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Our tablet PC program is mandatory for all students entering Grades 10 - 12.  All students are required to purchase a tablet PC approved and sourced through the school. The students are educated in it's use and shown how to organize their schoolwork in this digital medium. All faculty in the Upper School have the same tablet PC so that they can design and deliver curriculum electronically.

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Mulgrave School believes that a strong student-teacher relationship is essential to academic success and that technology can support and enhance the educational experience. Effective technology integration occurs when it is available in every classroom, at any time, to be used as a natural tool in the learning process.

Tablet PCs: The New Logical Choice
With Tablet PCs, users enjoy a combination of a powerful notebook computer and — with a simple twist and click -– a lightweight, highly mobile tablet that can be written and drawn on with a digital pen.

• CLICK HERE to see a video demonstration of a Tablet PC

Mobility, Flexibility Add to Appeal
Tablet PCs don’t just replace notebook and desktop computers in Mulgrave classrooms, say faculty. They give teachers new mobility and added flexibility in customizing lessons to make them more effective and relevant. As a result, students are learning faster, improving the quality of their work and lightening their backpacks at the same time.  The ability to "ink" directly into applications greatly expands the functionality of the tablet and there are many industries that have adopted tablet technology (Medicine, Health Care, Aerospace, Engineering, Graphic Arts and Education).

The Tablet PC can duplicate and enhance what goes on in a classroom. Students can annotate teacher prepared documents on the spot during a presentation or lecture or they can copy content into their notes from electronic resources shared by the teacher. This leaves them with a complete year’s course work laid out from day one in a clear, unified manner (handouts, notes, presentations all in one place).

Catering to Different Types of Learners
Growing use of the Tablet PC is explained by its success in the classroom, says Dr. Michael Frewin, physics teacher and technology committee member. “The combination of the tablet PC and the right software really appeals to the three types of learners – visual, auditory and tactile.”

English teacher Gail Robinson is one of those tapping that potential. She uses the Tablet PC to help teach a unit on short stories. “Use of the tablet PC helps students to visualize concepts. For example, the students will draw in picture form the story background, climax and denouement. They enjoy doing the work. It’s a fun way to learn how the short story is structured.”

Robinson believes the Tablet PC also promotes better communication with students. Like many teachers, Robinson uses the tablet PC connected to a projector. “I like the tablet PC because I can walk around with it in a wireless environment. I don’t have to type. I can talk to my students at the same time and make notes that they can see on-screen. We have face-to-face conversations while information is appearing on-screen.”

Janet Martin, a mathematics teacher, has students use the Tablet PC and software to produce diagrams and graphs, without having to draw them. “By pulling the graphs from templates, students are able to work on the content as opposed to worrying about their drawing skills. It helps them understand the concept faster,” she says.

The Basics and Beyond
Faster grading of student work, along with better note-taking options for students, are two commonly cited benefits of tablet PCs in the classroom. Mulgrave is experiencing both.

“I’ve seen definite improvement in the quality of the work that students hand in,” says Chemistry teacher Neil Tuckwell. “A lot of teachers use the tablet PC for marking student assignments. Students send in their work by e-mail,” says Tuckwell. “Teachers use the tablet PC digital pen to hand-write their comments on the student work. It’s more informative to the students and quicker and easier for teachers to mark. A teacher might have to carry around 100 student essays in a briefcase. Now it’s all on the Tablet PC, and the teacher is able to keep a copy for future reference.”

Students use the HP Tablet PC as their electronic notebook, says Graham Gilley, Director of Technology. “They keep all the notes and assignments on the tablet PCs. Some also have their textbooks in PDF (Portable Document Format) so they don’t have as much to carry around.” Gilley says the device and software such as Microsoft® OneNote® cater to student strengths in note taking. “Students like the option of writing by hand on the tablet PC screen. Those who have strong handwriting will record information that way. They can even draw on the screen. Those who are better at keyboarding will record it that way.”

Student Achievement on the Rise
Anecdotal evidence from teachers indicates that Tablet PCs are having a positive impact on student achievement and learning. 

• “Students have told us they believe the tablet PCs help them stay organized. They like having all their homework in one place.”
• “We’re at least three weeks ahead of schedule in our classroom compared with last year. That could be the strength of the students, but it seems the technology is helping them pick up the concepts faster.”
• “I’ve seen definite improvement in the quality of the work that students hand in.”
• “Students are more engaged. You see them using the tablet PC all over campus.”
• “As adults, they are going to be more comfortable with technology. They’re going to be eager to explore new technologies and try new tools.”
• “I see great learning from just having students figure out things themselves on the computer. They learn concepts better if they struggle a bit. If information were just presented in writing, they’d be more inclined to give up sooner.”

