Mark Payton has offered a compelling multi part case for using a Tablet PC rather than a conventional notebook in schools.
As often happens, I was recently asked what is the compelling argument for Tablet PCs over traditional notebook computers. That this came from a trustee at the quarterly meaning added a significant importance to the question and to getting the answer right.
The problem is, I’m not sure there is a right answer to that question for most of us. But the question is the problem, not the lack of an answer.
You see, I don’t think that there is a single big argument in favor of Tablets that makes them compelling.
Instead, he said in February that he saw a thousand subtle things that make a tablet more useful.
My immediate answer was another question, in the spirit of comity, of course. “Why would anyone intentionally give a student older technology instead of the latest and best, regardless of cost and familiarity?”
People authorizing funding of school equipment must address issues of scale in addition to substance. If funding becomes an issue, I’d suggest using the effectiveness and efficiencies of a Tablet or UMPC to redistribute costs from other budget lines to equipment purchases. That may mean replacing some people with more efficient machines, if the vision of schooling is a mass production plant.
How would you answer the question about why select a Tablet PC or UMPC instead of less expensive conventional notebook for school?