November 2004 — Applications
Print this articleClick here to receive your FREE subscription to T.H.E. Journal
Tablet PCs and Collaboration Software Improve Classroom Engagement at Cabrillo High School
For teachers at Cabrillo High School in Lompoc, Calif., enticing students to participate in class was about as fun as pulling teeth. Many teachers had experimented with a host of newfangled technology tools designed to capture students’ attention and hold it long enough to improve their learning. But students simply weren’t impressed when they compared the school’s desktop computing environment to the computers, software and video game systems that they used outside of school.
Nevertheless, teachers at Cabrillo used all kinds of awkward tools in an effort to engage an especially diverse group of 1,400 students. Some programs were simply inadequate, while others were just too difficult to learn. While Cabrillo wasn’t ahead of the educational technology curve, the high school is unique in its affiliation with a one-of-a-kind aquarium program that gives students hands-on exposure to a working marine laboratory as part of their daily education.
Re-engaging Students
I believed the pen-enabled technology inherent in video tablets and tablet PCs might provide the perfect solution for empowering students to participate in less exciting subjects like mathematics. One of the worst experiences in a math class for students is writing a wrong answer on the chalkboard in front of the whole class. I thought that if I could get tablet PCs into a math classroom, students would use the intuitive pen interface to solve problems and somehow submit answers to the teacher from the security of their own desk. However, as can be expected, a few problems arose such as cost and complexity, not to mention that existing software solutions such as Microsoft PowerPoint were too limiting.
In 2003, I read an article about the use of video tablets in conjunction with an educational collaboration software called DyKnow VISION (www.dyknow.com ) at DePauw University in Indiana. Using the system, DePauw professors were able to instantly transmit an instructor’s handwriting, text, images and dynamic Web content to students’ computer workstation, where they could then annotate and exchange the material. This gave students the ability to deconstruct and replay material either in class or remotely from home. I was mainly attracted to DyKnow VISION’s collaboration features that allow teachers to isolate a student’s work in class and “broadcast” it to the screen at the front of the classroom. I was very impressed with the DePauw story and found a professor from the university who had been using the system. He gave it rave reviews and offered useful advice on how Cabrillo might integrate VISION into its curriculum. Our first hurdle, however, was finding a way to purchase the necessary hardware and software.
That opportunity came as Cabrillo formed a “school within a school” called the Marine Technology Institute. The theory behind the new program was to teach math, science and English in a way that would use technology to focus on the ocean, while allowing us to incorporate the aquarium and its resources into our lesson plans. It was all part of a plan to inject excitement and interest into the classroom; ultimately, to re-engage our students. To take the program a step further, we leveraged a portion of a four-year California education grant to purchase 15 Toshiba Portégé 3500 Series tablet PCs and DyKnow VISION version 3.1.
