Has anyone worked with a tablet PC and assistive technology?  It sounds like
there has been some work.  I'd like to hear about it.

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Terry A. Martin
VOILA Technology, Inc.  -- President
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----- Original Message -----
From: "david poehlman" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: NYTimes.com Article: The Tablet PC Takes Its Place in the
Classroom


> for the blind, it's an excessive expense as all the features that make it
> wonderfull are inaccessible to screen readers.
>
> Johnnie Apple Seed
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Catherine Alfieri" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Thursday, September 09, 2004 4:17 AM
> Subject: NYTimes.com Article: The Tablet PC Takes Its Place in the
Classroom
>
>
> The Tablet PC Takes Its Place in the Classroom
>
> September 9, 2004
> By THOMAS J. FITZGERALD
>
>
>
>
>
> TABLET PC's have been around for almost two years now, and
> while they have not yet proved to be the revolutionary
> change agents that they were billed as in November 2002,
> they are starting to carve a niche for themselves in
> certain corners of the digital world.
>
> Industries like health care and insurance have embraced
> tablet PC's, which can speed the processing of records and
> forms. While tablets, which account for only about 1
> percent of the market for notebook computers, are still
> generally more expensive than laptops with comparable
> specifications, prices have started to fall. And last
> month, Microsoft released an updated version of its Windows
> XP Tablet PC operating system that offers improved
> handwriting recognition, addressing one of the chief
> complaints about the earlier version.
>
> But perhaps the most promising area so far is in the
> classroom, a setting in which portable devices with
> handwriting capabilities would seem to make sense.
> Educators at a handful of schools, many of them private
> high schools, are pressing ahead with plans to issue
> students tablet PC's for use in English, foreign language,
> math, science and social studies classes.
>
> At some schools, the hope is to do away with paper
> notebooks, on the way to eliminating as much paper as
> possible. In that vision, students would take tests
> electronically, read their textbooks online and send their
> homework by e-mail. Proponents say the devices can improve
> interaction among teachers and students and increase
> opportunities for critical thinking by cutting down on
> busywork.
>
> One factor that favors educators is that students seem to
> like tablets, especially the pen-based interface that takes
> the place of a mouse and keyboard.
>
> "That was undoubtedly the best and coolest part," said John
> Stanton, a senior last year at Cathedral Preparatory School
> in Erie, Pa., who took part in a pilot program to test the
> devices.
>
> Mr. Stanton, 18, was on the school's debate team, and he
> used a tablet PC to take notes and prepare responses during
> debates. He said the tablet kept pace with swift
> handwriting and was useful because he could quickly call up
> his writings from earlier rounds.
>
> Administrators at Cathedral Prep had initially considered
> laptops, but switched to tablet PC's after early testing by
> staff members. "We did not want to get caught up with the
> novelty of this thing," said the Rev. Scott W. Jabo,
> headmaster at Cathedral Prep. "The more we were using it,
> we saw a lot of practical uses."
>
> Cathedral Prep issued tablet PC's to 160 ninth graders when
> they started classes this month, with the goal of
> eliminating paper notebooks and centralizing study
> materials on a device linked to the school's wireless
> network. The device chosen by the school, a model from
> Acer, has a 10-inch screen and weighs about three pounds.
> Like most consumer tablets, it includes a standard keyboard
> and can function as a laptop when the screen is
> repositioned.
>
> School officials said they paid $1,350 per device, which
> included volume and education discounts. Students will be
> charged a technology fee, to be added to tuition over four
> years, to cover the cost of the device plus warranties,
> software and a book bag.
>
> Tablet PC's run essentially the same Windows-based programs
> as other computers. But instead of a mouse, there is a
> stylus, or pen, that can be used for navigation by touching
> the screen. The pen also can take the place of the
> keyboard; users can handwrite directly in programs, using
> an on-screen input panel, or by tapping letters and numbers
> on an on-screen keyboard. Programs designed specifically
> for the tablet PC, like Microsoft's Windows Journal, enable
> freeform handwriting that can be converted to text or saved
> in the original "digital ink" format.
>
> Beyond using them for taking notes and reading, some
> schools have developed detailed plans to integrate tablet
> PC's into their curriculums. At the Benjamin School, a
> private day school in North Palm Beach, Fla., eighth
> graders tested the devices last year in history and
> English, while teachers had their own units so they could
> explore ways to integrate them in all subjects.
>
> This year all ninth graders at the school, about 100
> students, will be using their own tablets, a model from
> Gateway with a 14-inch screen, in all of their classes. The
> school has a new campus with a wireless network; students
> and teachers will have access to collaborative software,
> interactive whiteboards at the front of the class and
> classroom management tools, as well as the Internet and
> personal file-storage space.
>
> Using Tablet PC's in allows teachers to go beyond
> conventional teaching methods, said Barbara Murphy,
> co-chair of the school's technology committee and a
> 10th-grade chemistry teacher. Instead of standing at the
> front of the classroom and talking, Ms. Murphy said,
> teachers can oversee students' work on projects. "We want
> students to be actively involved," she said. "The tablet PC
> seems to really facilitate that."
>
> For example, using one piece of software, a peer-to-peer
> program called Groove Virtual Office from Groove Networks,
> students and teachers can collaborate on projects in the
> classroom from home or anywhere there is an Internet
> connection. The program, geared mainly for businesses, also
> has features designed for tablet PC's.
>
> Using Groove in a math class, for example, a teacher could
> write out an equation in a shared workspace that is
> displayed on the classroom's whiteboard, and students
> seated at their desks can use their tablet pens to take
> turns adding steps to it. "It's like having 20 kids
> standing at a blackboard, each with chalk in their hands,"
> said Ken Didsbury, academic dean and an English teacher at
> the Benjamin School.
>
> Students who tested the devices last year said the pen
> capabilities were sufficient for note-taking. "It writes
> just like a pen and paper," said Shohan Shetty, 14, who is
> entering the ninth grade this year. "It's fast."
>
> William Fraser, 14, also used the device last year. He said
> a strong feature was having Internet access at his desk for
> fast research. William also said he found the pen to be
> useful. "About half the class wrote with the pen because
> they weren't completely used to typing," he said. "And if
> you want to make a diagram, you just draw with it."
>
> Classroom management software also figures in the Benjamin
> plan. Using a program called SynchronEyes, from Smart
> Technologies, teachers can poll students anonymously to
> determine if subject matter is being understood. Teachers
> can also view the students' screens to catch instant
> messaging or to administer electronic testing. "It's a
> little Big Brotherish, but it allows us to be sure that
> when we give a test electronically, the kids can't cheat,"
> Mr. Didsbury added.
>
> Students were required to purchase the tablets before the
> start of the school year; the cost was $1,925 plus $167 for
> insurance, school officials said. The price, which the
> school negotiated with Gateway after comparing three
> manufacturers' offerings, included bundled software like
> Microsoft Office 2003, Microsoft OneNote and an antivirus
> program.
>
> Teachers say they feel energized by the challenges and
> opportunities presented by tablet PC's. Linda Willich, a
> social studies teacher at the Benjamin School, is preparing
> a new system for students to organize their work. She says
> she is looking forward to the collaboration tools and pen
> capabilities for drawing graphs.
>
> "I can see huge possibilities for it, especially in
> economics," she said. "There are all kinds of things we
> haven't even anticipated that will not only be challenges,
> but will be exciting."
>
>
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/09/technology/circuits/09jott.html?ex=1095716
> 778&ei=1&en=2edb7a55fa3c0a73
>
>
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