Lynnapede

Our last class...

2005-05-01T10:29:00.000-07:00

Thursday night was bitter sweet indeed. I was relieved to have classes done for the spring, but quite sad at the same time.
It truly has been the best college course I have ever taken. I knew just how great it was when I went to NETA and upon attending several seminars about the new and upcoming technologies, I was a bit let down because Tony had already walked us through so much of it. I can't even imagine what his next class will have as topics in their blogs. I was a bit disappointed though as I browsed through the program at the awards and presenters. I wondered why no winners came from the OPS and very few, if any breakout groups were presented by OPS teachers or staff. Is it because we have such big classes in many schools and it’s hard to do technology projects with so many, or are we lacking the equipment to carry out such projects? Or perhaps people just don’t know about the opportunities out there.

How fun to see the 5th graders so excited about handhelds! I enjoyed our hour together, sharing and learning. I thought the ecology simulation was interesting and my kid teacher had to manipulate the questions in order to see how many earth's she could have used. While learning some new programs was fun, I appreciated the students and teachers response to questions that we had. A little insight to what it was like as a teacher using handhelds was very helpful. I haven’t heard any news back about handhelds for next year, but the district will definitely not be funding them. The disappointment fades a bit each day as I search for other options.

All in all, it was a great way to end a super class. I look forward to reading more blogs though as people learn more about handheld technology. I can’t say I’ll be blogging every week, but I do plan to as I find the time.

Thanks Tony and the class! Have a great summer…

Awesome Lesson Plans!

2005-04-23T08:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I should probably start this blog by venting my frustrations and sadness with our district. I received an email yesterday saying that the grant funds that were going to be used for the handheld pilot are not to be used for hardware. Which means, they have cancelled the pilot. I am so disappointed, yet hopeful because my principal is a fighter and is pretty upset by the whole ordeal. Anyway...with any luck, things will work out in our favor. The knowledge I've obtained in this class will be with me no matter what and someday, I'll be able to teach with them.

Class Thursday was fantastic, despite the rain showers. Everyone did an awesome job of creating lessons that required some thinking outside the box. Way to go!
I really like Rick's idea of creating a scrambled concept web and having students think backwards and regroup them. What a great way to review knowledge. Thanks for the idea!
I also enjoyed Melissa's lesson. I love The Important Book and her idea of having the kids create their own eBook was fantastic. I have shared their stories with my 4th graders. I like how she tied in the parts of speech lesson with the writing assignment. Thanks for sharing how to check eBooks out from the Omaha Public Library. That's way too cool!

The art lessons were fantastic too! My team-teacher is an artist and does portraits with her students. She was just talking about proportions and the face. The angle lesson was super too. Tying math and art together is a great way to motivate students.

Ann's lesson multicultural lesson has also made it into my future lesson plans. What a creative idea! I had no idea there were so many versions of T'was the Night Before Christmas. Thanks!

Erika introduced us to an awesome lesson using TealPaint. What a cool program. I would totally agree that it is better than Sketchy. It can do way more, but would have to be taught to students. Wow!

I have used Bridget's food pyramid software quite a bit. Teaching health to kids is so important. That makes for a funny story, how they changed the food pyramid in the midst of her lesson. :-)

I also added a few "must have" books to my list, thanks to the art teachers in the room. They have inspired me to brush up on my art knowledge.

Tony also showed us a Pocket PC. I'm glad to know that the they don't work well together with palms. I wish programmers would get on board and make everything compatible. But, pc and Mac aren't doing it as much as they could, so why should they? We will most likely end up with 2 palm subcultures like the computer subcultures.

I am so thankful for Tony and this class. It has been, by far, the best college course I have ever taken. I hope he can find a way to teach a few more!

I hope to see some of you at NETA this week! And thanks again for all your great ideas!

More Freeware and Management Tips

2005-04-16T09:29:00.000-07:00

After Thursday night’s class, I was feeling a bit behind as some others had already complete their lesson plans. I had been thinking about mine a lot and am going to try to start and finish it today. There are so many great ideas and ways to use handhelds, I’m finding it hard to focus on just one lesson! I was thankful that we were able to have our questions answered.

The Tungsten E2 is out and I plan to go to CompUSA and play around with it. Imagine how advanced these things could be in 3 years, or even 10! Wow!!

