means...software release time! I am very excited about our 5.1 upgrade that just came out, and I just have to do some shameless self-promotion.

The biggest change users will welcome in 5.1 is a drastically simpler UI designed after the ribbon bar from Microsoft. So instead of having 50 tiny icons littered on the toolbar, now we have only the most frequently used icons, and they are bigger and contain the name of the icon. Check it out:

Usability and adoption is our biggest focus for the product right now, and focus groups have really helped us get to this most recent usability innovation.

The other major feature is Audio Recorder. It is part of DyKnow Vision. It is so easy - no extra hardware or servers needed. The DyKnow teacher essentially talks into their Tablet or laptop (or external mic) during class and at the end of class uploads the audio to server. Students then download and sychronize the single Windows Media audio file with their DyKnow notes to replay the lecture. I use this during demonstrations and playback afterwards to make sure I didn't miss any follow-ups. This feature has been especially popular so far with foreign language teachers and HiEd faculty in general.

Full details of the 5.1 release are here. We welcome your comments.

Old school prof sees benefits of technology

2008-05-06T11:56:00.003-04:00

This story from Campus Technology bucks the widely held belief that experienced teachers are against technology in the classroom. Virginia Tech professor Dr. Charles Bostian shares why in his own words.

Tablet PC Conference CFP Mar 14!

2008-02-25T16:28:00.007-05:00

The Workshop on the Impact of Pen-based Technology on Education (WIPTE) will start accepting propoals March 14 for its fall 2008 event. I have attended the Purdue University-hosted event the past two years, and it has been the best single event to talk about Tablet PCs with educators. WIPTE has seen attendees representing 100 institutions from 5 countries covering 15 academic disciplines. Check out this info sheet for more reasons why you should send a proposal and attend.

Meet you at FETC

2008-01-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

The New Year is here and that means...planning for FETC, among other things. Yes, it is 20 degrees here and I will soon have to suffer through a +60 degree change in Orlando. I bet Floridians like visitors because they are always in a good mood. You might see me in the HP booth #814 or buzzing around the exhibit floor talking with customers and partners. I am excited to give some hints about our upcoming release. The 5.1 upgrade is scheduled for GA in June, so January is a good time to get some informal feedback to compare to our alpha and beta testing. Drop me a line if you want to meet up!

Being a student in the 21st century

2007-11-07T13:21:00.000-05:00

Students are multitasking. The lecture hall is passe. The world is getting flatter. A friend passed me a profound video on this topic.

State of PA laptops keep rolling out

2007-11-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

The second wave of laptops and interactive whiteboards are being doled out in Pennsylvania as part of the governor's Classrooms for the Future program to put a laptop on every desk in state high schools. PA's program is the latest to give laptops to students following Maine, Michigan, and South Dakota.

The PA project started last year with these 79 high schools and now we are starting to hear some reactions from schools on how things are going.

First off, you probably know that each awarded school gets money to purchase some or all of the following products:

Lenovo(R) ThinkPad(TM) laptops

Software including Microsoft Office 2007, Inspiration, Adobe Creative Suite

Futurekids, Inc. professional development and training

Promethean or Polyvision interactive white boards

D-Link access points

HP multimedia printer and digital camera

Canon video camera

Bretford mobile laptop carts

Epson projector

Logitech webcam and speakers

There is potentially lots of great stuff here, but are schools being educated on how it all fits together? Not to point fingers at program organizers because this is a huge job, but I think they would agree that not all the equipment available is appropriate for every school. I personally believe that laptops are the ideal, but what if school network infrastructure isn't ready? Also, one school reminded me that interactive whiteboards can work against classroom laptops. Why? Well, an IWB is teacher-centric and laptops are student-centric. Other schools are going beyond the state grant and purchasing integrated PRS or "clickers" from the whiteboard companies, but I am afraid this will seal the fate of student laptops to be in a storage closet.

