By Dinah Alobeid
It swivels, it responds to voice commands and it makes pens and notebooks obsolete. The tablet laptop computer is the next generation in computer technology and the College of Business Administration is taking full advantage of the opportunity.
Tablet laptops are not so much about the hardware of the computer as they are about the software and programs, business professor Leslie Ball said.
“Microsoft created the technology that could completely transform in-class learning and different job sectors,” he said. “I never use a blackboard anymore and I can face my students when I take notes on a Powerpoint presentation on the tablet.”
The OneNote program, created by Microsoft, is essentially a spiral notebook in a computer, Ball said. However, with the technology to search notes for keywords, either by typing the word into a search bar or saying the word out loud, the program will find all the pages containing the keyword, making studying easier.
This year, 95 percent of incoming freshmen purchased the tablet laptops, compared to 30 percent of last year’s business freshmen, Ball said. Only one incoming freshman in the business school opted for a notebook laptop this year.
However, some students said using the tablet isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Scott Harrington, a middler management information systems major, has used a tablet laptop for the past three years. He said despite the obstacles he faced learning to use the computer, he has benefited greatly.
“The tablet is a lot harder to use than a notebook [computer], but, more importantly, a lot more useful,” Harrington said.
After using all the features and benefits the tablet provides while taking notes, he said he will “never be able to use a [three-ring] notebook again.”
In addition to searching through notes quickly, the stylus can be used as a mouse and pen to write directly on the screen. The computer is also able to read cursive written in a box placed anywhere on the screen and translate it into typed lettering on the page.
The computer user can also change from keyboarding to writing with the pen without having to change a program. The student simply stops typing and begins writing or vice versa, Ball said.
The College of Business Administration has recommended freshman business students buy tablet laptop computers rather than regular laptops, but the choice is up to the student.
Although tablet laptops may seem much more expensive, Ball said many jump to conclusions about the price. In reality, the difference between most tablet laptops and other laptops is $150. Business students also get a discount through the university, saving $300 on their tablets.
The tablet laptop ranges from $1,500 to $3,500 and comes in two standard sizes: an 11.5-inch and a 15-inch. The larger version comes with a DVD player, a 40-gigabyte hard drive and 256 megabytes of RAM.
David Wesley, a researcher and founder of the Institute for Global Innovation Management in the College of Business Administration, has used filing cabinets to store all his research in the past, which he said was “cumbersome.”
“Finding information once it was filed was very difficult,” Wesley said.
Wesley has found the software useful in many aspects of his life.
“The tablet computer, along with Microsoft OneNote, has revolutionized note-taking,” he said. “I conduct my interviews using the tablet and audio recordings are done electronically. Later, OneNote can search all my handwritten notes and show me the information I need instantly.”
The tablet laptop has the potential to filter into all occupations, Ball said.
“Teachers can use it to grade papers [using the Windows Journal program] and simply e-mail back the paper with all the corrections,” he said. “Doctors can use it to easily show a patient’s file. Anyone who needs to conduct an interview can do so standing or sitting, keyboarding or writing, using the tablet.”
