Jim Vanides reviews uses of Tablet PCs for music instruction.
It seems to me that a tablet pc and projector has several advantages over a whiteboard:
The projected image can be MUCH bigger than a whiteboard or SmartBoard – so everyone can see what is written no matter how far away they sit
Whatever is “written” can be saved and re-projected during class, and then distributed after class (no more, “oops – I erased that already”); you can also go one step further and RECORD everything that is said and projected, using software like Camtasia from Techsmith.
You can switch between “drawing on a whiteboard” to showing a music application or scanned image of original sheet music. Imagine bringing up a scanned image of an original handwritten Mozart piece, then being able to annotate on TOP of it to point out various characteristics – without disturbing the original image underneath.
You can sketch directly into music notation software and then PLAY the result. I’ve yet to see a whiteboard do this… 😉
If students have Tablets, they can participate in the discussion directly, making “coming to board” more efficient and less initimidating
He also offers links to websites that offer free music software, etc.
I like writing music on a Tablet and having the Tablet play it back for me! Fun and instructive at the same time, without using a violin, piano or other conventional instrument to find out if the music in my head sounds the same with my ears. Cool!