Tablet PCs in the University: Ready for Prime Time

TabletPCs are more than just LAPTOP+ PEN rather, they are more than the sum of these parts. TabletPCs’ connectivity, portability, multimedia capability -- coupled with WinXP compatibility -- enable significant transformations of the teaching, learning, and research process. I propose to present findings from three activities associated with San Jose State University’s (SJSU) Mobility Project, initiated with several equipment and cash grants from Hewlett Packard. At SJSU, we have used HP granted mobile devices (Tablet PCs, Laptops, and PDAs) in several activities, including: • Breaking the bounds of the classroom and our concepts of education to build engaging learning experiences where mobile technologies allow class activities to occur anywhere, anytime – in the classroom, out in the community, in coffee shops, etc. • Having cross-functional teams of students build mobile technology applications for local community based organizations • Undertaking a campus-wide TabletPC test drive – involving faculty from Art & Design, Journalism, Urban Planning, Electrical Engineering, Communication Studies, Child Development and Linguistics – to build educational applications of the TabletPC that go beyond applications in the technical disciplines.