An extra 3 GB of SkyDrive for students

Medical students: Microsoft is giving away an extra 3 GB of SkyDrive for students. SkyDrive is Microsoft's cloud-storage for Microsoft Windows, Apple iOS, and Google Android. Access all your files from any mobile device. Backup your important data. Learn more here: https://www.skydriveforstudents.com/

iPad mini - perfect for medical students and residents

Let's face it - medical students and residents don't have a lot of money. Medical students are frequently living off of loans while residents are making less than minimum wage (if you calculate their wages based on an hourly rate). So, the announcement today about the iPad mini should make students and residents very happy now! You can get an iPad mini for $329 and the device will even fit right in your white coat pocket! So, no need for any fancy holsters or straps to carry this gadget around the hospital. Plus, with 10 hrs of battery life, you won't be looking for an outlet during lunch to charge your device.

It's interesting to read how some analysts feel that Apple is now playing defense in the tablet market. They've released a product to compete against Android tablets like the Google Nexus 7, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and other 7" tablets that are in the $300 price range.

If the iPad mini had a retina display option, then I'd get in line to pre-order one on Oct 26. I may still pre-order one anyway, but for now I'll continue to use my iPad since I don't need to squeeze it into any white coat pockets.

iPad Revolution for Weill Cornell Medical Students

DEVICE REPLACES PRINTED TEXTS FOR 1ST- AND 2ND-YEAR STUDENTS, PROMOTES MOVE FROM PAPER TO ELECTRONIC RECORDKEEPING

NEW YORK (Sept. 15, 2011) — Weill Cornell Medical College students will now have a wealth of medical information and educational tools at their fingertips. Starting this fall 2011 semester, all incoming first- and second-year students are being provided with a new iPad 2 in place of the printed course notes and texts used by most students around the country.

Students will now be able to download course materials, see video or hear audio recordings of lectures, submit electronic course evaluations, access their grades, collaborate with other students, and save their notes and coursework.

"I am very proud that Weill Cornell is one of the first medical colleges in the country to embrace this technology," says Dr. Carol Storey-Johnson, senior associate dean of education at Weill Cornell Medical College. "The iPad will open a world of new learning opportunities for students and dramatically expand the way we train and educate a new generation of physicians. "

iPads in medical schools - are they improving education?

Recently, I had a chance to chat with a number of medical students about their use of iPads in medical school. So many medical students are using iPads in the classroom (regardless of whether their school has an official iPad program).

Last year, the University of California Irvine started giving iPads to first-year medical students. These iPads were loaded with first-year curriculum. Have they made a difference in educational outcomes?

Take a look at how UC Irvine is using the iPad:

UC Irvine’s iMedEd Initiative will foster highly individualized and small-group learning for a richer medical school experience. The program, targeted initially at first-year students, aims to transform the classic lecturer-passive listener model with digital textbooks, online curricula, audio and video libraries, podcasts and other technological advances such as digital stethoscopes and portable ultrasound units.

The pilot program uses Apple’s iPad to digitally house the entire first-year curriculum, outlines, handouts and essential textbooks. The devices, which are provided to each entering student, also are loaded with hundreds of medical applications, note-taking and recording capabilities, and many other tools that complement diverse learning styles. Short, topic-based podcast lectures can be reviewed as often as desired as preparation for small-group discussions.

In addition, the encrypted tablet is a platform for complementary technologies that enhance the curriculum. Students using digital stethoscopes can listen to a patient’s heart then transmit the audio and visual data for comparison with a library of heart beat sounds, allowing for better interpretation and increased comprehension. 

The iMedEd Initiative also is integrating portable ultrasound devices into the curriculum, providing students with a noninvasive diagnostic tool to examine internal organs and blood flow. Specially designed iPad applications let students consult video tutorials as they perform bedside ultrasounds, enabling them to review normal and abnormal examinations and track procedures for quality assurance.

