Overview: Frankford Middle School selected 30 eighth grade students to participate in the project. Students shared the same academic teachers for algebra, English, and science. They were grouped together in the same class each period for these classes. Each of these students and their teachers were issued a handheld computer and keyboard that would be theirs until the end of the school year. The team of teachers was also given two Palm cameras for use in their classrooms and supplied with curriculum- specific handheld computer applications upon their request.

Implementation: Throughout the project, students used the date book for organizing their schedules and assignments. Students found the memo pad and the Docs to Go application very useful for note taking. They especially liked being able to share their notes with classmates by using the beaming function on their Palm. Within each of the academic subjects, students used specific Palm applications that increased efficiency and enhanced collaboration while improving student learning. In Algebra I, students used ImagiMath software to graph equations and discover connections between parts of the equation and the graph. Students were able to write a summary of the activity and print out or beam their results to their teacher, Mrs. Scott. Students also used Docs to Go for their reflective journal writing to show their understanding of activities and communication skills. These journal documents were then beamed to their teacher so that student progress could be monitored. In English, students used their handheld to move through the entire writing process from brainstorming ideas, to organizing these ideas in graphic organizer templates, and finally to writing their composition. Mrs. Ryzman used Docs to Go to create response sheets for her students while studying their class novels. Palm Reader was also a favorite of many students as they downloaded their novel to their Palm. Many used the annotation part of this application to take notes while class discussions were taking place. In Mrs. Zastoupil's science class, students used AvantGo to download websites to their Palm. These websites enabled each student to have all the information needed right at their fingertips. Students also used a periodic table application as needed. Again, students continued to use their Palm for note taking. As stated by several students, "It was nice not having to worry about losing sheets of paper with my notes on them." Another commented, "My science grade increased because I had not only my notes to study but also my peers."

Evaluation: As the year comes to an end, the teachers felt that using the Palms was beneficial to most students. Academic team members met almost daily throughout the year and held weekly meetings with an Instructional Technology Specialist. The open communication provided a forum for discussion regarding ongoing refinements to the project. These continual discussions with students and teachers have enabled us to make adjustments to improve the effectiveness of the project for the coming year.

Teachers felt the use of Palm handheld computers in the classroom allowed teachers to do a lot of things that would not have been possible without each student having access to a computer at the same time. Plans for next year are already in progress and new applications are already being researched. Excel (spreadsheet), GoNTell (project based application to include digital pictures and annotations that can be published to the web), Due Yesterday (student scheduler that interacts with date book), ImagiProbe (a sensor interface for science probes) and several more tools for students and teachers are all Palm applications that may be included in next year's curriculum.

Barron Elementary School
Rose Haggar Elementary School
Plano Senior High School

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