Bishop Hartley High School

High School Students, Teachers Learn Long-Term Benefits of Tablet PCs in the Classroom

Bishop Hartley High School is a private Catholic high school in Columbus, Ohio. The school’s administrators wanted to deploy technology in the classroom to enhance learning for all students. So when Tablet PCs pre-installed with Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition arrived in November, 2002, the Diocese of Columbus embarked on an ambitious one-to-one computing program in which students use the Tablet PCs all the time. The ultra-portable form factor, pen-enabled computing, ink-integration for the Microsoft® Office system programs, and wireless capabilities have captured students’ and teachers’ imaginations. Over the years, students have used the Tablet PCs to enhance their individual ways of learning, and teachers incorporated the technology into their lessons. With students working harder and enjoying school more, Bishop Hartley’s Tablet PC one-to-one computing program is a lesson in success.

Situation

Bishop Hartley High School is a four-year, comprehensive Diocesan Roman Catholic high school. Located in East Columbus, Ohio, it serves 645 students. The majority of students follow the Diocesan college preparatory course of study. The school is accredited by the State of Ohio and the Diocese of Columbus.

Bishop Hartley fulfills its mission to empower students to mature spiritually, morally, intellectually, and socially by teaching them to be critical thinkers, problem solvers, and technologically literate individuals. It is in this last endeavor that Bishop Hartley has differentiated itself through a long-held belief in the ability of technology to provide more effective educational methods.

Helping Students Flourish

Ken Collura is the Director of Technology for the 44 elementary and 11 high schools within the Diocese of Columbus and the driving force behind Bishop Hartley’s endorsement of technology in the classroom. This philosophy is based on the desire to see every student flourish, regardless of different aptitudes, challenges, learning styles, and racial and economic backgrounds. “The Diocese is committed to inclusion,” says Collura. “We recognize that students possess different learning styles that require a variety of ways of communicating content and concepts. I’m constantly looking for

I’ve been looking for a long time for a tool that would touch the lives of every student in the classroom. I found it with the Tablet PC. Ken Collura Director of Technology, Diocese of Columbus

tools that won’t force students to stand apart from others while learning. I wanted to provide students with the same basic instrument that they could adapt to their style of learning. This would remove any stigma of difference.”

Just as Collura wanted technology that students could adapt to accommodate personal learning styles, the same flexibility had to hold true of the technology. He needed to find a combination of hardware and software that could hold its own in a student’s world. “Students are in and out of classrooms, taking notes and completing assignments. They need tools they can easily carry with them,” he continues. “Laptops can meet some of these mobility requirements, but they have significant limitations in the classroom.”

One-to-One Computing

Collura didn’t like the classroom scenario of a teacher confronted by the backs of laptop screens, which makes eye-to-eye contact with students difficult and reduces personal interaction in the classroom. Students’ varied typing abilities and keyboarding noises were also considerations. More importantly, laptops did not provide the mobility and ubiquitous access to information Collura wanted for Bishop Hartley students. “The laptop computer requires a place to put it down and type,” he says. “I wanted a tool that would enable one-to-one computing: the idea is that a student could use technology all day everyday, anywhere, anytime, to facilitate learning.”

So when Collura heard Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates introduce the concept of pen-enabled computing at Comdex 2000, he saw that Microsoft was moving in the direction of handwriting recognition and an ultra-portable technology platform that he could take advantage of in the education field. Collura went back to Bishop Hartley and immediately began to upgrade the school’s wireless capabilities, adding 14 Cisco AP1200 Series access points. He phased out computer labs, introduced mobile carts equipped with wireless portable computers, and set up network printing. He also established a mail server and developed a school intranet with full back-up capabilities called Homework Online, and he began to introduce more mobility in the classroom by replacing teachers’ desktops with portable computers.

“I have been following the mobile concept since the Apple Newton and eMate came on the market, but after hearing the Microsoft vision for the Tablet PC, I got really excited,” Collura recalls. “It wasn’t just the form factor and the pen-enabled computing, but it was also the enhanced voice to text, the recording in real quality, built-in wireless capabilities, and the fantastic note-taking capabilities that made me see huge potential for Bishop Hartley. The Tablet PC gave me the impetus I needed to achieve my goal to implement a wireless, paperless learning environment available to teachers and students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.” 

