Handheld Devices in the Classroom

What's the difference between Palms, Handsprings, and other hand held devices?

How can I integrate a GPS device into my classroom?

What's geocaching?

handheld boy Hand-held devices are rapidly becoming a common technology at work, school, and play. There are many different handheld devices. Explore the following links on this page:

Personal Digital Assistants
GPS and GIS in the Classroom
Portable Electronic Keyboards
Digital Cameras
Other Devices

PDAs - Personal Digital Assistant by companies such as Palm share the same operating system called the Palm OS. You can download free and inexpensive software for your Palm OS from the Internet. You can "hot sync" your PDA with your computer and they work together as a great team.

An increasing number of applications are being developed for educational administrators, teachers, and students. Because they are inexpensive when compared to laptop computers, many schools are finding that a mixture of desktop, laptop, and handheld devices can be used to meet a variety of educational needs.

Go to Learning in Hand. This website is a resource for using handhelds in schools. Learn about handheld hardware and software, find lesson plans and information on podcasting, read online articles, and more from Tony Vincent.

Hand-helds are not likely to replace other technologies. Instead, they can address specific problems and needs. Palm OS applications allow students to use their hand held as a graphing calculator, word processor, database, test prep tool, and reference resource. Teachers and administrators are using hand helds for record keeping, scheduling, and other administrative as well as teaching applications. Additional devices such as science probes, digital cameras, digital audio recorders, keyboards, GPS devices, and other modules can expand the hardware even more. Check out 101 Great Educational Uses and Hand-Held Curriculum Applications for hand helds for lots of ideas.

The key to the hand-held is its portability. Great for field trips, home use, and anything requiring quick information access and recording, these devices can be used without the hassle of heavier technology.
Besides the Palm OS, other hand held devices are becoming popular. For example, GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) devices may be used with a Palm hand held or as a separate device. To learn more about this technology in the classroom, check out the Geocaching Page

Learn about How Things Work: PDA. At the How Things Work website you can also learn about Digital Camera, GPS devices, MP3 players, MP3 format, digital recording, translators, and scanners. For a great starting point, check out Kathy Schrock's Digital Gadgets Page

There's a growing body of research related to the effectiveness of hand-held devices in the classroom. Much of the research is being conducted with support from companies such as Palm, so keep this in mind as you examine the study results.

Read Personal Digital Assistants in the Middle School Classroom: Lessons in Hand by Beverly B. Ray, Anna McFadden, Susan Patterson and Vivian Wright in Meridian (Summer 2001).