Of course I am biased toward screen-sharing or classroom management software, but I noticed that no software of this kind is included on the laptops. MS Office is required, Inspiration is ok for personal concept-mapping, what what about software that would give teacher and students a reason to use laptops interactively in the classroom? What about teachers who dread having to compete with students emailing or IM-ing? Sure, software like DyKnow is not magical but it sure can be relevant for both teacher and student in the laptop classroom.

One thing is for sure: there is much more to come from Classrooms for the Future and many lessons to learn, too! Stay tuned.

Intel does Academy Awards for schools

2007-10-11T14:11:00.000-04:00

Congrats to the recipients of the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards. Since DyKnow was a sponsor of this year's awards for exemplary math and science education, I happen to know that our president was invited on stage to present this past week in D.C. I gotta tell you that I would have been nervous up there in a penguin suit reading from the teleprompter. However, when the champagne is gone and diamond purses put away, it comes down to these school leaders making things happen in a largely ordinary setting. Best of luck specifically to Conyers Middle School and Escalante Elementary as they start their DyKnow deployments.

New 1:1 in Wilson County, North Carolina

2007-09-27T13:21:00.000-04:00

Congrats to Hunt High School and the press that just came out on their 1:1. story. Teachers sound pretty excited about using this mystery software:

“They can actually do assignments in class on the computer, and send it directly to my computer.

“It's going to make the class more interesting for the kids because they're going to be actively learning,” said Angie London, an English teacher.

Even with laptops at their fingertips, students can’t just randomly surf the internet or check email in the middle of class. Through a special program, teachers can keep a close eye on every computer screen.

“We have a program where we can look on our computers and see what's on all of their computers,” explained London. “We can look and say, ‘You’re supposed to be on this website, but you're checking your email.’ We can automatically lock their computers and send them a message, ‘Get back to work.’”

Ok, I give in: I am proud to say that they are using DyKnow software!

Rethinking projection in the classroom

2007-09-26T12:56:00.000-04:00

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of basic classroom technology? A projector, of course. Any why? So all students can see digital content, of course. However, projection technology has evolved and I think schools should revisit their position on this topic.

From the hardware side, many projectors are now wireless-ready. Others allow the teacher to display any PC in the room. Others are integrated into interactive whiteboards (IWBs). And then there is the Tablet PC, because it, with a projector, is an alternative to an IWB.

What about software? In lab, cart, and 1:1 settings, there is software that can display the teacher screen on student PCs. This not only solves the problem of seeing content - it can also be more engaging. For example, DyKnow software delivers teacher content to student PCs for native annotation and the ability to return work. Many DyKnow customers have saved money by not purchasing projectors or IWBs.

Is there something affirming for a student to see his answer up on the "big screen?" Sure, if it is a good one. However, most students are mortified about having their work pulled up for fear that it will be wrong or simply that they will be singled out. Again, this could be another point for screen-casting software for labs, carts, or 1:1s.

Another thing to remember when considering projection is the type of pedagogy it reinforces. A projector or an IWB tends to promote a teacher-centric model that yields less interaction with students than recommended by modern learning research. I understand that a student-centric model sounds scary to many teachers, but it often produces more active learning. I will concede that having younger kids come up to an IWB to manipulate digital content (i.e. frog dissection) can be quite active and engaging, but I believe that this is not the typical usage of projection. However, I'm a bit skeptical that touching material in front of the class produces the best educational outcomes. Research does show that student PCs facilitate student-centric learning, but laptops aren't the only way. Active learning can also be accomplished through things like group work, Harkness Tables, debate, experiential learning, field research, etc.

A bare bones cost comparison:

desktop PC + projector = $3,500
IWB + desktop PC + projector = $6,000
Tablet PC + projector = $4,500

At the end of the day, there certainly are applications for projectors in the modern classroom, but not every classroom. The debate will continue. For now, here are some good resources:

The best thing you can do for your 1:1 program

2007-09-14T14:12:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of tips out there about how to implement a teacher and/or laptop program. Educating stakeholders, establishing time lines, setting up a WLAN...the list goes on. These things are good things, but there is one step a co-worker suggested that many schools brush over or even purposefully neglect. He believes--and I now agree--that a laptop program can rise or fall depending on this: a staff member dedicated to 1:1.

