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Features
Will Handheld Computers Work in the Classroom?
11/6/2001
The initial group of students was then given new PDAs-iPAQs from Compaq. The switch to iPAQ offered a color screen, 32Mb of memory, and such features as instant messaging. Students were enthusiastic about the instant messaging and wireless e-mail functions, using the Internet capability in class assignments as well as for personal applications. However, there were new technical problems. All nine students were accessing the Web in class through a single wireless hub, which slowed access to a crawl. Some Web sites weren’t designed to be viewed on a PDA, and the text was unreadable. In addition, there were problems hot-syncing the iPAQs, system crashes, and short battery life.
In a second experiment, four students were recruited, using Palm IIIc PDAs. These students were allowed to use the systems as they wished, with no class assignments. They were far more successful at finding daily uses for the new technology.
Although the experiments were fraught with problems, Nybo and Orr see them as learning experiences. Says Orr, “any time you’re using technology, you have to make sure you have a good infrastructure, support structure, and a solid training program.” Nybo adds that it’s helpful to start with a positive attitude. “With the second group of students, we went into it with the attitude that we would make them successful users of the technology. We used our experience with the first group to solve some problems in advance, preload some materials, and avoid some of the technology problems we had the first time.”
Another lesson: freshman students, who are already overwhelmed with the transition into college life, may not be eager to add new technology to their learning curve. Orr notes that upper division students who were also given PDAs were considerably more interested in the new technology. Also, WCU instructors were more enthusiastic about using PDAs than were the freshman students.
Still, WCU is convinced that handhelds hold vast classroom potential. To prove it, they plan to run further experiments, using student volunteers in upper-division courses. They’ve already determined some methods that should help the new volunteers to succeed, including using progressive skill building with early “no fail” activities, and making it easier to use the PDAs for coursework—for instance, beaming class deadlines to students so that their PDAs are immediately useful.
For more information on the project, contact Valorie Nybo (nybo@email.wcu.edu) or Robert Orr (orr@email.wcu.edu).
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