Some pupils found the Tablet PC ideal for Science lessons, whereas other preferred to use it in German. It was, in no way, confined to ICT lessons. Indeed, one pupil commented: "I use it more in mainstream subjects than I do in ICT lessons."

This is one of the fundamental advantages of the Tablet PC - it lends itself to the whole curriculum and pupils are eager to incorporate it into all of their lessons.

The handwriting tool came out as a firm favourite amongst the pupils and teachers alike. By using it to make notes in a lesson, pupils found it much easier to keep track of their notes and to file them into in a Word document when appropriate. It makes note taking easier, quicker, neater and not insignificantly, more fun. Pupils can scribble on the Tablet PC during the lesson, then simply convert the notes to text afterwards. The pupils I spoke to heaped great emphasis on the facilitating effect that this function has on exam revision.

Philip, a student at the school uses the Tablet PC extensively in Chemistry lessons. For him, the ability to write a complicated equation and to draw graphics on his Tablet, later converting the documents to text is indispensable. It enables him to record such details digitally with the minimum of fuss and effort. In his words, "the handwriting tool gives a different dimension to the whole experience of using IT."

Indeed, pupils are motivated to ensure that their handwriting is legible and neat. Mike Wood, the Head, recounted a story of when a group of students were handed a Tablet PC to use for the first time. He told of how they treated the recognition tool as a battle of wills between them and the computer - only content once 100% recognition had been achieved.

Using the Tablet PC, pupils can email their homework to the teacher who is then able to annotate it in either text or handwriting and email it back. Annotated homework can either be sent back in HTML format, meaning the pupil cannot alter it, or in normal format, meaning that he/she can. Carol Webb, AST/ICT Project Manager commented on how much her pupils appreciated digitally handwritten remarks compared with typewritten ones.

The pupils I spoke to firmly believed that it made the teacher far more accessible and that it made them far more willing to share experiences and work. Homework can be sent back and forth in a matter of minutes - a far cry from a pupil waiting days to be handed back an exercise book.

In the words of one pupil; "the Tablet PC allows greater collaboration in lessons. It is more personal - you are not hidden behind screens." Indeed, one of the advantages of the Tablet PC is its practicality. Heavy folders are no more and because the Tablet PC is so interactive, it can be used for pretty much everything, reducing the need to shift data between machines. Notes can simply be emailed to fellow pupils. Mike Wood commented: "The Tablet PC makes it easy for pupils to share information with each other and they are thus less reliant on teachers as a source of information."

Carol Webb appreciates greatly the option of printing Power Point slides into the Journal and then writing on them directly. It removes the need to create new slides - she can simply save and then email the annotated ones to colleagues. Carol also enjoys the way she can draw pictures and diagrams in the Journal and then import them into Word. These tools greatly facilitate a teacher's life. The snippet tool is another example. Rather than copying exercises into books, the snippet tool enables a section of a document to be copied and pasted into Word or the Journal. The pupil/teacher can then write straight over the pasted item - saving invaluable administration time in a lesson.

These tools also encourage personal contact with the pupils. Having created a generic report, the teacher can then fill in individual comments by hand using the Tablet pen - a process which Carol declares to be much quicker than mail merge. The teacher can also sit down with the pupil and fill in the report with them, converting it to text before printing it off for the pupil to take home.

So far, the Tablet PCs in The Cornwallis have been used for individual learning. The next step for the school is to move forward and integrate the Tablet PC into whole class teaching. The Head commented "I believe the Tablet PC adds a new dimension to the idea of implementing IT in the classroom. I have yet to see how far reaching that will be but the Tablet PC has already proved itself to be a significant and much valued tool. It could have dramatic potential." He is very keen to see the value of the Tablet PC with pupils of different levels and age groups in the schools.

The school's next plan is to have 28 Tablet PCs brought into the Science department and these will be used across all classes, from year 7 to 13.

Carol Webb believes Tablet PCs can be used effectively in whole class teaching. Teachers can write on the Tablets, whilst walking around the classroom and then project the document onto the interactive whiteboard. This allows the teacher to be more deeply involved in the lesson and to be more flexible in his or her approach. Carol would also like to see Tablet PCs being used in Net Meeting as they constitute such a great collaborative tool - pupils brainstorming on Tablet PCs in the class and then the results being displayed on the interactive whiteboard.

Mike Wood says "a teacher using the Tablet PC imaginatively will bring great benefit to learning. The capacity of the Tablet PC offers great potential to the teacher and in the right teachers' hands it would be a great motivator."

Referring to the introduction of the Tablet PC to education, he declared "In over 10 years of speaking with other heads and individuals involved with education, nothing has excited people in the way that the Tablet PC has."

Indeed, the most fundamental attraction of the Tablet PC is perhaps its ability to engage both teachers and pupils and its huge potential in the educational environment.