Things are going just fine.  My evaluations are good; students are learning. 

Why should I consider bringing tablets into my classroom? 

With a tablet in hand, your students have the world at their fingertips.  A better question might be, "Why shouldn't I use tablets in my classroom?"  For ease of use and portability, you can't beat an iPad or an Android tablet.  Lightweight and wireless, tablets move easily with students as they shift from whole group instruction to small group collaboration.  Swipe, tap, pinch -- fingers work intuitively on these devices, allowing even the most technologically challenged to navigate easily. 

Applications such as Nearpod and Socrative facilitate an interactive lecture format.  Learners follow the presentation on their devices but are able to send responses to the instructor.   Instructors can pose questions and have students research the answers.    Tablets also make it possible for students to "co-create" content, moving from the classroom to the field and using devices to take photographs or videos, collect data, record observations and share results with colleagues. 

Are tablets a good choice for higher ed?  Students think they are.  The Higher Education Edition of the 2012 Horizon Report predicted that tablets would be widely implemented in colleges and universities within a year.  The IT department at NKU is doing its part to support faculty use of iPads by providing hardware and personalized training.  Professors can schedule tablet carts and have them delivered to their classrooms.  IT instructional designers are available to work one-on-one with faculty to help them learn how to use the devices, identify appropriate applications and prepare instruction.  To learn more about  using tablets to invigorate your classroom, explore the resources below.

Apps in Education Infographic - quick visual  to help you see the "data picture" of current use for iPads and Androids.

New Media Consortium 2012 Horizon Report, Higher Education Edition - An annual forecast for K-12 and higher ed that predicts how close we are to mainstream adoption of new technologies.  Tablets are featured in this report.

Scoop.it:  iPads in University Lecturing - A collection of resources, articles and ideas for implementing iPad technology in higher ed.

iPads in Higher Ed - Pinterest - Like Scoop.it, Pinterest allows users to collect and share resources.  This collection provides a variety of ideas and tips for using iPads in class.

Using iPads to Enhance Fieldwork Learning- iPads are portable research tools with cameras, video and audio recorders, and data tools.  This site shows an array of uses for the iPad in fieldwork in geology, geography, environmental and natural sciences. 

The iPad As . . .  (Choose a task and find the right app for it.) - The right approach to integrating technology is to first determine what you want students to learn, explore or apply.  Once you know that, you can pick the right technology for the task.  This tool will introduce you to iPad apps endorsed by other educators. 

iPad Apps for Schools - Reviews of iPad applications for education.  Click on the Archive menu to search by category.

Session Presentation - PDF format

Research Studies

Oklahoma State University iPad Study - Results of a pilot program in which faculty taught with iPads.

Indiana  University Bloomington - iPad Faculty Learning Community Case Studies - Research supports that faculty learning communities are more effective approaches to learning about technology than traditional training sessions.  This study shares insights from an iPad faculty project at IUB. 

Loyola Mariemont University iPad Exploration Project - Another faculty iPad project.  This site contains links to study results and describes how faculty were supported during implementation.  Participants share what they've learned through "pedagogical conversations."