Handheld Computers(PDAs) in Schools

Report, March 2003David Perry

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Teachers’ summary 3

A note on the terminology in 2003 5

Introduction: The DfES/Becta PDA Project 7

The twin focuses of the project 7

Managing teachers’ work 8Benefits for headteachers and senior managers 9Benefits for classroom teachers – Managing their work 11

Teaching and learning 12Benefits for classroom teachers – Teaching and learning 12Teachers’ competence and capabilities 12Enhancing teaching 13

Benefits for pupils 14Ubiquitous computing? 14Safety and security 15Learning 16Family learning 16ICT capability 17Motivation 17Responsibility and personal organisation 18Collaboration 18Ambitions 19

Families 19

Barriers to use? 20

ISSUES 20

Training and support 20

Are PDAs the device of the future? 21Other products – Existing or emerging 21

Other matters remaining on the agenda 21

A final thought 23

Further information 24

Appendix A 25A project champion’s view– Andy Squires, Netherhall School, Cambridge

Appendix B 26 Insights from higher education in the USA

Contents

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DisclaimerThere are numerous manufacturers of handheld computers (PDAs) and software packages for use with them. Where specific hardware

or software is referred to in this report, no recommendation or endorsement by Becta or the DfES is intended, nor should any such

recommendation or endorsement be inferred.

This pilot project is beginning to identify real value inthe use of small, handheld computing devices forboth teachers and pupils in English schools. Thisreport, compiled for the Education Show in March2003, sets out some insights into the progress madeso far, and identifies potential avenues for furtherinvestigation and ways in which to ensure that theseare worthwhile.

The most positive indicator at this stage shows thatPDAs (see box for terminology) have considerablepotential for making leadership teams’ and teachers’management and presentation of information moreefficient, but there are some conditions necessary forthis to be successful. The potential of PDAs tohelp either teachers in their teaching orpupils with their learning is less clear, butsome very positive examples are emerging.Both teachers and pupils clearly increase theirgeneral capability with ICT, particularly throughpersonal ‘ownership’ of their device. However,further work is needed to identify the most effectiveways of using the devices in the educationalcontext, and to identify suitable specialistapplications and develop them for use in Englishschools.

The characteristics of the PDAs that met universalapproval included:

• small size – always with you

• instant-on (no waiting for an operating system to‘boot up’)

• much longer battery life than laptops

• the quantity of data they could hold

• the ‘up-to-dateness’ (currency) of the data

• the ease of synchronisation and sharing of data byinfrared ‘beaming’

• the price advantage over laptops.

A significant question is whether it is appropriate toprovide PDAs instead of computers (desk- or laptop)to either teachers or pupils as their main ICT device,or whether PDAs are only suitable as an adjunct to afully functional computer. It seems reasonable toconsider supplying both to senior managementteams who have a greater need for whole-school andup-to-the-minute data and who are desk-based formore of their time, as well as being smaller innumbers – the cost being less overall therefore. To supply all teachers with a PDA might involvesignificantly lower costs than the provision of laptopsbut questions remain over the range of necessaryfunctions that teachers can achieve with a PDA.

At their current state of development, responderssuggested the following possible weaknesses:

• small screens

• not rugged enough for school use

• lack of print-out capability (not applicable ifnetworked)

• the time it takes to input data (especially free text)

• the necessity to charge batteries every night(cradles are a must)

• costs of software and accessories

• unstable data storage (but only if the battery isallowed to go flat) leading to lost work.

For pupils, prices of PDAs at the bottom end of themarket – with the most limited functionality – arenow strikingly low. Retail prices start at around £75while laptops start at around £600. Questions must focus, therefore, on the cost-effectiveness ofdevices in relation to the range of uses they offer.Supplying both a PDA and a laptop to pupils isunrealistic except where one is for personal‘ownership’ and the other is supplied for specific uses that the owned device cannot support.

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Teachers’ Summary

Handheld computers (PDAs) couldbring important benefits to schools

by assisting administration,supporting classroom

management, and enablingpersonal and group learning.

However, the value for money, portability and otheradvantages for pupils using these devices mean thatsome schools and LEAs are now seriously consideringequipping all pupils with them.

This report identifies a series of issues to beaddressed to ensure that the greatest possible valueis obtained from PDAs where they are appropriate.These include the training and guidance necessary forusers, advice on managing PDAs in the schoolenvironment, and encouragement to schools to bebrave and explore the limits of their potential. Ofspecial note is the fact that nobody has answers to allthe questions raised – the only way forward iscollaborative development involving partners fromwithin and outside education. In particular, moreexploration of potential needs to be carried out todetermine the effectiveness to set against costs.

An indication of the potential value for supportingteachers comes from an experienced user:

“I use my PDA regularly… It has become my first, bestreference tool, especially with sixth form classes. Onone occasion, when discussing the physical propertiesof elements in the periodic table, I reached for myPalm to find it… missing. I’d left home in such a hurrythat I had left it in its cradle. I felt as if I’d lost a limb.With it, I could press three links and have theinformation in my hand for the class. Without it, it would mean checking through a book andphotocopying particular page references – wastingboth time and resources. While I fully realise the PDAwill never have the range of functions of a laptop ordesktop computer, I would never willingly go withoutone now; it is my instantly accessible encyclopaedia,thesaurus, periodic table, diary, register/mark book,world map and even star chart!”

Mike RutherfordDurham Johnston School

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A few years ago the terminology relating to hardwarein this area was clear.

A PDA was a personal digital assistant and the onlyproduct came from a company called Palm. Known asa Palm Pilot, its main function was as a replacementfor the personal organiser such as a ‘Filofax’ withcalendar, address book and other simple data storageapplications such as a note pad – which becameknown as a ‘personal information manager’ (PIM). They were used one-handed and were small enoughto hold in the palm of your hand, so were genericallycalled palmtops. Many other manufacturers went onto produce their own versions.

Microsoft at that time produced a cut-down versionof Windows known as Windows CE, one version ofwhich ran on miniature laptop-style computers. Thesehad screens about 20cm wide but only about 8cmhigh with a built-in keyboard – two-handedcomputers, therefore, and too big for the averagepocket or palm but called handhelds nonetheless.These ran the handheld CE version of Windows whichincluded cut-down versions of Word, Excel, Accessand PowerPoint, as well as a PIM similar to the Palms.

Similar, smaller devices came from the Britishmanufacturer Psion whose Series 3 and 5 were verypopular with English teachers.

Since then a version of Windows CE hasmetamorphosed to be called PocketPC and deviceshave appeared using this system. Some call thesegenerically pocket PCs, others call them handheldsas that term is more accurate when applied to theserather than the previous versions. One thing is certain – they are miniature computers which rivalfull-sized laptops in their power and in the range ofapplications and uses that they offer.

Now we also have, going up in size, sub-laptops, ultra-portables, laptops, and tablet PCs, each of which hasits advantages and disadvantages. Also, the smallest –the Palms and pocket PCs – are now merging withmobile phone technology either as phones with PDAfacilities or PDAs with phone applications.

The terminology, and the choice for buyers andusers, cannot be expected to get any simpler!

A Note on the Terminology in 2003

Becta has previously referred mostly to ‘handheldcomputers’, which it has defined as:

Any small device that provides computing andinformation storage and retrieval and that can beeasily carried and used… often such devices arereferred to as personal digital assistants (PDAs).

Becta information sheet, July 2001

As the focus of this project has been tighter than this,the term PDA is used throughout.

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The DfES/Becta PDA Project

This is the first detailed report from a projectevaluating the use of PDAs in schools which Becta ismanaging for the DfES. The aim of the project is toevaluate initial issues in the use of PDA-type devicesin schools both for managing workload and forsupporting teaching and learning. An interimsummary report was prepared in December 2002 anddistributed at the BETT exhibition in January 2003 –this report builds on the experience so far.

