Handheld Device – Great In The Classroom

Educators are excited about the possibilities that handhelds bring to schools. From elementary schoolrooms to college campuses, a handheld device like those made by Palm and Handspring are fast becoming must-have educational tools.

Tony Vincent, an innovative fifth grade teacher in Omaha, Nebraska, has an entire web site devoted to his students’ experience with the devices. “Handheld computers have brought the classroom of my imagination into reality!” Vincent said. “The fun factor of handhelds provides motivation for all learners in my classroom.”

Numerous web sites, conferences and books are available for educators who want to incorporate a handheld device as teaching and administrative tools. Handheld are used for everything from recording attendance, storing student information, to beaming the class syllabus to students.

Entire student textbooks can be stored on a handheld device. The calendar and list functions available on handhelds can help students manage class schedules and assignments. A group of students who all have handheld devices can easily collaborate on projects and share information.

In California, the Newport-Mesa Unified school district gave 1,100 middle school teachers and students handheld devices to use at school. Students now turn in projects and homework via the handhelds.

You can bet that even more applications will be developed to keep up with the educational market, as more students and school systems start using handheld devices. As Tony Vincent notes, “Handhelds are not just organizers. They are small computers that can do big things for learning.”

Also see; cellular phones.

Author Notes:

Jack Adams contributes and publishes news editorial to http://www.cell-phones-n-plans.com. A cellular phone industry resource that features service plan comparisons, cellular phone reviews and articles.