The Tablet PC: An Interactive Teaching Tool for Spanish Language and Literature Courses

José F. Bañuelos-Montes, Dolores Flores-Silva 
(Modern Languages Department, Roanoke College, Salem, VA, USA)

Abstract: The educational classroom has been transformed by many technological advances which enhance student learning (Mock, 2004). The Tablet PC is a specific learning tool that can influence the way students learn Spanish language and literature. The authors of this investigation propose a twofold method in teaching with the TPC: (1) to improve the content and form of the written target language; and (2) to improve students’ ability to analyze literature. A survey given to students of Spanish Composition and Literature in fall 2011 reveals a constructive analysis of the effective implementation of this learning technology to enrich students’ writing and poetic analysis. The data collected indicates that the TPC increased students’ engagements in the learning of Spanish, assisted them in recalling prior information, provided them with a learning guide for taking notes and introduced them to the appropriate application of PowerPoint presentations to reinforce and augment their understanding and retention of the presented material.

Key words: enhance students’ learning, effective teaching tool