Mdm Chia Soo Chin and Jason Tan SC summarize current research about using Tab-&-Sketch™ (Tablet PC and Alias SketchBook® Pro) to facilitate teaching and learning in Design & Technology.
Drawing, freehand sketching, doodling, rendering, colour rendering, quick sketches, thumbnail sketches, etc are part and parcel of visual representation skills that support designing, especially 3-D artefacts. Such skills help a designer communicate with others, to generate design concepts and to ‘grow’ ideas, in effect to capture design thinking and externalising one’s ‘mind’s eye’.
Generally, students need a lot of encouragement to get started. They showed less inhibition to draw and render, and were able to use the Tab-&-Sketch™ intuitively for designing and discussion.
These authors conclude that a Tablet PC with the right software can be used for:
• demonstration of drawing and rendering techniques
• drawing and rendering skills practice
• real-time design activities, design idea generation and development
• preparation of lessons that involve lots of graphics and illustrations
• interactive discussion of design ideas – teacher-to-student, student-to-student
• instant feedback on students’ design work
• direct inputs, comments, annotations and highlights on research materials
• easy preparation of presentation drawings
Chin is Curriculum Specialist/Design & Technology 1/Curriculum and Planning Development Division/Singapore Ministry of Education. Jason Tan SC, is Assistant Professor Design & Technology/Natural Sciences and Science Education Academic Group, Singapore National Institute of Education/Nanyang Technological University.
We appreciate their report. It serves as a useful reference for educators considering uses for a Tablet PC to increase learning.