After my laptop committed suicide, I finally committed to buying a tablet computer. This coincidentally occurred at the same time I enrolled in a couple of university subjects. A month later I think I have really gained an insight into where these devices fit in, at least where traditional infrastructure is concerned…
My decision on which tablet to purchase was bounded by these requirements:
- A processor faster than 1Mhz.
- A 10” or more screen.
- Ability to use Flash, which runs most animation on the Internet (this turned out to be extremely important – read on).
- Some sort of hard keyboard ability to complement the ‘soft’ on-screen keyboard.
The Flash requirement limited me to Android devices, as Apple constrains iPads in this regard. As I understand it, this is a competitive move to undermine Adobe, and has little or nothing to do with security or technical limitations. Regardless, this didn’t bother me, as I prefer the flexibility of the Android platform.
After trawling the Internet for reviews and price points, I settled on the Asus Transformer. The real plus for me was the keyboard dock. You literally just plug it in and make yourself a little laptop, right there on the spot.
Setting up
These things are ok out of the box, but I’m a fiddler and need things to be just right. Some of the things I did were:
- Installed Splashtop Streamer on my PC, to enable remote use of my desktop. What this means is that I can basically use my computer over the wifi network at home, viewing the PC (which is in the study) remotely (on the couch) via the tablet. I’m really amazed at the quality of this software. I’ve tried similar apps on my smart phone and they are normally too clunky or not responsive enough.
- Installed Flash. It doesn’t come with Flash installed. What the hell? Weird, but an easy fix.
- Installed a new internet browser. I went with Opera because I like the way it uses tabs and has little pics for your primary web-sites on the home screen.
- Installed a new keyboard. The default keyboard is basically the same one you have on your smart phone, but massive. This is actually hard to use when you are holding the tablet. Thumb Keyboard solved this; this app splits the keyboard into two sides, each one usable with one thumb. Easy.
- Installed Dropbox. I immediately saw that this would be useful for reading course materials, such as PDF’s, my notes and assignments in progress. Dropbox keeps everything synced between devices, at no cost (unlike the Asus web storage feature which is only free for a year – I wasn’t going to entrench myself in that).
- Later, I also installed Evernote. It proved to be an awesome complement to my studying style, as all sorts of notes (voice, written, drawn) can be tagged and sorted. Evernote also syncs between all your devices, and is free.
I didn’t have to install an Office type app, because Polaris came free. This is a basic spreadsheet and document editor / viewer. Seems pretty good.
As I already use Google for Gmail and calendar, all my appointments, contacts and emails automatically synced. All good.
As an online learning tool
RMIT University uses Blackboard as an LMS and Elluminate Live for online tutorials and lectures.
The tablet works well with Blackboard, with the 10.1” screen providing ample room to view course information and PDF’s that contain subject / assignment info. No worries at all in these ‘information seeking’ functions. However, it was a bit tricky in the forums, which the display being mucked up every now and then. I did conclude that the forums were not really usable on the tablet, which was a pity. I think this is mostly a result of the Blackboard technology, or at least the version that RMIT has, not conforming to the requirements of tablet formats. Overall, I was happy using Blackboard with the tablet.
Using Elluimate Live was great on the Transformer tablet. It works as you would expect, as if you were using a PC. This is one of many instances when I was happy that I had gotten an Android device. Our current online learning infrastructure (everyones!) relies heavily on Flash interfaces. Elluminate is just one of those tools. If I had an iPad, I would not have been able to use Elluminate.
The university also uses embedded videos as course material. Again, these required Flash to view them. They were crisp and streamed well on the Transformer tablet.
All in all, I would definitely recommend the Asus Transformer as an online learning tool.
For study
My study routine quickly developed:
- View the materials online.
- Supplement with the textbooks when required.
- View the tutorials / lectures as revision.
- Take notes throughout using Evernote.
Evernote was the real key here. I could quickly punch in notes, or draw a little diagram, tag it with the subject name and topic, and I knew I’d be able to find the notes in future. Back in the dark ages, when I was first studying, all of my notes were in a notebook and very poorly organised. I’d often fail to interpret the context of my notes. Not anymore.
The tablet seamlessly enabled this study routine, and made Evernote a much more viable option. I don’t believe I would have used it properly if I had to go to my PC each time I wanted to take a note. And I wouldn’t have wanted to power up a laptop either. That’s one thing I don’t think people realise – a tablet can be powered on all the time. The Transfomer has up to 18 hours of battery time. I almost believe that stat as well. It just seems to keep going, always ready at your finger tips. Very impressive.
What’s missing?
The current infrastructure isn’t going to take full advantage of a tablet’s capabilities. If there was an app for the Blackboard LMS, that RMIT supported and installed, I’m confident that the LMS would have worked even smoother. Ditto for the videos and other content. But we are currently set up to support a desktop experience.
In summary
I’m converted. The Asus Transformer has performed admirably for me and I wouldn’t do without it any more. I originally thought it may serve as a glorified TV Guide, relegated to the coffee table. In reality, while I am typing this on my PC (which is my preference for long documents), the Transfomer is right in front of me, where it often is. While it certainly hasn’t replaced my PC, it has replaced my laptop. Even if it hadn’t, it’s a complementary tool worthy of the relatively small $600 price tag (32GB tablet + keyboard dock). I recommend you consider if a tablet is going to help you to study in future.
teknolearning 