From a personnel perspective, many schools mistakenly believe that the "executive sponsor" who works to lobby for and approve a laptop mandate should be the same person to manage the day-to-day activity of the resulting project. In my experience, this is not a good recipe for success. Usually an [asst] principal, [asst] dean, or even director of technology gets the project approved but a person in any of these roles already has a full plate of other responsibilities. Focus is so important when implementing a 1:1 project. Administering a successful 1:1 encompasses many responsibilities, most of which are new to the school or department sponsoring the initiative:

arranging visits to other 1:1 schools
cultivating teacher buy-in
negotiating the hardware package with vendors
building the software image
communicating to parents
organizing and conducting initial PD/workshops
meeting with individual teachers to start related tech projects
setting up a help desk to fix laptops
troubleshooting issues and corresponding with vendors
interfacing with the network manager and/or database manager
promoting the project to the media
building and implementing an assessment/feedback rubric
offering ongoing PD

Clearly there is enough here to warrant someone who is focused on carrying out the 1:1. I expect that the first thing most HR departments will want to do is put someone on the project part time. While not ideal, this is certainly a good step, especially if the role is designed intentionally. For example, you could take an experienced teacher, decrease his teaching load to one course, and put him on as "1:1 specialist" for the majority of his time.

From a financial perspective, schools can't afford NOT to budget for headcount to manage a laptop program. Most laptop or Tablet mandates I work with have 700-1,000 users, so a $1,000,000 price tag is not uncommon for starting a laptop program - and that's just the start-up cost. Spending big money to buy the laptops and hoping that the "tech folks" figure it out will likely result in big money down the drain. Hoping is not a good plan. Let me put it another way: if you had $1M in the stock market and you could ensure yourself a successful return by spending another 5% on an advisor, wouldn't you do it? The stakes are even higher in education because projects are usually deemed a success or a failure. A successful 1:1 reflects well on the school, administration, board, and community while a failed project makes all the stakeholders look silly.

Two of our 1:1 customers that are doing a good job are Duchesne Academy and Auburn City Schools. Duchesne is a private Catholic girls school in Houston, TX that has had a 1:1 for several years. Auburn is a public K12 system in Alabama that just started a 1:1 Tablet PC project in one high school. Both schools rolled out the laptops to teachers before students and both schools have former teachers managing the day-to-day of their 1:1. Each of these people works closely with his or her respective tech director and both have been intimately involved with their DyKnow software installations. Having a 1:1 specialist doesn't mean things won't go wrong, but if and when they do, schools like Duchesne and Auburn City are ready. We are proud to be associated with both schools and their successful 1:1s!

How to digitize your textbooks

2007-09-14T12:19:00.000-04:00

The folks over at Student Tablet PC have a very detailed "how-to" for using Adobe Acrobat to scan and digitize texts in masse. This is a good read for schools with a 1:1 or hoping to go paperless.

DyKnow on Facebook

2007-09-14T11:00:00.001-04:00

I just accidentally ran into a DyKnow group on Facebook. Nate just posted a fun video. Check it out!

VT update

2007-09-14T10:53:00.000-04:00

Our customer care manager just shared an update on Virginia Tech's DyKnow/Tablet usage:

Tom Walker called and thought you all should know that they have 13 classes over 125 students each (one of which has 309 students). The professor of the co-taught 309 student class loves DyKnow so much that during a short trip to Portugal, he decided to use DyKnow + Skype to assist with the class from afar and had great success.

VT continues to lead with computing in the lecture hall. Let me know if you'd like to know more about the innovative pedagogies faculty are using to engage so many students.

Summer is for travel

2007-08-07T09:47:00.000-04:00

My wife tells me that summer is for traveling, but she is a teacher. I think she is a biased. Work travel to Atlanta, Memphis, D.C., and Colorado Springs has been interspersed by personal trips to Alaska and the Smoky Mountains. Even though I value my time at home, this summer has reminded me that our great country has such diverse beauty.

