Handhelds in Education

Judith Rajala, President and Founder of EduHound.com, published an article entitled "Handhelds in Education." She begins by quoting the Center for Highly Interactive Computing in Education at the University of Michigan. The Center promotes the use of computers in education, but cites high costs as a hindrance to any extensive use. Palms have changed that; where else could one purchase a computer for less than $200?

Ms. Rajala draws from a Glencoe/McGraw-Hill article, "Handheld Devices Make Inroads in the Classroom." A strong connection is shown between PDAs and student achievement. Handhelds can be used to take class notes, keep homework assignments, write reports, share information and keep track of grades. I had not realized the depth of uses for the handheld. If a student is absent, missed class notes can be beamed to his or her PDA. If they're working on a group project, they can easily pass information back and forth. This is a great example for a way I might use the Palms in music class. During the past week, we have been writing "ragas," a form of popular Indian music. Students have to write a melody for their raga and then create rhythmic accompaniments to the melody. With palms, they could share their rhythmic and melodic compositions with other group members, and also have an easy way to develop an entire score of the music, which they could turn in to me after their performance. They could also beam their complete composition to other class members so that we could all follow along as they perform. Wow! Now I just need to find some fitting software!

The Glencoe/McGraw article also points out advantages for teachers. Assignments can be beamed from teacher to student; assessments and grades can be recorded and easily accessed. The article stresses the importance of both professional development and administrative support. I feel that, currently, I have assessment materials and evaluations in about a dozen different places. One day we do a rhythmic assessment; another time, it might be a recorder evaluation. I keep a notebook with class lists, but then make notes in other places. We are also sent, from time to time, information on individual students. If all of that could be in the PDA, with links to connect all of it, evaluation would be much easier. I also think that, in my case, I would be more consistent in assessing students; knowing it was all organized in one place would take the frustration out of the process, or at least some of it!

A third benefit is that parents can be well-informed. In some schools, teachers beam grades, behavior notes, and assignments onto the students' PDA. Parents can then access the information at night. Again, what a big help to teachers! I know a number of teachers who are forever calling anxious parents after school, to keep them informed of their children's progress. The PDAs would send the information home on the day it is recorded, so that teachers and parents could stay in touch. It would give parents time to think about the teacher's comments and might provide clearer and more concise information.

Ms. Rajala provides a number of valuable links to handheld resources. For more information, please access: http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A4469A.cfm.