Collura’s vision was endorsed by the Diocese administration; Bishop Hartley Principal, Mike Winters; and Assistant Principal, Academic Dean, Barbara Recchie. “We have been discussing this one-to-one computing project for a while, so when Ken [Collura] was ready to go, there was no convincing that needed to be done,” recalls Recchie. “We are all on the same page about improving instruction and curriculum delivery that meets the needs of all of our students.”

Solution

When Microsoft released the Windows® XP Tablet PC Edition operating system, Collura was ready to take advantage of it by implementing the use of Tablet PCs for students and teachers at Bishop Hartley.

Choosing the Hardware

Tablet PCs offer an attached keyboard and look like a conventional laptop. They also allow students to rotate the screen 180 degrees and lay it flat over the keyboard, so that they can carry their computers like a clipboard and use the pen for input. (See Figure 1.) Students can use the pen directly on the screen in place of a mouse to select, drag, and open files, or they can use the pen to handwrite their notes on the screen.

Figure 1 – Students at Bishop Hartley take advantage of the mobility of the Tablet PC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I looked at virtually every Tablet PC prototype out there,” recalls Collura. “I chose the HP [Hewlett-Packard] Compaq Tablet PC not only because it has the best form factor, screen, and pen, but also because it’s by far the most rugged.”

But it was also a shared commitment to the Tablet PC’s value in education that influenced Collura’s decision to partner with HP. “Surprisingly, at the beginning HP was the only company that shared my vision for the Tablet PC in the classroom,” he recalls.

Cheryl Hewett, Education Market Development Manager at HP, also values her company’s relationship with Collura. “He’s done an incredible job on the forefront of innovation in education,” she adds. “Ken sits on our advisory board, and when we visit Bishop Hartley, we appreciate the feedback from both the students and the teachers that has influenced battery design, button placement, and the kind of hinges we use for the screen.”

In the spring of 2003, Bishop Hartley became the first school in the United States to offer Tablet PCs to every student in an entire senior class—for use all day, every day. Collura bought 150 HP Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 computers for the seniors and 20 for the teachers. “I planned to start the program with half the class using Tablets and half not,” he recalls. “But once I showed the kids the Tablet PC and explained my goals for the technology, they reasoned that if it’s such a great product, they all should have one. I had a hard time arguing against that!”

Choosing the Software

Initially, students used their Tablet PCs loaded with Microsoft® Office XP, and the Office XP Pack for Tablet PC, which enabled them to use the tablet pen in Office programs. They also took advantage of Windows Journal, a note-taking accessory that was created specifically for the Tablet PC to write and save handwritten notes and drawings and convert handwritten notes to text. Students used the Tablet PCs at school and at home to organize their notes, access and submit homework assignments online, record lectures, and do research. Teachers used the Tablet PCs to annotate assignments with the pen, grade and return work online, and develop homework assignment notebooks using Windows Journal.

Meanwhile, Collura continued to search for ways to add value to the initiative by looking for software designed specifically for the Tablet PC that would help teachers to improve the learning experience and really enable one-to-one computing in the classroom. For example, Collura wanted a way for teachers to monitor students’ activities on their Tablet PCs during class, and to deliver improved individual learning via the Tablet PC. 

“I had not been having success with companies that were retrofitting current software to fit this highly mobile, pen-enabled hardware,” Collura says. “So I was excited when I discovered DyKnow at the National Education Computing Conference in New Orleans in 2004. This company’s products—DyKnow Vision and DyKnow Monitor—are built from the ground up to work on the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. Together, they composed the perfect software solution for our one-to-one Tablet PC initiative.”

