In the Classroom
Using a Tablet PC and OneNote 2007 To Teach Chemistry Daniel C. Tofan Department of Chemistry, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, Kentucky 40475 daniel.tofan@eku
The main electronic tool for delivering lectures in chemistry is currently PowerPoint. Arguments have been made both for (1-3) and against (4-6) using PowerPoint. Literature articles, as well as other sources of information, show how to make the best use of PowerPoint in teaching (7-12). However, a much better suited tool for chemistry instruction is Microsoft OneNote 2007, a lesser-known program available in certain Microsoft Office 2007 versions (1). This program can be used with either a tablet PC or a graphics tablet. The use of both types of devices has been documented (13-17), and comparisons between them have been made (16). An effective way of using a graphics tablet for in-class annotations in PowerPoint was previously published (17). This article provides a rationale for choosing OneNote 2007 as the only digital presentation software tool, in conjunction with a tablet PC. This combination of software and hardware is an extremely powerful tool for teaching chemistry at any level, and especially in introductory courses. An instructor accustomed to lecturing in a chemistry course using PowerPoint can use OneNote in much the same way with a few added benefits, including:
• Ability to annotate anything right away, without needing to be in slideshow mode (17) • Ability to organize notes in various ways and to import from other Microsoft programs • Availability of a much better set of annotation tools • Automatic saving of annotations and other changes
For those who like using true multimedia and annotation capabilities, as well as having the freedom to write chemical symbolism by hand while teaching (such as chemical reactions), OneNote is an invaluable tool. OneNote is a vast improvement over PowerPoint, and its use in conjunction with a tablet PC makes teaching chemistry much easier. OneNote is basically a supercharged note-taking program. Its most important feature is the ability to be used like a whiteboard to write chemical symbols, formulas, and equations and solve problems in front of the class in real time, as opposed to going over a pretyped solution in a PowerPoint presentation. Also, the instructor faces the class and not the blackboard when teaching. When used with a tablet PC, the teacher looks at the same drawing surface on which he or she writes (2). This type of interaction allows for maximum eye contact between the teacher and the class and saves significant lecture time. It also gives the teacher the familiar feeling of “writing”, because he or she is using a medium that never needs to be erased—no more chalk dust or dry marker residue to worry about. More importantly, all notes are saved electronically (and automatically) by OneNote. This allows easy distribution by online posting or printing if needed.
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When it comes to teaching chemistry, which requires a lot of writing and drawing, nothing beats writing by hand. Typing in a word processor or presentation software is time-consuming and inefficient. The ability to write chemical reactions and other symbolism by hand on a paper-like surface that allows electronic saving is invaluable, not to mention time saving. The examples provided in the Supporting Information (hand-written chemical equations and other similar content) would have taken a lot longer to produce and would have looked considerably less visually appealing if other software or technology had been used. OneNote also works well for solving numerical problems in front of the classroom. Many teachers prefer to solve problems on the chalkboard rather than show a complete solution on a PowerPoint slide. The downside is, of course, that what is written on the board stays there for only a few minutes. OneNote allows electronic storage of the solution after it is presented live to the class. The calculator feature permits inserting preset mathematical expressions at strategic points within the problem solution. All one needs to do is hit “enter” in the expression box and the result is displayed on the spot. This also allows the teacher to comment on how calculators display a plethora of digits for most numerical calculations and how important it is to distinguish which ones are actually significant. Other technologies can achieve similar results, but none offers all the features of OneNote. The Supporting Information has a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of OneNote over other technologies (or methods) commonly used in teaching chemistry. From a pedagogical point of view, we believe that this technology is superior to others. By adding a true-false and an essay question to a student evaluation survey given at the end of the semester, student feedback on using the tablet PC in teaching first-year general chemistry was obtained. One statement (3) posed for response was: I find the use of the tablet PC in teaching the material useful and would recommend it to other students over other types of technology [true/false].
One question asked of students was: Do you feel that seeing problems worked on the tablet PC is helpful to your understanding of the material?
The majority of the students liked this teaching method (Table 1), and some written comments indicated that students found the use of technology very helpful. What students seemed to value most was the availability of class notes in electronic form, which meant they did not need to worry about missing something during lecture or problem-solving sessions.
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r 2009 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc. pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc Vol. 87 No. 1 January 2010 10.1021/ed800019h Published on Web 12/18/2009
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In the Classroom Table 1. Student Survey Response Data about Using Tablet PC Technologya Semester
Percentage of Students Answering “True” (N)
Course
Spring 2008
General Chemistry I
76 (45)
Spring 2008
General Chemistry II
85 (20)
Fall 2008
General Chemistry II
84 (62)
a
Note: The statement for student response was: “I find the use of the tablet PC in teaching the material useful and would recommend it to other students over other types of technology (true/false).” OneNote was not mentioned in the question, only the tablet PC.
