radioman
状元
This past semester, I have been fortunate to be using multiple devices in the classroom. I had purchased a new iPad 2 and still have my iPad 1. I also have an iPhone 4. The iPad 2 and the iPhone have Pleco. I am fully aware that this is not the norm - but my guess is that in a few short years, it will be - for just about every student, no matter what the subject is. It’s just too natural a fit and the price for tablets is getting extremely cheap.
***The Primary Tablet -
In my case, I consider this my iPad 2 (thet best one I have right now). This is used for presentation of information like documents, powerpoint presentations, etc. Last year, when in the classroom, I could open up a single page of a document, OCR it, and look at it. However, the problem is that in the classroom setting, you can require moving to another page fast. So I made a single png file possessing several pages. This has proven to be be immeasurably easier to utilize Pleco in a classroom setting. I can seamlessly move from one page to the next with no reloading. Don’t know a word in the text? Click on it to see the definition. 4 finger swipe to the web-browser or other support program if desired.
As a side note, one of the main issues with the First iPad and it’s use right now is that it is not really searchable. My hope is that the Pleco PDF reader will provide such support.
*** The Secondary Tablet -
The second iPad would be used for writing notes, drawing, looking things up, etc. (This does not have be be fixed in stone). As the main point to the second iPad is writing, the tablet simply needs to be able to support writing text and drawing. It does not need to be rendering 3D games. So in my case, I had my old iPad 1 I have yet to sell, that works great for the purpose of taking notes.
The iOS program Notability has made taking notes very easy in Chinese on this secondary device. (I have it on the primary device as well). It even provides various paper selection, one of which is a grid that works very well for Hanzi. You can write freehand, copy notes that the teacher is writing by hand on the blackboard, etc. Taking notes in this way is very natural in a classroom setting, as opposed to typing them.
Notability also can be set to immediately sync to your Dropbox account, Google Drive, etc.
*** In The Classroom -
So in the classroom, I simply open up my tablets, participate in class, take notes, and when the class is over, I close the smart covers and leave. All my notes have already been synced to my Dropbox. They are all dated with the right date, and are already in the folder for that particular subject/class.
*** Interoperability
If one was to buy into the concept of two devices (or even 3 if you throw in an iPhone), it begs for ways that programs between the devices could interact. Press on a word on one iPad and have the definition or sample sentences show up on the other. Interaction between Pleco and other programs.
*** Pleco as an Editor -
I know that the focus of Pleco has not been it’s editor function. But, the more I have been using Notability, it has driven home the point about Pleco as an Editor could be very useful. Some suggestions for the current editor.
- Addition of a search function. Specifically, in classroom settings, if there is a passage that is being talked about, there is no way to search for it through pages of text.
- When utilizing Pleco’s document viewer / editor, when you are using the viewer, and switch to editor mode, the editor should open up where you were viewing the document, not at the beginning of the document.
A few more editor comments.
Pleco's 2 finger input is no replacement for using a stylus - BUT, a stylus is no replacement for Pleco's 2 finger input. Both are very useful, for different reasons.
The stylus is self explanatory (from my perspective). If you are going to learn to really write, you need it. Its natural, less laborious on a number of fronts. There needs to be a way (like skritter) to simply clear the screen. I believe that Pleco has methods on some screens to clear with a single press, but having the ability to swipe up is very useful (and very consistent for those who use Skritter).
But the two finger input is extremely useful as well. I'm probably not alone in this regard, but I can easily copy entire phrases and sentences by just looking at them, not looking at the iPhone at all, and writing with my finger. I'm sure thats part of the reason that the program was designed this way to begin with. It would be great to have a way where a Pleco Editor (perhaps a standalone program like "Drafts") would offer this input method that could then very simply be thrown into a variety of other applications (e.g., SMS, email).
***The Primary Tablet -
In my case, I consider this my iPad 2 (thet best one I have right now). This is used for presentation of information like documents, powerpoint presentations, etc. Last year, when in the classroom, I could open up a single page of a document, OCR it, and look at it. However, the problem is that in the classroom setting, you can require moving to another page fast. So I made a single png file possessing several pages. This has proven to be be immeasurably easier to utilize Pleco in a classroom setting. I can seamlessly move from one page to the next with no reloading. Don’t know a word in the text? Click on it to see the definition. 4 finger swipe to the web-browser or other support program if desired.
As a side note, one of the main issues with the First iPad and it’s use right now is that it is not really searchable. My hope is that the Pleco PDF reader will provide such support.
*** The Secondary Tablet -
The second iPad would be used for writing notes, drawing, looking things up, etc. (This does not have be be fixed in stone). As the main point to the second iPad is writing, the tablet simply needs to be able to support writing text and drawing. It does not need to be rendering 3D games. So in my case, I had my old iPad 1 I have yet to sell, that works great for the purpose of taking notes.
The iOS program Notability has made taking notes very easy in Chinese on this secondary device. (I have it on the primary device as well). It even provides various paper selection, one of which is a grid that works very well for Hanzi. You can write freehand, copy notes that the teacher is writing by hand on the blackboard, etc. Taking notes in this way is very natural in a classroom setting, as opposed to typing them.
Notability also can be set to immediately sync to your Dropbox account, Google Drive, etc.
*** In The Classroom -
So in the classroom, I simply open up my tablets, participate in class, take notes, and when the class is over, I close the smart covers and leave. All my notes have already been synced to my Dropbox. They are all dated with the right date, and are already in the folder for that particular subject/class.
*** Interoperability
If one was to buy into the concept of two devices (or even 3 if you throw in an iPhone), it begs for ways that programs between the devices could interact. Press on a word on one iPad and have the definition or sample sentences show up on the other. Interaction between Pleco and other programs.
*** Pleco as an Editor -
I know that the focus of Pleco has not been it’s editor function. But, the more I have been using Notability, it has driven home the point about Pleco as an Editor could be very useful. Some suggestions for the current editor.
- Addition of a search function. Specifically, in classroom settings, if there is a passage that is being talked about, there is no way to search for it through pages of text.
- When utilizing Pleco’s document viewer / editor, when you are using the viewer, and switch to editor mode, the editor should open up where you were viewing the document, not at the beginning of the document.
A few more editor comments.
Pleco's 2 finger input is no replacement for using a stylus - BUT, a stylus is no replacement for Pleco's 2 finger input. Both are very useful, for different reasons.
The stylus is self explanatory (from my perspective). If you are going to learn to really write, you need it. Its natural, less laborious on a number of fronts. There needs to be a way (like skritter) to simply clear the screen. I believe that Pleco has methods on some screens to clear with a single press, but having the ability to swipe up is very useful (and very consistent for those who use Skritter).
But the two finger input is extremely useful as well. I'm probably not alone in this regard, but I can easily copy entire phrases and sentences by just looking at them, not looking at the iPhone at all, and writing with my finger. I'm sure thats part of the reason that the program was designed this way to begin with. It would be great to have a way where a Pleco Editor (perhaps a standalone program like "Drafts") would offer this input method that could then very simply be thrown into a variety of other applications (e.g., SMS, email).
