Are you sending your child to college with a tablet computer (and OneNote)?

[RegGuheert]

This thread is about tablet computers, but I decided to post a poll with it, as well. (The poll is multiple choice, please show all the different types of computers all of your children have taken to college with them.)

 

Some background:

 

DS20 was required by the engineering department at VA Tech to purchase a tablet computer for college. The computers they were selling (two years ago) cost as much as $2700.00. Personally, I considered it a waste of money but they didn't leave much room to avoid this option. I managed to get one from Costco for $1200.00, which is still a lot for a computer, IMO.

 

Anyway, to make a long story short, he fell in love with OneNote and now takes ALL his notes on the tablet, organizing them by class, etc.

 

Fast forward to now and MomsintheGarden has been wondering if DD17 should go to school with a tablet computer as well. I've managed to put off that decision, and therefore the expense, for a while, but we had to make it last week. After some demonstrations from DS20, DD17 warmed to the idea of using a tablet computer. So she will go to school with a tablet computer, also. Only time will tell whether she will actually use it as much as DS20 does. One concern is that if she is the only one who has a tablet, then she will not have others to give her tips on usage or answer questions about problems, etc.

 

So I'm wondering, has anyone else chosen to send their DC off to school with a tablet computer, or are we the only ones?

Edited August 12, 2010 by RegGuheert

[AngieW in Texas]

We got our dd a nice laptop, but her major is going to be graphic design (actually called Arts&Technology at the school she wants to go to). She needs a computer that can handle the graphic software she'll need. It worked great for the digital imaging class she took this summer.

[MomsintheGarden]

Hi Reg!

 

I voted tablet, that way our two votes can cover both of our college students.

 

GardenMom

[KnitWit]

Hi Reg!

 

I voted tablet, that way our two votes can cover both of our college students.

 

GardenMom

 

ROFL!!! :)

 

My dd bought herself a MacBook Pro.

 

I'm assuming a tablet computer is like an iPad? I'm so far behind in the techie world! What else is out there?

[MomsintheGarden]

ROFL!!! :)

 

My dd bought herself a MacBook Pro.

 

I'm assuming a tablet computer is like an iPad? I'm so far behind in the techie world! What else is out there?

:)

 

I am rather technologically clueless, so I probably shouldn't be answering.

 

I think a tablet PC computer is a bit different than an iPad. A tablet looks like a laptop, but you can flip the screen/display over so it lies flat on the keyboard, then write on it with a pen-like thingy called a stylus. You can also use it as a touch screen. It's great for science majors.

 

Here is a picture of a tablet PC:

http://tilt.colostate.edu/tips/tip.cfm?tipid=32

 

The iPad does not have the flip-around-screen, a physical keyboard or the stylus-thingy. It has a touch screen. From what I've been told, everybody knows what an iPad looks like, so I won't post a picture. I had to look to make sure, though.

 

A Mac sounds just perfect for a music major. I'll bet she's excited!

 

GardenMom

[KnitWit]

Very interesting! I've never seen one of those!

 

Yes, she is thrilled! She learned to appreciate all that Mac has for musicians while working at the Opera this summer!

[mcconnellboys]

I'm not even sure what a tablet computer IS! How does it differ significantly from a laptop?

 

My son has a Mac, but this summer he bought a large screen, keyboard, speakers, etc. that turn it into a very comfy desktop type setup for when he's "at home".

 

Being the technology loving kid he is, if he gets to school and sees tablets being displayed with any regularity, I can guarantee he's going to ask for one for Christmas - oy!

[Chris in VA]

You are very, very cool.

 

:D

 

Never even heard of the tablet style.

 

Ds at VCU has to have a Mac Book Pro to run the cinema editing and screenwriting programs.

 

Don't know what ds18 will get--probably a laptop.

[JFSinIL]

We can not afford to replace a computer if it is dropped, stolen, or gets obsolete before four years of college are up...so ds is going to the dorm with a desktop model. If he wants to use a 'puter in the library, etc., the college has many terminals and each kid can sign onto their own account and access their work, etc.

 

DS prefers to take notes by hand anyway.

[RegGuheert]

We can not afford to replace a computer if it is dropped, stolen, or gets obsolete before four years of college are up...

I hear you! To me this was one of the BIG drawbacks to moving to tablet computers: The technology is newer (less reliable) and it is much harder to have a replacement strategy in case of destruction or theft. This problem is much easier to manage with a laptop.