The best part of class was exploring some of the literature that is available for handhelds. It seems like the books had quite a bit of overlapping. I’m convinced that the web is the best place for current, up-to-date information. I did enjoy seeing a lot of lesson examples though to help my brain think outside the box. I think so much of this stuff is learned through experience. However, the information already discovered will definitely help the learning curve be shorter. I have been thinking a lot about management issues since I learned about the opportunity to pilot Tungsten E’s next year. I plan to visit several schools that are currently using handhelds to gather some fast data too. My biggest obstacle is going to be creating a smooth management plan that works well with 90 4th graders as we switch classes for all subjects expect writing. It would be awesome to have enough for every 4th grader…maybe in the near future.

Tony showed us the Geney freeware program. While it is cool to figure out how genes are passed, I think I would have a hard time explaining the whole “breeding” concept to 4th graders without fielding a ton of phone calls from concerned parents.

As much as I don’t want to end this Blog, I do have a lesson plan that needs my attention. Thanks Ann for the wonderful dinner! I am making 3 of those deserts today. But, I didn’t buy sugar free Jell-O, so I hope they work okay.

More great freeware programs and troubleshooting

2005-04-10T11:02:00.000-07:00

I have really enjoyed the sharing of so many great freeware programs! Bugband was awesome and I have downloaded it with intentions of using it with some piano students.

Finally! A demonstration of Flingit in action. I have had that program on my handheld since January and couldn’t seem to figure out how to get it to work. I’m glad that Tony showed us his Palm/Phone and how to fling a web page. I think it is a super idea that there is no copy/paste function so students are forced to write using their own words.

The interactive story ideas is absolutely awesome. It reminded me of the What if Builder where students make choices which ultimately leads to a variety of endings. It’s a terrific idea to inspire kids to write. I plan to design a similar project for my fourth graders based on their experiences this year, so they can pass on a book to the fourth graders next year. It is a super way to help students understand the importance of prewriting and organizing ideas. I can’t wait to take my kids to that site next week so they can read some examples!

It was good to see the brief after dinner video about technology enhancing the content and not interfering with it. I don’t think teachers can be reminded enough about that point. I think we have to be especially careful about this because we get so excited about new and interesting programs when kids that have grown up with technology might have a reaction of…what’s the point? Getting students to use technology as a tool and not a playstation is a challenge I currently face.

On to troubleshooting. I know I will never remember all these tricks of the trade next year, but I am taking the necessary steps to be prepared! I have signed up for 3 of the on-line handheld forums. I think this is an awesome way to have many of my questions answered without having to run to Tony! I am trying to be better about using the Internet as a resource to help in trouble shooting. I tried to take detailed notes, but I do believe that the best way to learn these things is through experience.

The Wonders of the Palm Contine with Concept Mapping and eBook Making!

2005-04-05T08:17:00.000-07:00

The Wonders of the Palm Continue…Using concept mapping and making eBooks.

This has been the best college course I have ever taken by far. I feel lucky to have accidentally happened upon it! Not only has using the handhelds been fascinating, but I really enjoy the company of my classmates too!

Thursday night’s class was yet another information overload. My brain was probably overloaded before I even got there! I felt like I had missed so much from the week before. I enjoyed seeing some of the other software that people had found and downloaded from the Internet. I am amazed at all that is out there and for free!

It was exciting to see Erica demonstrate GSPro2 for her soccer stats. Another example of the many ways handhelds can be used by all.

I have downloaded My Checkbook and plan to use it in my economics class next year. What a fantastic way for students to experience real life! It’s easy to use and represents a real checkbook.

Fourth graders in the OPS have to read lots of multicultural books. I just love the idea of using Bookslog with students. It’s an interactive database where students can record books they’ve read and comment about the book too. In the future, I see students beaming their favorite books to each other and having their own database to use in order to find a great book. They will travel with ease to the library too!

We moved on to Concept Mapping using the handhelds. The programs we explored were PicoMap by GoKnow, Inspiration, and Idea Pad. While IdeaPad is the only freeware, there are other limitations for all. When I picture students concept mapping, I want them to be able to see the entire map or chart, etc. Because of the small screen on the handhelds, seeing the whole picture was difficult. Out of all 3 programs, I like Inspiration the best because it mirrors the desktop program, which our students use regularly. It’s nice to know the option is there for students to begin a map on the handheld and then synch it to the desktop with the Inspiration software. The downside…it’s not free.

