Microsoft Surface Wins Another Presentation Test

I used the Microsoft Surface tablet all day yesterday and today when teaching.  Yesterday morning I could not get the projector to see the tablet.  In the afternoon - in another classroom there was no problem.  Had no problem today either.  I used it because the software in the classrooms where I was teaching is out of date.  The Surface has my thumbs up on performance.  It is winning my confidence day by day.  This evening I am using my Apple Bluetooth keyboard, external monitor, and external number keyboard to enter data.  It is fantastic to see two windows at the same time.  Cannot believe that I waited so long to get an external monitor - so inexpensive and was on sale, too.

8-Steps for Successful APA Formatting

The APA Manual can be intimidating for many.  Just so many nuances!  I have "sticky-notes" on on pages in my APA Manual to make it easy for students to write papers that use APA style. The information is summarized below.

1. Page 15, Section 1.10 - differentiates the differences between plagiarism and self-plagiarism.
2. Page 23, Section 2.01 - provides essential information on the title page, abstract, and introduction of the paper.
3. Page 41 - provide examples of a written paper.
4. Page 62 - discusses the 5 heading (Remember to use the word processing paragraph heading style to format correctly).
5. Page 125 - Chapter 5 - this chapter is especially important for students reporting research results as it clarifies how to format figures and tables (Remember to use the word processing table formatting tools to obtain the output).  You can skip this chapter if you are not using figures and tables. 
6. Page 170, Section 6.+ - discussion quotes, paraphrasing, and permissions.
7. Page 189 discusses the journal article doi and the importance of using the journal homepage URL when there is no doi.
8. Page 198, Section 7.01 - provides examples for how to cite references within the text of the document and the associated references in the reference list.

Using an External Monitor with the Microsoft Surface Tablet

It is challenging to write a new edition of the Informatics and Nursing textbook while also teaching full-time.  To complicate things, I attempted to switch to Windows 8 using two tablets over the last 4 months. The Dell Venue Pro Enterprise was a disaster.  However, the Microsoft Surface tablet is perfect.  The only problem with the Surface is the very small window for "serious" writing.  Now that I am almost finished with the book, I splurged and purchased a 24" external monitor last week. 

There were a few adjustment problems.  First, I wanted the high definition (HD) component that uses an HDMI cable.  I did not realize that the tablet uses the mini-port, like the MacBook Pro.  I found a mini-port to HDMI cable at Radio Shack, but the input shaft was a little short, so sometimes it would connect and other times not.  I could see when searching the Internet that the connection cable I needed cost ranged from $4.99 to $39.99.  Not wanting to purchase something that did not work and not having the easy access to other stores that are in Macon and Atlanta, I decided to use the 9-pin to mini-port cable I had for the Mac.  I don't have HD, but it provides an interim solution until I find the right cable. 

I was able to change the Device > Project settings on the tablet to Extend the view.  So now I have two windows, one on the tablet and the other on the monitor.  It allows me to view two different documents at the same time, which is exactly what I need when editing a chapter.