Worth it to get a tablet for collaborating virtually in stats PhD program?

[cotopaxi]

Hello all,

I'm considering getting a tablet, because I want to be able to work through math problems in groups on Zoom. Right now I just use my mouse, but it's hard to write anything clearly. The biggest downside right now is the cost. I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations on whether this will actually be a big help for working through problems. Also, if I should get a tablet, what kind (I'm thinking an iPad with an Apple Pencil, but I would love something more affordable if possible)?

I am starting a Ph.D. program in Statistics this fall. 

Thanks!

[jelquiades]

I plan to hook an old wacom tablet up to my computer; looks like a new one of these goes for about 50 bucks. An ipad seems way too much if you just want to draw stuff with a pen. Do a search for "drawing tablet".

Edited July 14, 2020 by jelquiades

[cotopaxi]

On 7/13/2020 at 5:45 PM, jelquiades said:

I plan to hook an old wacom tablet up to my computer; looks like a new one of these goes for about 50 bucks. An ipad seems way too much if you just want to draw stuff with a pen. Do a search for "drawing tablet".

This is exactly what I needed! Thank you!

[whiterabbit]

I want to throw in a vote for the iPad + Apple Pencil combo for any incoming grad students reading this. I have always struggled with organizing paper notebooks/binders, given the volume and variation of notes/homeworks/syllabi for each course. I'd end up with a mountain of paper by mid-semester, and things would get misplaced or lost. I ditched pencil/paper and switched to centralizing everything on my iPad and it made my first year of grad school so much easier. There are plenty of great notebook apps for the iPad, that create "binders" for each course that get backed up to the cloud (so you can view everything on your computer as well). You can do the same if you have a tablet computer + stylus (for PC's, I really like OneNote for notebooks).  It has also been a great toolkit for TA'ing remotely.

[BL250604]

There are a lot of students in my cohort who use the iPad + Apple Pencil combo. They also use the screen protector that makes the screen feel like paper in order to write more easily. I've noticed that their notes are very organized. 

Also, plenty go students in my program actually take notes in person and scan them to annotate/archive on their computer/tablet. This is also a good option.

While it's expensive, I usually advocate that it's cheaper to get a machine that will last through the rigors of grad school than one that may fail along the way. 

BL