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Kamis, 03 Januari 2013

Day 30 – Lessons Learned, 30 Days with a Windows 8 Tablet

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 30

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Well, I made it. Over the past 30 days I have documented my experience each day with using a Windows 8 tablet for education purposes. Perhaps the best test of any new device is if you want to go back to what you had used previously. After 30 days with a Windows 8 tablet I do not want to go back to my iPad or Android tablet. In fact, when I use my iPad, I now find myself swiping in from the top, bottom, and sides expecting to get to the shortcut menus I have grown accustomed to using over the past 30 days. The Windows 8 tablet interface seems so much more efficient and I would dearly miss the Wacom digitizer with S-Pen input that comes standard with the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T.

If I had to go back to the iPad I would be giving up many things. I would lose the ability to work with the full version of the Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I would lose the digitizer S-Pen and the OneNote application that I now use daily. I would miss the ability to snap two windows side-by-side. I would miss the cross-device workflow that Skydrive provides me for access to all my files stored in the cloud. I would miss the ability to automatically have my OneNote files synced to Skydrive and accessed on my Windows Phone 8. I would miss having access to the millions of flash-based websites that I still regularly come across. I would miss the Snipping Tool. I would miss the microHDMI port that allows me to easily connect to a HDTV, or to a projector with a special adapter. I would miss the Xbox streaming music service that plays in the background as I use other applications.

I would miss the multi-user logon that comes in very handy when someone else in my family wants to use my tablet.

Probably one of the most used features that I would miss is access to the expandable storage available on the Ativ 500T via the microSD card slot and full-size USB port. If you have a brand new iPad one of the first realizations you have is that there is not an easy way to get content off of the iPad without setting up a special account like Dropbox, iCloud, or email. This all requires advanced setup tied to an AppleID. With the Ativ 500T it is easy, just copy the file from the Ativ tablet to a USB thumb drive no matter if you are using a local account or a Microsoft account.

I produce multimedia files regularly and having access to audio and video files from a USB thumb drive is incredibly useful when sharing or reviewing content. Yes, I could access them from the Cloud but it is much faster to do a file copy to a USB drive than it is to upload and then download files in the cloud.

Another plus, I do not have to plug in a cable to sync content, courtesy of a full-size independent USB port. This is particularly noteworthy for teachers that may be exploring the flipped classroom approach to learning as you will need to grapple with how to get video content to and from large numbers of students, potentially without Internet access. It may be old fashioned but the USB approach to sharing is extremely flexible in solving distribution problems of large multimedia files, particularly if you have slow or no Internet access. If you have ever had a classroom full of students all going to the same video on the Internet you know what I mean.

There has been a lot of debate about whether tablets are consumption or production devices. I think my posts over the past 30 days clearly demonstrate that the Ativ 500T is capable of producing content using full-blown Windows applications, not just apps.

There are a couple of areas that the Ativ 500T falls short of being a complete laptop replacement for me. The Ativ 500T uses the Clover Trail processor that I have grown a deep respect for over the past 30 days. Clover Trail is x86 compatible giving me the capability to run the millions of programs developed for Windows 7 and Windows 8 devices. The one chink in the armor of the Clover Trail processor is when you need raw processing power. Processor intensive applications will struggle on the Ativ 500T. If you are doing much video editing or screencasting you may want to consider a different choice with a more powerful processor. Luckily you have choices, Windows 8 tablets come in a variety of form factors and processor capabilities.

One option would be to select the Intel i5/i7 processors that are now available on some models of Windows 8 tablets. Most notably the Microsoft Surface Pro (not the RT model) will be coming out later this month that features an Intel i5 processor and digitizer Pen. There are tradeoffs as the i5/i7 processors will get about half the battery life of Clover Trail but that is the price you pay for a more powerful processor. For everyday tasks like checking email, browsing, and word processing the Clover Trail processor is more than adequate and you get to enjoy 10 plus hours of battery life. If however you need more processing power, you may want to consider the Intel i3/i5/i7 series of processors just now coming to market on new Windows 8 tablets. Choice is good.

