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Building a Better Biology Lab? Testing Tablet PC Technology in a Core Laboratory Course

Journal of College Science Teaching—November/December 2008

Tablet PC technology can enliven the classroom environment because it is dynamic, interactive, and “organic,” relative to the rigidity of chalkboards, whiteboards, overhead projectors, and PowerPoint presentations. Unlike traditional computers, tablet PCs employ “digital linking,” allowing instructors and students to freehand annotate, clarify, and highlight directly over computer documents as they are shown in class (Anderson 2004; Anderson and Anderson 2004). However, just because tablet PCs enhance the learning environment and encourage interactivity, they might not necessarily improve student learning. In this study, the authors tested whether tablet PC technology would affect their students’ performance in a core introductory biology laboratory course.
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