Figure 2 – Bishop Hartley teachers use their Tablet PCs running DyKnow Monitor to ensure that students are staying on task during class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Teachers use DyKnow Vision to transmit prepared and spontaneous notes in real time to each student’s Tablet PC during class. Teachers can transmit notes, images, slides created using the Microsoft Office PowerPoint® presentation graphics program, and Web pages; or they can insert content from other applications which is then immediately transmitted to the student Tablet PCs. Students can easily add their own annotations to personalize the class notes and save them to replay and review after class. Teachers use DyKnow Monitor to see thumbnail screen shots of the students’ work on their Tablet PCs, which helps teachers assess individual and class comprehension in real time. (See Figure 2.) Together, DyKnow Vision and DyKnow Monitor also enable two-way confidential communication between each student and the teacher during class, allowing the teacher to comment on a student’s work as soon as he or she completes it. (See Figure 3.) 

Figure 3 – Encouraging interaction and questions is a key factor in engaging, inclusive learning environments. Students are more likely to ask questions during class using Tablet PCs that are running DyKnow Vision, which provides confidential, two-way digital communication with the teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“DyKnow software alone is a reason to get the Tablet PC,” Collura enthuses. “Now I sit on their advisory board and they visit the school to talk to students and staff. Together we’re constantly evolving the product, like improving editing features and pen-to-text conversion.”

“Ken is a visionary,” states Laura Small, President of DyKnow. “And the teachers and students at Bishop Hartley have been great in helping us understand what’s working and what could be enhanced.”

A Complete Solution

Bishop Hartley seniors used the Tablet PC for the entire 2003-2004 school year. For the 2004-2005 school year, Collura bought HP Compaq Tablet PC TC1100s for senior and junior classes, and assigned the TC1000s to mobile carts to enable freshmen and sophomores to use Tablet PCs. Teachers are using the HP Compaq TC4200 Tablet PCs. Today in the 2006-2007 school year, more than 300 senior and junior Bishop Hartley students and approximately 50 teachers are participating in the one-to-one computing project, while the freshman and sophomores use Tablet PCs from the mobile carts during classes only.

The Tablet PC is like a portable classroom. Now students always have their books, assignments, notes, study resources, and wireless capabilities. They are simply studying more. Curt Hansen Government Studies Teacher and Social Studies Department Chair, Bishop Hartley High School

The Tablet PCs are also loaded with the Snipping Tool from Microsoft, which staff and students can use to select a portion of a Web site, document, or other content on the screen with the pen and add it to their e-mail messages, notes, or assignments. Other software includes Audio Notes Recorder from XemiComputers, the TI83 graphing calculator, Smart Technology’s interactive whiteboard solution, and the Microsoft Education Pack for Tablet PC.

The Education Pack includes Equation Writer for adding handwritten mathematical expressions to typewritten papers; GoBinder Lite by Agilix, a student planner for keeping track of busy schedules; Send to Microsoft Office OneNote® 2003 note-taking program, which enables students to import Web pages, pictures, and other files to Office OneNote 2003 and annotate or highlight them with the pen; and Ink Flash Cards, to help memorize facts to study for an exam. Even the student’s textbooks have been loaded onto the Tablet PC. While the Education Pack for Tablet PC is still available for download, with the launch of the Windows Vista™ operating system it will be replaced with the Microsoft Experience Pack for Windows Vista, which has many of the same features.

The enthusiastic adoption of Tablet PCs by both teachers and students at Bishop Hartley validates the successful cooperation between the school and its technology partners. Principal Winters says, “All students benefit from programs that are conceived and developed through cooperation between active teachers and industry leaders.”

Collura is the first to acknowledge that combining his experience in the field with the customer-focused product development of partners like Microsoft, HP, and DyKnow has been a successful strategy. “It used to be that schools had to rely on well-intentioned companies that produce products, and we had to figure out a way to fit those products into current practice,” he says. “Today, Bishop Hartley has redefined that model by becoming involved much earlier in the product development process.”