This wraps up my first 30 days with a Windows 8 Tablet blog series but I have much more to explore. I have not had a chance to use the Remote Desktop Client. I also have not had the chance to explore some VDI connections that we are implementing in another ITC Lab this semester. It could be that either a RDP or VDI may be a solution for the weaker Clover Trail processor. Perhaps I could login to a VDI session on the Ativ 500T and access a more powerful virtual computer on the network, do my video editing there with more processing power available then copy the finished file back to the Ativ tablet. I also need to use the Windows 8 Pro and Windows 8 Enterprise editions on a tablet to get the benefits of Active Directory, shared network drives, Group Policies, new software installation over the network, and system updates.

I also need to explore the mass deployment options available for Windows 8 tablets on a larger scale. The good news is that since this is Windows 8, Microsoft has a whole Suite of tools for mass deployment and management tasks including Windows Server 2012, SCCM, and the new Intune web-based service for managing and deploying apps remotely. These are standard enterprise tools that most IT departments are familiar with.

The Intune service is new and consists of a monthly service subscription but as many iPad deployments have found out not having access to deployment and management tools make for a support nightmare as time goes by. How do you provide system updates and install apps over time? Sure it is easy if you have one tablet but what about 100 or 1000? Windows 8 should be able to easily scale for larger deployments and the benefits of having management tools and a plan for ongoing support cannot be overestimated.

That’s it, my final post for day 30 of this series. I still have not produced any videos, perhaps someday, but school starts back Monday, Yikes!

I may add some additional posts here as I learn more about some of the outstanding questions I still have. Please drop me a note and let me know how your tablet deployments are going or if you have any questions about my experiences of using a Windows 8 tablet for educational use. You can email me at techtalk@eiu.edu or I invite you to subscribe to our TechTalk4Teachers podcast about teaching and learning with technology.

Visit the following websites for more information about other projects I am working on:

http://techtalk4teachers.blogspot.com/

http://eiu.edu/itc/

Until next time…

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Rabu, 02 Januari 2013

Day 29 – OneNote for Teachers and Students on a Windows 8 Tablet with Pen Input

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 29

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

I am nearing the end of my self-imposed goal of blogging about my first 30 days with a Windows 8 Tablet. I have learned many things along the way and this has been a valuable experience for me and I hope for you too. The first thing that I have learned is that preliminary reviews of tech gadgets are rushed and often draw incorrect conclusions. The tech blogosphere has been declining with respect to in-depth reviews as many go for attention getting headlines rather than substance. I will pay more attention to review types that are in the form of “Spending 30 days with….” as this format I believe provides for a reasonable amount of time to get familiar with a product and give a fair review.

In this review I am talking about the full version of OneNote 2010. OneNote is one of those applications that seems to be a secret as many teachers and students are not aware of how much it can help with taking daily notes. There is also a OneNote app that is available in the Windows Store but the OneNote app is severely limited in its functionality. The full version of OneNote comes standard with most versions of Microsoft Office including the teacher and student editions. I have provided a screenshot below to give you a look at the interface and some notes I took using different colors of digital ink.

Perhaps it is my generation but I still rely upon handwritten notes and the OneNote application is a perfect match with a Pen enabled Windows 8 Tablet like the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T. The Ativ 500T has a Wacom digitizer that allows for use with what Samsung calls the S-Pen. The S-Pen is simply a stylus that writes much like a regular pen on paper except you are now using digital ink on a glass touchscreen. A digitizer Pen is much different than a capacitive stylus that are often sold for use with an iPad. The S-Pen is pressure sensitive with 1024 different pressure points that provides for much more control and accuracy. This design is meant to replicate the way a real Pen works in that if you start drawing a line with a light touch and gradually apply pressure the line will get thicker as you apply more pressure. This makes for a much more realistic and natural writing experience.

The S-Pen is not perfect as it is rather small (the size of a pencil broke in half) but it is tolerable for everyday use. There are better options on the market and I have read where the digitizer Pens that come with other Samsung Tablets with a Wacom digitizer are larger in size and also have an eraser on the end. The (digital) eraser would be very handy for use with OneNote in that you could be writing along, make a mistake, and then turn the Pen over to erase the mistake. Not an absolutely necessary feature but a luxury that would be worth consideration if you use OneNote frequently. I will be looking into purchasing such a Pen that is full-sized with an eraser that will work with this Ativ 500T tablet, they cost around $25.

