Digital lecturing systems (computer and projector, often with PowerPoint) offer physics instructors the ability to incorporate graphics and the power to share and reuse materials. But these systems do a poor job of supporting interaction in the classroom. For instance, with digital presentation systems, instructors have limited ability to spontaneously respond to student questions. This limitation is especially acute during classroom activities such as problem solving, Peer Instruction,1 and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs).2 A Tablet PC, a laptop computer with a stylus that can be used to “write” on the screen, provides a way for instructors to add digital ink spontaneously to a presentation in progress. The Tablet PC can be a powerful tool for teaching,3,4 especially when combined with software systems specifically designed to leverage digital ink for pedagogical uses. Ubiquitous Presenter (UP) is one such freely available system.5 Developed at the University of California, San Diego, and based on Classroom Presenter,6 UP allows the instructor to ink prepared digital material (such as exported PowerPoint slides) in real time in class. Ink is automatically archived stroke by stroke and can be reviewed through a web browser (by both students and instructors). The system also supports spontaneous in‐class interaction through a web interface—students with web‐enabled devices (Tablet PCs, regular laptops, PDAs, and cell phones) can make text‐, ink‐, or image‐based submissions on the instructor's slides. The instructor can review and then project submitted slides to the class and add additional ink, so that material generated by students can be a focus for discussion. A brief video showing UP in action is at http://physics.csusm.edu/UP. In this article, we describe UP and give examples of how UP can support the physics classroom.

Topics
Telecommunications engineering, Education, Teaching, Lectures
1.
E. Mazur, Peer Instruction: A User's Manual (Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1997).
2.
D.
Sokoloff
 and
R.
Thornton
, “
Using Interactive Lecture Demonstrations to create an active learning environment
,”
Phys. Teach.
35
,
340
–
346
(Sept.
1997
).
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
3.
Z.
Milanovic
, “
Lecturing with a virtual whiteboard
,”
Phys. Teach.
44
,
354
–
357
(Sept.
2006
).
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
4.
A.
Robinson
, “
Easy implementation of internet‐based whiteboard physics tutorials
,”
Phys. Teach.
46
,
456
–
459
(Nov.
2008
).
Google Scholar
Crossref
Search ADS
 
5.
A variety of additional software programs are useful for teaching with Tablet PCs, including Microsoft One‐Note, Classroom Presenter, and DyKnow.
6.
R. Anderson, R. Anderson, B. Simon, S. A. Wolfman, T. VanDeGrift, and K. Yasuhara “Experiences with a Tablet PC based lecture presentation system in computer science courses,” in Proceedings of the Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) Technical Symposium (March 2004). Classroom Presenter is available free at http://classroompresenter.cs.washington.edu/.
7.
Edward Price, Roshni Malani, and Beth Simon, “Characterization of instructor and student use of ubiquitous presenter, a presentation system enabling spontaneity and digital archiving,” in Proceedings of the 2006 Physics Education Research Conference, edited by L. McCullough, L. Hsu, and P. Heron (American Institute of Physics Publishing, 2007), Vol. 883, pp. 125–128.
8.
E. Price and C. De Leone, “Archiving student solutions with Tablet PCs in a discussion‐based introductory physics class,” in Proceedings of the 2008 Physics Education Research Conference, edited by L. Hsu, C. Henderson, and M. Sabella (American Institute of Physics Publishing, 2008), Vol. 1064, pp. 175–178.
9.
E. Price and B. Simon, “Instructor inking in physics classes with Ubiquitous Presenter,” in The Impact of Tablet PCs and Pen‐based Technology on Education: Beyond the Tipping Point, edited by J.C. Prey, R.H. Reed, and D.A. Berque (Purdue University Press, West Lafayette, IN, 2007).
10.
D. Lindquist, T. Denning, M. Kelly, R. Malani, W. G. Griswold, and B. Simon, “Exploring the potential of mobile phones for active learning in the classroom” in Proceedings of the Special Interest Group on Computer Science Education (SIGCSE) Technical Symposium (March 2007).
11.
D. Berque, T. Bonebright, J. Dart, K. Koch and S. O'Banion, “Using DyKnow Software to support group work: A mixed‐method evaluation,” in The Impact of Tablet PCs and Pen‐based Computing on Education: Beyond the Tipping Point (Purdue University Press, 2007). Information is at http://www.dyknow.com/.
This content is only available via PDF.
© 2009 American Association of Physics Teachers.
2009
American Association of Physics Teachers
AAPT members receive access to The Physics Teacher and the American Journal of Physics as a member benefit. To learn more about this member benefit and becoming an AAPT member, visit the Joining AAPT page.