On to the world of eBooks. Amazing! I will definitely be petitioning for some eBook Studio software. I really like the idea of teachers being able to create and write textbooks that align with what they need to teach. Talk about making life simpler. eBooks are pml, not html and links won’t carry through. However, you can create your own links within the eBook so readers can move with ease throughout the book using the table of contents, a glossary, or index, etc. Even though it is not possible to change the font, you can change the size. But, be careful. Use normal. Otherwise the readers of your eBook won’t be able to change the size of the font. What’s even more amazing is that we can use content from the Internet in our books as long as it is for educational use and not sold. I like the idea of getting permission from the webpage author’s first. Pictures can even be included in these eBooks. Be sure to save as a pml and as a pdb so that you can edit the desktop version. I am very excited to make my very first eBook, and to see what others in the class create.

Kudos to Tony for another fabulous class; a class I will be very sad to see end…

Using Handhelds with Students, an interview with Tom Gamble, a 6th Grade teacher at Indian Hill Elementary, Omaha, NE

2005-03-27T14:22:00.000-08:00

When looking for a teacher to help me in my quest to learn more about handhelds and how to use them with students, I discovered I would be working closely with Tom Gamble as part of my piloting opportunity. He was kind and generous enough to answer my questions via email with an open invitation for more conversations. The following is a summary of our virtual discussion.

Question: Describe the capacity in which you are involved with the use of handheld computers with students.

Tom has been using handhelds with his 6th graders for the past 3 years. He uses them in all curriculum areas, utilizing the freeware programs from the internet. He piloted the use of handhelds by borrowing a set from UNO. When he received his first set of Palm m130’s, he mainly used them for drill and practice as well as writing. Just recently, Tom was able to get a set of Palm Tungsten E’s and passed the old set to another teacher. He has use handhelds with students K-6 during summer programs.

Question: What programs have you found most effective toward connecting technology with curriculum?

Tom uses freewarepalm.com for all of his software. He has also learned about lots of new programs through summer technology courses. Tom encourages all teachers to simply try out as many programs as possible and see what works best for the needs of individual students. That’s what’s so great about palms, the individuality for all students.

Question: What have been some positives of using handhelds with students?

Some of the many positives that Tom has discovered about using palms include: the ease of use, hands on technology, individuality, and a variety of software. Handhelds are easy to use and most students understand the operation of them quicker than most adults. He believes that all students must get their hands on technology with the future heading that way and handhelds are a simple way to meet this need. Individuality in instruction is paramount in education and there are so many programs that will level themselves to the student’s needs. There are not many textbooks that can keep up with 25-30 individual needs for all subject areas. The variety of software allows the teacher to choose practice that will focus specifically on what is intended as the result of instruction.

Question: What have been some negatives of using handhelds with students?

Tom responds that technology has never been perfect. Like computers, sometimes handhelds will crash or have compatibility issues with software. Some students may also find ways to cheat and beam answers or play games during instruction. Tom has found though that most students are so focused on using the neat tool that they are willing to meet the expectations and exceed them well. Tom also comments that patience is the best thing to remember when working with handhelds. Computers don’t always work perfectly and we don’t complain about them that often.

Question: How have classroom teachers responded to the implementation of handhelds?

Most teachers are very receptive and feel it valuable for students to take part in this opportunity. They are eager to learn how to use handhelds themselves and how to individualize instruction. It takes some teachers awhile to view the handhelds as tools for instruction like textbooks and calculators, and not as a toy or gameboy.

Question: What have been some of your biggest challenges in implementing this new technology?

Tom’s biggest challenge by far was funding. He was fortunate to have a principal who saw his future of technology in all students’ hands. His generosity allowed Tom to purchase 25 m130’s, 16 Tungsten E’s, 22 keyboards, an elmo, and projector. Tom also had to learn patience and receive one thing at a time, working with it until something else became available. Convincing teachers to allow him into their rooms with the handhelds was also a challenge. Tom also commented on the limitations of handhelds. Making them internet ready is costly. The screen is also sometimes small for viewing, and handhelds could be lost, stolen, or broken. Tom tries to deals with each of these as they come up and reminds others that 4 handhelds does equal the cost of 1 laptop.

Question: What advice would you give to a teacher wanting to use handhelds with 4th grade students?

Tom says, “Go for it!” Tom encourages all teachers to take the step toward an incredible opportunity. They are a valuable resource that cannot be overlooked. Adding another tool to help students achieve can only benefit them. Be willing to start small and don’t try to do everything immediately. Get what you can and add to it. Begin creating lesson ideas and try them, followed by revising them and trying again.