A Smart Board Substitute

Because the Samsung Ativ 500T has a microHDMI port you can easily connect it to a HDTV with a $3 HDMI to microHDMI cable. If you need to connect to a VGA projector Samsung sells a MicroHDMI to VGA adapter for $39. With OneNote you can project what you are doing on the screen to the front of the room making the Windows 8 Tablet a substitute for a Smart Board. Add the wireless Logitech K400 keyboard with trackpad and you are free to walk about the room controlling the Ativ tablet from anywhere in the room even while the connected to the projector.

OneNote for Teachers and Students

I find it much more natural taking notes with digital ink rather than typing on a laptop. A tablet with Pen is also more unobtrusive like the pen and paper of the past. In a classroom setting if you are the teacher it is not the best feeling being at the front of the room with a group of 30 or more students all with their laptop screens up as if to shield you from seeing what they are really working on. In colleges, large lecture halls are notorious for students bringing in laptops and banging away on the keyboard as they frantically take notes on their laptop. Are they taking notes, or checking their Facebook accounts?

Another reason I like OneNote is its versatility. This is not the place to explain all of OneNotes virtues but here are some possibilities, with OneNote you can:

Add images along with handwritten notes, change the background rulers to have guides to help keep your writing straight, record audio and take notes at the same time, record video, convert handwritten notes to text, use different colors of ink and highlighters, use Ink to Math to insert mathematical equations, OneNote also has a library of mathematical symbols, freehand sketching for illustrating concepts, and if you are using Outlook you have the ability to email the OneNote page to others.

And, one more thing...

Because OneNote pages can be synced to Skydrive you have access to your notes from another PC or Tablet. And even more remarkable, if you have Windows Phone 8 you have access to all notes right from your phone along with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. Talk about having the world in the palm of your hand, well at least your files.

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

http://eiu.edu/itc/

Selasa, 01 Januari 2013

Day 28 – The Snipping Tool, a Pen, and a Windows 8 Tablet walk into a classroom

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 28

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Sometimes it is the simple things in teaching that can make a big difference with a student understanding a point or concept you are trying to get across.

The Snipping tool is one of those tools that often goes underappreciated and overlooked by teachers. Many probably have never heard of the snipping tool but for teachers it is definitely worth knowing about. A common task for teachers is to draw the attention of the learner to specific items on the computer screen. One way to do this is to isolate an area of the screen so that you can draw attention to a specific area.

The Snipping Tool is available in both Windows 7 and Windows 8 but it is with the combination of the snipping tool along with Pen input and a Window 8 Tablet that makes for a very powerful and easy to use illustration device for teachers. The Snipping Tool is only available on the Desktop side of Windows 8 but I often use this tool to take a screenshot of an area on the screen and then illustrate on top of the screenshot using digital ink. This is particularly effective in real-time when students can watch what I annotate on the screen.

I particularly like the Free-form Snip where I can use the S-Pen that comes with the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T Tablet to make a free-form snip. I use the S-Pen to draw an irregular shape around the objects on the screen I want to emphasize.

I now use the snipping tool so much that I have pinned it to the Task Bar on my Desktop in Windows 8. You can also make a Rectangular Snip, a Window Snip, and a Full-screen Snip. Once you have made the snip you can use digital ink to annotate and label it. You can also save the Snip to a file and post it to a webpage or email it to students if you would like to. I have provided a screen shot of the Snipping Tool below:

One of the best features of this Windows 8 Tablet is the digitizing Pen that it comes with. The S-Pen provides a precise and controlled method of input that is lacking with many other tablets. Using your fingers to draw and annotate is not the same and seems very primitive once you have used a digitizing Pen. If you do not know about the snipping tool I encourage you to give it a try.

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

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Day 30 – Lessons Learned, 30 Days with a Windows 8 Tablet

Visit the following websites for more information about other projects I am working on:

http://techtalk4teachers.blogspot.com/

http://eiu.edu/itc/

Day 29 – OneNote for Teachers and Students on a Windows 8 Tablet with Pen Input

http://eiu.edu/itc/

Day 28 – The Snipping Tool, a Pen, and a Windows 8 Tablet walk into a classroom

http://eiu.edu/itc/

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