Tablet PC for med school

[Dr Who]

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A friend of mine suggested I buy a tablet pc for med school. He said that it would be nice to download and write notes directly on class powerpoint presentations so that it would be easier to study directly from the pc.
any of you out there have tablet pc's?
If so how has it helped you in your studies?
Is it worth it?
Any recommendations on a good, budget tablet? I went to Comp USA yesterday and saw one for $1,400. The brand is Averatec, I read some pretty good reviews on the internet. What I would like to know is, is it practical for a med student to have a tablet instead of an ordinary laptop?

 

[stinkycheese]

I dont know about Averatec's model, but most tablets can be used as regular laptops, so you can use them interchangeably. I was thinking about getting one myself, but thought about it and realized that I would probably miss a regular pen and paper, and would not use it enough to justify the money. I got a powerbook instead. It's really a matter of your personal style. I want to be able to follow along with the ppt presentations, but I dont necessarily want to write on them. I like having a regular notebook. Whatever works for you!

 

[Dr.Evil1]

Computers are way over-rated. I am a MS4 and haven't even touched a computer for all 4 years of medical school.

 

[doc05]

dude, there's no need for a tablet pc or even a notebook.

 

[Med Phred]

Computers are way over-rated. I am a MS4 and haven't even touched a computer for all 4 years of medical school.

And what Luddite medical school do you go to?

 

[Dr.Evil1]

I must be teleporting my thoughts directly into the www if I didn't really use/have a computer.

I go to Wayne State in Detroit and I actually use a computer quite a bit. There are like 3 students who used to bring laptops into class (out of a class of 250). Most of the time they just used them to play games during lecture. We now have wireless in the classrooms so everyone has PDAs (required by our school) and cruises the internet on them during class. Our lectures are filmed and can be watched as streaming video files from home. We have blackboard and all that other crap.

I don't think you NEED a tablet PC or a laptop for medical school. They are fun to have so if you just gave me one I would take it. I am a desktop fan though and I don't think that I will ever change. You should have some type of computer though for med school if only to cruise SDN.

 

[Dr Who]

I was thinking of buying a laptop anyway. Although I am not a computer freak, it would be nice to download lectures directly to a laptop and have them available to me anytime. Like I mentioned earlier, I went to Comp USA and happened upon the tablet PC, which was the same price as an ordinary laptop. So if it is more or less the same price then why not buy the tablet, since it is basically a laptop with some extra functions.

 

[skiz knot]

I was thinking of buying a laptop anyway. Although I am not a computer freak, it would be nice to download lectures directly to a laptop and have them available to me anytime. Like I mentioned earlier, I went to Comp USA and happened upon the tablet PC, which was the same price as an ordinary laptop. So if it is more or less the same price then why not buy the tablet, since it is basically a laptop with some extra functions.

I love my tablet, and recommend one to any full time student that can afford one. If your school makes ppt available to students, it is so nice not to have to print them out and carry them with you, and you can make your notes directly on the screen, but this you know already. It saves me a **** load of time in the morning because I don't have to remember a schedule and what notebooks to bring that day.

You can find the model I bought for around 1000 bucks if you search around the internet. It is the NEC VersaLite Tablet PC.
Specs Win XP, 933 mHz (or something like that), P4, 20 gb Hard drive, usb 2.0, ethernet, WiFi b/a etc...

It is a true tablet, meaning everything like keyboard, cd drive is external, but you will not need them for notetaking and tooling around on the internet away from home when it is inconvenient to carry those things (which all in all, is not that much more to carry if you wanted).

I know the computer is not "state of the art" when you compare specs to recently released pcs, but it is certainly capable of doing everything you would reasonably want an ultraportable computer to do. I would Highly recommend that you have some way to back up your files if you are planning to go paperless. You could purchase the optional external cd-r drive to replace the standard cd drive for that purpose (if you were to choose this model, I would probably upgrade to 512 mb ram, instead of std 256).

Another note, it seems that in order to keep costs relatively low, tablets don't come with much bundled software, keep that in mind when purchasing. All you would need to make it functional is a copy of MS Office 2003 (student ed. is fine) which you might be able to purchase cheap from your school. MS OneNote and Adobe Acrobat (full version, so you can annotate pdf files) might also prove helpful.

 

[heldicus]

I was thinking of buying a laptop anyway. Although I am not a computer freak, it would be nice to download lectures directly to a laptop and have them available to me anytime. Like I mentioned earlier, I went to Comp USA and happened upon the tablet PC, which was the same price as an ordinary laptop. So if it is more or less the same price then why not buy the tablet, since it is basically a laptop with some extra functions.

Because it isn't.

