Colleges Give Palm Handhelds to Students

While many colleges are trying to get students the computer equipment thay need to succeed, issuing all students laptops is an expenisive proposition. Instead, many colleges have turned to handhelds to their combination of portability and low cost.

Earlier this week, more than 1,300 students at the University of South Dakota became the first in the United States to receive Palm handhelds authorized by a university for all first-year undergraduates, law, and medical students. The Palm m500 and m505 handhelds came with a dozen education, productivity, and communication applications.

USD President James W. Abbott said, "Palm handhelds will be an integral part of English, speech, biology, computer science, information technology, medical and law coursework. Just as important, the technology will be used to share information, collaborate and communicate with faculty, administrators and other students."

Central to integrating the Palm handhelds into campus life is the installation of the EthIR LAN and EthIR STAR wireless connectivity systems from Clarinet Systems. These provide high-speed IR connectivity to the campus network for faster transfer of data to the handhelds. Students can receive email, download web clips, schedule appointments with faculty, turn in assignments electronically, share lecture notes, research academic requirements and obtain class materials. Educators can distribute syllabi, course calendars, resource materials and assignments. The IR ports are located in the student center, library, the medical and law schools, and several buildings that house undergraduate departments.

Students in France will have a whole new way to organize their college schedules and busy lives through a special outreach program from Palm, Inc., France Technologie Interactive, and selected partners like iambic, Inc. A group from the Sorbonne University of Paris will be equipped with a specially designed Palm m100 handhelds.

Included with the Palm m100 Série Limitée Etudiant will be Action Names School which allows students to keep class schedules on their device, set alarms for studies and tests, plan their activities and homework, and carry contact information for all their friends and family.

These students are far from alone. Harvard Medical School has a system that allows over 300 of its students mobile access to their class schedules, hospital case log notes, lecture notes with anatomy illustrations, course evaluations, exam calendars and last-minute announcements, and more with AvantGo. They also allow students to enter patient info in their Palm while walking around on rounds.

Illinois School District 230 has started what it calls the "the largest educational deployment of handheld computers in the United States.'' About 1,700 students and 65 teachers use Palm handhelds for word-processing and to collect and analyze data for fitness, nutrition, and science classes.

Earlier this year, Ballard High in Seattle made news with its program to introduce Visors into the classroom. Students are using Visors to take notes in class, track homework assignments, create outlines and write reports, share information, and record their grades. They can also read novels and news, use an electronic dictionary and thesaurus, and study for tests.

Palm Inc. is actively encouraging studies on effective use of handhelds in classrooms. The Palm Education Pioneer Grant Program gives Palm handhelds to K-12 teachers and their students so that they can explore new ways to teach and learn.

Thanks to Kaerrie Simons for her help with this. -Ed

Related Information:

• PIC: Schools Test Handhelds in the Classroom
• PIC: High Tech High School: Introducing Visors Into the Classroom
• Education@Palm