 

Our approach? The tablet DD17 will take next week has two more years left on a full warranty that includes replacement up to once each year for accidental damage such as dropping the computer. (Theft is NOT covered, however.) Unfortunately, HP has *significantly* increased the cost of such policies, so we decided DD20 will have to forgo that on the new tablet he is getting this fall. If he loses or destroys the new one, he will have to fall back to the two-year-old tablet with which he started college. Both DS20 and DD17 have computer locks for their computers which they are required to use whenever they leave their computers alone.

DS prefers to take notes by hand anyway.

DS20 and DD17 prefer taking notes by hand also. That is the reason for purchasing a tablet. There are many benefits for note-taking using a tablet versus paper:

 

- Notes can be taken on any kind of background. You can choose from lined or grid backgrounds, but you also can take notes on the professor's PowerPoint slides or on any other document or image.

- Note pages are of arbitrary size. DS20 likes the fact that he can put ALL the notes from a single lecture on a single note page. So he organizes his classes as a notebook in which each OneNote page represents one lecture.

- Notes can be edited later. This includes the ability to add space where none existed and insert additional notes in the space. You can change the color of the notes, etc.

- Notes are searchable. This is a big one, since you can find a particular topic without having to manually dig through a bunch of separate papers.

 

Of course there are drawbacks, as well:

 

- You need to have your computer out and running in order to take notes on it or read the notes. This means you need to have a functional tablet computer booted and the OneNote application must be running. You must have a charged battery or access to AC electricity AND your professor must allow computers in their lectures. DS20 generally only ever puts his computer into sleep so that he can have it running in a few seconds. We have provided larger and extra batteries to ensure they can get through the academic day.

- You have the risk of data loss, since the data is not human-readable. DS20 resolves this by keeping all of his important school data backed up fully automatically between several computers (and on the web) using Dropbox. In this way, he can easily switch between his main and backup computers without missing a beat. He does this frequently.

 

Note that if you want paper notes for whatever reason, they can be printed out from OneNote. If DS20 has a class which requires a paper homework submission, he writes the paper in OneNote and then prints it for the submission. In that way, he has a copy of what was submitted.

 

The decision to have DD17 go with a tablet hinged mainly on the fact that she will have organic chemistry this fall and the following spring. This class promises to be one of the most difficult courses she will have in her career. While OneNote offers excellent organizational capabilities, it does not seem practical for note taking on a normal laptop in a class like this where the notes cannot be readily typed in using a computer keyboard. (We sat in on one of this professor's lectures. He comes very close to the caricature of the professor who writes on the chalkboard with one hand and erases with the other! Scary!)

 

Still, it remains to be seen whether DD17 will use this thing or not. If she likes it as much as DS20, then we've made the right choice. Otherwise, probably not. Time will tell.

Edited August 13, 2010 by RegGuheert

[Alyce]

That would not have worked for Dd. Several professors have required power pointe presentations in class and a computer is not provided, they must use their own so she had to have a laptop. We had considered a desk top and her school doesn't say you can't have them, they just encouraged laptops. Glad we chose laptop because if we hadn't we would have ended up having to get her one and that would have been wasted money. There was also a course where the student had to mark her attendance by utilizing a computer program the professor was using so again she needed her lap top. Most of the time my dd leaves her lap top in her room but has a lock on it so it can't be carried away. There is still the droppage problem but she knows that if she drops hers she'll have to pay for a new one.

[avdelp]

My daughter is attending Grove City College where tablet computers and printer/scanners are included in tuition. She will be issued a tablet computer during freshman orientation. I'm glad that everyone in the school will have the same computer and software, so hopefully she'll learn how to use it!

[newbie]

My daughter is attending Grove City College where tablet computers and printer/scanners are included in tuition. She will be issued a tablet computer during freshman orientation. I'm glad that everyone in the school will have the same computer and software, so hopefully she'll learn how to use it!

 

ditto

[Joan in GE]

I managed to get one from Costco for $1200.00, which is still a lot for a computer, IMO.

 

They look quite interesting for science majors. What are they running now?

[MagnaSky]

I have Lenovo ThinkPad tablet that I use at work. Now that I am grad student I am considering buying my own tablet, but I cannot afford ThinkPad. Can you suggest some alternatives?

[Halftime Hope]

with a laptop.

 

Ds #1 got a tablet (Toshiba) in 9th grade, so 5 or 6 years ago by now. We were truly early adopters! :) He is dyslexic and is somewhat dysgraphic as well, so this was a godsend for him--he could type or use the tablet, depending on which class he was in. (Math and engineering classes aren't "typable".)