Tablets are like PDAs but without the same portability, and like notebooks but without the same power and functionality. You have to pay considerably more for a tablet than for a notebook of comparable specs.

Buy a notebook and get your money's worth...and do everything you can do with a tablet (but writing on the screen is not advised). You can still take notes on powerpoint slides...notice the bottom pane in powerpoint that says "click to add notes"

 

[funkless]

I resisted a strong temptation to buy a computer at the beginning of this year (I'm an M-1).

Glad I didn't buy one. Books are all you need. Computers are just a distraction. As long as you can check your email, you don't need to tote around a laptop (where you'll be fighting off FreeCell, iTunes, and SDN when you should be studying).

--Funkless

 

[stoic]

Because it isn't.

Tablets are like PDAs but without the same portability, and like notebooks but without the same power and functionality. You have to pay considerably more for a tablet than for a notebook of comparable specs.

Buy a notebook and get your money's worth...and do everything you can do with a tablet (but writing on the screen is not advised). You can still take notes on powerpoint slides...notice the bottom pane in powerpoint that says "click to add notes"

this isn't exactly true. many of the newer tablet pc's are "convertible" tablets. they have the exact same power as a regular notebook pc. they weight around 4 pounds, which is more than some of the smaller, less powerful tablets but about the same a most portable notebooks.

 

[mwhou]

As an undergrad, I have found the tablet very useful. I've used it much more than any notebook or desktop computer I've ever had. It takes some time to get used to and to adapt to using it efficiently, but I think it is a good investment.

Some things to consider before jumping in:
You will have to look at your individual school, their curriculum, and the prof's use of technology.

1. Do you need a computer in med school? (or a new one now?)
2. Will a tablet offer advantages over a notebook?

1. You may not need anything more than a very basic computer at your medical school. If most of the curriculum notes are paper based, power point slides aren't downloadable, and there is not a lot of e-curriculum, you many not need much. You may find it easier to leave the computer at home.

Are you going to need it at the library, in labs, or dedicated study areas? If there is sufficent computers provided, again you may not need it.

Talk to other students, find out when/where/how much they use computers.
If possible try to talk to the computer savy, and technophobes so that you get a perspective from both sides.

2. Will a tablet offer advantages over a notebook?
I love the tablet, and would never use a laptop again. I have one of the slate models (like the poster above w/NEC said - keyboard is separate.) I don't think it matters which style you get, but the slate is smaller, lighter, (means you carry it more) and it forces you to use the tablet stuff...

For classes, your professors can be tablet friendly or not. If they post powerponts online BEFORE class, you can take notes on screen. This IS really great. Definitely much better than text notes. Multiple pens, highlighting, add your own notes etc. If they don't post the powerpoints, it doesn't help you at all.

Do they provide sylabus notes or scibe notes in electronic format? IF they don't you aren't really able to go paperless. The tablet will just be another 3lbs added to your stack of stuff to carry around.

Is there wireless on campus? If not, you will be forced to only use the internet at the same places the school likely provides computers. (alternatively a cellular modem from verizon now offers broadband speed at a very reasonable cost - if you replace your home DSL w/this service)

Continued...

 

[mwhou]

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These external factors will have a big impact on how much you can use your tablet, and how much it will lighten your load by allowing you to go paperless.

Despite this, I love using it in even tablet unfriendly enviornments. Writing on the screen in powerpoint is a great way to make flash cards. (of course you can also type and cut and paste diagrams to aide) These 'flash cards' are always with you, easy to rearrange, combine for final review etc.

I use MindManager by MindMap for taking notes. You handwrite your notes into the program, directly into a heirarchial organization (outline like.) This forces you to summarize and group ideas - active learning. By the end of class, I can push a buttion and have a text mind map, word outline, or powerpoint show of the day's notes. Great for reviewing later.

I use it as a daily organizer, note taker, flash card maker, ebook reader for texts and fiction (many medical texts: netter, harrisons etc are available too), audio book and music player, street map in addition to all of the usual notebook computer like things. It is nice to jot into a e-post it note, draw on a pdf, word document, map and email or print. Handwriting is often much faster and clearer for these things than text (from a regular computer.)

You will get more out of it if you spend more time learning about the tablet. Thus you should be relatively computer literate, and get it early enough to have some time before school starts to play with it.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[funkless]

oh, well.

some of us are luddites.

My take is that it takes about $500 in textbooks, two boxes of ink pens, and fourteen-thousand legal pads to make it through your first year of med school. A computer may or may not help.

 

[Dr Who]

I wonder why I keep staring at funkless's avatar? 😕

 

[piu]

are u able to study off a computer screen for long periods of time ? i find that i have to print everything out before i can study them.

 

[mikedc813]

dude, there's no need for a tablet pc or even a notebook.

