June 2013 – JimUBC

Surface Pro – Recommendations

A colleague at UBC wrote to say that she was going to get a Microsoft Surface Pro. She asked if I had any thoughts or advice. I’ve had my Surface Pro for four months. Here is what I replied.

Surface Pro 64 or 128
The 64 is $899. The 128 is $999. I got the 128. For me this meant NOT having to manage space on the hard drive, or to think about using an extra memory card (that could have saved me $40 but would have meant a lot more thinking in terms of managing space). If I had to do it again, I would make the same decision.

You probably don’t need a display adapter for presentations
The Surface Pro uses a Mini DisplayPort for connecting to a projector. This is the same as most MacBooks. This means that you probably don’t have to buy an adapter to connect to projectors if there is a connection that supports MacBooks. I understand that these are pretty common on campus. If you routinely connect your portable devices a monitor, that’s a different matter and you will need some kind of display adapter.

Keyboard Cover
I would definitely get a snap on cover – it is very convenient, protects the screen and reduces the sense of urgency around buying a special case for the Surface. If you get a Surface snap on cover, spend the extra $10 and get the Type Cover – I find it to be much more usable than the Touch Cover. I have both and I use the Touch Cover too, but the Type Cover is better for touch typing.

Cases and bags
If you have any kind of simple case that you can use now, don’t spend money on anything else until you’ve lived with your new Surface Pro for awhile.

Extended Warranty and Accidental Damage Protection
Consider getting Microsoft Complete

Teaching in the Land of BYOD CTLT Institute 2013 follow up

Here is the mind map from the CTLT session on Teaching in the Land of BYOD Teaching in the Land of BYOD Mind Map

You can click the mind map to see the full sized image and see the notes from the session.

In the days leading up to my session I found myself in other presentations, there with my own devices and keenly aware of how I was using them. Sometimes I was deeply engaged, taking notes, following references, looking up related ideas following flights of fancy across the web. Sometimes I was looking at my schedule to see what was coming up next. And there were other times where I just had to put down my devices and participate with others in a discussion or activity.

In those situations where I was passively receiving information and actively trying to interact with it my devices helped me to do that. I have probably always done this with pen and paper, and later laptops and tablets and in a pinch, my smartphone. In other situations where I was expected to actively contribute and even create content (especially with others) those personal devices were simply a hindrance.

Does this reflect the typical learner’s experience in my classes?