How do you use the tablet for Learning?

I met my nephew on one weekend and he just got a Samsung Galaxy Tab from his parents. His dad (my brother-in-law) bought my nephew the Samsung Galaxy Tab because he sees the device as a great tool for learning.
P/S: My brother-in-law is an educator too.
To make a long story short, I asked my nephew, "How do you use your tablet for learning?"
He frowned and said, "What do you mean?"
I repeated my question, "How do you use your tablet for learning? Do you take it to class? Do you write notes using the tablet? Do you send email to your lecturer via the tablet? You know...."  my voice trailed away.
It took him a couple of seconds to answer my million ringgit question.


Freeze Screen!
My nephew was not the first one who took a while to answer my question.  I had asked several students from my institution the same question and they all took more than a minute to gave me their answers.


Unfreeze Screen!
So, my nephew said, "Actually I don't do all those things. I just downloaded this e-book," at this point he showed me the ebook on chemistry he downloaded and continued, "and I read the notes and that's about it.".
I took the tablet and tapped lightly on it and WAL-LAH! the task bar popped up.  I showed him the tools such as pen, highlighter and eraser found on the task bar and how to use it on the ebook.  Then I also showed him how he could email this to his personnal email and print it out.
"Ahh....!!!! " he said and took his tablet and started annotating on it.
You might be wondering at this moment how the heck do I know all these?
Well, I am the iPad Fest coordinator at Taylor's College and that's another story.


Freeze Screen!
I would like to share with you a video I created with the help of Cambridge A Levels students at Taylor's College January 2012 intake on how they use their iPads for Learning.  My thanks to Mr Irwan Kurniawan Samsudin for "lending" me his students for the video.
Hope my nephew's watching this! :)

Blended Learning - An Overview

How does one define "Blended Learning" or BL for short?

It could be defined as when a student uses two or more ways to learn and it involves the use of technology.

How does one define "Technology" then?

Technology could be defined as items, instruments or devices which when a student uses it, enhances their understanding of a lesson.

Before the invent of iPads, were there other technologies?

If you define "technology" as the above, then yes. Once a upon a time, blackboard and chalk used to be the technology of that era. Then there's the whiteboard and marker pens.  Now, the Smartboards with internet connection.  The latest is tablets such as iPads and Samsung Galaxy Tabs, to name a few brands familiar to most of us.  So, what's the next "Technology"? You tell me!.

It's not the technology that matters.  It's HOW an educator uses it to make the class more engaging where learning and understanding and making meaning of the lesson takes place. It's HOW the device or items assist students into able to make meaning and connection of his prior knowledge with the new knowledge he is learning in class.  It's not the brand that counts. It's just HOW we, educators make use of it to enhance our students' learning and understanding at the end of each semester.  

Here's a presentation on an overview of Blended Learning at Taylor's College from my point of view.

Blended Learning : An Overview on Prezi

Here comes the iPads!!!

Technology has evolved once again with the re-introduction of tablets.  This time around, it's the sleek iPads by Apple.


Sharing with you on an iPad pilot project at Taylor's College Subang Jaya from September 2011 until 31st Dec 2011.

Taylor's College iPad pilot project on Prezi