Re: Any VT Engineering Students out there?

>> requirement to purchase a Tablet PC <<

would be interested in learning more about this vt requirement.

A search of http://vt.com for "tablet" brings up a number of results
which seem to indicate that using tablets is already well established.

While tablets do cost more (assume that this is your concern) based on
my experience using one for over a year, I would think they should open
up a number of engineering possibilities over generic laptops

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]

For the non VT'rs out there, here's the requirement page;

<http://www.eng.vt.edu/academics/comp_require.php>

>> Is it being effectively incorporated into your classes? <<

Really be interested in this information as well... it's ironic when the
tech teachers end up being the boat anchors in the system.

fwiw, it would be great if the users of this forum could help in this
implimentation. There are several other web based tablet forums out
there as well.

Can you tell I'm sold on the advantages of a table? ;-)

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]

This statement on the requirements page is especially interesting;

>>
* Vista Statement: The College of Engineering is strongly advising its
students to continue to use Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005 as their
primary operating system. Windows Vista continues to have performance
and compatibility issues that make it more difficult to use and support.
These are not issues isolated to the Virginia Tech campus and are
known throughout the information technology industry. If you have
purchased a machine preinstalled with a different version of Windows,

!!!
you may obtain a copy (included as part of the Engineering Software
Bundle) of Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005 or Windows Vista Enterprise
Edition as part of the Engineering Software Bundle...
!!!

....from Software Distribution located at 3220 Torgersen Hall, or via the
software download server at http://network.software.vt.edu.
<<

From Chatham College for Women, Pittsburgh, PA...

"As part of a new undergraduate program, begun in the 2005-2006 academic
year, all incoming first-year students will receive a new HP Compaq tc 4200
Tablet PC. Use of the tablet will be integrated into the curriculum and
enable the students to access the Chatham network via Wi-Fi areas throughout
campus."

(I'm guessing they update the model periodically.)

Tom


"Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/MobileDev]" <BevNoSpamBevHoward.com> wrote in
message news:%...
> For the non VT'rs out there, here's the requirement page;
>
> <http://www.eng.vt.edu/academics/comp_require.php>
>
> >> Is it being effectively incorporated into your classes? <<
>
> Really be interested in this information as well... it's ironic when the
> tech teachers end up being the boat anchors in the system.
>
> fwiw, it would be great if the users of this forum could help in this
> implimentation. There are several other web based tablet forums out there
> as well.
>
> Can you tell I'm sold on the advantages of a table? ;-)
>
> Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]

I'm a Virginia Tech student.
In the Computer Engineering department.

The whole "buying Tablet PC" thing is a shameful act by the Virginia Tech
administration. Forcing students to buy expensive useless Tablet PCs for
absolutely no purpose.

What am I going to do with a Tablet PC? I have one, it was 2000$ and yet I
could get something faster right now for 1000$ (non-Tablet). ASUS offers some
nice laptops but because Virginia Tech shamefully has made deals with certain
companies...

VT students have a couple options:
Fujit$u - 2000$-2800$
To$hiba - 2000$~
Gateway - 1800$~

This is quite absurd requirement. They also force you to buy a limited
Warranty, for damage to your computer. The funny part is, if you have some
sort of hardware malfunction Fujitsu REQUIRES you to send in the laptop for
check-up, in which case they may not even spot the problem and send it back.

So they (fujitsu) don't actually replace the laptop unless someone took an
axe to it.

Virginia Tech needs to take off the Tablet PC requirement, it's pointless,
students never use their tablets anyway because they hate it.

Why would students want to write with a tablet Pen, when they can type TWICE
AS FAST?????

The funny part is, teachers don't like it either. Now if someone sends in a
"tablet pc written assignment" they struggle to read the handwriting. It's
completely awful.

If they want to make some sort of Tablet Requirements, they should make it
for teachers, because they make use of the Tablet very nicely. But students
should not even be allowed to use Tablet PCs, they are boring, worthless,
expensive, and harder to write (than to type).

Can you imagine a teacher telling a student "Honey, you need to have a
Tablet PC with you" --- "but I can't afford it... " --- "Yes but you may
fail assignments that require a Tablet PC!" <------- THIS WAS AN ACTUAL
VIRGINIA TECH CONVERSATION.

On Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:41:01 -0700, CompEngineer
<> wrote:

>I'm a Virginia Tech student.
>In the Computer Engineering department.
>
>The whole "buying Tablet PC" thing is a shameful act by the Virginia Tech
>administration. Forcing students to buy expensive useless Tablet PCs for
>absolutely no purpose.

Useless? I found it was a great tool for all my engineering classes.
One tablet, all my class notes on one device. Multiple colors for
drawing graphs, the ability to import class PDFs into OneNote and add
my notes and not have to carry around 3-ring binders full of printed
notes.

>
>What am I going to do with a Tablet PC? I have one, it was 2000$ and yet I
>could get something faster right now for 1000$ (non-Tablet). ASUS offers some
>nice laptops but because Virginia Tech shamefully has made deals with certain
>companies...
>
>VT students have a couple options:
>Fujit$u - 2000$-2800$
>To$hiba - 2000$~
>Gateway - 1800$~
>
>This is quite absurd requirement. They also force you to buy a limited
>Warranty, for damage to your computer. The funny part is, if you have some
>sort of hardware malfunction Fujitsu REQUIRES you to send in the laptop for
>check-up, in which case they may not even spot the problem and send it back.
>
>So they (fujitsu) don't actually replace the laptop unless someone took an
>axe to it.
>
>Virginia Tech needs to take off the Tablet PC requirement, it's pointless,
>students never use their tablets anyway because they hate it.

Maybe you need to change to a non-computer major then?

>
>Why would students want to write with a tablet Pen, when they can type TWICE
>AS FAST?????

How do you type out a complex equation (differential, integral, etc)
or formula, diagram, an example circuit, waveform, system, etc?
>
>The funny part is, teachers don't like it either. Now if someone sends in a
>"tablet pc written assignment" they struggle to read the handwriting. It's
>completely awful.

So why not just force the students to type up assignments?
All the professors I know that had them loved them, pop out the red
pen and write directly on the document and then email it back to a
student.

>
>If they want to make some sort of Tablet Requirements, they should make it
>for teachers, because they make use of the Tablet very nicely. But students
>should not even be allowed to use Tablet PCs, they are boring, worthless,
>expensive, and harder to write (than to type).

Boring? Aren't you in college to learn something, not be entertained
by your laptop computer?
Tablets are great for collaboration, i.e. multiple users working in
OneNote together, printing out notes/emailing them to a classmate that
was absent, searching through your notes with OneNote (that's really
worthless!), there are too many features of tablets to not require
them.

>
>Can you imagine a teacher telling a student "Honey, you need to have a
>Tablet PC with you" --- "but I can't afford it... " --- "Yes but you may
>fail assignments that require a Tablet PC!" <------- THIS WAS AN ACTUAL
>VIRGINIA TECH CONVERSATION.

No, I can't imagine a professor calling a student "honey."

Tablets are very powerful for education.
If you stop complaining about being forced to try something new, you
will find that they are powerful tools.

Most of your arguments are non-issues and not relating to tablets at
all.

--
Cheers,
Steve Jain, Virtual Machine MVP
http://vpc.essjae.com/
I do not work for Microsoft.