In Education World the article "Handhelds in the Classroom" Darrell Waverly, Technology Director for of Consolidated High School District 230, talked about how the handhelds can be used across the curriculum. Ways to used were in language arts classes for students to write their papers. The Handheld can be used in math to do help caculate math problems. Students were able to use the handheld in science class when doing experiments. This was just a few of the ideas mention by Mr Waverly for using Handhelds across the curriculum.
Another beauty according to Mr. Waverly was getting technology to the point of learning. Students are able to have the handheld twenty four hours a day vs sitting in a couputer lab behind a desktop for one period each day.
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In Wired.com.news the article "Debating the Merits of Palms in Class", the Ann Arbor Open School in Michigan is an alternative public school that prides itself on accepting new ideas and student individuality, talents and interests, but does not allow handheld computers at school. Parents across america are concerned that schools are not allowing handheld to be at school when it has the following cabailities. The handheld can be used for dictionaries, graphing calculators, e-books and thermometers can be downloaded onto the Palms and used in science experiments.
Elliot Soloway, a professor in the college of engineering and school of education at the University of Michigan indicates he believes that students would rather read from the handheld than a book. He feels that this is the trend of children in todays world. His comment was "Books are Perry Como's generation.... The children don't see the Palm as a computer, they see the Palm as media. Media is hot. Media is exciting. That's why they're going to participate in the reading."
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On the website electronic-schools.com the article “Hands-On Learning its early days yet, but handheld computers are beginning to catch the educators eyes” by Del Stover, educators across America are looking and discussing the use of handheld computers in schools.
Tom Schmeltzer, an education consultant in Marietta, Ga., talks about how access to data is important.Handheld computers allows the educator to have this data in a mobile fashion to be accessed everywhere he or she may go. Schmeltzer says good administrators move around the school during the day. The ability to pull up student’s records while moving around the school is of great importance. Where is this student’s class? What time is this student suppose to be at lunch? These are questions an administrator can answer with a handheld computer when out and about in a school.
One company is experimenting with the ability to have bus drivers scan the bar code on student IDs to allow bus drivers to record pickup and delivery of students.
Jim Silbey a teacher for Consolidated High School District 230 in Orland Park, Ill., uses the handheld computer to beam students lessons each day and then students can in return beam back there completed lesson the next day. Students can also take notes on their handheld when on field trips.
Laurie Ritchey a biology teacher at Carl Sanburg High School has students use the handheld computer to measure the ecological footprint of their homes by gathering information on their families' use of transportation, food intake, and energy use. This information can be easily downloaded and then analysis without the need to retype data collected.
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On the website asbj.com, The Next Big Thing(s) Technology Solutions for schools today…. and tomorrow the September 2003 article “A Foothold for Handhelds by Amy Joyner, to a look into how a handheld computer changed the way Tony Vincent used technology in classroom and change his classroom.
Tony Vincent had a messy desk and classroom and one day went out and bought a handheld computer to become more organized.
Two years later Tony was chosen by administrators from his Omaha, Nebraska School to orchestrate the educational experience of using handheld computers in a fifth grade class at Willodale, Elementary.
The handhelds foster a sense of community in the classroom. The students started to ask more questions and work together as a group.
