International
Journal of
Educational
Technology

PDAs in the Classroom:  Integration Strategies for K-12 Educators

-Beverly Ray, Idaho StateUniversity

Abstract

PDAs (PersonalDigital Assistants) such as Palm Pilots and Pocket PCs have gone beyond theworld of business and are now finding their way into the hands of K-12 teachersand students.  This article begins bydiscussing how teachers can use PDAs to facilitate anytime, anywhere coursemanagement.

The integration ofPDA technology into the classroom provides teachers an opportunity to promote studentcentered learning. PDA integration strategies that promote technologyintegration and student-centered learning are offered.  Ideas range from the use of PDAs as creativeand reflective writing journals to the use of PDAs as databases that store dataand promote analysis.  The articleconcludes with a discussion of free and inexpensive PDA software programsavailable for teachers and students.

Introduction

Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) such as PalmPilots and Pocket PCs are handheld computers that serve as an organizer ofpersonal and professional information. PDAs are now being broadly accepted in avariety of K-12 educational settings. PDAs come with software that allowseducators and students to perform a range of tasks, including synchronizingdata with desktop or laptop computers, accessing e-mail, managing appointmentsand course assignments.

Literature Review

PDAs have been used toaugment and supplant computers in classrooms because they are readilyavailable, inexpensive, and easy for educators to use.  PDAs are effective classroom organizationaltools for educators (Ray, et. al., 2001; Scott, 2002). Pownell and Bailey(2000) agree, observing that PDAs effectively support how teachers work and useinformation in their classrooms. Soloway (2000) contends that PDAs"support cycles of doing and reflecting"(p. 1) by encouragingteachers and students to revisit their written work more often.  PDAs give teachers greater flexibility inmanaging classroom assignments and in creating student-specific instructionalplans (Ray et. al., 2001; Soloway, 2000). They are also a fast and efficientmethod for accurately transferring data into a computer (Hecht, 1997; Stover,2001).  Because PDAs allow teachers andstudents to readily share files and other information by “beaming” files fromone PDA to another, collaboration and sharing of information and software isenhanced. This sharing and commenting on other's work leads to an increase inthe quality of finished products, such as written drafts and reflectivediscourses (Soloway, 2000).

As PDAs become more available in K-12 classrooms,teachers must decide how best to integrate the devices into instruction.Integration is supported by the low cost and ease of use of the units. Whilethe range of software promoting the integration of PDAs into K-12 settingsexpands daily, the majority of software applications continue to be developedprimarily for business users. The dearth of educational software, coupled withthe newest of the technology, means that the K-12 teacher who wishes tointegrate PDAs into the classroom may need assistance in developing effectiveproductivity and instructional strategies. What follows is an overview ofvarious integration methods, including specific integration strategies, thatK-12 educators can use to assist them developing their own integrationstrategies.

Teachers have thepotential to have a paperless classroom by using a PDA. For instance, wheneverparents request appointments, the teacher can input the date and time in thePDA's calendar (Ray, et. al., 2001). This not only records the appointmenttime, but it also allows the instructor to jot a quick note as a reminder aboutthe topic of discussion for the meeting (Green, 2001). Follow up notes aboutthe meeting can be added to the original note during or after the meeting. Thisfeature is particularly useful when documentation or follow up meetings arerequired. These notes can later be synched to a stationary computer andcopied/pasted into word processing or other software where the information isneeded. (Synching involves taking the file from the classroom computer to thePDA). They can also be beamed or e-mailed to administrators (Pownell &Bailey, 2000; McFadden, 2001).

Beaming Assignments. Dailyassignments, such as required readings, grading rubrics, and laboratory forms,can be quickly and easily beamed to individual students or to groups ofstudents equipped with PDA(McFadden, 2000; Ray, et. al., 2001). Conversely,students can beam completed work, including papers and laboratory reports, tothe instructor's PDA in seconds. The instructor then has the option of gradingthe assignments on the PDA or of synching assignments to another computer for gradingor revision (McFadden, 2001; Hecht, 1997; Stover, 2001).  Teachers can also use the PDA to keep upwith administrative tasks, such as progress reports, IEPs, and disciplinereports, by synching the files to their PDAs (Ray, et. al., 2001; Scott 2002).For instance, the flexibility of the PDA may prove useful for travelingteachers who move from classroom to classroom or from to school to school on adaily basis. Rather than transporting paperwork in files and notebooks, theyhave the potential to transport important documents electronically using PDAs(Greene, 2001; Wright, P., Bartram, C., Rogers, N., Emslie, H., Evans, J.,Wilson, B., & Belt, S., 2000).

