In
the past five years, handheld computers have begun to migrate from the
corporate world to the classroom. The same features that have made them
popular tools in business-portability, organisational capability, and price-have
made them indispensable tools for many teachers and students. A small number
of schools are finding that handhelds are an affordable supplement to their
current ICT provision, allowing groups of students to extend their learning
beyond the walls of the classroom.
As with the incorporation of any new tool or technology into the classroom, handheld computers are only as successful as the teaching practice in which they are rooted. Many potential pitfalls and frustrations which new users encounter can be avoided with planning that focus on maximising the learning gains and not on the technology.
Handheld computers offer numerous opportunities for supporting students, teachers, and school leaders in their work of education - whether going to school, working in schools, or leading schools. At each level, this portable tool assists with planning, organising, and record-keeping.
With
a computer that fits in the hand and is free of connections to school
walls, today's student holds technology that has every potential to integrate
as a learning tool almost as effortlessly as pencil and paper. Not only
do handhelds provide a portable organiser and time manager, but they
allow students to enter, manipulate, and analyse data at its source.
The Learning Everywhere Initial Pilot since its launch in November 2005 has proved that personalised ‘student owned’ handheld devices can be integrated into the main stream curriculum with great benefit to motivation and other areas too.
In the forthcoming phase Learning Everywhere drawing on the lessons learned in the adoption pilot will continue to embed mobile computing into the secondary school environment and seeks to build on participation both in the local area and further a field.
Qualitative Data:
As part of the agreement between Learning Everywhere and the schools, participating students and staff are being asked to keep a project diary noting when and how the PDAs are used, any significant events and their own opinions of how the project is progressing. This information is being compiled for future independant evaluation.
Staff involved are being asked to make personal judgements about their students’ progress. These judgements need validating (possibly using the moderation model i.e. staff are interviewed and justify their judgements based on evidence) and compiling.
Quantitative data:
Baseline ks3 data has been collected and students are to be tracked through at regular intervals to the end of the project.
Relevant internal assessments are being collected. e.g. End of module tests, half-termly teacher assessments. Assessments from students not in the project are also to be collected to see if any sort of comparison can be made.
National curriculum levels will probably not be affected in the short term but could be relevant if the project is extended.
Collection of other data may become apparent as the project progresses.
