My torrid love affair with my TabletPC

I tend to think of life lately in terms of B.T. and A.T. Before-Tablet and After-Tablet. I got my HP1100 a few months ago at a staff development for NYC Public School Librarians. The NYCSLS is made up of an amazingly smart group of professionals lead by Barbara Stripling--a wonderful person and my respected teacher at Syracuse. We received a Tablet PC and a mobile printer. The two pieces of technology have become so much a part of my life; professional and personal; that I could not imagine life without it.

First of all, it just looks cool. It has this funky convertible design which makes it a great conversation piece. This thing is better than a puppy for a phone number or two at Barnes and Noble, believe me.

Second, it's ease of use, portability and convenience make it a must have for me daily. Not only do I use it to teach with (it hooks up and syncs quickly with my digital projector), but I also use it for administrative purposes as well. I manage all the technology in the building and have to key in tickets for pieces to be repaired to the help desk, files I need to access for speaking to the help desk, etc. I need these things at my fingertips.

Third, it just looks cool.

Clicking around CNet, I found this link that I originally thought was a misdirect to a page of ads, but was pleasantly surprised to find some great reviews and information. I am not a fan of jargon and techno-geek mumbo-jumbo. I read a great interview with Gary Lindenberger, author of Seize The Work Day: Using Your Tablet PC to Take Total Control of Your Work and Meeting Day. The title of the book needs some 'control,' in my opinion; a bit unwieldy.

Lindenberger was so enamoured with his Tablet PC that he wrote a book about it. This interview talks about the book and highlights how the Tablet PC has helped him in his career.

More on the education side of things, a great site I found is a blog titled Teachers Using Technology. It is written by a guy called Ryan (no last name) and I only have three small letters for the quality and breadth of this site: WOW. I rarely use all caps, but had to break the cycle in this case. Amazing tips, tricks, and ideas for using your Tablet PC in an educational setting. Phenomenal and flawless. His trick for using One Note for anecdotal notes was absolutely genius. The use of the stylus, giving the user the ability to write in their own personal shorthand during a running record would have made me want to do them more. Technology is inviting for adults, too!