Not so long ago (several months) I read an article about handheld computers and their place in the classroom. The article http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech083.shtml (which was several years old) how hand held PDA and computers have and their use has shifted from the business world to the education world. The article discusses school such as Walery School District which purchased hand helds for each student to achieve a one to one ratio for the students. They said it was less expensive and more practical for them finically.
They go on to talk about palm pilots practical uses in the classroom in middle school, how it was used in Kentucky and Seattle. All of this made me start thinking of how this is/was an excellent idea. I say is/was because since the article was from 2001 things have changed. Don’t get me wrong I think it is an outstanding idea but has the technology passed by the idea? What I mean is, over the last 5 years many students have the “I-Phone”, the “I-Touch” “Blackberry’s” so know introducing the PDA’s in class would still be practical but many of the students would already be ahead of the “curve”. I still think it would be an excellent idea but maybe scaled down to a business class where a teacher can use the technology to show the students how they would use a PDA in the business world and then have practical applications for those students. However, when those students get into the business world they might be using a brand new technology that doesn’t even exist right this second…
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Sorry about the previously deleted post...the link was dead. Here it is again...
I don't know that they would be taking a step back by introducing handheld computers. Those devices offer much different options than the blackberry, ipod, iphone, etc. Here is a link to a very interesting document that will tell you a lot about how handheld computers can be used in the classroom. It's an older paper (2005) but I believe still very applicable!!! Handheld Computer Literature :)
It's always a challenge for teachers to keep up technologically with their students. I read an article by Mark Bauerlein that discussing the point you made in your post--that new technologies aren't really new for the students. You can read the article here: http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i04/04b01001.htm.
Also, I think the Pottstown School District just spent nearly 1/2 million dollars on a new reading program that included the use of handhelds for teachers. They'll be using the handhelds for Dibels data collection and not, as far as I understand, directly changing the way students learn.
Through a Title I grant, our district purchased a PalmPilot for every K-2 teacher. This PalmPilot is used mainly as a means to collect DIBELS data and track each student’s progress in oral reading fluency and other reading benchmarks. After giving the test on the Palm, teachers “sync” it up to the MClass website. I really like this because it is easy to use and I can see the results immediately on a graph. When you go to the reporting section, you can see results from previous years as well. It makes data collection quicker and reporting easier, so I can spend more time teaching!
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