The first quarter...

This year is my school's first year of the implementation of a Tablet PC program. The freshmen are the only students that have tablets, and we will build the program class by class. We are using HP tablets. The two main programs that the students are using are DyKnow and Microsoft One Note. As the teacher, I use both DyKnow Vision and DyKnow Monitor. Vision is the presentation software (think Power Point), and Monitor is what we use to monitor what is on the students' machines and control what students can and cannot access on their tablets during class. The students use One Note as their digital binder. They have notebooks for each of their classes and ways to organize each notebook.

After six weeks of teaching Spanish I in a tablet PC environment, I have several observations and thoughts:

1. The transition was difficult for a lot of students. Students are so accustomed to textbooks, and using an online textbook is not as easy. About three weeks into the school year, a frustrated student said in her most pouty voice, "I miss textbooks!"

2. The organizational skills that students will learn after four years of using a tablet in school will be invaluable for them in a paperless world. Organizing digital clutter is a key skill to learn.

3. If students are going to be distracted, they will be distracted regardless of whether there is a laptop in front of them or not. If it is not doodling, writing notes or texting on their cell phones, it's chatting on Skype or sending an email.

4. If students are going to cheat, they will cheat regardless of whether there is a laptop in front of them or not. Cheating still happens, just in different ways.

5. The laptop is just a tool. It does not take the place of classroom conversation, the rapport I have with my students or my personality. It does not change the goals I have for my students.

6. I have become mostly comfortable with using DyKnow Vision as the presentation software, but I am still struggling with DyKnow Monitor. It is difficult for me to figure out what I want to block and when. I try to always block Skype because there is a chat feature on Skype, but still need to figure out when to block email and the internet.

7. Freshmen receive demerits for doing anything that they should not be doing on their laptops. It is critical that teachers use the demerit system to communicate to students that playing video games is not acceptable in school.

8. There is so much more to do!! I feel comfortable right now, but I want to add something on, especially the use of a Web 2.0 resource. I am planning a project for second semester, and I think I will be using Glogster (www.edu.glogster.com).