Word Processing.Word-processed files such as a class syllabus and other course materials can bestored on the PDA for quick reference in class or in the field. This isparticularly useful when explaining assignments and grading procedures tostudents who are engaged in complex tasks outside of the classroom. Studentwork can be beam back to the teacher’s PDA or synched to a stationary computerfor quick grading (Ray & McFadden, 2001; Soloway, Norris, Curtis, Krajcik,Marx, Fishman, & Blumenfeld, 2001).

Database Applications.Teachers can inventory instructional materials using database softwareavailable for the PDA. Information in the database can be beamed to otherteachers. Additional PDA databases can be used to store information onindividual students (Scott, 2002). Information such as contact numbers, specialhealth or medical needs, reading levels, or even student hobbies and interestscan be stored in the PDA and quickly accessed as needed (Ray & McFadden,2001; Soloway, 2000).

Spreadsheet Applications.Teachers are using PDAs to record grades in various spreadsheets, includingMicrosoft Excel. Keeping an electronic grade book on a PDA allows for quickreference when a student asks about a grade. It also allows the teachers toinput grades into an electronic grade book stored on the PDA. This isparticularly useful in classrooms where constructivist and cooperative groupactivities require teachers to engage in “on the fly” or alternate assessmentof students’ work. PDAs are also useful for teachers who require students topresent oral reports or to participate in class discussion sessions. Quickaccess to the electronic grade book is useful for keeping up with attendanceand tardy arrivals, as well. Using the PDA allows teachers to bypass thestationary computer and still maintain an accurate grade book. PDA spreadsheetsalso can store attendance records and performance assessment charts (Ray &McFadden, 2001; Ray, 2001; Roblyer & Edwards, 2000).

InternetAccess

Web-clipping.  Using a free web-clipping service, such asAvantGo, provides instructors access to information that may assist them inplanning activities such as projects, lesson plans, and lectures. Onlineweather updates, maps, and tourist information can make the process of planninga fieldtrip less time consuming for educators. Also, web-clipping servicesallow users to customize and select the pages that they want to download anduse in their classrooms (Buyukkokten, O., Garcia-Molina, H., & Paepcke, A.,2000; McFadden, 2000).

Wireless Web Publishing.  Teachers can design their own virtualfieldtrips--or course web pages…and then assign students to download the sitesto the PDA for reference and class discussion. Individual teachers or schoolscan design web sites containing information that parents can download to theirPDAs as well. This information can include syllabi, class rules, lesson plans,school and cafeteria calendars, faculty contact information, student academichandbooks, and other manuals that often fail to make it home in students’backpacks.

Students and PDAs

Using PDAs allows students to takegreater responsibility for their assignments. For example, when referring tothe onboard calendar they can visually see what assignments are due. Knowingwhen a particular assignment is due allows them to organize their work, play, andstudy schedules more effectively. Knowing the details of an assignment,including its point value and due date, can help them set priorities. Using thePDA "effectively [gets] 'rid' of all the additional pieces of paper oradditional notebooks" (McFadden, 2001).

Word Processing. PDAs assiststudents in the writing process. They can write, edit, and revise stories,papers, and journals. They can also use the PDA to take class notes. Studentsworking in groups can beam poems or other writings to one another. Individualreading and writing exercises can be completed on PDAs as well (McFadden, 2001;Soloway, 2000; Szuchman, 2002).

PDA Integration Strategy 1. Students work together insmall groups to create a poem, acrostics, biocrostics, or other creativewriting tasks using their PDA’s memo software or word processing software. Onestudents begins the writing activity by writing an entry into the file. Thisstudent then beams the document to the next student. That student adds an entrybefore beaming it to the next student for further work. Once completed,students can share the written work among the group before beaming the finishedproduct to the teacher.

PDA Integration Strategy 2. Students use their PDAs tocreate, edit, and revise a reflective journal as they study a novel or work ona research project. The teacher then, at random, asks students to beam theirjournals to her PDA. The teacher beams responses or comments back to thestudents.

