I recently purchased a new Smart Phone — of course for use as a mobile phone, but also as an Internet device. I have owned various Smart Phone devices including those from Palm and those under the umbrella of Windows Mobile. This time I decided on an iPhone. I did it for a number of reasons, but mainly I wanted to take advantage of its Safari web browser. In particular I wanted to be able to utilize web forms for data collection as I conduct walkthroughs in my school. My workplace has a wireless network throughout the building. One can have access from any classroom and most other areas of the school. Because of the nature of its wireless access (a hybrid between wi-fi and the cellular EDGE network) the iPhone will allow me to input data into my walkthrough data base as I visit classrooms. The data collection tool I designed using Zoho Creator, a web-based data collection tool, has a display optimized for mobile devices. I have set up a form to capture information regarding the date, time, classroom location, teacher, subject and other "look-fors" . Using my iPhone I can quickly capture the information, and when I submit the data, a copy is sent via email to myself and to the teacher whose classroom I had just visited. I can share the results and at the same time keep track of those visits and make sure that I am getting into each room several times a week. The iPhone and my web form in Zoho Creator make the process easier and also help me provide timely feedback to my staff.
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