Workshop on the Impact of Pen-based Technology on Education (WIPTE) registration has opened, agenda is posted, and abstracts are available. The deadline for early registration is September 14, 2009. Here is a note from the WIPTE committee:

If you are interested in the use of Tablet PCs or other types of pen-based technology to support teaching and learning in varied disciplines, please visit www.wipte.org to learn more about WIPTE (the Workshop on the Impact of Pen-based Technology on Education). 

WIPTE 2009 will be held October 12-13, 2009 at Virginia Tech.  The workshop covers multiple subject areas and is intended to identify and share best practices related to the use of Tablet PCs and pen-based computing in both K-12 and higher education.  Each WIPTE paper presentation includes an assessment component as an important part of the presentation. The WIPTE program also includes keynote talks, poster presentations, hands-on sessions and vendor booths.  Corporate sponsors will be providing giveaways including two HP 2730p Tablets, an HP iPaq 910 Business Messenger cell phone and more.

Additional information including the workshop schedule, travel information and links to an online registration form are available at www.wipte.org.  An early registration fee of $50 is in effect through September 14^th. After that date the fee increases to $100.

We hope to see you in October!

Windows 7 includes Windows Touch & Tablet technology, which allows you to use fingers to scroll through web pages, resize windows, and directly interact with applications. It's reasonable to ask, "Will I really use it? What will I really end up using it to do?"

I have the final version of Windows 7 with beta N-Trig multi-touch drivers installed on a Dell Latitude XT. Until N-Trig and Dell release final drivers (hopefully, at the same time as Windows 7 launch), this is a good for now but not necessarily representative of the end experience. That said, I've found myself touching the screen for all sorts of tasks. Here are some ways that I didn't expect to use Windows Touch, but do:

1. Shutting down the computer. Using my left hand I tap the Start button and then move my thumb a couple inches to the left to tap the Shut down button. This has become my default way of turning the computer off.

I can also navigate the Start Menu with my fingers. However, my default way of opening an app is to tap Start, then switch to typing the name of the app in the Search box. The hybrid approach works well for me.

2. Go Back a page in IE 8. I use Internet Explorer and Firefox for web browsers. I'll have 10 to 15 tabs open at any given time and each has its own topic. I've found the Back gesture to be very useful. Similar to Flicks in Windows Vista, the gesture to go to the previous page is a short horizontal movement to the right.

Along with scrolling up and down on a page, this simple gesture is really valuable. Scrolling is easy with velocity and distance of my finger's motion impacting how far and quickly I scroll through a page. It's easy to rest my right hand against the corner of the convertible Tablet PC and use my thumb to move up and down pages, whether these pages were search results, standard page, or a PDF.

3. Touch to log on. I laugh to myself everytime I enter my password using the touch-screen because I usually catch myself doing this while I'm watching TV. The onscreen keyboard automatically enlarges when my finger hits the screen. Quick and easy.

4. Photo slideshow. After my last travel excursion, I connected the PC to the TV and gave a few slideshows. Advancing through photos with the tip of my finger was easy and was a better option for me than automatic advancement. (In other words, I talked a lot.)

All of these are minor tasks, however, I use them regularly and find it interesting that I didn't expect to use Windows Touch in this way. The value to me has been that I can just see, point, and get the action I want. Overall, I like the addition of Windows Touch to my PC, just as I appreciate it on my iPhone. It'll be interesting to see how form factors and software continue to evolve as it is adopted.

Imagine Cup '09 kicks off tonight in Cairo, Egypt with an opening ceremony at the Citadel. Ray Ozzie just told stories about when he was a student at University of Illinois and impressed by the developer of PLATO, innovators like Dan Bricklin, and how these students have an opportunity to solve real issues in the world with software. Joe Wilson is now continuing with the power of dreams coming true and how the world can use some more big, new dreams.

Over the next five days students will compete on how their ideas can make an impact. Good luck to all of these students during the competition.

Learning to write is an intergral part of schooling and with advancements in Tablet technology, the ability for students to learn to write and continue using practical skills like note-taking on a computer is a great opportunity. More work is needed in the area of Tablet technology and accessibility. Microsoft is requesting that students put thought into this area during its annual Imagine Cup competition.

This year the Imagine Cup has a Tablet Accessibility Award with first place prize of $8000, a Tablet PC, and a trip to the Imagine Cup finals in Cairo.  The competition already started and first round ends in 21 days. So please help spread the word to interested students!

Students aged 16 and older must be attending an accredited four year high school or college, either full or part time.  

Imagine Cup Tablet Accessibility Award overview  

The object of the Tablet Accessibility Award is to create a new education application that uses Tablet technology while expanding the possibilities about how a user interacts with the computer. The application should reflect the Imagine Cup theme, “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems facing us today,” as it relates to the United Nations Millennium Goal of Universal Education.

This Award competition starts at 12:01 AM Greenwich Mean Time (“GMT”) on April 3^rd, 2009 and ends at 11:59 PM (GMT) on May 20^th, 2009 (“Entry Period”). The Entry Period consists of two (2) separate Rounds

First Place:

• $8,000 USD, to be divided equally among each officially registered member of the Team
• A Tablet device (Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet PC) for each officially registered member of the Team. ARV US $ 1,028,00
• A trip for each officially registered member of the Team to Cairo, Egypt to attend the Worldwide Finals. Trip includes round trip coach air travel, standard hotel accommodations and select meals.

Second Place:

• $4,000 USD, to be divided equally among each officially registered member of the Team
• A Tablet device (Lenovo ThinkPad X61 Tablet PC) for each officially registered member of the Team. ARV US $ 1,028,00
• A trip for each officially registered member of the Team to Cairo, Egypt to attend the  Worldwide Finals. Trip includes round trip coach air travel, standard hotel accommodations and select meals

See http://imaginecup.com/Competition/mycompetitionportal.aspx?competitionId=34 for contest details, rules, and eligibility information.