Former teacher Mike Lloyd is schools marketing manager at Microsoft, which is championing the Tablet PC concept. “It is possible that in the long run, Tablet PCs and data projectors may replace whiteboards,” he says, “but it is more likely that Tablet PCs will become just another part of a mixed economy.
“An obvious advantage of projecting from a Tablet PC is portability - I would have loved to walk around my classroom while I was presenting. Using wireless projectors, you will ultimately be able to walk down the whole aisle in assembly - although with current wireless data transfer speeds, there is a noticeable lag between writing something and seeing it appear on the projection screen.
“Every teacher has a different style, and people adapt to technology in different ways. What the Tablet PC does is provide more choices. My advice is to give it a go - try different approaches and see what works for you.”