Why HP?
“We looked at five different vendors’ tablet PC models,” says Gilley. “The HP representative talked about product life spans and how HP rolls out new models. She went through all the specs and loaned us models to test.”
 
HP also answered questions about Mulgrave’s top concerns: durability, weight, battery life and warranty. Screen durability was addressed in a vivid demonstration. “The HP sales rep took her watch and scraped it across the screen, then took out a ballpoint pen without bringing out the tip and started writing on the screen,” Gilley says. “We were biting our tongues. That was a clincher for us in terms of durability.”

“The size and weight were just right with the HP Tablet, too,” says Gilley. At under 5 pounds the HP tablet does not weigh any more than a high school textbook, and at only 12", the size of the tablet works well on student desks. “The cost was better with HP as well.”

Concerns about battery life were put to rest with the option that students purchase a travel battery. “We discovered that the HP Tablet PC with the HP Travel Battery provided all-day battery power, along with the ability to charge both batteries at once.”

The biggest concern for Mulgrave was warranty. As most other manufacturers move away from the educational market because of increased warranty costs, HP has remained firm in it’s commitment to schools. They are the only manufacturer that will allow local authorized service technicians to come ON-SITE to repair the tablets. Other manufacturers insist that the tablets be returned to a service depot.

“We were the first independent school in Canada to implement the HP Tablet PC so extensively. We were convinced it was the right thing to do, and we’re thrilled with how things have worked out.”

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Yes. Standardization is essential for a successful tablet programme. It is necessary for teachers to design and deliver lessons knowing that every student has the same make and model of computer and the same version of software installed. Our technicians have to maintain and service hundreds of laptop/tablets, which is possible only when equipment is standardized.

CLICK HERE to view the 2006-2007 model specifications and pricing.

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The following software is installed by the school as part of the base image applied to all tablets. This software is the property of Mulgrave School and will be removed when the student leaves.

• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher, OneNote)
• Macromedia Design Suite (Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, FreeHand)
• Sophos Anti-Virus
• Microsoft Experience & Education Pack for Tablets
• LavaSoft Ad-Aware
• Various subject specific applications

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Teachers will use the tablets where it is appropriate to facilitate instruction and enhance student learning. The tablets may not be used every day in every class. Most courses will use the tablet on a regular basis for note taking, data collection & analysis, research, graphing, drawing and writing assignments. Teachers will use the tablets where it is appropriate to facilitate instruction and enhance the students' learning.

Tablet projects may include: 

• creating and editing assignments; 
• class presentations; 
• graphing data collected from experiments, then analyzing the results to test the student's original hypothesis;
• research and WebQuests;
• accessing interactive websites; 
• using online subject sites such as chemplace.com and biology.com which contain material tailored for high school curricula;
• communicating with authors or other subject experts, and programs such as WIER (Writers in Electronic Residence) where students receive feedback on their writing from a published author.

A: No. In an instructional setting, is it essential that all students have the same tools. In addition, the use of third-party machines with non-standard configurations adds additional support costs to the school. For this reason, tablets not purchased through Mulgrave School will not be granted access to the school network and all of the resources it affords. 

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Laptops and tablets have improved in durability but they are still fairly fragile electronic tools. Students will be reminded to be careful with their tablet. The warranty covers any damage to the computer that may occur as the result of normal use, which includes traveling to and from school. It also covers damage to the LCD screen. CLICK HERE to see a more detailed warranty document.

A few common situations:

• Will repetitive minor damages be covered?  – i.e. the child who repeatedly plucks the keys off.  NO
• Will 3 broken screens be covered? What about 4? YES – provided it falls under normal use
• Will willful damage be covered? NO

A: Loss or theft is not covered under the warranty. Parents are responsible for the replacement cost of the tablet if it is lost or stolen. You may wish to check if this amount can be covered under your homeowner's insurance policy.

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The Tablet Programme is an educational initiative. The tablets are set-up as educational tools, not entertainment devices. As such, software and usage must have clear academic merit as determined by the faculty.

Students will be allowed to install their own software, provided they have the original media. That is, it must be a legal copy of the software (the media will be secured by the school until such a time as the software is removed from the tablet). In class, games, casual web surfing, instant messaging (chatting, ICQ), or other activities not approved by the teacher will not be permitted and will result in a 5 school-day loss of the tablet.

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Graham Gilley
Director of Technology
604.922.3223 ext 287