Supporting Collaborative Learning and Interactive Lectures with Tablet PCs

S. Raj Chaudhury

Christopher Newport University

This talk will describe the pedagogical and technological designs behind some newly developed tools to support collaborative learning and interactive engagement in both synchronous and asynchronous instructional settings. A networked, wireless classroom with substantial student access to computing devices is the setting for this research. In particular, the use of Tablet PCs with two complementary software programs - GroupScribbles and Ubiquitous Presenter will be discussed. Preliminary tests in college classroom settings indicate that when connectivity issues are minimized, novice students with wireless devices can engage in rich collaborative learning activities around topics in physics.