There have been two phases to the project. In the firstphase, which began in April 2002, leadership teams ina mixture of 27 schools were equipped with CompaqiPAQs using PocketPC and asked to keep a monthlylog of their use. The schools were chosen from thosewhose headteachers had participated in the pilot ofthe course, ‘The Strategic Leadership of ICT’ jointlyorganised by Becta, NCSL and NAACE. There were 16 primary schools, seven secondaries, two infant,one special and one middle school in this initialphase. Each of these schools was equipped with a set of accessories including detachable keyboards, PC jackets and ‘presenter-to-go’ attachments forconnecting to data projectors.

In the second phase, a further two secondary and twoprimary schools were selected and equipped with aclass set and accessories, with the majority of theteachers being given their own PDA. One secondaryand one primary school were given Palm m130s usingPalmOS and the other secondary and primary weregiven iPAQs. These schools were chosen because ofexisting ICT expertise or involvement with PDAs.Accessories given to these schools includeddetachable keyboards, ‘thumb’ keyboards, globalpositioning system (GPS) devices, dataloggingdevices, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless network cards,and data projection attachments.

Altogether, more than 150 teachers are using thesetechnologies and there are about 100 devicesavailable to students.

Unfortunately, it was not possible to co-ordinate theequipping of schools and the provision of training. So far, schools have been given literature but nothingelse apart from what they have been able to organisethemselves. Training for the teachers focused on both

strands of the project and has been taking place sinceJanuary 2003.

Research activities were carried out on Becta’s behalfby Questions Answered of York. This comprised: desk research to identify other relevant initiatives; an analysis of the project participants’ work logs; a telephone survey of PDA users in companies,government and various strands of education; a second telephone survey of Becta project schools;and finally, interviews in selected project schools.

The twin focuses of the project

Schools were asked to focus on one or both of twocategories of PDA use:

• managing teachers’ workloads

• supporting teaching and learning.

Clearly, ‘teachers’ workloads’ includes much that isclosely related to teaching and learning. However, thesecond focus offers considerably more challenge tothe PDA type of device, with their small screens andlimited applications when compared to a full-sizedlaptop or desktop computer. And the inherentdemands go well beyond the personal informationmanager tasks that were originally envisaged as thepurpose of PDAs.

It has become immediately clear that the simplestPDA has a great deal to offer, in so far as teachers’needs are similar to those of the business communitythat PDAs were originally created for. Headteachersand others in senior management teams havegenerally responded enthusiastically to beingprovided with a PDA.

By contrast, classroom teachers have revealed moremixed responses, partly for the reason alluded toabove but also because the recall of information, andhow current it is, is of less concern to them. However,many have extracted good value from their PDAs andare enthusiastic about their further potential (seeAppendix A). None have yet exploited anything likethe potential that has been identified by visionarieswith considerable experience of the technology.

Introduction

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There is much to be done to investigate PDAs further,both when used by teachers and by pupils. Becta’sproject has included teachers with equivocalattitudes to ICT, to innovation per se and thedifficulties they find in getting to grips with newfacilities. To that extent, it is realistic.

Ultimately, as with any new technology, it will beimportant to study the extent to which managers,teachers and pupils change their work habits andmind-sets as a result of the technology, but this willtake a far more extended commitment and timeperiod using the technology than achieved so far.

Characteristics of the PDAs that met universalapproval included:

• small size – always with you

• instant-on (no waiting for an operating system to‘boot up’)

• much longer battery life than laptops (especiallythe Palms)

• the quantity of data they could hold

• the ‘up-to-dateness’ (currency) of the data

• the ease of synchronisation by infrared (‘beaming’)

• the price advantage over laptops (especially thePalms).

Widespread dislike was expressed for:

• small screens

• unstable storage leading to lost data (from flatbatteries)

• the need for new routines to manage the deviceseffectively.

Other concerns included:

• whether the PDAs were rugged enough for schooluse

• the complexity of synchronisation with lap- ordesktop machines – at home or networked atschool

• the need for more comprehensive training

• the need for technical support

• difficulties with printing.

Managing teachers’ work

It is helpful to consider this major subsection of theproject in two parts: the work of senior managementteams (SMTs); and the professional administrativework of classroom teachers. Their lives differ. SMTmembers spend more time at their desks and areresponsible for school management data of varyingsorts (including up-to-the-minute pupil attendance)and for the whole school community.

Classroom teachers, by contrast, work largely on theirfeet and are concerned mostly with just those pupilsthey teach, but they also have to contribute to, anddraw on, central school data from time to time.Examples include looking back at past marks andother records, and reporting attendance, marks andcomments on individual pupils.

The [head] stated that he used his PDA on a dailybasis for writing documents, speeches and takingmeeting notes. He has a keyboard but prefers to usethe stylus instead. Additionally, he keeps a list of staffand students on a spreadsheet, which containscontact names and numbers.

In terms of classroom use, [he] explained that hebeams examples of good essays and notes for lessonsto the students. He can also ask them to make noteson something and beam them to each other, or beamessays to each other.

When asked about the positive aspects of using theequipment, the respondent stated that the PDAsmade him more organised:

“I co-ordinate my diary between my personal assistantand myself – I have no paper diary anymore. I have allmy tasks on the PDA, they are all under control. I canmanage tasks better and can give tasks to staff.”

Russell MoonPhilip Morant School

For SMT members to be equipped with both a PDAand a lap- or desktop computer is realistic. This is howPDAs were designed to be used, that is with a heavyreliance on synchronising (’synching’ or ‘syncing’)information created on either device with the other.

It has become immediatelyclear that the simplest

PDA has a great deal to offer.

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So, a deputy head’s notes on the condition of theschool buildings might be updated on her PDA whenout around the school and transferred to the desktopon return to her office. She is responsible for theinformation and processes it herself, before perhapspassing it on.

Thus far, some class teachers, provided with a PDAand with access to networked desktop computers intheir school or with a laptop, have reported someproblems in synching. However, this may be becauseof the software they were using or a simple lack ofknow-how.

Benefits for headteachers and senior managers

These users approximate most closely to those forwhom these devices were originally designed. They have a desk as their base with a networkedcomputer, desk- or laptop, as their main informationaccess device. They move around the school andbeyond, attend and have regularly to prepare formore meetings, and are concerned to have access to,and use, information about the school as a whole.They are responsible for inputting information whilemobile, usually in freeform note format rather thanroutine information such as who is present orabsent. Many have personal assistants orsecretaries who are involved in these aspects oftheir work. And they are also teachers, so areinvolved in all the responsibilities of other classteachers. They are, therefore, given the nature oftheir work, likely to both make more use of a PDA and to use it for a wider range of functions.Some might also argue that they have a greaterresponsibility to be receptive to the potential benefitsof new technologies.

“I am currently using the PDA on a daily basis inconjunction with my laptop.

“All Outlook data is synchronised so that all mytimetable data is available to me throughout the day.Pertinent information about cover and meetings canbe added to the PDA, then synchronised on return tothe laptop… Synchronisation of emails has proven tobe of some use in meetings… written notes… notesattached to an appointment… I carried studentcontact details on the PDA on a school trip… [andmake] PowerPoint presentations through the PDA.”

Keith BuncleAssistant Headteacher, South Bromsgrove High School

In so far as these people have a wider range ofpotential uses for PDAs, they can be expected tocommit more fully to their use and cross the basiccompetence threshold sooner. It is worth their whileto invest time in achieving competence as the pay-back will come sooner.

One headteacher pointed up how inefficient self-training can be, identifying one key to successful use:

“…good training which introduced me/staff to bothhardware and software. (I was spending too muchtime teaching myself from inadequate instructions toget the best from the PDAs.)”

Roger FellHeadteacher, St Nicolas’ School

A number of senior managers in schools mentionedthe importance of the information they used beingup to date, and also that it should be precisely thesame as that which their colleagues were using. Inboth these respects, information technology hasenormous value. PDAs, given their small size andportability, can be carried all the time and, therefore,present information anytime/anywhere as thequotations from senior managers here show.

