It’s been a while

So,  I’ve had my first month with DyKnow and Tablets and after major bugs are sort of worked out, the class is finally feeling like the tablets are sort of incorporated.  The folks at DyKnow have given us a major update in their software so the recording and multiboard seem to be working.  So that is good.  I now seem to be having some Vista sorts of issues.  It used to be that when Iput my tablet into the docking station, the machine knew to change to extend my monitor. this woudl allow me to with a couple of clicks start the multiboard and I could then got o projector mode and be set to go to sart my session.  Now those preferences seems to be lost.  everything worked for about a week.  The trouble is mostly mine.  I do not have a punch list of thigns to try if technology fails to do what I want.  Thus, It becomes far easier to just use chalk and give up onteh interaction part.  It seems flat when I do this, but at least the students are getting things explained to them, even if it is “old School”. 

The other thing that is becoming evident is that students for the most part have given up using the tablet as a notetaking device.  They use it to interact with me only, like when i ask them to doa  problem, but they are taking notes on paper.  This is interesting as it is not he paradigm I had imagines.  I wonder if it is due to the problems we have had in implementing and students are rightfully worried that they cannot trust the tablets to save their files for later use.  We HAVE had a number of “crashes” where student lose their entire day’s lecture notes as they are trying to exit the session.

Guy and Kyle have come in every week for observations and have even seen me when I am tablet teaching and chalk board teaching.  I look forward to talking with them.

I have had the first exam, and in comaprison to the last ten years, this is the lowest average to date.  I don’t think this is indicative of the tablets, other than perhpas students thinking that they will make the course easier.  It’s not. . .   I am looking forward to seeing the with tablet, without tablet, exam score data.

1 Comment

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  By Bryan Alexander, December 16, 2008 @ 10:30 am

  Welcome back, Andrew!

  Question: what apps were they using for note-taking?

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