Book excerpt: The tablet PC and similar pen-based devices are being embraced by a wide variety of disciplines as tools for the radical enhancement of teaching and learning. Deployments of Tablet PCs span all the K-12, higher education, and graduate levels and deal with an amazingly diverse range of subject areas, including geology, writing, mathematics, computer science, Japanese language, physics, engineering, business, economics, and technical communications. Despite the diversity of content areas, many deployments generate a singular passion among students and teachers. In April of 2006, a group of educators gathered to exchange ideas at the First Workshop on the Impact of Pen-based Technology on Education (WIPTE). The editors have selected a subset of papers that were presented at WIPTE for inclusion in this book. The papers have been selected for their broad appeal, diverse content, and insightful evaluations. The collective experiences of these authors will help the reader to identify best practices with regard to the educational use of pen-based computing.