As well as this, two forms of synchronisation offer thecurrency and conformity of data that is needed:infrared ‘beaming’ for person-to-personsynchronisation or swapping of files; and docking(usually in a purpose-made cradle) to synchronisewith the user’s main computer. (Wirelesscommunication person-to-person or to a computervia Bluetooth and synchronisation with a network viaWi-Fi is possible, but neither of these methods hasbeen evaluated on this project.) This, of course, canhappen in either direction so that data updated whileaway from the user’s desk is transferred to his or hermain machine on return, or data held on the school’snetwork can be downloaded to the PDA via thecomputer for use elsewhere. Users praised theefficiency of the PDAs in ensuring that such simplethings as contact lists, diaries and meetingarrangements were kept up to date and fully in

PDAs, given their small size andportability, can be carried all the

time and, therefore, presentinformation anytime/anywhere...

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synchronisation across a management team or eventhe school’s whole staff, and the fact that thesefunctions were instantly available.

“[I like] the portability and quick start-up time. It holdscharge for a long time under intensive use. I think theyare quite robust and have no problems with the size.”

Richard BloodworthDurham Johnston School

Truancy control is one concern that can benefit fromrapid accrual and reporting of data and from beingavailable to key players such as senior managerson the move. Two schools in the Becta schemehave latterly tried some purpose-designedsoftware [http://www.schooltechnologies.co.uk] thatenables teachers to record attendance in the firstminutes of a lesson and have this in the hands of the head as he or she sets off around the school 10 minutes after the lesson has begun. Any child metaround the school, or off the premises, can then bechecked immediately. They are registered as in alesson or shown as having checked in throughreception or they are marked as absent. Theaction taken in response can be appropriate to therealities of the situation with little need forequivocation, thanks to the accuracy andcurrency of the data. Another senior managerreported this benefit as a prime motivation for hisschool’s move to PDAs, and as preferable to theschool’s present swipe-card system:

“…we have replaced our ageing swipe-cardregistration system, which staff had begun to feeldisillusioned with, as active ownership for theregistration was no longer focused on the classroomteacher but lay in the hands of students and in somecircumstances was prone to abuse.”

Nigel PressnellThe Arnewood School

In this instance registration is undertaken usingPocketPC PDAs and an off-the-shelf application thatrequired no modification to suit the localenvironment and which compiles to a dedicateddatabase [http://www.tascsoftware.com/parsql.htm].This is found to be of particular value later in anacademic year when numerous changes to theoriginal class lists have built up. Also, analysis toolscan alert staff to patterns of non-attendance andlateness that might otherwise be missed.

Access to the full resources of a school’s network fromanywhere on the site can be available on a PDA if it

includes wireless networking capability (a wirelessLAN to 802.11x standards). Some now have this builtin, while other PDAs can have this function addedthrough a slot-in card.

One application that there was little evidence of wasemail. Technologically, it is possible to use the PDAsto enter email at any time, then for this to beautomatically sent on synchronisation with the user’smain computer or immediately over a wirelessnetwork. At the same time, unread mail comes downto the PDA and can be read when anywhere.

PDAs with mobile telephone functions, either built inor added through a slot-in card, can send and receiveemail anytime, anywhere – though this can lead toorganisational problems in archiving mail exchanges,unless the user’s system is set up carefully and theright habits formed. A school moving to thecomprehensive use of email for internal and externalcommunication could find this a boon.

In every circumstance in which electronic means canreplace established systems, there are some who findreasons not to adopt a technology. Only time andfurther experience can tell whether the reasons forresistance are justified or based on an unjustifiedreaction against change. However, at least one school,having made major progress with laptop computers,expressed a preference for these and paper systemsover their PDAs:

“[We use our laptops with] Word, PowerPoint andExcel as teaching and learning tools which we prepareat home or use in the classroom with the children.

Users praised the efficiency of thePDAs in ensuring that such

simple things as contact lists,diaries and meeting

arrangements were kept up todate and fully in synchronisation

across a management team or even the school’s whole staff,

and the fact that these functionswere instantly available.

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For appointments, messages, etc, it may sound old-fashioned, but paper diary systems are completelyappropriate for our needs. We don’t spend timetravelling on trains or time away from our laptops.”

Sue WebbPriory School

Despite this comment, the headteachers and seniormanagers who were consulted generally had gotsome value from their PDAs, and recognised that theycould extract more once they developed morefamiliarity and overcame some of the early technicalproblems. Little doubt remains that schools’ seniormanagers can gain great efficiency benefits from theuse of PDAs but whether this would result in asignificant reduction in their workloads or simply‘free’ them to attend to other matters is unproven.Either way, it could be argued that efficientapproaches to the tasks that benefit from PDAs will allow these people to devote time to moreimportant matters.

Benefits for classroom teachers – Managing their work

Classroom teachers, while more subject to thecontrols of the daily timetable, and spending moreof their time in front of classes, still have informationhandling needs (accessing data and generating it)similar to senior managers. All teachers, for example,share responsibility for which pupils are where andensuring that the least reliable are where they shouldbe. Accurate lists of classes serve these needs; richinformation sets tell them more than simple names,drawing their attention to special needs andconsiderations for individuals.

In the classroom, all teachers need basic informationsets. At the very least this includes class lists withassociated assessment records (as per the traditional‘markbook’), and with an ever more mobilepopulation these can be subject to frequent changesand need to come from, or be passed to, centraladministrative systems. As schools have increasedtheir use of information management systems, thisdata needs to be in a digital form compatible with thecentral system and so is most efficiently handledexclusively in digital form on a device that is carriedwherever they go. And digitised information includessuch things as report comments, not just numericalinformation.

The current trend is for data no longer to be thepreserve of administrators on a separate network butto be dynamic and to permeate the work of theschool. Teachers who are well informed aboutchanging patterns of marks given to their pupils bythemselves or other teachers can respond much moreflexibly to what is revealed. Assessment records arethen transformed from being static repositories intoguidance for teachers in planning and especiallydifferentiating their planning for different students’needs. However, this requires the information andanalyses (or analysis tools) to be readily available to allstaff, teachers and non-teaching assistants, and PDAscan be the prime route for this, accessing data whenin school and storing it to be worked with when, forexample, preparing lessons at home. In this way,among others, teaching and managingresponsibilities merge.

Teachers also work collaboratively with colleagues: for example, departments plan together in secondaryschools and primary school teachers act as, or at leastshare planning with, subject co-ordinators. Ofstedevidence frequently refers to the coincidence betweenschools that work as teams and good schools. Thequestion arises, therefore, over the extent to whichPDA provision might help teachers collaborate.Almost all PDAs include infrared communicationfacilities, as do many laptops and some peripheralssuch as printers. This means of communication forcomputers is strictly limited to ‘line of sight’ over ashort distance. Despite these limitations, ‘beaming’ –as respondents almost unanimously refer to it – is apopular feature mentioned frequently as one of themost used ‘applications’. While it does not doanything that cannot equally well be done over aschool’s network (usually through the use of a sharedarea on a network drive), in common with otheraspects of PDAs, their portability means teacherscarry them wherever they are, and their informalitymakes impromptu sharing between individuals, saywithin the progress of a meeting, very easy.

At least one school, havingmade major progress with

laptop computers, expressed apreference for these and paper

systems over their PDAs.

In 63% of responses from users in and outside ofeducation, Becta researchers report that the PDA hasreplaced paper. Some 32% say they now performtasks with the PDA that they simply did not do before.This suggests that for senior managers, a PDA willreduce the time they spend working through makingthem more efficient. However, we might find thatthey simply extend the range of tasks that they do.

In the survey, project respondents noted thatteachers use PDAs most for similar organisationaltasks as undertaken by senior managers – to takenotes (69%) and as a diary (63%). These findings arematched in their work logs, where most teachers usethe devices exclusively as organisational tools ratherthan in direct support of, or for, their teaching.