PDA Integration Strategy 3. The teacher creates textfiles that allow students to edit paragraphs for punctuation, capitalization,and spelling on their PDAs. The text files are beamed to individual studentsfor revision. Once revised, students beam the file back to the teacher’s PDA(or print hard copies for submission). Over the course of a semester studentscreate a document that contains basic grammar and punctuation rules andexamples.  A variations on this activitywould require students to sequence paragraphs in a story by using the cut andpaste features.

Spreadsheet Applications.Students can create simple survey instruments that can be stored on the PDA.Students can use these surveys to conduct field research, including interviews,by recording data and other findings in a PDA spreadsheet, such as Tiny Sheet(www.iambic.com), or in Microsoft Excel. Completed surveys can be beamed to acentral computer so that results can be tallied and discussed in class (Greene,2001; McFadden, 2001).

PDA Integration Strategy 4.  Students use spreadsheet software on their PDAs to set up andmanage financial information, such as stocks during a stock market simulation.Students obtain daily stock reports by clipping the information from CNNfn(http://www.cnnfn.com/) or the Wall Street Journal (http://wwww.wsj.com).Information, including the name of their stocks, the purchase price, the dailyor weekly percentage change, and other information about the stock, is enteredinto the PDA. Students beam information to team members for discussion anddecision making activities, such as what stocks to buy and what stocks to sell.

PDA Integration Strategy 5.  Working individually students collect, count, weigh, and sortrecyclables or clean trash in their homes for an assigned period of time(Roblyer, 2001).  Each student recordshis findings in the PDA. Once the information is collected, students beam thedata to the teacher for compilation. When all data is collected, the teacher inturn beams the data to groups of students who are assigned specific data analysistasks. Groups hypothesize about what the data suggests for the local community.They also can use the information to make recommendations for action.

PDA Integration Strategy 6. Students use their PDAs toconduct and collect social science research using a simple surveyinstrument.  Groups of students fan outacross the school to collect data from a variety of classes or grades. Once thesurveys are completed the data can be combined into one file for analysis anddiscussion.

Database Applications.  Students can use databases to store, sort,and search through large amounts of information. Information can serve as thesource of original research and analysis (McFadden, 2000; Hecht, 1997; Roblyer, & Edwards, 2000; Soloway, et.al, 2001).  Students can mergeindividually collected data into a larger database simply by beaming orsynching their databases.

PDA Integration Strategy 7.  Students work in groups to search through and analyze localcensus data (recent or historic) that the teacher has stored in a PDA database.Students began the activity by exploring the data and learning how to use thedatabase software. Once they are comfortable with the software, they can beginto formulate questions that the database can help them answer concerning thelocal community during a particular time period (e.g., average family size,infant mortality rates, mortality rates, and other questions such as race andgender ratios.)

PDA Integration Strategy 8.  Students go into the field to investigate the relationshipbetween the local community and the natural environment by collecting data onthe type and number of birds observed in various locations. Students alsorecord information about the setting (e.g., where the birds are located, thetime of day that they are sited, date of the observation, and any otherobservable information that they discover). Variations on this activity includehaving students observe the diversity of rocks (Roblyer, 2001), plant (e.g., hard wood trees), animal (e.g.,small mammals), and insect species in the local area. Using the databasestudents draw conclusions about the impact of urbanization on the naturalenvironment.

Laboratory Settings.  In laboratory settings where each student orgroups of students have access to their own PDA,students can conduct experiments, test hypotheses, and quickly record results Avariety of probes, which attach to PDAs expand the investigative potential ofthe laboratory Software associated with these probes allows students to recordand analysis scientific data from the probes. Using this data, students canalso conduct scientific research in the field (Soloway, 2000; Soloway, et al, 2001).

PDA Integration Strategy 9. Students graph temperaturechanges over time in ponds (Soloway, 2001). Once the field experience iscompleted students beam the results to one another or to the teacher’s PDA foranalysis. Variations on this activity include testing and recording CO2 levels in the local area over the course ofa semester.

PDA Integration Strategy 10. Working in pairs studentsuse a PDA to record the results of laboratory experiments. Findings andconclusions are then shared and discussed as a whole group activity.

InternetApplications

Web-clipping. Students and teachers cankeep up with current events by clipping a variety of newspaper articlesdaily.  Primary documents that can be“clipped” include the United States Constitution, the Declaration ofIndependence, and the Bill of Rights (Bull, Bull, & Whitaker, 2001;McFadden, 2000).