I look forward to seeing some data from this pilot project. There's definitely a growing opportunity to leverage interactivity and multimedia in the classroom. As long as educators are using these tools effectively, we should see improvements in the medical school education experience.

Medical students can take notes during class using a tablet if they...

Medical students can take notes using a tablet if they use a tablet that accepts pen-based input. Traditionally, Windows tablet PC used Wacom technology and Penabled digitizer pens that allowed you to draw and write directly on the screen of your tablet. Your "inking" could also get converted into text if your handwriting was somewhat legible.

Today, we live in an era of capacitive touch-based computing and many people have said "bye bye digitizer pen (or stylus if you prefer)." Those of us who lived in the era of traditional tablet PCs often miss our pens and we feel drawn to tablets that have pen-input technology.

Today, we're left with a few options if you want a touch-based tablet that also allows you to take notes using a pen. N-trig has filled the void with its DuoSense digitizer that lets you switch from capacitive touch to pen-based input. If you want the best of both worlds, you can choose between tablets like the Lenovo ThinkPad (running Android), the HTC EVO View 4G from Sprint (running Android), or the HTC Flyer (running Android).

UC Irvine Brings iPads into the Medical Classroom

Author: Brittany Chan

Upon entering medical school, the lucky students in UC Irvine's class of 2014 all received iPads to use as learning tools in their educational journey. This new program, called the iMedEd Initiative, aims to engage students in interactive learning via downloadable lectures, e-textbooks, podcasts, and of course, medical apps. The iMedEd website includes a blog where interested students at UC Irvine can post reviews about various apps they have used. The curriculum also integrates other technological advancements such as digital stethoscopes and portable ultrasound units.

As a medical student, I see this as a step in the right direction, and I predict that many other medical schools will adopt similar programs in the near future. The practice of medicine has become increasingly more digitalized, and these programs encourage students to embrace available technology in their field as a tool for learning and improving patient care. I also think that this will make studying more enjoyable and productive for many students, especially those who already love playing with electronic gadgets.

Apple iPads for all 100 Medical Students at UCF

Wouldn't you love to get an iPad this holiday season? Medical students at the University of Central Florida don't have to ask Santa:

Benefactor's Holiday Gift: iPads for all 100 Medical Students

UCF College of Medicine students received a high-tech gift for their Christmas stockings Wednesday as local philanthropist Alan Ginsburg gave new iPads to each of the school's 100 M.D. students. The hand-held electronic devices will allow students to take notes, review on-line scientific journals and 3-D medical imaging, and even take paperless exams. And students' use of the iPad will be part of a two-year research study on the use of technology in medical education.

Students cheered as Dr. Deborah German, vice president for medical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine, announced the gift. During the past few days, rumors were circulating about the possibility of an iPad holiday gift for the medical students. "But we didn't want to get our hopes up and then be disappointed if the gift ended up being chocolate," said M-1 student Alvin deTorres. Alvin said he was delighted with the portable technology because it will provide immediate access to the college's Harriett F. Ginsburg Health Sciences Library, which is 98 percent digital.

Incoming Stanford medical students each get an Apple iPad

Stanford is leading the e-learning movement among medical students by providing each of their incoming medical students with an Apple iPad. This announcement came out last week and I'm eager to see what type of outcomes they'll get from this experiment.

Here are some snippets from the news release:

The core goal of the iPad initiative is to improve the student learning experience. The decision to provide the devices was prompted by a desire to give students flexible access to the content that they need whether it is a virtual cadaver in dissection lab, annotated lecture slides and videos in the classroom, or journal articles for evidence-based practice in clinic.

“We want to explore the use of iPads and other technologies to help students access the enormous amount of medical knowledge that is being produced constantly,” said Charles Prober, MD, the school’s senior associate dean for medical education. “Part of the challenge facing medical students, and all doctors, is the overwhelming amount of information. Devices like the iPad may be able to help users access that pool of knowledge.”

You can read the full news release here.