Question: How have parents responded to their students using handhelds?

Tom states that all parents have been very supportive. They see it as a computer in every child’s hands, which is something many of them cannot provide at home. They often want to sit down and try it for themselves. The interest is not only on the child’s side, but the adults as well. Tom has yet to meet a parent who is not in support of handheld computers.

Question: Were handhelds sent home with students?

Tom comments that he has not sent handhelds home with students. The school has had issues with break-ins and technology theft and have become quite protective of their technology. He did however, send one home with a student that had hand surgery and was unable to write. He felt comfortable doing so after agreeing to any lost or damaged items being replaced by the parents.

Question: How many desktop computers would you recommend having per handheld?
Tom currently has 1 desktop computer that all handhelds are synched to. He says it does well handling all the handhelds. Having more computers would be helpful but not necessary.

That concludes the interview. I really appreciated Tom’s advice about using handhelds with students. I look forward to observing how he uses them with his students in the near future.

Quizzler and Freeware

2005-03-25T00:32:00.000-08:00

I really missed being at class Thursday night and am hoping I can learn how to use Quizzler on my own. I am sure the Roving Reporter will do a fantastic job. I wonder when it will be posted.

I have had some experience with locating and downloading freeware from the Internet. The most frustrating encounters I have had include:

*Finding something really great that isn’t free.
*The downloaded program causing other software to malfunction or quite entirely.
*Finding time to explore the programs to their fullest.
*Finding the best freeware program that matches curriculum.

It’s nice to have some background knowledge and know what the letters after the software names mean. Like pml, pdb, etc.

Some of my favorite programs that I have found so far are: IKWL from GoKnow. We make a lot of these charts to find out what students Know, what the Want to know, and then what the Learn. I also think Locker is a great tool to help students stay organized with assignments and such. We spend a lot of money on assignment notebooks for students and many don’t even bother using it. Locker gives students motivation for keeping track of work and being responsible. Helping students with time management is another benefit of the program. The downside…the yearly fee for that GoKnow software per handheld!
Another program, the What-if-Builder, allows students to read a story and make choices. Trees of choices are made so students can see consequences of choices and what might have happened if another choice were made.

I have also found lots of great eBooks. My coteacher says she’ll never be bored in church again!

My goal for next week is to find some great software to support a geometry lesson for math.

Until next time!

Catching the podcasting bug!

2005-03-13T13:58:00.000-08:00

Thursday night's class is again a blue, and I just can't wait to podcast with my fourth graders. We began class by listening to a podcast from Jeff Moore. I agree with his comments that while in a perfect world, there would be laptops for all, because of the cost; one must wonder if it is really worth it. Especially when handhelds can do most everything in laptop can. With computers becoming outdated so quickly, it would be difficult to finance any school's dream to always be on the cutting edge. Jeff also made a great point that the curriculum from which teachers teach needs to be changed first. Even though technology by its nature brings about change, it shouldn't have to be taught in isolated incidents, but needs to be intricately woven to enhance the curriculum. Therefore, by first creating a better curriculum, technology and its positive impacts would be even more prevalent.

After hearing this podcast, and listening to another one produced by Willowdale, I was full of questions about how exactly to go about creating a podcast with 4th graders. It is so helpful to be able to ask questions and learn from someone who has done it already. Seeing Tony’s storyboard for his podcast was fantastic. I hope to someday have a job like his! Being a technology wizard and doing things to make it easy and fun for teachers to use technology to reach their goals and meet content standards. I love how Apple makes it all so easy by having programs that work together. I’m excited to explore Garageband this weekend and introduce it to our music teacher. She’s going to love it! Next year our lab will have eMacs, so the software will be included I’m hoping.

How awesome it was to see the efforts of my classmates in Sketchy! We have some fantastic artists and dedicated teachers, using their curriculum in their animations. I think about how excited we are about this. Imagine what kids will be like with a handheld in their hands! I learned how to make my slide show slow down by repeating slides. I plan to have several students enter the Go Know Sketchy contest next year. Hopefully, I’ll be able to purchase the software.