Teaching and learning

Benefits for classroom teachers – Teaching and learning

Mike Rutherford at Durham Johnston School, an experienced PDA user, had after a short time withhis Becta-supplied model developed a strongpreference for using his PDA for his professionalorganisation. Unsurprisingly therefore, his PDA hasbecome his main organisational tool. He uses it to:

• download his lesson notes written on his homecomputer, transferring them to his PDA for easyreference in school

• store activities and background notes for hisclasses, beaming them with infrared to the frontrow of a class, who then use the same methodto pass them back (using ‘Documents to Go’ )

• store web pages downloaded from his homecomputer for school use.

He had also downloaded and purchased aprogram (TeachFile1) over the web and preparedtemplates which he was willing to share with otherPDA-user staff, though most had not reached a levelof competence to take up this offer. Essentially, thisteacher was providing his own main computer athome and using his Palm PDA in conjunction with itto provide in-school access to digital material.

“The PDA opens up more opportunities for ICT to beplaced at the heart of teaching and learning, insteadof being an experience many students find devoid of

context and real applications. Too often ICT is taughtin a specialist room. The learning environmentchanges, teachers often find themselves in an alienroom with technology they use infrequently. We wantICT in the classroom supporting the subject beingtaught and available to grab those learningopportunities as and when they arise. The PDA (like a wireless laptop) is then used in context with the lesson. It changes the culture and approach to ICT that we see on a daily basis.”

Ron HinshawHermitage School

“Class use includes beaming test results to the pupilsand pupils beaming work to the teacher. This enablesthe teachers to mark work, monitor the quality andsend back results very quickly. Other types of use bypupils includes beaming and receiving informationbetween themselves, recording tasks, note-taking,writing documents and voice recording.”

Stow Heath Junior School

The use of a PDA as a data store means that teacherscan have at their fingertips the equivalent of a hugeencyclopaedia. This might include materialdownloaded from the web on a prior occasion or liveuse through a wireless link. Children seeing theirteachers using a PDA as a first port of call knowledgebank will be offered a powerful role model.

Teachers’ competence and capabilities

Generally, in-classroom PDA use by teachers isrevealed as the aspect that needs the mostdevelopment, as the potential is great, butrespondents had made the least progress in this areaof use. In part this was due to lack of time, a lack oftechnical ability and familiarity with the devices, andalso a lack of clear vision about what their potentialmight be. While there is little software that has beendeveloped specifically for English schools, a great

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1 [http://www.eddiesoft.com/eddiesoft/products/TeachFile/TeachFileDesc.html].

Their portability means teacherscarry them wherever they are,

and their informality makesimpromptu sharing between

individuals, say within theprogress of a meeting, very easy.

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many education-purposed applications exist (mostlyfrom the USA and Australia) which offer potential.Some of this is ‘freeware’ or ‘shareware’ that can bedownloaded over the web for little or no payment.However, to do this needs new skills as loading andconfiguring PDAs is different than under the familiarWindows operating system, whether using PalmOS or PocketPC. Higher levels of ‘generic’ ICTcompetence in staff undoubtedly transfer into thePDA context, however (see Appendix A).

“In the classroom, [I] use the PDA to transfer HTMLscript to students by beaming the data.”

Philip Morant School

For PDA use in schools to move forwardsignificantly, the identification andimplementation of existing applications andthe development of new ones will need to beled by technically competent people incollaboration with teachers. Information oncurrent applications should be made availableto all user institutions in conjunction withadvice and support to get the most out ofsoftware for educational purposes.

Enhancing teaching

Some nice examples of inventive uses came from EastHerrington Junior School where they used their PDAswhile marking books to write reminder notes to referto when returning books to pupils and found ways totake computing beyond the classroom:

“We went into the school garden with the PDAs andmade notes on the colours, sounds and sights ofautumn. As we only have 16 computers in our IT room,half of the class then used them to write out theirpoems with clip art for a class book. The other halftyped them into the PDAs and will transfer them tothe laptop, adding clip art and print them off. This willbe quicker than waiting a week for our next lesson inthe IT room.

”I do like the idea of using satellite navigation to findburied treasure as suggested on one [web]site. MaybeI could bury some in our local park!”

Arnewood School decided to provide their PEdepartment with PDAs as they do not teach inclassrooms, whereas all other teaching rooms werebeing provided with a minimum of one computerthrough which staff could access network resources.

These also became a pupil resource when they wereused by PE pupils to monitor body fat at Key Stage 4and AS-level. They used freeware downloadedthrough the internet, though they have becomeaware that more sophisticated packages are availableat a price. Their choice of PDA to purchase (they wereoperating outside the Becta scheme) was influencedby the brightness and, therefore, visibility of thescreens when used by PE teachers outdoors as well aswireless networking capability.

Philip Morant School report that they are using theirPDAs for a current A-level design project, so they arein use in design and technology five days a week.

‘Real tasks’ such as these, be they activities for pupilsor time-savers for teachers, are an important area forfuture development.

However, research among the Becta-funded PDAusers showed that there were few users with this levelof competence. Unsurprisingly, the amount of timeeach user had to explore the PDA had a direct impacton the amount of usage and commitment to PDAs.Many low frequency users quoted a lack of training asthe main reason for lack of progress.

Adequate levels of competence will not be attainedunless users push themselves through the familiaritythreshold and providing them with support in doingso is vital for many. However, it also requires that asensible basic pattern of use is established. In someschools it emerged that different teachers had usedthe PDAs on a month-by-month basis which isunlikely to take them to sustained use.

Importantly, higher levels of confidence andcompetence among teachers could lead to betterdecisions on differentiation of provision for children.

The use of a PDA as a data storemeans that teachers can have at

their fingertips the equivalent of ahuge encyclopaedia. This might

include material downloaded fromthe web on a prior occasion or live

use through a wireless link.

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“We know that students have individual learningstyles and that many can use ICT effectively to addresslearning barriers. We plan to target:

• those boys with low reading ages – there is a widerange of ‘ebooks’ available on the PDA

• those with poor organisation skills

• poor attendees

• ‘early adopters’ of ICT

• those identified as ‘gifted and talented’.”

Ron HinshawHermitage School

Benefits for pupils

Ubiquitous computing?

By ubiquitous computing, we mean‘wherever, whatever, ownership’ – carryinga personal computing device with you andusing it as a personal, dedicated resourcewithout restrictions. Whether opportunitiessuch as PDA provision could or should be offered toall children or only selected ones is of course an issue,especially when cost factors are counted. As aninterim measure, there are many different grounds forselecting which children should be provided with aPDA, as suggested by Hermitage School’s targetingshown here. Many believe that ubiquitous computingshould be the ultimate goal and that PDAs providethe only realistic opportunity to attain this.

Personal ownership – by which we mean exclusive,full-time use – of any computing device paysdividends in the time required for, and extent of, thecompetence that users attain. Evidence for thissignificantly affecting students comes from a numberof sources2. The DfES ‘Computers for Teachers’scheme3 also reported that teachers having personalcomputers impacted on their pupils’ ICTdevelopment. Many less tangible benefits accruewhich simply cannot otherwise be attained. Theseinclude a sense of belonging with the device, ofpersonal commitment and comfort, as well as verytangible abilities in, for example, file management,computer synchronisation, web connection anddownloading, exploring audio/video, and linking tohome provision (computer synching, TV and VCRcontrol, etc). Only by becoming engaged with thecomputer does the user go beyond the necessary

and play with it to explore its potential. Sharingownership, even on minimal occasions, can confoundall this. Furthermore, no one will commit themselvesto keeping their personal data on a device unless anumber of factors are in place including privacy,reliability and access. They must know they will beable to retrieve their work whenever wanted – andsome of this reliability depends on their owncompetence and familiarity. Every computer developsquirks of its own and every competent user finds‘work-arounds’ that avoid repeatedly wasting timeand personalise their experience. Also, nothing is sounsettling, especially to the beginner, than entering ascreen environment when what usually happens ischanged.

