Day 23– Three Productivity Revelations about using a Windows 8 Tablet for Educational Use

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 23

Thursday, December 27, 2012                     

I am still experimenting with different workflow solutions to explore productive uses of my Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T Tablet in an educational setting. This is the first tablet that I have used that is capable of handling most of my day-to-day work activities with little compromise. I also use Apple and Android tablets but this Windows 8 tablet meets most of my daily needs better. This tablet is compatible with all the applications I use daily without the need for finding “workaround apps”. Add to this the flexibility of a USB port and compatibility with student management systems and you have a versatile tablet with few limitations.   

I have had three big revelations about the production possibilities this Windows 8 tablet offers. The first revelation is that since this tablet can run x86 programs I can run the full version of Office 2010 and millions of other x86 programs in addition to thousands of new apps made available from the Windows Store. Having this dual personality is a huge benefit, not a hindrance.

The second revelation has been the extreme value of Skydrive and having access to Gigabytes of files stored in the cloud when working across multiple devices. I can easily move between my phone, PC/Laptop, and tablet and have my files accessible from anywhere there is an Internet connection. The ability to store files locally and sync back to the cloud using the Desktop Skydrive application is an added bonus for offline work when no Internet connection is available. Nice!

The third revelation has been the need for a keyboard to get real work done.

For everyday consumption tasks like browsing the web, checking email, keeping up with Twitter and Facebook postings, and taking handwritten notes using the S Pen with OneNote I am perfectly satisfied with using this tablet without a keyboard. With more than ten hours of battery life the Ativ 500T is my goto device, especially in the evenings as the tablet form factor makes it particularly useful on the couch for browsing and keeping up with emails.

I am getting closer to a workable solution for keyboard input as I have created homemade wooden stands that prop up the tablet on a desk so that I can easily use a full-size wireless keyboard to type with. I am writing this post with the Logitech K400 wireless keyboard and I do not feel the limitations as I do when I use the onscreen keyboard. Since this tablet has a full-size USB port I just plugin the USB wireless receiver, turn on the battery powered K400 keyboard and start typing away. Alternatively, I could use a Bluetooth keyboard as Bluetooth is built-in the Ativ 500T.  

The two little wooden stands that I made have solved the problem of using the tablet with a wireless keyboard. It is now more convenient and therefore I use this setup more. The wooden stands were so handy I made another set for my Nexus 7. Since the stands are made in two pieces they are adjustable to hold my 11.6 inch Windows Tablet and also work just as well on my 7 inch Android tablet. I have provided a picture below to show the setup I now use at home. Pretty handy and practical!

I am much faster at typing with a wireless keyboard and I do not feel the frustrations of a cramped onscreen keyboard. The trackpad on the right side of the Logitech K400 keyboard is also handy for using the mouse in “Desktop” mode and also with two-finger scrolling when browsing the Internet.

With the wireless keyboard I have all the keys available on the full-size keyboard that I have grown accustomed to over the years including CTRL, ALT, and the Windows Key that I so often use in combination with other keys as keyboard shortcuts. This is particularly helpful when in Microsoft Word where I have become very efficient using keyboard shortcuts.  Common shortcuts I regularly use include: Ctrl+C Ctrl+V Ctrl+P Ctrl+S Ctrl+Z Ctrl+Y as well as the arrow keys, Alt+Tab, PageUp, PageDown, Print Screen, and all the Function keys.

Add to these the new Windows 8 shortcuts of using the Windows Key (the one with the Windows Flag between Ctrl and Alt on most Keyboards) press Win to go to the Start Screen, Win+C=Charms, Win+I=Settings, Win+X=Power Menu, Win+Q=Search Win+P=Second Screen,  Alt+Tab or Win+Tab to cycle through open apps

More Windows 8 Shortcuts can be found here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/new-keyboard-shortcuts#1TC=t1

It may seem like a little thing but it is really nice working with a full-size keyboard that I do not have to switch back-and-forth all the time between alpha-letter mode and the number and special character mode.  

There is one more area in this grand experiment that I need to tryout as I did not buy the snap on keyboard that is an accessory for the Ativ 500T tablet. I need to do this so I can report my findings back to this blog. The Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T has a $749 retail price including the keyboard and I thought I could save a hundred dollars and get by without one. But, now I want to explore the functionality of this tablet WITH the keyboard that was designed for it. I am getting along quite well with my Logitech 400 keyboard setup at home but it is something else to carry with me if I think I would need it at a meeting.

Finding the right combination of accessories and setup options takes some time but is worth the effort as every addition is increasing my productivity to get more work done.

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.