After dinner, we moved on to some examples of what our lesson plans might look like. I have already looked through some ideas on the web. I feel fortunate that I’ll actually have a chance to implement the technology. Tony walked us through the process and introduced us to two more fantastic programs: Silly Sentences and the Roman Numeral calculator. I feel like I have dendrites synapsing continuously! I could hardly sleep Thursday night as my brain processed all this great information. I plan to use the summer to create power point presentations to enhance the implementation of the handheld. This has been a great class to learn by example.

Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Quizzler. I look forward to reading my classmates' blogs about their experience since I’ll be enjoying parent conferences!

Until next time!

Back in Action!

2005-02-27T20:31:00.000-08:00

It was so great to be back in class. It is such an adrenaline rush learning so many cool ways to use handhelds on Thursday nights that Friday’s seem to fly by because I’m so excited to have the weekend to explore the Tungsten E!

Because I’ve been so eager to learn this great stuff, I have done some extensive exploring of Tony’s site. I have found great information and resources. It was good to know so much before going to class as it wasn’t quite as much of an information overload. On the downside, I felt like a kid with ants in their pants because it was hard to listen when I was ready to move on!

As I page through my notes, there are several stand-out moments. One was a great idea by Tony to beam students list of vocabulary words to listen for when watching a video. Creating the list in the task program allows students to check off words as they hear them mentioned. What a great way for students to stay focused and on task while adding to their knowledge bases!

I had been downloading and exploring several programs. I learned that .prc means palm resource cod and is only readable on the palm. .pbd is a palm database or document. This helps tons to know exactly what you are downloading!

It was great to learn about the expansion cards. BUY SD! Multimedia cards are slower when beaming. I’m thankful that Tony is sharing his past experiences with us so we can learn from his mistakes in paying too much for the wrong thing, etc.

Purchased programs or software are locked and can only be beamed with the credit card number that purchased it! I don’t think I’ll be beaming/pirating any software!

I was amazed at how little space the many programs I had downloaded actually took up on the handheld memory. Wow! A hint: Always leave 500 K to spare.

Learning the 3 ways to restart the handheld has definitely come in handy. Tony gave us the same information that you would pay Palm’s Customer Service Support $25 a phone call to receive. Letting the battery run too low could cause all added information to be lost.

Then to the real fun part! Tony beamed us several great freeware or trial programs to explore. My favorite was the eReader. eBooks are great! But, I don’t know how long my eyes will think so. They are a bit misleading as the pages are many but much smaller. It’s fun to be able to read, bookmark, and take notes, all on the handheld. I’m looking forward to seeing the eBook Studio. I wonder what impact this will have on our libraries of the future. A super addition would be to have an audio component so students could hear the eBook and follow along with the text. I think it’s being worked on with the sound coming from an mp3.

ThoughtManager is also a fantastic way to track student behavior and assignments. Talk about accurate and timely information for parents, teachers, and students.

NamePicker is a great way to eliminate bias and favorites in the classroom by randomly calling con students to participate.

All in all, it was a fantastic class. I can’t wait to find some more eBooks. I hope to hear about piloting opportunities soon!

A question for the other classmates…how many think they will actually figure out a way to use handhelds with students? Or…will the desire end with the class due to various circumstances?

10 Things I Learned from My First Ever eBook!

2005-02-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

eBooks are amazing! I read my first ever eBook during a boring conference. The best part is that no one knew I was mentally on another planet. Hhhhmmmm, that means students could very well do the same thing!

Here are 10 things I learned about the SEIR*TEC eBook

1. One reason that many studies are showing that technology has not had a great impact on teaching and learning is because there is a lack of access to technology. In my opinion, handhelds would be fantastic in changing the results of these studies. They are affordable and quite comparable to a laptop.

2. Cost, mobility, and size are three great reasons handhelds are so practical. But even more convincing is the opportunity they provide for collaboration and sharing between students. Beaming is the future. Handhelds are also extremely easy to use as we have all seen through class.

3. The big issue dealing with concerns of handhelds seems to be focused around making sure handhelds are compatible with software and desktops. Other issues causing concerns are distractions and students cheating. But these concerns are characteristics of schools currently. Lastly, teachers need to have professional development opportunities focused around the handhelds in order to use them to their fullest capacities.

4. Palmtop is a term that is sometimes used as it is seen as a progression from desktop to laptop to palmtop. Interesting... Palms were first introduced in 1993, but did not find a large enough market to survive.

5. There are several ways to transfer data to and from handhelds. Memory cards, beaming, external keyboards, probes, cameras, modems, etc. The opportunities for collaboration are endless!