PDA Integration Strategy 11. Students clip 9 (download)articles from assigned newspapers to their PDAs. Working individually or ingroups, students go through the paper to select and read an article on acurrent issue. Once the article is read, students use their PDAs to write asummary and critique of the article using a writing prompt beamed to them bytheir instructor. A variation on this activity would have students cliparticles on one topic or event from newspapers with different points of view.Once the articles are clipped, students read the articles and identify thecontent and point of view for each newspaper. Students come together for aroundtable discussion of the diversity of perspectives presented in thearticles.

Additional Academic Uses

Reference Materials

PDAs with eight megabits of ram or more canstore a variety of dictionaries, thesauruses, or other reference tools. Storingthese materials on the PDA provides teachers and students a source for quickreference materials.

Dictionaries, Thesauruses, andOther Writing Tools. Several freeware dictionaries and thesauruses areavailable for download. For example, the Noah Lite English Dictionary(http://www.arslexis.com/), with 122,000 words is available as freeware. Asstudents use the PDA---or another computer---for word processing, they canquickly access a dictionary and thesaurus on the PDA (McFadden, 2001). Teachersand students in foreign language courses, can find free or inexpensive foreignlanguage dictionaries online from several different Internet sites.

PDA Integration Strategy 12.  Working together students create a customized dictionary ofeconomic terms using word processing or other software. Once created, this oneof a kind dictionary is used by students to assist them in completing homeworkand other assignments. A variations on this activity asks students to create adictionary of geographic and geologic terms. Students use this dictionaries toassist them in locating natural features in the local area. 

E-textbooks. Many publishersare beginning to offer electronic versions of their textbooks. While manypromote dedicated e-book readers such as the RCA REB1100, which can store up totwenty novels, textbooks can be stored on PDAs as well. Teachers and studentscan easily download and read a variety of free classic texts from the ElectricBook Company (http://www.elecbook.com) and other sites on the Internet. Accessto texts is no longer limited by what books are available in the schoollibrary.  Many online publishers, suchas Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, offer electronic books for purchase anddownload to a PDA. Software like PeanutReader (http://www.peanutpress.com),Documents To Go (http://www.dataviz.com), and AportisDoc(http://www.aportis.com) supplement a variety of free text readers that areavailable online.

PDA Integration Strategy 13. Students supplementtextbooks and available literature by downloading out of print literary worksnot commonly available in their libraries or in their local bookstores to theirPDAs. Students read the literature on their PDAs and use their PDAs to keep aresponse journal. The teacher beams additional writing prompts to the PDAs andmakes random checks of the response journal. 

Scientific Calculators. Whilescientific and other types of calculators are ubiquitous in math and scienceclassrooms, the use a calculator on a PDA is efficient for students who alreadymust carry a great deal of material in their backpacks. The use of a calculatoron the PDA consolidates one or more calculators into one efficient device thathas a variety of purposes.  If theonboard calculator does not meet students’ needs, more complex calculatorsoftware programs (e.g., scientific, graphing, and molecular), which are oftenfree, can be downloaded for classroom.

PDA Integration Strategy 14. Students use a PDAgraphing calculator program in concert with a PDA probe to sample and displaychange in air quality over time. Or as Soloway (2001) suggests, students candocument changes in water quality over time.

Software for Educational Users

The variety of software available for PDAs makes itpossible for teachers and students to customize their PDAs to reflect theirindividual course loads. Numerous titles promote instruction in a variety ofsetting. Online clearinghouse sites, such as Palm Pilot (http://www.palm.com)and Zdnet’s Palm downloads (http://www.zdnet.com), simplify the process oflocating, downloading, and installing free and inexpensive software foreducators. 

Course Management Softwarefor Educators

PraestoGrade. This classmanagement software allows teachers to insert grades, calculate grades, andgenerate reports. Information on the PDA can be synched to another computer asnecessary. (http://www.aptustechnologies.com/)

Teachers P.E.T. Thisinexpensive software allows teachers to input, manage, and calculate grades ona PDA. Teachers can synch information to a stationary computer or printdirectly from the PDA to a printer with an infrared port. (http://www.coffeepotsoftware.com/products.htm)

ThoughtManager for Teachers.Classroom management software that allows teachers to manage tasks, homeworkrecords, and beam work such as outlines, activities, ideas, agendas, and lessonplans. Over 75 downloadable education resource outlines and templates make iteasy to create and organize lesson plans and classroom activities.(http://www.handshigh.com/html/tmteachers.html)

Course Management Softwarefor Students

Four.Zero. This softwareallows students to input and track their semester calendars, courseassignments, and grades. It also allows students to perform “what if” scenariosthat help them predict final grades.(http://www.handmark.com/products/fourzero/index.html)

A Plus. Students can recordassignments due date, subjects from list, headline, contents, complete statusand even scores obtained in A Plus. It also supports subject filtering. A handymemo pad is included in the program for quick notes taking.

