Handhelds in the classroom.

Handhelds in the classroom. Danica Dowling

Why handhelds are useful in the classroom • Handhelds are great for the use in the classroom. • Gives students that extra push to want to learn. • Connecting to students by teaching them through something they enjoy and know well to work with.

Cell phones • Motivated more to use cell phones in an educational manner. • Educational software and programs for cell phones. • Students already have one, and put it to use. • Able to use the camera. • Receiving SMS & email reminders from teachers • Synchronizing calendar/timetable and setting reminders • Transferring files between school and home. • Timing experiments with stopwatch. http://www.ns.umich.edu/podcast/video.php?id=717

Calculators • Make tedious math fun, fast, and accurate. • Make those hard problems easier to do and understand. • Great for a check to if your answer is right. • Allow students more access to meaningful problems. • Provides symbolic, graphical, and numerical representations, students are able to employ different methods to solve problems.

ipods • Use the camera and video recorder. • Use it for music class to listen to different types of music. • For the foreign language programs the students download lessons to their devices. • New ways to study away from class using time. • Connecting with students and their passion for technology. • Search the web, do classroom quizzes, hand in homework assignments, research projects. • Help students in sports, by keeping track of heart-rate, etc. http://www.slideshare.net/gpoli/a-classroom-in-your-pocket-ipods-in-education

ipads • Easy and fast access to internet resources and the most current news. • Can access books and able to read on them. • Open, view, and play around with photos. • Can take the place of textbooks, in which there is less for the students to carry and worry about having. • Can have homework and assignments done and graded between the teacher and students, without using paper and that extra mass. • Use many different applications to help the students learn better. • A piece of attendance software on the music teachers iPad automatically detects which students are in the room, which are in the building and on their way, and which are simply not in school that day.

Kindle and e-book reader • You can send a purchased Kindle book to 6 devices, which would reduce the cost involved in buying books. • Can highlight and have note-taking features. • You can upload PDF documents by connecting the USB to your computer. • Can raise the font size. • Text-to-speech feature. • Given activities for students that relate to the books. • Translate to any language. http://reviews.cnet.com/e-book-readers/barnes-noble-nook/4505-3508_7-33786175.html?tag=mncol;also

gps • Identify locations. • Can use and discover Google Earth. • Provides lessons plans that incorporate GPS. • Can use the program of GIS, for educational uses. • Create your own maps. • Help students learn and understand science on a whole new and better level. • Learn geology and other earth scientists.

Handheld computers (palms) • Small and easy to carry around. • Access books and drawing and animation tools. • Word processing and easy printing. • Create tables and spreadsheets. • Instant questionnaire software with results. • Web-mapping. • One of the cheapest and useful handhelds. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwzkPUdQJHQ

Livescribe pulse digital pen/Recorder • Record up to seven hours and students can go back and listen to lectures. • Records your notes two ways: it creates digital copies of everything you write by hand while recording audio at the same time. • It also goes one step further and links the two together, so you can quickly access audio by tapping parts of your notes. • Easily be able to plug it in your computer via a USB port so you can extract the file onto your hard drive for later reference. • Small and easy to carry around. • In addition, it offers features like a calculator, translator, and a paper piano that plays a mini piano you draw on paper.

Windows mobile (phone) • Easy to sync documents, contacts, calendars, memos, etc. from your PC to other SMART devices. • Provides Windows Office. • Easy to navigate and connect to the web. • Use e-mails, and chat toothers around you. • Send voice clips instantly. • Camera http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/meet/demo.mspx

cameras • Take and create pictures for different activities with immediate feedback. • Digital encourages faster learning, more fun and greater creativity with photography. • Digital cameras promote visual literacy. • Easy to adjust mistakes with exposure or the affects of lens distortion with software. • Children are naturally drawn to photography. • By using digital cameras within the curriculum, teachers can not only provide students with a visual medium for self-expression, but also help them to hone their observation skills, develop an understanding of perspective, and practice their computer skills.

Nintendo ds (game boys) • Fun and easy way to learn! • Games available for math, science, language, spelling, and brain activities. • Program allows a teacher to use a PC to interface over local wireless with up to 50 DS systems in a classroom. The system can be used for problem sets, with the answers checked automatically and sent to the teacher's PC, surveys, tests, and other multiple-choice activities. • Video games grabsallchildren

Student response system • Allow students to respond to questions asked verbally, on paper or on screen and enables you to instantly assess their comprehension of your lessons. • Increase classroom participation and attentiveness . • Encourage risk-taking with anonymous student responses. • Automate taking attendance. • Easy for students to use and understand.

negatives • Sometimes could be more of a distraction. • Can create disruptions during class. • May lead to students to depend on these devices. (rely on it too much) • Needs to be taught the correct way. • Does not do well with hard beating by students. • Cheating, because you can share information so easily to other students. • Add-ons pieces become expansive. • Safety and replacement issues. • Level is too high to fully utilize the technology. • Chance to have students misuse the technology.

resources • http://www.zardec.net.au/keith/digcam.htm • http://www.mangomon.com/blog/bid/20297/iPad-s-in-Special-Education-Classrooms • http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/230656/using_ipods_in_the_classroom_promotes.html?cat=4 • http://www.islandpacket.com/2009/09/13/965830/kids-use-ipods-in-school-to-help.html • http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec700/GPS/resources.htm • http://hubpages.com/hub/Texas-Instruments-Calculators-Facilitates-Learning--in-Classrooms • http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/4903/students_and_cell_phones_controversy.html?cat=9 • http://www.openeducation.net/2009/02/08/cell-phones-time-to-lift-the-ban-on-mobiles-in-the-school-setting/ • http://glma.wordpress.com/2010/04/17/kindles-in-the-classroom/ • http://gizmodo.com/386809/review-livescribe-pulse-digital-penrecorder-verdict-its-good-for-notetakers • http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=6753 • http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/clay-dillow/culture-buffet/nintendo-goes-school-ds-classroom-turns-handheld-console-teaching-to • http://www.thedsblog.com/nintendo-ds-news/nintendo-ds-in-the-classroom/ • http://www.polleverywhere.com/sms-classroom-response-system

Handhelds in the classroom.