6. It was helpful to learn more about Bluetooth, a wireless experience with a 30 meter radius range. It's helpful when printing but is slow when supporting Ethernet. But, it supports voice. I had no idea that bluetooth technology enables cashless vending machines to work. Wow! Wi-Fi, or wireless internet has a much broader range, however, and is very fast! I'm all for Apple and their airport systems, if only they would make them free to schools! The configuration part was a bit over my head.

7. I found the portion about what to do before buying a handheld very helpful. Several important questions are considered about the goals of the handheld in terms of what they will be used for, by whom, and where. I am in the process of searching for information about how teachers use handhelds when they have classes switching for almost every subject. It'd be great if a whole grade level could have handhelds in order to capitalize on the importance of 'ownership'. In addition, almost every section of the eBook contained several websites for more information. Thanks!

8. I really enjoyed reading the case study about how a classroom was using handhelds for almost every aspect of a project. It was fascinating to see that even the parents can be involved using their own handhelds to access information from websites where their student's work is posted. It was awesome to read about how students were motivated for projects to come thanks to the technology and support from home! What an experience. I wish I could go back and be a kid again!

9. After reading the portion about eBooks, one would think they would be the next wave of the future. It seems as if everything has potential to be an eBook. I envision a library where people would bring their handhelds and checkout eBooks through a beaming process. How cool would that be! The eBook would be programmed to expire in 2 weeks and we wouldn't have to ever return books or pay late fees! That would Rock! But, there is something to say for having a real book in one's hands. There must be a balance. All I can say is that college students won't be complaining about sore backs for too long!

10. I can completely agree with one of the greatest concerns of eBooks being the eye strain. Although we can change the font of the text, I did find that my eyes grew tired much quicker than when reading printed text.

The eBook experience was awesome. Everyone I show and tell about them is completely in awe. And, I know they aren't just amusing me either! People don't always have a book in their handbags, but since the palm holds so much important information, it makes sense that it's always available. I wonder if people will start reading eBooks while driving. That'd be bad, but I'm sure its been done.

How to use Built-In Applications with Students

2005-02-20T09:51:00.001-08:00

After learning more in-depth information about the basics of the palm, the real challenge was evident. How can we use these basic, business type programs in education? After a spell of thinking "outside the box," I discovered some obvious ways to enhance the curriculum and increase motivation in all my classes.

Address Book

An OPS standard in 4th grade is to have students keep a book log of all the books they've read, focusing mainly on multicultural literature. In addition, students are asked to give an oral book report about a book they've read. The reading class I teach is quite advanced and the students love to read, especially books recommended by other students. Using the customized categories and labeling them as follows: Title, Author, Authors Purpose, Rating, and Summary, students could record digitally all the books they read instead of using a notebook. But the coolest part would be that they could then beam their favorite books to their friends. It'd be like having the best reading books in the palm of your hand all the time. Students could take their handhelds to the library when checking out books and use the database as a reference to find something interesting to read. At the end of the year, students could have a huge list of summer reading books too!

Spelling words/sentences/definitions would be organized and accessible as well as beamible (if that's a word)!

Memos and Calendar

The most obvious function is for students to use their handheld as their daily planner. Listing when assignments are due, and writing the directions in the Memo Pad section. Students would also be able to rank their task lists as to prioritize tasks. A teacher can even beam the directions and due dates to students who miss class, or they can get them from other students.

Task Lists and Note Pad

What a great way for students to do math work on the notepad, explain it in the task list or memo pad, step by step, and then beam their work to another student and through conversation figure out different methods for solving similar problems.

A teacher could also put up a quiz on the overhead or project it while students write their answers on the memo pad or to do list and then beam them to the teacher. I think quizzler might be a lot like this.

All Applications

I teach the 4th graders economics. We do a hands on project where students work in groups to create something to sell or a service to provide. Students then keep track of expenses and income. All applications would be used as students schedule, create a business plan, and use the calculator to track cash flow, etc.

Teaching in general
The handheld would allow a teacher to walk around, monitor and record what they see, and even take a picture if they have a camera on their handheld. It's a fast, easy way to take annectdotal notes. For a detailed list of ways teachers use basic handheld applications, go to http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=12803444

I know there are many more ways to use these applications and I'll add more as I think of them.

