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February 15, 2002
A Report Card on Handheld Computing (cont'd)
The Wireless Connection
Useful applications like word processing, spreadsheets, and digital imaging, coupled with the ability to share documents and print through infrared connections, give handheld devices, in and of themselves, plenty of academic wallop. Some schools are going even further by installing wireless networks. In a classroom, this means that kids can connect to Web resources from anywhere in the room, and communicate electronically with peers in real time. With the right software, wireless connectivity also makes it possible for teachers to see instantly how students are answering questions or working through problems, and can then send them direct and immediate feedback.
The pioneering Mindsurf Networks has been exploring the possibilities of handhelds and wireless networking for the past two years. The company provides schools with all the components needed to create a wireless handheld program: handheld devices (currently the Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC) for students, laptop computers for teachers, a wireless network, curriculum and instructional tools, and professional development. A unique feature of the offering is Discourse, an "assessment and feedback engine" that lets teachers customize tests and gauge individual student progress. For example, a teacher can send out a quiz and monitor her students' responses in real time from her own Pocket PC. Should a student encounter a problem, or be off task, the teacher can intervene-either by physically going to the student, or by sending a message providing guidance.
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| A portable, folding keyboard--an optional peripheral for most handheld models--makes jotting notes easier. |
Eric Anderson, a science teacher at Eagle Valley Middle School in Carson City, Nev., has been piloting the Mindsurf program this year. He has been impressed with the fluidity in lesson delivery and in the capacity to individualize instruction in real time. "In a classroom where every child is expected to achieve certain standards by a given time," he says, "some will and some won't. The Discourse tool makes it easier to reach the ones who are struggling." Like Soloway, he's noticed the handhelds have resulted in kids writing more and sharing it more easily. Also, he says the translation functionality has enabled his ESL students to speed their learning gains by translating Web documents into their native languages.
Despite these encouraging reports from Mindsurf pilot sites, as with any new initiative, there have also been serious challenges. One issue, in particular, has been Mindsurf's use of the Application Service Provider model to deliver back-end software; the software used to support pilot schools' wireless networks resides on Mindsurf servers instead of locally at the school. What this means, practically speaking, is that when something goes wrong with the network, educators have to put in a call to the company to fix the problem. Schools we talked to felt that it would be easier and more efficient to have site-based control of the software, so problems could be addressed on the spot by school technology staff. At press time, Mindsurf told us they were planning to transition from the ASP model to a school server-based solution.
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