Use in Education

The question will arise - Why should handhelds be used in the classroom?

Glimpsing the Possibilities—with Handheld Computers By Marcia Torgrude, Education Technology Specialist, Technology and Innovation in Education

Many people call them Palm Pilots, Palms, PDAs ---- but, the handheld computer goes far beyond the organizer or scheduler of a few years past. This instrument which can fit in the palm of a hand can now do 80% of the activities of a desktop computer. What have been considered the challenges of the desktop computer are now the benefits of the handheld computer. A handheld computer can be purchased for under $100 making it as affordable as a pair of tennis shoes. The thought of every student having access to a computer is now becoming a reality. The challenges of cost, size, and equity are overcome by placing a handheld computer in the hand of every student at an affordable cost. With the handheld, all students will be empowered to reach their potential.

Beginning the fall of 2002, TIE implemented a year long initiative to introduce the handheld as a classroom and assessment tool to South Dakota educators and administrators. More than 80 individuals from 45 school districts across the state participated in a series of three workshops to become aware of the possibilities of the handheld as a teaching and learning tool.

The first in a series of three workshops focused on the use of the handheld computers and basic applications. Participants gained knowledge of the built-in applications available on the handheld computers, learned the place and benefits of handheld computers in the continuum of computer technology, and glimpsed the capabilities of the handhelds in the classroom.

The second workshop provided participants the opportunity to experience the use of the handhelds in the classroom through model lessons in the four core curricular areas. Participants also explored the more than 100 applications for all curricular areas K-12. Beaming became the new term for sharing as participants found new applications and added them to their resources on the handhelds.

Assessment tools were the topic of session three which included student, teacher, and administrator assessment applications. Participants were also provided demonstrations of management tools for installation and security of the student handhelds. The culminating activity provided the participants with the correlation of the handheld use to “No Child Left Behind” act.

Instructors for the workshops, Londa Richter and Marcia Torgrude, are certified Palm Education Training Consultants.

The possible uses of the handhelds are many. Students can use them for organization, writing, document reading, document sharing, data collection, visualizations, calculating, assessing, and concept mapping. Handhelds can be used to help the student meet course objectives, whether it helps them learn faster, better, or transfer easier. These devices are effective in active learning situations, where students ask questions, gather information, analyze information and share results. Most important, the handhelds facilitate a collaborative learning environment. Students can share a document by beaming to each other, or they can upload or download documents to or from the web.

The opportunity to give each and every child in America access to significant computing on a personal basis is here. Putting a palm-sized computer in every student’s hand will enable educators to unleash the learning opportunities afforded by this small, but revolutionary technology.

Below is a list of resources that will help answer the question," Why use handhelds in the classroom?":

Debating Merits of Palms in Class
Elisa Batista
Ann Arbor Open School in Michigan is an alternative public school that prides itself on accepting new ideas and student individuality, talents and interests.
http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,45863,00.html

A Report Card on Handheld Computing - Potential for Schools
Content and curriculum integration issues aside, what make handheld devices particularly interesting for education are their scaled-down nature, minimal energy requirements, and reasonable price.
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/02/handheld2.html

Handheld ROI Survey Questionaire
Find out if your classroom, district, or university department are ready for Palm™ handheld computers with this quick online survey.
http://www.palm.com/education/resourcelibrary/survey/