More medical students using the iPad to enhance their education

Recently, I've had the opportunity to chat with medical students who've been using the new Apple iPad to enhance their education. Why is the iPad so useful for medical students? The main reason is because the medical school curriculum is based on a significant amount of hands-on learning. Gross anatomy isn't the only class where you're in the lab. However, it's a good example where multimedia devices like the iPad can enhance learning.

The iPad is also great for medical students who may be struggling with physiology. It can be difficult to understand all the principles outline in a textbook. However, the minute you begin to view the physiologic changes in the heart or the lungs on a multimedia device, physiology comes to life. Learning reaches a whole new level when you're using multimedia.

So, do medical students think that the iPad is enhancing their education? The iPad isn't simply for those who wish to take notes during class. It can enhance the learning experience and help students through some of the most difficult classes in medical school. I'm sure that over the next 1 or 2 years, we'll see some published data on the use of the iPad in medical school. Who's going to fund such a study? Apple!

Interactive content will soon replace static medical textbooks

Given the recent success of the Apple iPad, I'm convinced that interactive content will soon replace static textbooks. Medical students will have access to interactive textbooks that include video and multimedia animations. Such interactivity will enhance the educational experience and allow students to learn much more efficiently.

I envy students today. They have access to such innovative technological resources. Makes me want want to go back to school so that I can learn something.

For pleasure reading, static books will still remain popular. However, I'm sure that we'll see educational textbooks reach an entirely new level as publishers incorporate interactive content for students. We're already seeing the application of interactive content in the world of continuing medical education (CME). Physicians are getting more accustomed to learning on the Internet. Now, the iPad allows all of us to take the Internet to the next level of mobility.

Medical students with iPads at the MD/MBA Conference

This weekend, I'm attending the Association of MD/MBA Programs (AMMP) 8th Annual Conference. As you may suspect, several students are using laptops to take notes. I'm also sitting right next to one medical student who came equipped with an Apple iPad. I'm sure there are others here with iPads, so I'll have to conduct a survey later to see how many students are studying with iPads instead of textbooks.

Medical students are busy discussing the iPad phenomenon

On the Student Doctor Network (SDN), medical students are very busy discussing the Apple iPad phenomenon. In the Technology [ PDA / PC / Mac / Etc ] forum, you'll see a post titled, "iPad" and it currently has over 4 pages of discussions! Is it a debate? An overwhelming attitude? A mixed bag of reviews and opinions? Or are the majority of comments not even related to the iPad? You'll have to go there to see. Click here to view the forum discussions on the SDN.

How doctors and medical students can use the Apple iPad to improve patient education

I think that physicians, nurses, and medical/nursing students have a very unique opportunity to use the Apple iPad to teach patients. Some patients are visual learners, so the use of a portable multimedia device will be an innovative and highly effective way to demonstrate certain critical elements of diseases and conditions. Instead of drawing something on the back of a paper towel, you'll now have access to rich multimedia so that you can educate your patients.

Someday, when patients are waiting in the exam room, they won't have static wall charts. They'll have interactive, multimedia screens on the walls explaining elements of anatomy, diseases, procedures, and much more. Some of this is happening in the waiting rooms and some physicians even have educational screen savers running on the computers that are in each exam room. Now, you can expect to see a docked iPad in every exam room so that the physician or nurse can quickly grab that mobile device to teach the patient. What a powerful patient education tool!

Medical textbooks on the Apple iPad could revolutionize medical education

I'm sure that some medical schools have their medical students using the Apple iPad as an e-reader for medical textbooks. The Amazon Kindle is a great e-reader, but the lack of a color screen makes it suboptimal for medical students who rely on color-rich diagrams, images, etc. So, this is where the Apple iPad could fill that gap.

Can you imagine learning anatomy on an iPad? You won't be limited to static images. Imagine having the ability to click on an image, rotate it, zoom in, and then "peel away" layers of body parts. The iPad could be a tremendous learning tool for medical students. The "touch" aspect of the iPad makes this tool much easier to use compared to a laptop.