Where have you been this summer?

Monitoring classroom PCs

2007-07-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

As you may know, DyKnow develops a software solution for monitoring and controlling classroom PCs. This puts us in an interesting position as schools grapple with issues that classroom PCs can cause: distraction, cheating, cyberbullying, teacher frustration, etc.

I still believe that the best teachers find ways to engage their students through active learning and don't worry about competing with PCs. Regardless, looking up a quiz answer on the Web is quite tempting for many students. The thing that is frustrating to me is that even if there was a perfect tech solution to eliminate or curb negative outcomes, some school officials would not agree to use it. They know students need digital access (aka 21st century skills) yet they don't really want to install PCs for fear of what students will do. This has created a quickly-growing philosophical debate that K12 and HiEd officials see very differently.

K12 technologists generally believe that they have a right to monitor and control computers, regardless of computer ownership. I suppose this is justified by the age of the students and the fact that they are using school bandwidth, networking, etc. HiEd technologists, however, are in a much tougher position between frustrated faculty and adult students with a sense of entitlement. I have heard from administrators worried that students will rebel against faculty using classroom monitoring tools and create legal action over privacy. Other administrators say that their faculty want to ban classroom PCs because either they refuse to compete with email and IM or they just don't want to deal with students complaining about privacy.

One of our customers tackled this sensitive issue by holding a forum for students who felt that their privacy and rights were being compromised. He asked a student if a professor was allowed to walk through the classroom during an exam and look at what students were doing. The student quickly agreed that this was ok. The administrator then said that classroom monitoring software simply automates this process with classroom laptops. He continued by suggesting that students are custodians of knowledge, not university customers. That was a bold move! Really, though, this may be where HiEds differ: who is the university's customer? Is having a classroom laptop a privilege or a right for students?

My opinion is that even if a laptop is student-owned, he is still using school resources and until he can resist Googling answers [and respect his teachers], schools have the right to monitor and control PC activity in the classroom. Sure, college students pay for most everything, but if your goal as a student is to get a degree and a good education, why would you argue that it is your right to waste your dollars on surfing the Web at every possible moment, including during class?

The debate will go on. We would like your suggestions for how our software can help, so please contact DyKnow.

Summer conference craze!

2007-06-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Just coming off of WIPTE and the DyKnow UGM, I cannot believe that NECC is next week. As the biggest K12 ed tech conference in the world, this one always gets me excited. I expect to see many customers there. DyKnow staff will be doing presentations with HP, Gateway, Microsoft, and other partners. If you are interested in a free exhibit hall pass, let me know.

Just around the corner is Laptop Institute, a think-tank hosted by Lausanne Collegiate School that brings together over 500 attendees from around the world engaged in laptop/Tablet programs. This year will be my first visit to this event so I am expecting big things. I will be discussing teacher uses of DyKnow software as well as conducting several hands-on humanities classes in the Lenovo laptop lab. I am anxious to gauge attendees' views on new mobile devices like the UMPC.

User Group Meeting in review

2007-06-15T08:17:00.000-04:00

Wow, the fourth annual DyKnow UGM exceeded expectations once again. Thanks to those customers who attended! There were several highlights for me:

Elizabeth Helfant from MICDS overcame stage fright to have one of the most interesting and useful presentations of the event. She talked about using DyKnow and Tablets to create Civil War presentations in 4th grade, to facilitate data collection in outdoor labs, and for distance teaching when teachers are sick. And they have only had the software for five months!

Jim Vanides from HP, Julia Williams from Rose-Hulman, and Terri Bonebright from DePauw led a rather lively session on assessment. The main problem discussed was the fact that most people want to see statistically significant grade/performance increases for teaching with technology vs. no technology...and this is nearly impossible to show. Perhaps this isn't the holy grail. Perhaps we cannot separate the teaching from the technology. Beyond measuring test scores, there are many other relevant assessments from tracking retention rates to leading focus groups to videotaping classroom instruction. Panelists agreed that the effective assessor must start with the end in mind because there are many different indicators of success that each require a different type of assessment. Grant makers are looking for very specific goals and corresponding assessments that support the goals. Jim stressed that assessors must get beyond the jargon of "engagement" and instead dig deeper and tell the story of how technology changed a facet of the teaching and learning environment.