All this requires ‘ownership’. And this is equally truefor pupils.

…50% of pupils in the survey are able to take deviceshome. There has been little or no loss, theft or damageto devices, beyond scratches and fascias coming off,as revealed in case studies.

PDAs could offer great benefits to the disadvantagedfinding themselves living on the wrong side of the so-called ‘digital divide’. This is the cheapest way for aschool to provide pupils with a computing devicewhich can be taken home and through which theycan connect to the internet. The portability of a PDAoffers particular advantages to some of these pupilswithout regular homes to go to, or who are ‘parked’at granny’s after school, or who live in a care home or caravan.

A further benefit of the small size of PDAs is that theycan be accommodated in any classroom on a one-each basis whereas many schools are finding space aproblem with increasing numbers of computers.

Most schools have concerns for the feasibility ofproviding any form of computer to every pupil. This isdespite schemes such as Microsoft’s ‘Anytime,Anywhere Learning’ and the government-supported

2 See ‘What the research says about portable ICT devices in teaching andlearning’ – [http://www.becta.org.uk/research/].

3 ‘74% of respondents believe that their personal ownership of a personalcomputer has a quite substantial or greater impact on their pupils’ use of ICT intheir schoolwork’ – CfT Evaluation of Phase 1, Becta/DfES 2001.

Many believe that ubiquitouscomputing should be the ultimate

goal and that PDAs provide the onlyrealistic opportunity to attain this.

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eLearning Foundation which promote full-sizedlaptops for every child. We must consider thepotential of PDAs in this context, if only because newmodels are available now which cost only as much asfive good text books.

Undoubtedly, there is a threshold to cross whichrequires sufficient immersion in any new technologyto reach a point where it is of unquestionable value.As a researcher reported on one school:

The group gets to use the PDAs once or twice a week.At this point the group also talked of some difficultiesthey were encountering in saving documents, and allhad lost part of their work at some point.

“We have been writing poems about months, and Ilost December when I tried to save it.”

Losing December can be disheartening! But the children recognised the source ofthe problem and did not blame their PDAs: “…the group was in agreement thatit was because they weren’t experiencedenough.”

Half-hearted commitment in terms of theequipment provided or skill developmentcan also result in technological absurdities,whereby an expensive item is not used toits full capability but only to a token level.

“When we went to the computer room,we took down the names of the websites onthe Celts and wrote them onto the PDA so wecould come back again later.”

This situation could have been very different if thePDAs had either direct or synchronised (through acomputer) access to the web. Even without this, thesituation could have been better if the teachers or thechildren had higher levels of ICT capability and hadthought about more efficient ‘work-arounds’, such astransferring batches of ‘Favorites’ or standard URLs viathe clipboard. Better still, the technology should befully integrated with the school’s main computernetwork.

“Each PDA user has ActiveSync software installed ontheir user area. This enables them to log on to amachine and synchronise their PDA to that machineand then in turn to their own home directory on theserver. With our Windows 2000 network this seems tobe working well. There is no need for users tosynchronise to the same machine each time, as eachstation automatically identifies the installation of the

cradle and brings up that user’s desktop with theirsynchronisation software.”

Gavin HawkinsStow Heath Junior School

Safety and security

Usually, the second concern, after costs, revealed byour respondents tended to be the safety of childrencarrying such devices. This seems reasonable whenmobile phone crime – especially among children ofsecondary school age – has reached epidemicproportions. However, the comparison with phones isnot as close as it may seem, as PDAs are more easilykept out of sight away from easy access and are notused in the street.

Ironically, one US school has commented on the valueof the cheapest, lowest functionality PDAs in thisrespect. They suggested that lacking the capabilityfor MP3 music download and play, advanced gamesand instant messaging meant that these PDAs weremuch less attractive items for teenagers to steal. Andlow cost means a smaller loss when there is one ofcourse.

Some participating schools have not as yet allowedtheir children to take the PDAs home. Others hadallowed this but their teachers had not been given thissort of ‘ownership’ and as a result they complainedthat their PDAs lost charge (and their data) over theChristmas holidays. Those which kept them in schoolhad to consider security and storage issues, usuallylocking them away in store-rooms or security cabinets.

Two of the schools in the Becta scheme revealed aninteresting contrast in approaches to the question ofchildren’s responsibility for loss or damage.

PDAs could offer great benefits to thedisadvantaged finding themselves

living on the wrong side of the so-called ‘digital divide’. This is the

cheapest way for a school to providepupils with a computing device which

can be taken home and through whichthey can connect to the internet.

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One took the usual school route, namely emphasisingthe value of the devices and how precious they are,and encouraging the children to be highlyresponsible in their use, avoiding loss or damage at allcosts. The other took a contrasting approach,reassuring their pupils that they would have nopenalties placed on them for loss or damage and thatthe prime concern was to explore the benefits,though they should take all reasonable precautions.The children in the latter school when asked in afocus group whether they were worried aboutbullying and consequential theft proved moreconcerned about the number of their co-pupils whowanted to ‘have a go’ and who kept pestering themfor this reason. They were not concerned aboutthreats or theft, but this school was not in a highcrime locality.

“We got a letter saying that if anything happened tothe PDA then we weren’t held responsible if it wasbroken.”

Durham Johnston School pupil

Another safety consideration on which the PDAsscore benefits is weight. Many children andadults find laptop computers excessively heavyfor carrying any distance. Recently, medicalconcern has been expressed over the weight ofbags carried by pupils and laptops can addsignificantly to this. PDAs vary in weightconsiderably and for the heavier ones someconsideration must be given to how and wherechildren carry them but they remain the lightestform of truly usable computer.

Learning

Finding ways to use the PDAs in the classroom fordirect application to learning tasks has proved to bethe slowest development in the Becta project so far,as reported by the researchers:

Overall PDAs are being used primarily foradministrative or organisational purposes by those ineducation. This is also the case for the pupils that getto use the PDAs, who seem to use them to recordhomework deadlines, timetables and so on. While thisundoubtedly has a beneficial effect… the actuallearning applications of the devices seem to belimited.

However, some pupils reported a range of other uses inlessons, though these do perhaps remain rather basic.

“We use it in science lessons and save things on thememo-pad.”

“I like to use it in maths, as it’s got a calculator, and Ilike science… the teacher sent us the periodic table[for the PDA].”

“In some lessons, if the teacher wants somehomework, he can beam it to you, and you can beamit to your friends.”

Many would say that the conclusion that learningapplications are limited is premature and that the lackof this use is more the result of the limitations of thetime so far given, teachers’ skill development, andteachers’ confidence and awareness of availableapplications, not to mention teachers’ limits in beingable to develop applications themselves. However, asshown by many examples in the USA in particular,there are an enormous number of small, classroom-specific applications available. But it takes a great dealof time and experimentation to find and evaluatethem [http://www.palmgear.com/software/index.cfm].Many would also require ‘localisation’ to make themuseful in English schools.

This aspect of PDA use is one which will take the mosttime to embed in educational practice. Experienceelsewhere suggests that a combination of teachers,technical experts and educational visionaries isnecessary to ensure that opportunities are sought,spotted and developed, and that the resultingapplications are appropriate and effective in theseschools’ context.

Meanwhile, one or two teachers felt that the PDAs“may distract pupils in the classroom”, which requiresfurther consideration and discussion with them.

Family learning

Stow Heath Junior School illustrated for us a way inwhich the PDAs help extend learning opportunitiesboth within and beyond the classroom.

Another safety consideration onwhich the PDAs score benefits is

weight. Many children and adultsfind laptop computers excessivelyheavy for carrying any distance.