Imagine this: you click on the heart. Then, you can zoom in to see the actual muscle fibers. Then, you can zoom in even more to see light microscopic images of the heart. Then, zoom in even more, and you're now seeing electron microscope images.  The iPad could link images and videos of gross pathology with microbiology, pathology with physiology, etc. It could truly revolutionize the medical school experience.

Speaking of textbooks, the Wall Street Journal reports that ScrollMotion is collaborating with some major textbook publishers to transform classrooms into "e-classrooms."

Apple's iPad will be aimed at hospitals

We all know that Apple will be announcing a tablet pretty soon. It's rumored to be called the iPad (and by now, I think we can depend on all the circulating rumors).

According to FierceMobileHealthcare, there are rumors of the Apple tablet circulating among doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Maybe this is not the consumer prototype and maybe Apple will launch a professional version of the iSlate for health care professionals. We really don't know and I'm not about to start rumors.

We all know that many physicians (and medical students) carry iPhone. Many nurses (and nursing students) also use the iPhone. The same can be said of pharmacists and all other healthcare professionals. So, if people are comfortable with the iPhone interface, then the iPad should be a piece of cake. We will definitely see more mobile devices used in the hospital setting. The iPad may even replace the use of some Mobile Clinical Assistants (maybe the iPad will clip to a mobile base that incorporates things like a barcode scanner, RFID reader, etc.).

The Nook is coming

Barnes and Noble is coming out with an e-book reader called the Nook. The Amazon Kindle will be facing some serious competition out there! Now, we have Sony, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and several other companies releasing e-book readers. I'm thinking that Borders will be next.

The Nook looks quite similar to the Kindle. Let's see how they compare when they get released into the hands of consumers, students, and health care professionals. Can you imagine going through medical school with one of these?

Windows 7 for only $30 (students only)

If you're a hungry medical student (or college student), then you can get Windows 7 for $30! That's quite a bargain, considering that the rest of us will be paying over $119 for the new Microsoft operating system. To learn more about this deal, visit: http://www.win741.com/

Should you upgrade to Windows 7 if you're currently using Vista? YES!!!

The Microsoft Ultimate Steal is back!

The Microsoft Ultimate Steal is back! If you're a student with a valid .edu e-mail address, you can purchase Microsoft Office 2007 Ultimate edition for only $59.95!

Find out more here:
http://www.microsoft.com/student/discounts/theultimatesteal-us/default.aspx

I've found that free office suites such as Open Office work really well, so you don't need to have Microsoft Office. However, if you want an incredible deal, then you won't want to pass this up.

Netbooks are popping up everywhere

Are you seeing netbooks popping up everywhere? I was in a fairly classy restaurant the other day (not the type where you'd see many people with laptops) and I saw two people dressed in suits using netbooks. They're everywhere!

Because many of the "back to school" sales are focusing on inexpensive netbooks for students, I think we'll see an explosion of netbook sales this summer. Of course, most medical students have already started classes, so they probably made their purchases earlier this summer.

At some point, I think Apple is going to be forced to produce a netbook to keep up with the competition. They may not call it a "netbook," but it will be some type of equivalent low-cost notebook (not a tablet) that's small and light.

Students and netbooks: the price factor

I was shopping today and I was thinking about the fact that many students are getting ready to go back to school. Some have already started! If you're looking for a new laptop/notebook for school, would you be inclined to purchase a netbook for $300-400? Some of these netbooks are really nice and they are starting to blur the line between netbook vs. notebook. If you have an 11" screen and a large keyboard, then are you a netbook or simply an ultra-mobile notebook?

Over the next few years, I anticipate that we're going to see many netbooks on campus and in the airports. Apple will have to come out with a device to compete against netbooks that are priced just for that student budget. Most medical students don't have the luxury to spend a lot of notebooks. Maybe you're school requires that you purchase the Lenovo Thinkpad X200 Tablet PC. That's not a cheap computer. However, if you have the flexibility to choose anything, then maybe it makes sense to get an inexpensive netbook and then to get a nicer machine after you graduate.