Productivity Software

Documents to Go Professional. This software allows theuser to create and edit Micosoft Word and Excel files on most PDAs. Thisprocess allows the teacher ---or student---to work on and edit Microsoft Wordand Excel documents. Teachers can write lesson plans, construct tests anytimeor anywhere. They can grade electronically submitted word processed papers ontheir PDAs by synching students' work to their PDA. (http://www.dataviz.com)

Ibrite powerViewer. Thesoftware converts Microsoft PowerPoint 97 and 2000 presentations into a mobile format that includes images, bullettext and notes. (http://www.ibrite.com)

Ibrite iMaker. iMaker allowsfor the creation of course specific reference manuals, such as curriculummanuals, which can be shared with colleagues for review. Teachers can alsocreate specialized dictionaries that address their curricular needs. Thesespecialized dictionaries can be stored on student PDAs for quick referencewhile working on projects or homework assignments. (http://www.ibrite.com)

AportisDoc Mobile Edition.AportisDoc is free text reader software that works on most PDAs. AportisDoc'sweb site also offers over 3,000 free titles, ranging from Moby Dick to the works of Plato. (http://www.aportis.com/)

Tiny Sheet. This is a  popular spreadsheet program for the PDA.Tiny Sheet allows users to create and access multiple sheets, and input data onthe PDA. (www.iambic.com)

ThinkDB 2.0. ThinkDB 2.0 is ashareware relational database manager that allows users to create, edit, andcustomize databases on the PDA. It is a flexible and easy to use program thatsupports custom views, resizable columns, and a form designer that lets usersdesign their own record entry forms. (http://www.thinkingbytes.com/)

Internet Applications

AvantGo. AvantGo is a freeweb-clipping program that allows the user to download a variety of web sites tothe PDA via the user's desktop computer or laptop. Entire web sites can beselected and downloaded daily. These selections can also be updated as classcontent changes. AvantGo provides teachers and students access to a variety ofnews sources, information about the stock market and financial markets, mapsand weather information. Well known educational content providers includeScholastic, NASA, and MapQuest (http://mapquest.com). Current events can beexamined via The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Christian ScienceMonitor, The Weather Channel, and many local sources.  (http://www.avantgo.com)

CoffeeCup Wireless Web Builder. This inexpensivesoftware allows instructors to build or convert existing web pages---or entireweb sites---into a format that students can view either from PDAs, cell phones,or other Internet devices.  (http://www.coffecup.com)

AdditionalSoftware for Educational Users

DiddleBug. This is a freewareprogram that turns a PDA's screen into a writing pad where users can write ordraw electronic post-it notes. DiddleBug allows users to set an alarm function,so that the message will pop up as a reminder.(http://blevins.simplenet.com/diddlebug/index.htm)

Big Clock 2.8. Big Clock is afree clock with an alarm, world time, and timer/stopwatch. Everything isdisplayed with large numbers and the timer works even while the device isturned off. (http://www.palm.com)

Many other educational software programs areavailable for download via the Internet from Palm.com (http://www.palm.com) andother PDA software clearinghouse web sites.

Summary

PDAs canbe personal productivity tools as well as instructional tools for both teacherand students (McFadden, 2001; Ray, et. al, 2001). PDAs prompt exploratory andconstructivist practices in the classroom and in the field (Soloway, 2000). Inthe hands of students, PDAs can promote accquition of critical thinking andcreative thinking skills (Szuchman, 2002). They also be used to promote agreater sense of responsibility among students.  However, issues relating to the readability of the PDA screen andthe fragile nature of the devices must be address if PDAs are to be more fullyused with students (Jones, Marsden, Mohd-Nasir, Boone, & Buchanan, 1999;Ray, et. al., 2001).

References

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