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“We have been running a family learning and literacyproject for children with their parents for some fiveyears using our ICT suite. We had investigatedpurchasing laptops for the children and parents totake home but decided against this, because of thepossible dangers associated with children having tocarry them to and from school. The PDAs are provingto be the perfect answer as the children are able to usethem for various literacy tasks, note-taking, readingebooks, recording, etc, and take them home tocontinue working on them with their parents.”

ICT capability

Almost all the teachers responding to Bectaresearchers emphasised the generalimprovement in ICT capability that the PDAshad brought to the children. The children alsorecognised this, as the quotations fromDurham Johnston School below show. Thegroup was asked if they felt that the PDAs hadhelped them get better at anything and they allfelt that they were better at IT in general as aresult, and that this would continue beyond theperiod of the trial.

“[We] did experience some problems, but [we]solved them by trial and error in [the first] twoand a half weeks.”

“I had a struggle at first, but then me and my mumfound the reset button.”

“Now that I know what to press, I’m all right!”

“It was a nice experience, learning how to use it.”

In some ways being given the PDAs and responsibilityfor them replicated more closely an adult home ICTuser’s experience.

“We got the whole box and the instructions of how touse it.”

“You have to look after it and charge it yourself andget it working by yourself.”

At Philip Morant School, where iPAQs have been inuse, and for longer – since before the Becta project –with sixth form pupils, the range of uses suggestsmore of the potential for the development of pupils’capabilities.

• Beaming information to each other.

• Beaming to and receiving information from theteacher.

• Making diary appointments.

• Note-taking.

• Writing documents.

• Surfing the web.

• Scientific measurements.

• Taking on fieldtrips.

And interestingly, after two years they report thatnone of the pupils have lost a device, or had it stolen,the only damage to the devices being worn-outbatteries and scratched screens.

Motivation

One aspect that the project’s schools are unanimousabout is that their pupils were excited and highlymotivated when they got their hands on the PDAs.This reflects reports from a wide range of projects4

which have given children access to smallercomputing devices in particular. Comparisons havebeen made with children’s enthusiasm for mobilephones. Observers have speculated on the ‘toy’ effect,the quasi-adult effect, and, more prosaically, on theappropriateness of the size of the items and theirinterface to children. (A negative correlation with thisis that many older adults certainly find PDA screensless than wholly appropriate for their diminishingeyesight and clumsy fingers!)

Whatever does it, giving children a PDA lights up theirenthusiasm, though whether this will always be thecase, whether they might tire of them in time, orwhether PDAs will eventually become ‘yesterday’snews’, remains to be seen. In the meantime, there ispotential here to be exploited by, for example,targeting disaffected boys.

The PDAs are proving to be theperfect answer as the children are

able to use them for variousliteracy tasks, note-taking, reading

ebooks, recording, etc, and takethem home to continue working

on them with their parents.

4 One of the earliest studies to concentrate on motivation was: The Effects ofInformation Technology on Students’ Motivation, Margaret Cox, NCET/KingsCollege, London 1997.

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“I thought it was a bit boring when it was just anorganiser… when I found out people were beamingstuff, I was very interested.”

“When I found out there were games I was happy!”

“When I first started school I hated it… but then I gotthe PDA and it doesn’t bother me now.”

“When we don’t have the PDAs any more, I think I’llstill be more interested in computers.”

“It’s a very full hour… time flies with the PDAs as youare having fun.”

One teacher reported that his pupils’ response to thePDAs was “very positive, enhancing motivation and focus,and benefiting them specifically in regards to research.”

Responsibility and personal organisation

Researchers reported that all the members of oneschool’s pupil group felt that the PDAs had helpedthem learn better organisation, especially ofhomework, and that it was superior to their paperplanner-book:

“I’m getting better at looking after things… andremember to put the PDA in the cradle at night.”

“If I didn’t have the PDA, I’d probably forget my work.”

“There is more room to write what the homework is inthe PDA than there is in the planner, so you writebetter notes.”

“People don’t always bring their homework planner,but no one ever forgets their PDA.”

“I’m not very good with my homework, but when I putit into the PDA and turn it on when I get home, it’stelling me to do my homework.”

Clearly some of theseresponses areconditioned by the novelty value of the PDAs but thededicated functionality of a PDA memo applicationreplicates technologically what the school is trying todo by providing pupils with a paper personal planner.This suggests that it fits with what is proven to work –but with added glamour. It might be fair to assumethat habituating children to referring to their PDA fororganisational matters will improve their generalorganisational ability, not just in respect of theirhomework.

Another school saw an opportunity to give two pupilsconsiderable responsibility:

“Luckily I have two excellent pupils (aged nine) whoare in charge of the PDAs. They delete all unnecessarydata, they make sure they are charged up and theylock them away at night. One even spent all hisbirthday money on buying one for himself, anddelights in teaching me something I don’t alreadyknow. (We have always had a policy of studenthelpers in school who help staff and pupils alike.)

“I then let the members of my maths group teach therest of my class how to use the menu, etc. Thisprovided an excellent speaking and listening activity!”

East Herrington Junior School

Collaboration

Many schools commented on the value of the PDAs inpromoting collaboration between pupils, and this hasbeen seen many times in reports from other projects.The researchers reported:

In the survey, 50% of pupils undertake collaborativelearning when using PDAs. The case studies show thatthis is appreciated by pupils and teachers, as is thebeaming of work for instant marking, allowing thelearning to be instant. Pupils like the communicationbenefits of collaborative working, and the generalexcitement of the devices… [These respondents] wereasked to explain what takes place. The five respondentsgave answers covering the displaying of one pupil’swork to a group, the beaming of information betweenpupils, paired learning of IT skills and writingcollaborative poems.

It is possible that this is one reason for the absence ofsignificant gender bias comments from respondentsas the general pattern of ICT in English schools hasshown that what might loosely be called ‘human-

centred’ ICT activities encourage involvement by girls.In one pupil focus group, two girls illustrated the partplayed by their PDAs in breaking down the ‘IT is for boys’syndrome by being very responsive and very committed:

“We have two PCs at home. One used to be in myroom but my brother has it now as I just use [my PDA]all the time.”

“I just play ‘Sims’ on the computer, I do more on these[PDAs].”

“I still find IT quite boring. I’m more interested in this[PDA] than the computer [but] I didn’t really want oneat first.”

Giving children a PDA lights up their enthusiasm . . .

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In at least one focus group it was evident howcommunal the pupils were in developing their PDAusage. For example, one boy, already emerging as aneager adopter, was downloading material from theinternet at home and then sharing it in-school usingthe infrared ‘beaming’ facility. This sort ofcollaborative help was not unusual.

Pupils were working on a ‘drill and practice’ programgenerating examples of sums which were all of thesame type but with random numbers inserted.Because they were unable to give each other theanswer to the problems, they spontaneously startedto discuss the method for solving them.

The technology was able to generate many randomexamples for them to work on and their situation intheir normal classroom environment encouragedtheir collaborative discussion, promoting their actingas peer tutors to each other.

One school reported using the electronic form of thegame Battleships to introduce children to theinteractive nature of their PDAs, ‘beaming’ eachperson’s move to the other.

No example of collaboration with other schools wasreported but it must be borne in mind that someschools were not able to connect to the internetwith their PDAs.

Ambitions

When they were asked whether using the PDA hadchanged their plans for the future, seven out of 10in one group of pupils said that using a PDA hadmade them change their ambitions. The commonanswer was to make more use of ICT in their futurejobs.

“I wanted to be an actress, but now I want to be ateacher and use PDAs.”

“I want to be a footballer, but now I want to be intocomputers, in case it doesn’t work out.”

“If you’re already good at ICT now, you’ll work on itand get better at it… then you can have a career.”

“I’ll want to do more IT at high school.”

“I’ll do IT at primary school, then at senior school, thenI’d go to university and do IT, but you’ve got to do hardwork.”

