Teaching Educators How to Integrate Tablet PCs into Their Classrooms

Abstract

Tablet PCs have been identified in the education community as a potentially innovative technology tool that can positively impact classroom pedagogy and student involvement with learning. Tablet PCs have all the functionality and robustness of a laptop computer as well as the added benefit of tablet features such as using a stylus to write on the screen like a writing pad. The tablet PC has been integrated into the classroom setting in a number of key ways: 1) Teachers and students can write directly on the screen to input text. 2) It can be used with Microsoft OneNote as an electronic whiteboard. 3) Existing files such as PowerPoints or pdf’s can be annotated and saved. 4) Real time lectures can be recorded for later viewing. Research indicates that barriers exist to educators adopting technology such as the tablet PC into their classroom environment. This research project focuses on the design and development of an instructional web site that educates secondary teachers on the innovative features of the tablet PCs so they can ultimately use this knowledge to integrate this technology into their classrooms and positively impact their pedagogy.