Our friend Ben at TaylorU has already posted on what he learned from UGM. Customers can sign on and find out more on our community site. There are several posts in the forum and we will also be uploading mp3s or videos of many of the sessions.

Taylor School District a new ed tech leader

2007-06-04T08:55:00.000-04:00

While deep state funding cutbacks cast a shadow over most Michigan schools, there is one bright spot that I am very excited about: Taylor School District. Now you may be thinking, "I have never heard of this district let alone anything about tech use." Maybe so, but new Director of Technology Scott Jacobs has other plans.

Jacobs and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Lynette Sutton are creatively using special ed monies to revolutionize English and math instruction across their district with Tablet PCs. About 10 mobile carts will be deployed throughout the middle schools and high school this fall. I believe that this represents the biggest commitment to Tablet PCs by a Michigan K12 district to date. But they aren't stopping with computers.

On the infrastructure side, Jacobs tells me that they are upgrading their Internet pipe to fiber, as well as ensuring that each cart has two commercial-grade APs. They are investing in training for teachers as well as centrally-managed classroom management and interaction software built for the 802.11x environment.

However, the main reason that I'm going to watch this one closely is due to Jacob's extensive experience in IT and in the classroom. As a former teacher, he has the unique ability to understand how technology is adopted by all types of teachers and students. Tablet PCs and Ink-enabled software show much promise in helping visual and tactile learners--many of whom are in special ed programs--succeed. I imagine that Jacobs is thinking through not only how this program will affect classroom instruction but also how it will promote parent participation or even distance learning (which Michigan students are required to do).

Look for more updates on Taylor's project this fall.

Microsoft webcast: DyKnow Vision and Vista

2007-06-04T08:04:00.000-04:00

Microsoft recently asked me to spend 20 minutes showing and talking about how DyKnow Vision leverages Vista, Microsoft Ink, and other mobile device features. There is a good Q&A section towards the end. You'll need to enter a name and email to view the captured preso but I promise it is worth it. Enjoy!

Great video on Tablet advantages

2007-05-31T09:33:00.001-04:00

Just found this Microsoft-produced video targeted at students to convince them to look at Tablets over laptops. It has a fun vibe and mentions several Tablet-specific apps that add value.

VT continues to lead with WiFi

2007-05-30T14:30:00.000-04:00

I was encouraged to hear that fall admissions for Virginia Tech look strong in light of this semester's tragedy. Having visited campus and worked with faculty, staff, and students, I can attest that VT continues to be an extremely engaging and exciting campus.

One area of VT expertise that interests me is wireless networking. In my role at DyKnow, I worked with our team this spring to roll out a software pilot to selected engineering courses using Tablet PCs. Our software has always worked well in a wireless environment due to our client-server architecture, but I had no idea how high the Hokies would raise the bar. After a couple weeks of use, I was elated to see 250+ active PCs using our software on an 802.11g network in a single lecture hall. This was the result of a perfect marriage of scalable lecture software with a special mix of access points, load balancing, and other incredible Internet infrastructure efficiencies, compliments of VT engineers.

But then I thought about the pedagogy of teaching and managing over 250 people taking notes and collaborating in one interactive lecturing space...and my mind started spinning. So this is what we are now tackling together. We are all reviewing how we are doing things because faculty and students should get the full benefit of interaction and feedback in large lecture as well as smaller courses. Look for updates this fall.

DyKnow 5.0 released!

2007-05-25T14:35:00.000-04:00

So I have to give a plug here for the annual upgrade that our team has worked so hard to release. DyKnow v5.0 is generally available and the reader software is available here.