Families

A particular advantage of PDAs is that their sizemakes them highly suitable for children to take home.We have written above about both ‘ubiquitouscomputing’ and pupils taking responsibility but thefollowing quotations from children to Bectaresearchers reveal something of the potential for thisto redefine families’ attitudes to learning:

“The group were asked what they would use a PDA forat home. Although around half mentioned gamesfirst, the group agreed that they would do the samekind of work as they do in school. Interestingly, all feltthat they would show their parents how to use thePDA. The group was unanimous that they knew moreabout IT than their parents, and adults in general. Two members stated that they often helped the staffovercome problems.”

East Herrington Junior School

Some schools have ambitions to bridge betweenschool and home through their PDAs. In the contextof national statistics showing that 78.1% of primaryschool pupils and 84.8% of secondary school pupilshave access to a computer at home5, this may bequite realistic for a secondary school at least.

Furthermore, computer penetration in all householdsin England has risen to at least 44%6.

“It was felt that the PDA could also be used to develophome-school links. Many households now have access to a PC. The PDA can be linked to a PC andinformation uploaded. Students can then carry onwith tasks they have been doing in school as well asparents having access to staff comments, notes, etc.The PDA can also be used by parents to log comments,notes, tasks and reminders. We found parents werevery keen to develop their understanding of the

One boy, already emerging as an eager adopter, was

downloading material from theinternet at home and then

sharing it in-school using theinfrared ‘beaming’ facility.

5 The Independent, 26 February 2001.6 Trends in ICT Access and Use, Taylor Nelson Sofres, June 2002, HMSO.

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schools match closely those from other schoolsinvestigating PDA use, as shown by this summary ofadvantages from the USA7:

• Scaled-down nature.

• Minimal energy requirements.

• Reasonable price.

• Small dimensions and weight.

• Easy collaboration.

• In-the-field learning.

• Personal experience that resonates with students.

Issues

Training and support

Many respondents – almost all – complained aboutthe minimal (in some cases no) training they hadreceived. At worst, this suggested a ‘dependencyculture’ as those in other communities, including thebusiness sector, who had been surveyed reportedsimilar, short introductory sessions and then beingleft to explore the device by themselves. However, aswith other computer technologies, schools areexpected to exploit the whole range of functionsthese devices offer – in a range of contexts fromteachers’ information management to scientificdatalogging, etc. This is far more demanding than thelimited range of functions appropriate to many otherjobs so specialist training and dissemination of goodpractice is undoubtedly necessary.

Where does the appropriate expertise reside? Theanswer must be largely within schools, though thepotential for external expert users as mentors couldbe considerable. These might include business users –particularly appropriate for schools’ senior managersor higher education users – exploring the potential oftheir business approaches for schools.

However, pioneering work is needed and supportneeds to be given to teachers to develop their ideasand disseminate them.

equipment and have greater opportunities to workwith their children. The students were also very keento teach their parents – strengthening the link.”

Ron HinshawHermitage School

Barriers to use?

In the survey of participating schools, the mainbarriers to PDA use that emerge are cost, lack ofsupport and training, printing and battery problems.Other barriers include the limited software and theambivalent attitude of some staff in schools to PDAs.

So far as the hardware itself was concerned, at itscurrent state of development, responders suggestedthe following possible weaknesses:

• small screens

• not rugged enough for school use

• lack of print-out capability (not applicable ifnetworked)

• the time it takes to input data (especially free text)

• the necessity to charge batteries every night

• costs of software and accessories

• unstable data storage (on battery exhaustion)leading to lost work.

The last of these can be a serious concern. While weshould aim to increase the ability of both staff andpupils to manage their technologies, it is inevitablethat data will be lost at times – just as schoolbooks are.

“If their PDA breaks down, a student is disabled.”

“There is a reliance on software. If there are anyfailures, this is more drastic than losing a book!”

Philip Morant School

This points up the importance of routine back-upprocedures suitable for schools, which may of coursebe taken care of through regular synchronisation withthe school’s network.

All the pilot schools consulted by researchers foundpositive uses for the PDAs and one stated that the useof PDAs had a direct and positive link to pupilachievement. This is difficult to quantify or evenprove at present but the responses from these

Some schools have ambitions to bridge between school and

home through their PDAs.

7 A Report Card on Handheld Computing, Jean Shields and Amy Poftak,TechLearning US Resource for Education Technology Leaders.

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Are PDAs the device of the future?

Every school should have ambitions to equip its staffand pupils adequately with computer facilities and formany this will extend to portable computing foraccess at home as well as at school, or even the‘ubiquitous computing’ described above. The cost ofdoing this is likely to be the biggest obstacle so theplace of PDAs in meeting these ambitions is animportant consideration.

At the time of writing, it is notable that the retailprices of PDAs range from about £75 to £550, whichmeans the most expensive PDAs represented in thisproject are priced at about the level of a bottom-of-the-range laptop.

Harris School experimented for a term with PDAs forregistration with one year group’s tutors. They likedthe dedicated system but had reservations over thePDAs, mainly because they were also in the process ofequipping as many of their staff as possible with full-sized laptops. They were veering toward a preferencefor the latter as they see laptops as being useful for awide range of tasks: writing reports; creating lessonplans; storing every digital asset they want; andconnecting to Curriculum Online via the internet.They expect 100% provision to teaching staff to beachievable soon with the school supplementingthose provided under central government directfunding. So what of the PDAs? For pupils, above allelse they see the value of these as portable sciencedevices, with other uses to ensure that they get fullvalue from them. They also see them being providedfor senior managers alongside laptops for the reasonsgiven in this report.

Another school (Dunraven Lambeth) reportedelsewhere on the unsuitability of laptops for network-linked class registration. They found it undesirable, ifnot entirely unworkable, for every teacher at thebeginning of every class to have to have their laptopavailable, start it up, and only then be able to registertheir pupils. This caused problems for PE teachers, forsupply cover teachers, for those teaching in asituation where the laptop was not otherwise needed(but perhaps a large pile of books had to be carriedin), and for those worried about their laptop’s safety inthe course of the lesson. PDAs answer all theseobjections.

Other schools were adamant that PDAs wouldn’treplace computers. The key reservation expressedregarding PDAs for universal provision is that even

the most sophisticated are not yet suitable for all of a school’s mobile computing needs. However, theselected supply of PDAs to identified groups, forexample staff, disadvantaged children, or those withspecial needs that might be ameliorated by PDAprovision, is an option.

When considering providing PDAs for children, it will not be easy to choose between the minimalfunctionality, low-cost models and those with a muchgreater range of functions and a much heftier pricetag. In some cases where the functions appear to belike a computer, it seems that the similarity provokesover-expectations, whereas low-cost devices are onlyexpected to provide electronic organiser functions.

Other products – Existing or emerging

There are other related products in use in schoolsnow which offer alternatives to PDAs. Most familiar ofthese have probably been the Psion pocketcomputers, series 3, 5 and 7/netBook.

New products will be continually forthcoming and, aspointed out at the beginning of this report, theconvergence of mobile phones, digital cameras andPDAs will be the most immediate change – whicheven raises questions as to who might cover the costs. Also, manufacturers such as Casio and TI areexpanding the facilities of their graphical calculatorproducts to include organiser functions.

As an alternative scenario, the recently launchedtablet PCs could be regarded as a convergence of thelaptop and the PDA. They do not suffer the limitationsof small screens and some even have both pen andkeyboard input choices. Some schools may decidethat these advantages make tablets preferabledespite the greater portability of PDAs.

Other schools are investigating Webpads which sitsomewhere between the tablet PC and PDAs and canprovide full connectivity – to the school’s networkdirect or the internet when in school, at home or evenelsewhere (through GPRS, GSM or landline phones).For a summary of these devices see[http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/DEC0107.pdf].