Benefits

Bishop Hartley’s one-to-one computing program has raised the bar in the practical application of educational technology. Since launching the program, Bishop Hartley has gained the attention of educators around the world, with teachers and administrators from New Zealand, Brazil, and Canada visiting the school. Today, Bishop Hartley’s one-to-one computing initiative is one of the largest programs of its kind in the United States. The program has been the subject of numerous articles, and the school is currently participating in a three-year study, conducted by The Ohio State University, to assess the impact of the Tablet PC in a high school setting. Last year, Bishop Hartley was one of three winners of the Catholic Schools for Tomorrow Award for Innovations in Education, with recognition in the category of Innovative Projects Facilitated by Technology. “We are looking forward to upgrading our Tablet PCs to the Windows Vista operating system and the 2007 Microsoft Office release,” says Collura.

The program’s success at Bishop Hartley is evident every day, all day—students carry the Tablet PCs with them in the classrooms, halls, gymnasium, and cafeteria, and they take them home at night and on the weekend. The mobility and flexibility of the Tablet PC add up to intuitive computing that inspires the students to study harder and the instructors to teach more innovatively. At Bishop Hartley, enthusiasm for learning is on the rise, and new teaching and study methods are increasing staff and student productivity and improving learning outcomes.

Most importantly, the combination of innovative software and an adaptable format means that every student is using the Tablet PC to reach his or her potential. “We had a student with a hearing impairment,” recalls Curt Hansen, Government Studies Teacher and Social Studies Department Chair. “After he received the Tablet PC with DyKnow software, he learned a lot more quickly because he had immediate visuals of the lecture content, and he didn’t have to wait for his interpreter. Another student was failing English until he got his Tablet PC and began reading himself stories using the Audio Notes Recorder. When he listened to the story playback his comprehension increased dramatically. As an audio learner, this student was able to improve his grades using the Tablet PC.

“Bishop Hartley is co-ed, covers various socio-economic levels, and is racially diverse,” says Collura. “So we have a wide variety of aptitudes and learning styles among our students—a true testing ground for the Tablet PC’s adaptability. Each student used the Tablet PC differently, yet they all felt empowered in discovering how the form factor best fit their needs. I’ve been looking for a long time for a tool that would touch the lives of every student in the classroom. I found it with the Tablet PC.”

Increased Enthusiasm

According to initial surveys conducted by the Ohio State University, more than 80 percent of Bishop Hartley’s students reported that having the Tablet PCs and supporting software made school more enjoyable. Students claim it’s the mobility of the Tablet PC that encourages its use and increases the amount of time they spend working. It also helps that students can trade in paper, textbooks, graphing calculators, pencils, pens, highlighters, notebooks, and handouts that add up to a 30-pound backpack for a 3-pound Tablet PC.

“I’ve been using my Tablet PC everyday for the last two school years,” says Andy Greene, a senior at Bishop Hartley. “I carry it with me everywhere. Next week, I’m going to New York to attend the Model UN [United Nations] conference and I’m going to take my Tablet PC with me and do my homework in the UN building, using their wireless network.”

Hansen agrees that students seem to be working harder. “Kids are using the Tablets like clipboards, talking about schoolwork in groups in the hallways or at lunch. The Tablet PC is like a portable classroom. Now students always have their books, assignments, notes, study resources, and wireless capabilities. They are simply studying more.”

Student’s enthusiasm for the one-to-one computing program is also evident by the care with which they treat their Tablet PCs. In the first year, 140 Tablet PCs were returned intact and undamaged. “Students see the Tablet PC as an extension of themselves, and when they encounter a problem with the unit they come to my office visibly concerned,” reports Kristin Collura, Support Manager for the Technical Support Department at Bishop Hartley.

“When we first got the Tablets, we were told how expensive the machines were and yet we were entrusted with them,” adds Greene. “Being responsible for something is a good thing for us to learn.” 

Improved Learning, Inspired Teaching

Both students and teachers report that the Tablet PC helps improve organization and individual productivity, leaving more time for learning and teaching. Hansen saves time creating study guides by clipping and pasting from the digital textbooks. “I also save a lot of time using the Screen Grab Tool within DyKnow to download and embed parts of Web pages and URLs in the students’ notes during class. No more dictating long Web addresses!”