So much to learn...so little time

2005-02-19T10:56:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are with another handheld class right around the corner. We haven't met for a month, but time sure flew. I have been using my handheld daily and am loving it. After tons and tons of practice, I finally managed to pass 1400 on giraffe. I would do great until the weird and less used symbols would begin to fall down. I'm still not sure how to make all of them. It's amazing how much time that 6 point assignment took!
Class on the 27th was definitely an information overload. It's nice to have such a detailed account from the Roving Reporter to refresh my memory. I have ordered the book by Toni and Janet Coughlin and am patiently awaiting its arrival. I’m excited to see the vignettes and begin creating ways to use them with my curriculum.

As we continued to delve into the basics of the palm, I couldn’t stop saying “Wow!” Some of the highlights of the evening are as follows.

1. What you see is what you beam. Isn’t that the truth! We practiced beaming our ebusiness cards to each other. It was fast, simple, and amazing. I made sure to pass that on to my friends, none of whom had heard about it. What a great way to exchange information at meetings, etc. The old school writing important info on scraps of paper will soon be obsolete. I hope I never make the mistake of beaming my whole address book though!

2. Another cool tool we explored was the address database and how fields can be customized and used within the calendar program as well. I have been using the calendar for a few months but now know how to schedule reoccurring meetings, etc.

3. We also experienced Cascade Beaming as Tony beamed us the game Coconut Fern, a spin off of connect four. It’s very hard to beat!

4. Then came the challenging part. How can these simple applications be used in the classroom to help achieve content standards? Tony showed us one way his students learned social studies vocabulary using the customized fields of the contacts database and the jigsaw cooperative learning method. Wow! The challenge is to think outside the box in order to incorporate these basic programs. It’s like a whole new territory to explore and create. For my ideas, see my next blog.

As always, I’m looking forward to the 24th!

Way too much fun!

2005-01-25T20:38:00.000-08:00

The second session of our palm class is now history, but the excitement of learning how to use my Tungsten E is far from over. I enjoyed learning more about what research is doing to support the use of handhelds in the classroom. I am glad that I will leave this class with many great resources to use in order to convince my school this is the way to go. In a way I feel I'm getting so much more than a hand held class, especially with the Blogs in full works. I love how easy it is to use blogger.com and bloglines.com. If only I could create such a place! As Tony began teaching us about how to use our palms, it was like my second wind kicked in after a terribly long day. I was so excited to finally learn some of the programs. I have been using the address book and memo pad for about 2 months and I love it! Never will I ever forget an important person's birthday. Unless, of course, I let my battery run down. :-) It was cool to learn some of the many tricks that only a veteran palm user would know. And how cool is beaming?!?!?! The whole ideas is simply amazing, especially when you can actually see how fast and easy it is. I kept wanting things to move faster though so I have to remind myself to be patient. When I left class I was on such a 'high' that I couldn't stop talking about the palm!!! As soon as I was home, I was blabbing away to my fiancé about beaming and all the cool things I learned. To make matters worse, I dreamed about my new toy and all the great ways I could use it in the classroom. At school the next morning, I was still so jazzed up that my co-teacher got an earful as well. She was so amazed that she purchased her own handheld this past weekend. I was so shocked. I figured she would be the hardest to pull on board, and I didn't even show her the real cool stuff.

Then the weekend hit and I was piled high with other stuff to do and the palm got set aside. Every time I open it though, it's like Christmas all over again. Today is Tuesday and I just tried Giraffe. I did great until all those fancy symbols came up and I was really stuck. But...tomorrow at school there is a program for students so I'll be in the back...practicing!
I can't wait until our next class. I'm sad it's the last one until February.

What a class!

2005-01-17T16:19:00.000-08:00

Just seeing how hand held computers can be used in the classroom is the coolest thing ever! I hope that I will learn enough in this class to able to petition the PTA and our principal for a class set. Right now the focus is on Smartboards and I'm just not sold on them. I feel like it's the teacher using the computer and everyone else just watching. With the hand held computers, everyone has a part. My other dilema is that we switch classes for every subject so I'm not sure how hand helds would work in that situation. I am very excited to learn about what research says in support of hand held computers and I can't wait to learn how to effectively use and implement them into the 4th grade curriculum.

Thanks for the chili! That was great!

My first ever Blog

2005-01-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

It's pretty rare to learn something new on the first day of a college class. But Tony has taught us how to Blog. How cool is that? Everyone I've said "Blog" to, says what!?!?!? It is an odd sounding word. I can't wait to teach it to my 4th graders tomorrow. It will be the question of the day.