Are you kidding me??? All of my lectures are on PPT and posted online. Without a notebook I'd be so screwed. I am constantly on my notebook. Maybe it depends on how your school structures how they present the info to you, but I know a lot of schools are now totally PPT based.

 

[skiz knot]

are u able to study off a computer screen for long periods of time ? i find that i have to print everything out before i can study them.

I was worried about that too when I bought my tablet, because I have that problem with my CRT monitor for my desktop. I really havent experienced that problem with my tablet. I would suspect that because it is so small, and not stationary like a big monitor, I frequently adjust its position to exercise my eyes and allow it to be comfortable. I don't know...

I would have to admit that I rarely sit and stare at a computer screen for more than an hour or two at a time (except when on sdn!). Plus when using it to study in public, girls will undoubtedly come up to see your "thingy," so that also gives your eyes a chance to look at something else for a bit.

 

[mwhou]

are u able to study off a computer screen for long periods of time ? i find that i have to print everything out before i can study them.

I agree w/ the previous poster - it is definitely not like a regular computer screen. A much easier reading experience. My tablet is the size of a legal padan 3/4" thick. This makes it very easy to read like a book - while sitting at a desk, reclining in a chair, in bed - with the room lights on or off. I have easilly spent 10 hrs+ reading from it. At that point the eyes are tired - but the same with books. It might be a little harder on the eyes than books, but I don't think it is a problem. Mostly, it just takes a little time to adapt to it.

At times when I have gotten tired of reading off the screen, I have connected it to a tv or put the PPT notes I took on a cd/dvd and played them on the TV. When your eyes don't want to focus on book print or the computer screen, seeing 4" letters on the big screen helps. The novelty actually helps re-energize your efforts as well. (FWIW - the conversion to DVD takes one button, and just takes a few minutes while I go make coffee.)

 

[skiz knot]

how do y0u make ppt docs into DVD?

 

[mwhou]

how do y0u make ppt docs into DVD?

There are several ways - the fastest and easiest is a program called dvd x pont from 321 studios. Unfortunately, they got sued for their dvd copy software and are closing up. On the upside, a liquidator has been selling the programs for $14. It is a simple powerpoint addon, one click!

Alternatively, you can save/export a powerpoint as jpeg files and use roxio cd/dvd to put in in VCD or DVD format, but thier rendering takes longer. There are two or three other programs especially made for this out there, I just found the DVD X Point to be the easiest and cheapest. Google for "powerpoint to DVD" and you should find a few more.

 

[Fif the Great]

We were required to purchase a laptop (from the school) before we even begin. Virtually all of our lectures are Power Point presentations and we took all of our exams in the Fall on the laptop. They have a lockout setup where only the exam and the calculator can be accessed. Not only that, but we have a histology atlas online, our gross anatomy dissector is online, complete with quizzes and embryology, and not to mention that all communication from instructors, deans, class organizations, etc are via email. In fact, every med school I interviewed at required a laptop PC for first years. What stone-age schools do you guys go to? 😱 I'd kill myself if had to take notes the old-fashioned college way. We have more important things to worry about than writer's cramp every day for the rest of our med school lives.

 

[blueberry]

generally agree with all the advice given. In addition, I have a classmate who has a tablet and it really helps for histo/radiology where you can draw on the slides and point to the pictures. You can do the same with the "draw" function with a touchpad/mouse, but you won't get the same level of precision (+ it takes much longer to draw with a mouse/touchpad than with on the screen with a tablet). I don't remember the brand but I can ask. And of course tablets are more expensive in general.

One thing to consider is that as far as I know, currently all the tablets are like 16" + (?), while you can get notebooks that are considerably smaller in size and lighter...which can be an issue if you're bringing it to class everyday.

 

[mollybo]

Not at all - my tablet has a 12-inch screen, which is smaller than many laptops on the market. I have an M200, a convertible TabletPC, and I really like having the keyboard available when I want to write more quickly.

If you're going to buy a computer anyway, go ahead and consider a tablet. http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com has some pretty good forums.

 

[civic4982]

A friend of mine suggested I buy a tablet pc for med school. He said that it would be nice to download and write notes directly on class powerpoint presentations so that it would be easier to study directly from the pc.
any of you out there have tablet pc's?
If so how has it helped you in your studies?
Is it worth it?
Any recommendations on a good, budget tablet? I went to Comp USA yesterday and saw one for $1,400. The brand is Averatec, I read some pretty good reviews on the internet. What I would like to know is, is it practical for a med student to have a tablet instead of an ordinary laptop?

Tablet PCs are baller... an OG notebook costs $0.99 for 3 at walmart and takes notes plenty fine. Save the money for spring break 😀 !