Written feedback obtained from students included the following comments:
• Yes, I think the current format is working very well, I was very concerned in the beginning, but after the first few weeks I have a lot more confidence considering the fact it was 13 years since I last had chemistry. Being able to access the notes online after class has really helped me a lot. • Yes, everyone has a different way of approaching things, some easier than others. This is definitely a different approach, but so far it is helped me understand what I'm doing. • I liked the worksheets being explained on the computer before class. It gives you a broad sample aspect of everything you learn in that session. • I feel that is very helpful to the understanding of the material. Actually seeing the instructor working problems over and over and over allows me to understand the material 2-3 times more than I would with a normal lecture like a PowerPoint in my other classes. This technology is great! :) • This method of half computer lecture and half working at problems on a big screen is by far the best method I have ever experienced in any chemistry class, or any science class that required working out numerous problems. If I get lost, I can just refer to the electronic notes from that specific lecture. • I really like the way this class is taught. I feel I have learned more in a month here than my entire last semester. • I feel like the tablet pc helped us understand the math aspect of the chapters, but as for theory, I did not feel I was prepared from the worksheets.
Acknowledgment The author would like to acknowledge the Eastern Kentucky University Student Government Association for funding the purchase of two Toshiba tablet PCs for use in introductory chemistry instruction. Notes 1. Home and Student, and Ultimate versions, according to Microsoft; http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/products/FX101635841033.
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aspx (accessed October 2009). OneNote is also available in the Enterprise version of Microsoft Office, which is not advertised on Microsoft's public Web site, but is the version licensed by most academic institutions. 2. If a graphics tablet with an external display is used instead of a tablet PC, the instructor would write on one surface while watching another. 3. OneNote was not mentioned in the question, only the tablet PC. Notes were converted from OneNote into PDF and posted as such.
Literature Cited 1. Susskind, J. E. Comput. Educ. 2005, 45, 203–215. 2. Szabo, A.; Hastings, N. Comput. Educ. 2000, 35, 175–187. 3. Apperson, J. M.; Laws, E. L.; Scepansky, J. A. Comput. Educ. 2006, 47, 116–126. 4. Felder, R. M.; Brent, R. Chem. Eng. Educ. 2005, 39, 28–29. 5. Hlynka, D.; Mason, R. Educ. Technol. 1998, 38, 45–48. 6. Mason, R.; Hlynka, D. Educ. Technol. 1998, 38, 42–45. 7. Chickering, A. W.; Ehrmann, S. C. AAHE Bull. 1996, October, 3-6. 8. Buchholz, S.; Ullman, J. Teaching Prof. 2004, 18, 4. 9. Garmston, R. J. J. Staff Devel. 2000, 21, 76–77. 10. Jones, A. M. Biosci. Educ. E-J. 2003, 2, 2–3. 11. The Center for Teaching and Learning at Connecticut College. Teaching and Learning with PowerPoint. http://ctl.conncoll.edu/ pp (accessed Oct 2009). 12. Center for Teaching and Learning Services at the University of Minnesota. Active Learning with PowerPoint. http://www1.umn. edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/powerpoint/ (accessed Oct 2009). 13. Cicchino, R.; Mirliss, D. Tablet PCs: A Powerful Teaching Tool. In World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education 2004; Richards, G., Ed.; AACE: Chesapeake, VA, 2004; pp 543-548. 14. Hulls, C. C. Using a Tablet PC for Classroom Instruction. In Frontiers in Education, 2005, Proceedings 35th Annual Conference; IEEE: Indianapolis, IN, Oct 19-22, 2005; pp T2G1-T2G6. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber =1611911 (accessed Oct 2009). 15. Loch, B. I. Tablet Technology in First-Year Calculus and Linear Algebra Teaching. In Kingfisher Delta 2005: The Fifth Southern Hemisphere Conference on Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics Teaching and Learning; Nov 22-26, 2005; Queensland, Australia; pp 231-237. 16. Colwell, K. E. TechTrends 2004, 48, 35–39. 17. Johnson, Anne E. J. Chem. Educ. 2008, 85, 655–657.
Supporting Information Available In-depth tutorial on how to use OneNote effectively in teaching chemistry; screen captures from an actual OneNote document used to teach general chemistry; worksheet for chemical reactions generated as a PDF from OneNote. This material is available via the Internet at http://pubs.acs.org.
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r 2009 American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.