I'm especially excited about a couple enhancements that a lot of you requested. First off, authoring is now MUCH more friendly to the keyboard user. Full Text mode will allow the user to natively type and format text on a DyKnow slide much like the experience in Microsoft Word. Anything typed by a DyKnow teacher will instantaneously appear on student screens and will be available for modification by students after the session has been archived.

Second, I am pleased to tell all you folks doing browser-based testing that we now have URL whitelisting in DyKnow Monitor. This basically means that a teacher can customize a URL or domain name that she wants to allow, or whitelist, for students to visit...while every other URL is blocked. Folks are already using this feature to test through Blackboard, ANGEL, or another flavor of LMS. And yes, HTTPS works in addition to IE 7.0 and Firefox 2.0 browsers.

Finally, the feature that I think will be most valuable and have the most potential for growth is Blackboard LMS authentication. No more manual management of DyKnow users and course enrollments! The DyKnow administrator may hook DyKnow up with a corresponding Bb Building Block such that when users enter their Bb credentials into the DyKnow client, we will bring back the user role and and course associations to populate the DyKnow database. This will save system admins a ton of time. Details are here. No, the Building Block does not work with former WebCT systems quite yet, but this integration opens the door to this and other integrations. Look for some cool stuff in the future!

Reasons FOR classroom laptops

2007-05-21T09:29:00.000-04:00

This is a good counter to the NY Times article bashing classroom technology. On a related issue, I also found a thoughtful rebuttal by a non-academic addressing those professors banning student laptops or Tablet PCs from the classroom. I agree that throwing laptops into the classroom simply because students demand it or the school wants to improve recruitment will tend to result in failure. As with any big project, putting computers in the classroom takes careful consideration, namely in the areas of

culture changing
new teaching techniques and training
IT infrastructure
software for computer control and interaction

Limitless money and good intentions won't guarantee success. In my experience, classroom laptop projects live and die by the shift in the teaching culture that must occur among administration and faculty. And this doesn't happen the same way for everybody. Some faculty are hands on and must tinker with the technology for awhile before a commitment. Others won't budge until they hear directly from peers about their successes and failures. Still others will seem to resist until the end but seeing their administrators "eat their own dogfood" will go a long way in slowly changing these holdouts.

Regardless of your philosophy, one thing is for sure: today's students will accept and adopt technology much faster than their teachers. So perhaps the greatest challenge for teachers is to accept this and enlist student assistance for positive change in the technology classroom. This allows faculty to remain subject-matter experts and students to be empowered learners.

An aside: For the K12 schools that make it to 1:1, I think it is completely unrealistic for boards or senior adminitrators to demand quantitative learning gains in the first couple years of a laptop program. This statistic requires longitudinal data and a carefully controlled experiment PLUS grade improvement is only one indicator or outcome of a successful laptop program. I encourage administrators to bear this in mind when defining outcomes for success. Kershaw County School District has done a good job of managing these expectations and measuring other results such as digital equity, attendance rates, and student confidence. To learn more about metrics for success, visit CoSN's Value on Investment (VOI) site.

A video of Dell's Tablet PC

2007-05-21T08:50:00.000-04:00

A friend sent me this video link of Dell's pre-release Tablet. I'm hearing that this will ship end of '07...not soon enough for many Dell loyalists.

Tablet PCs still making waves after 5 years

2007-05-15T14:16:00.000-04:00

Education and tech guru Ken Collura went with his gut in 2002 by choosing Tablet PCs and has been leading the way since then for his diocese, his state, and schools around the world. As a friend of Ken's, I can attest that he gets probably 15 calls per week from peers about his program. Now Microsoft has released a case study on Bishop Hartley High School's experience that clearly explains how the program has played out.

Using a Mac and a Tablet PC?

2007-05-03T14:32:00.000-04:00

Check out this post by a Microsoft MVP about his use of both a MacBook Pro and a Fujitsu Tablet PC. This is not the first time I've heard about someone using both Apple and Microsoft-based computing devices and being happy with both. Huh? Are these folks splitting their allegiances?! Perhaps not. It seems to me that this ultimately comes down to the Tablet PC.

