The Lenovo Files ? ThinkPad Tablet Inspires ?Ah-Ha? Moment for ...

Stephen Landry?became?Seton Hall?University?s first CIO in 1997. As CIO, he was instrumental in implementing Seton Hall?s mobile computing initiative. Before that, he was a faculty member in the department of mathematics and computer science and served as one of the co-chairs for the university?s strategic planning committee. He received his PhD in mathematics from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1989.

Two things about Seton Hall University I have always appreciated are its commitment to quality teaching and its willingness to explore ways technology can improve student learning.? So in 1993 as a new faculty member, I joined with colleagues in the Mathematics and Natural Sciences departments to integrate the use of symbolic algebra software into the curriculum.? I was impressed with how this software enabled students to easily visualize difficult mathematical concepts.? Colleagues in Business, Communications, English and Modern Languages, were similarly exploring technology-enabled learning innovation.? The ?Ah-Ha? moment was when we all recognized that computers and information technology amplified the power of our minds, just as physical machines can amplify the power of our muscles. We knew we had to make the power of technology available to our students.

The challenge at the time was how?? The projects my colleagues and I were working on didn?t scale.? There weren?t enough computers or labs to accommodate what the faculty wanted to do with their classes.? In 1996, the University?s strategic planning team wrestled with this issue and came up with an innovative solution: every undergraduate student would be provided a laptop computer as part of their tuition and fees.? In 1998, we launched our Mobile Computing Program and chose the ThinkPad as the standard device for all students and faculty.? Some aspects of the program were controversial at the time.? Why laptops, for example, when desktop computers where more powerful and less expensive?? The simple answer is that we valued mobility; recognizing that students often resemble academic nomads, constantly on the move between departments and buildings, taking advantage of whatever opportunities there were for studying, whether it was in the classroom,? library, cafeteria, or at home.

The combination of laptops, networks, online services, and professional support propelled an unprecedented burst of faculty creativity; and students reported that the technology and resources provided vastly improved the campus learning environment.? In the 11 years since we launched the Mobile Computing Program the definition of ?mobile? has changed dramatically.?

In order to continue to innovate in teaching and learning, the University is exploring supplementing students? laptops with a new tablet device, the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet.? This fall we are distributing approximately 400 ThinkPad Tablets to faculty and students in our Business Leadership Program, Honors Program, and the mathematics and physical sciences departments.? Faculty have identified course sections where all students will have a ThinkPad Tablet in addition to their ThinkPad laptop and are working with our Teaching, Learning and Technology Center to develop course activities and curricular materials that make use of this new technology.?

Seton Hall University Students Check Out New Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

Seton Hall University Students Check Out New Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet

This project is still very much in its infancy, and we have much to learn. Does this new form factor change how students and faculty use technology inside and outside of the classroom? Will the tablet eventually replace the laptop in the same way the laptop replaced the desktop?? What apps can we acquire or develop that will improve teaching and learning for our faculty and students?? I expect to have more insights into these issues in the next few months, but most importantly, I expect to see another burst of creativity on the part of Seton Hall?s faculty and students as they explore the new ways of teaching and learning the ThinkPad Tablets will support.

Source: http://www.lenovoblogs.com/lenovofiles/2011/09/21/thinkpad-tablet-inspires-%E2%80%9Cah-ha%E2%80%9D-moment-for-seton-hall/

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