 

Dd #2 will take her plain, well-used laptop. She types extensively. For the two required graphic art classes she'll have to use the school's Macs. Thank goodness, she won't have enough GA classes to warrant the expenditure to buy her own.

 

hth

[RegGuheert]

 

My daughter is attending Grove City College where tablet computers and printer/scanners are included in tuition. She will be issued a tablet computer during freshman orientation. I'm glad that everyone in the school will have the same computer and software, so hopefully she'll learn how to use it!

ditto

Did you vote in the poll? I still only see '2' for Tablet Computer, which, so far, should be MomsintheGarden and me. If not, can you please vote? The poll allows multiple answers in case you have multiple college-attending children and/or computers. TIA!

[RegGuheert]

They look quite interesting for science majors. What are they running now?

We bought an HP tm2t tablet using the deal described on this page. The price is $805 with a nice configuration. A well-loaded computer is $905 dollars. I think we paid more for this just two weeks ago, probably because the school year has started. Since DS20 is a CS major, we bought a fully-configured model for $1,184.97 after the coupons were applied. Here are the specifications:

 

HP TouchSmart tm2t customizable Notebook PC

• • Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
  
• • Intel® Core i5-430UM (1.20GHz,3MB) + 512MB ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450 switchable graphics
  
• • 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
  
• • FREE Upgrade to 640GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
  
• • Microsoft® Office Starter 2010
  
• • No additional security software
  
• • 50% OFF! Two 6 Cell Lithium Ion Batteries (standard)
  
• • 12.1" diagonal High Definition HP BrightView LED Touchscreen (1280 x 800)
  
• • External Tray Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
  
• • HP TrueVision Webcam and FingerPrint Reader (on the display)
  
• • Intel Wireless-N Card with Bluetooth
  
• • Standard Keyboard
  
• • Additional HP Digitizer Pen for tm2t
  
• • HP Home & Home Office Store in-box envelope
  

Estimated build date: August 23, 2010

FWIW, the computer arrived at our home on August 20. Note that DS20 does not need OS or Office software since he has purchased a license through the college that allows him access to an extensive array of software during his tenure there.

[RegGuheert]

 

Fast forward to now and MomsintheGarden has been wondering if DD17 should go to school with a tablet computer as well. I've managed to put off that decision, and therefore the expense, for a while, but we had to make it last week. After some demonstrations from DS20, DD17 warmed to the idea of using a tablet computer. So she will go to school with a tablet computer, also. Only time will tell whether she will actually use it as much as DS20 does. One concern is that if she is the only one who has a tablet, then she will not have others to give her tips on usage or answer questions about problems, etc.

Just an update: DD17 is now off to school and, so far, her professors in TWO of her classes have prohibited computers from their classrooms. While I can understand why a professor would not want computers in their class, I am somewhat disappointed as one of the classes is organic chemistry. This is the class for which we felt DD17 would obtain the most benefit from the tablet, both this fall and in the spring. Oh, well. Still it will be interesting to see if DD17 takes to OneNote and the tablet or not. IMO it could go either way. Edited August 24, 2010 by RegGuheert

[TravelingChris]

All I can think about is how some students will get behind before they get the disability office to go to the profs and get permission for them to use computers.

 

I am considering for next year getting the pen computer thing for my d. I am not getting one now since technology changes so fast. But it does get around stupid professors who don't like computers. (And yes, I know that having students surf the internet is rude. But I think there are more equitable ways to deal with that instead of forcing people to write.)

[RegGuheert]

 

Just an update: DD17 is now off to school and, so far, her professors in TWO of her classes have prohibited computers from their classrooms. While I can understand why a professor would not want computers in their class, I am somewhat disappointed as one of the classes is organic chemistry. This is the class for which we felt DD17 would obtain the most benefit from the tablet, both this fall and in the spring. Oh, well. Still it will be interesting to see if DD17 takes to OneNote and the tablet or not. IMO it could go either way.

Good news! DD17 approached the organic chemistry professor and he agreed to allow her to use her tablet in class, but only for taking notes. :thumbup1:

[Sharon in MD]

DS took a tablet laptop with him. He is in engineering school, but has not really used the tablet feature much.

 

Some of his classes do not allow them to bring computers into the classroom, too many students playing with FB or online gaming I guess.

 

BUT the piece of technology that has been a boon to him is his LiveScribe pen. That is the thing he really likes. He takes notes, it records the lecture and he can play back the audio selectively by touching the pen to the paper....He also can upload all the written notes and audio to his computer.

 

I think the tablet will come in handy.....I really do. But it hasn't mattered thus far....he is about to enter soph. year.