It's no secret that the iPod (and possibly iPhone) craze is leading the PC-domintated business and ed tech communities to take a closer look at Mac computers. This, combined with the Intel chip set, lower exposure to viruses, and improved virtualization software (Parallels Desktop) seems to be good for Apple.

Due in part to these factors, I'm seeing a lot of fresh Mac vs. PC discussion on K12 school listservs. Mac skeptics point to the higher cost and inferior accidental protection / service plans, especially for 1:1 programs. Mac fans counter with better OS stability and the "cool" factor among students. At the same time, [Microsoft] Tablet PC models are being compared and many teacher pilots started.

For Microsoft, the Office Suite and other productivity apps continue to be dominant. Because of this, PCs are still the overwhelming choice for business and many schools. Vista holds promise with a more intuitive UI, integrated Tablet ink, and a Google-like desktop search utility but I think the jury is still out on overall stability compared to OSX. My main point is that in light of the recent charge from Apple, I think Microsoft should be putting more of their eggs in the Tablet PC basket.

The Tablet PC answers several of the shortcomings of users who are mobile and understand the power of digital ink. And yeah, yeah, I've heard the rumors of a Mac tablet for 18 months. Still, I think Microsoft should continue to take this seriously by investing more in marketing the Tablet to schools and consumers, exerting more pressure internally and on partners to push the Tablet price down to that of a comparable laptop, and continuing to support ISVs in developing compelling apps for the Tablet (for the record, they have been very supportive of DyKnow). Sure, Apple would probably release their own killer inking apps with a Mac tablet, but Microsoft currently has the advantage in terms of experience as well as support from the software community. I think Microsoft can keep leading in this form factor.

As for now, I am content with my ultra-fast HP Compaq tc4400 Tablet PC as my primary machine.

Woot!

2007-05-02T15:38:00.000-04:00

If you love technology and you haven't heard of woot!, it is about time. Cheap prices, unusual technology, and hilarious commentary makes this a "daily must visit" for folks in ed tech. Add to this daily podcasts, RSS, and a forum and you just have to bookmark this in Favorites.

Teacher Tablet PC Workshop at Hunterdon

2007-05-01T10:41:00.000-04:00

Our friends over at Hunterdon Regional High School in New Jersey have teamed up with Toshiba to share their Tablet PC faculty professional development this summer. Tablet PC Academy will be held July 10-12.

Rob Mancabelli and his team (which formally included Will Richardson) have done an amazing job of motivating their teachers to take up Tablet PC technology in combination with wireless projection and software like Windows Journal. They currently have over 200 teachers using Tablets in the classroom. I have a hunch that student Tablets are on the horizon. In my opinion, this, combined with a collaborative app like DyKnow Vision software is when the Tablet technology transforms learning.

Noted in their research study, one teacher said, "This has been the most fun and exciting [time] of my teaching career--after 14 years, that's saying a lot." It is my impression that Hunterdon will bring workshop participants through part of their own proven Tablet PD / curriculum and will even loan out Tablets to participants who don't have one.

On a related note, Cincinnati County Day School also hosts several popular Tablet PC workshops each year but they tend to focus more on how students use Tablets, too.

Ways to fool-proof your 1:1

2007-04-30T16:17:00.000-04:00

One-to-One Institute's Leslie Wilson did a great job identifying the main pitfalls of a 1:1 and how to avoid them. I heard her speak last week at the Intel Visionary Conference in D.C. She previously organized all the professional development for Michigan's Freedom to Learn program.

The savvy 1:1 administrator:

Tells stakeholders why school is pursuing a 1:1

Provides relevant research (One-to-One offers this)

Stays well-informed on trends and best practices

Leads by example by using the proposed technology

Stays available and willing to work through issues

Makes PD a priority each year of the program i.e. budget!!

Ensures consistent communication with parents

Chooses relevant assessment metrics and uses rubrics to measure progress each year

First post

2007-04-30T09:35:00.000-04:00

Hello world.