For an increasing number of people, mobile devices are becoming de rigeur in day-to-day life. Students and teachers are no exception. But which devices best serve the needs of education? Those that do so best are the ones that engender twenty first century skills, productivity, and creativity.
One such device is the HP TouchPad, which transparently allows teachers and students to focus on learning rather than on the technology used for that purpose. How does the TouchPad accomplish this?
To begin with, unlike the iPad or the Android tablets, HP’s tablet runs on the WebOS operating system. Boot-up is nearly instantaneous, so there’s no painful lag while waiting for the device to be ready. Keeping students’ attention is critical, so the HP’s speedy startup is a major bonus.
In addition, the cloud based profile obviates the need to assure that each student’s device has the same applications and versions of those applications installed. In other words, teachers can set up particular profiles for each grade or class, ensuring that everyone is working with the same resources in the same environment.
This means that you no longer need to synchronize each students’ computer to a central computer, eliminating the need for multiple licenses right along with the added convenience and automatic standardization of environment.
Unlike any other tablet, the HP TouchPad’s WebOS operating system is capable of playing flash videos right out of the box. Because of this ability, teachers can utilize Web 2.0 sites without having to install or configure third-party software. In the parlance, it “just works”.
With the vast abundance of video resources available for free on Web 2.0 sites, like PBS documentary series, YouTube videos, and so on, costs can be kept to a minimum by avoiding the need to purchase expensive applications or videos. A great resource that is automatically tap-able with the TouchPad is the web tools section of the Teacher Experience Exchange.
HP went to some lengths to create a uniquely capable tablet, rather than simply trying to “build a better mousetrap” by imitating the iPad. The WebOS operating system, for example, is the only tablet capable of true multi-tasking, enabling you to easily switch between multiple open applications by using on-screen “cards”. This allows students to simultaneously take notes while watching an educational video.
Moreover, the TouchPad uses what HP calls “synergy”, which means you can merge info from diverse resources in one interface – resources such as facebook and gmail. In other words, it simplifies the process and minimizes the amount of time necessary for interfacing with all the common things we all do on the internet.
Despite the fact that HP’s addition to the tablet PC family represents a technological tour de force, the beauty of it is that its seamless functionality allows students and teachers to do what they want to do with it, seamlessly and effortlessly, without being distracted by the device itself. All of this adds up to a very nice tool for the classroom. And since HP has lowered the TouchPad’s price to below that of the iPad indefinitely, it has become all the more appealing.
Many people do not think about what they are going to need to get when they want to watch a few movies ever now and again but really today the best and only real place that you can sit back and enjoy a few movies is to going to be Netflix. Though today, it might seem like an impossible idea that you are going to have to find a way to conquer because everyone knows the site but millions don’t think it will be possible for you to access the site if you are living in Britain and to be all truthful then you are not going to be unless you have VPN running.