Academic Dean, Barbara Recchie also speaks of teaching writing, and the encouragement of students to submit their work online so that the teacher can fit the grading into a busy day, often at home. Teachers record an audio file responding to students’ work so they can see and hear an instructor’s feedback. “I can quickly send this off to the student at home that night, and it eliminates some of the complaints about not responding to students’ writing because of time.”

I take notes way more efficiently in class. I can type a lot quicker than I can write. In math, I used to have a big binder full of notes that was always disorganized.… There’s nothing to lose! Joe Klein Senior (Student), Bishop Hartley High School

According to the Ohio State University initial survey, more than 80 percent of student respondents agreed that it was easier to take, search, and organize their class notes using the Tablet PC. Joe Klein, a senior at Bishop Hartley reports, “I take notes way more efficiently in class. In math, I used to have a big binder full of notes that was always disorganized. Now with the Tablet, it’s a lot easier to copy the equations with the pen, use the calculator, choose the graph paper, and stay organized. There’s nothing to lose! And Ink Flash Cards are a quick and easy way to prepare for an exam. I can copy and paste pictures and diagrams onto the cards that would take a long time to draw myself.”

Teachers are taking advantage of the software tools and the Tablet PCs in the classrooms to improve instruction and encourage communication and participation. “I like how my Military History teacher uses the whiteboard to illustrate battles in class,” says Klein. “It adds an interesting twist to see the movements of battalions on the field.”

The interactive whiteboard has been an integral part of our program,” confirms Collura. “It replaces the blackboard, where volumes of wisdom were erased daily, with a dynamic surface that inputs that information directly into the Tablet PCs in the hands of the students. We didn’t want teachers and students at their desks looking down and communicating with text messages all the time. We want engaging lessons, so teachers use the interactive whiteboard to stand up and deliver a lesson in a captivating way, while still maintaining the benefits of real-time note capture for the students.” 

In his classes, Hansen makes use of the Participant Status feature of DyKnow Vision, which allows students who are falling behind in class to hit a red button on their Tablet PC and send a confidential signal to the teacher that they do not understand the material. Students can also use the Chat Feature in DyKnow Vision to type in a question. According to Collura, this feature alone is increasing the likelihood that students will ask questions and get answers when it counts most, right in the classroom. “When teachers see questions come up, they don’t have to stop the class to address that person, they can just work the answer into the lecture,” confirms Greene. “This stops interruptions and is a better way to learn.”

The Chat Feature also improved a mock trial exercise that Hansen runs every year for his senior students. “I like the students to role play everything, from judge to juror to lawyer to bailiff, while I observe from the sidelines,” he explains. “With DyKnow’s Chat Feature, kids send me questions via the Tablet PC and they learn what they need to know without interrupting the trial. They are asking a lot more questions and learning more as a result.

“The Tablet PC has also made a big difference in the Arab/Israeli Conflict Internet simulation program,” Hansen continues. “Students assume the roles of world leaders and negotiate peace proposals from their perspectives, interacting via a Web site with other students around the world. Having the Tablet PCs to communicate over the Internet anytime, anywhere, it’s amazing to see how much more involved the kids are in the game. I’m always being approached by students with their Tablets outside of the classroom, asking me questions, or getting me to grade something on the fly, or check the progress of the negotiations.”

Based on the success of the one-to-one computing program at Bishop Hartley, the Diocese has already expanded the use of the Tablet PC to Bishop Watterson High School and there are plans to include other schools as well. “The Tablet PC and supporting software play a profound role in education at Bishop Hartley,” concludes Collura. “For both teachers and students, it has proved to be an inspiring piece of technology.”

Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition provides a more versatile computing experience, enabling you to use your PC in more places and more ways.

For more information about Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, go to:
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc

For More Information

For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234 in the United States or (905) 568-9641 in Canada. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:
www.microsoft.com

For more information about Hewlett-Packard products and services, call (650) 857-1501 or visit the Web site at:
www.hp.com

For more information about DyKnow products and services, call 1-888-8-DYKNOW or visit the Web site at:
www.dyknow.com

For more information about Bishop Hartley High School, call (614) 237-5421 or visit the Web site at:
www.bishop-hartley.org