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Other matters remaining on the agenda

There is much work to be done to both investigatethe real potential of PDAs in schools and to provideguidance on using them effectively and efficiently.Among other matters we have become aware of theneed for more guidance on:

• ebooks and their value in schools

• the relationship between pupils’ PDAs and theirhome computers

• acceptable/appropriate use policies

• the potential of PDAs in response to children’sspecial needs in mainstream and special schools

• technical support provision: from whom; what isneeded; how best to provide it; how much may bedelivered online?

• managing the hardware: labelling PDAsand providing network IDs; assetregisters; synchronisation and chargingmethods and routines; how to back upand where to; storage and security

• the significance of wireless networking

• the potential of PDAs for use by childrennot in regular school – hospital schools,the sick at home, etc.

Further work is needed on both the main focuses ofthe project but most particularly on use of PDAs bychildren for learning activities in the classroom andbeyond the school.

Indications of the development of a pedagogy whichincludes such devices can be found in the use ofgraphical calculators in the mathematics and scienceclassroom. The convergence of such devices withPDAs provides another area of development andresearch.

We are aware of the ‘Cybiko’ product and can seeunique potential in its automatic ‘mesh networking’capability, which could even provide free wirelesscommunication between members of a schoolcommunity, but we have been unable to investigatethis as yet.

Indications of the development of apedagogy which includes such

devices can be found in the use ofgraphical calculators in the

mathematics and science classroom.

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A final thought

As with mobile phones some years ago, schools willfind increasingly that pupils own their own PDA – ifonly a parental cast-off – and will have to decide howto respond if these are brought into school. Are theyto be encouraged, or banned?

“I wonder why we missed an opportunity to increasethe learning potential of mobile phones. We wouldnot have any problem convincing the students to usethem. The PDA could go the same way. The potentialfor it to be a multi-functional device that students cantake total ownership of and which has endless‘communication’ applications is surely something wewant?”

Ron HinshawHermitage School

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Further information

Becta UK

Information Sheet on Handheld Computers – http://www.becta.org.uk/technology/infosheets/July 2001 index.html

A summary of desk research on portable ICT http://www.becta.org.uk/research/reports/devices with links to Handheld Computers in portableict.cfmSchools – Managing your Work; Multimedia Portables for Teachers Projects; and What the research says:A succinct summary of research into portable http://www.becta.org.uk/research/reports/docs/computers in schools including PDAs with further wtrs_porticts.pdfreferences – December 2002

TES UK

‘Handheld Ways to Improve Literacy’ – http://www.tes.co.ukSeptember 2002‘Take the Tablets’ – September 2002‘Glasgow Handheld Pilot Proves a Hit’ – October 2001‘Palm PCs to Replace Laptops’ – July 2001

‘Getting a Handle on Handhelds’ – 2001 http://www.electronic-school.com UShttp://www.electronic-school.com/2001/06/0601handhelds.html

Reports from Techlearn UKPDAs in Higher Education http://www.techlearn.ac.uk/

Usability and Accessibility of PDAs in Education http://www.techdis.ac.uk/PDA/

PDA project at Philip Morant School, Essex http://www.microsoft.com/resources/casestudies/CaseStudy.asp?CaseStudyID=13087 UK

Palm Education http://www.palm.com/education/ US

SRI International Report USPalm Education Pioneers Programme – March 2002 http://www.palmgrants.sri.com/Evaluation Report

Adapting PDAs for people with impaired speech http://www.bostock.com/IconSpeakInternational.htm UK

Education Week on the Web US‘Handheld Computing: New Best Tech Tool, http://www.edweek.org/or Just a Fad?’ – September 2001

TechLearning US‘A Report Card on Handheld Computing’ – http://www.techlearning.comJean Shields and Amy Poftak

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Appendix A

A project champion’s view – Andy Squires, Netherhall School,Cambridge

A short rundown of the successes:

1. Agenda Fusion – This has helped all those usingtheir iPAQs view all their information on onescreen and manage their time more effectively.

2. Tube Map – I have used the tube map of Londonwhile on day trips and conferences there. It notonly displays the tube map but also plans a route.Very useful. Although I am not sure how safe itwould be to wander round the underground withthis in your hand?

3. Presenter-to-go – Again, extremely useful. I havenow used this to address a group of 20 middlemanagers and also lead NQT seminars. The nicetouch is the remote control, although I have notreally tested this over a larger distance yet.

4. Targus Keyboard – This has been invaluable. I fold this up and carry it with me everywhere inmy jacket pocket. I have been using this at everyopportunity, ie cover lessons, etc, to completework on my NPQH reflective journal. It is also veryuseful for taking notes/minutes at meetings, etc.Very good bit of kit. If it were just a little morerigid, it would sit on my knees and be even moreuseful.

5. Infrared – This is a little problematic. I decided toenable this function to sync and ever since itkeeps scanning every few minutes and thenreports an error message – this is annoying. Also itis a little slower than the USB sync. I can now leavethe cradle on the desk at school though and syncat home. The cradle is not the easiest of things totransport around.

6. Internet – I have not yet managed to wirelessnetwork the iPAQ. This would be the next logicalstep. For this I would need a transmitter and also a wireless card. I cannot afford either of these bitsof kit as yet, but would like to be able to collectemail, etc, on the iPAQ.

7. Acrobat Reader – I have used this verysuccessfully to read and store importantdocuments in pdf format, eg Ofsted reports, thePANDA, etc. These are all good to refer to at timesand since they are on the iPAQ, I can read themwherever I want. I have also ‘beamed’ them tocolleagues, etc.

8. Contacts – Again, very useful, but probably easierto enter via the computer and then search andview through the iPAQ. Again no more businesscards – you can just beam the contact tosomeone else and there it is. I used this at a recentconference in Manchester.

9. Excel – I now have all my registers and also testand base data entered onto Excel. This helps mecalculate attendance percentages, averages, etc.The only thing I miss is the graphing function. As I teach A-level biology, it would really be usefulto enter data and graph the results then and therefor the pupils to see. This would then help inrepeating results, etc, in the time left of the lesson.

10. Media Player – I have at times had the odd tuneon the iPAQ but at about 5MB each they do takeup quite a lot of room, nevertheless it’s quite acute function. I have also tried to play video butwith less success.

11. Real Player – I downloaded this (free) to try andplay the video but this also refused to work.

12. Microphone – This feature is extremely usefuland has become part of my daily routine. When Iam on my way home in the car, I will use this as adictating machine and record messages and tasksas I think of them. Then when I get home, Itransfer them to the task element of AgendaFusion.

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Appendix B

Insights from higher education in the USA

The following are clips from a report Personal DigitalAssistants (PDAs) in Education by Ted Smith fromTechlearn [http://www.techlearn.ac.uk/] which seempertinent to this context. A draft copy of the fullreport is on[http://www.techlearn.ac.uk/NewDocs/PDAs%20in%20Education.doc]. Some of them may prompt ideas forapplication in our schools but many are salutarywarnings to us not to expect too much too soon,especially given the relative funding and back-upresource differences between higher education in theUS and schools in England.

■ ■

XXX University is using PocketPC systems in theclassroom in physics, French, chemistry, health andexercise, and sociology. In particular, tutors are usingan in-house software system (ClassInHand) whichturns the tutor’s handheld into a web server[http://classinhand.wfu.edu/]. By this means, the tutorcan, through wireless communications, makeinformation available to students as a classprogresses, and use the website to poll forinstantaneous student feedback.

■ ■

Because class time is limited and thus valuable,instructors have little tolerance for technology thatdoesn’t work immediately and quickly abandon it fortraditional methods if any problem arises.

PDAs cannot replace laptops, but are a worthwhilesupplement in many cases.

■ ■

The students pay $200 per semester for foursemesters and own the devices themselves. They areresponsible for loss and damage. The ComputerService configures the PDA with campus-specificsettings and applications, trains the students on use,provides web-based and hard copy documentation,and provides a repair/maintenance/contractmanagement service. The College is focusing on the(sic) providing course-specific instructional softwareon the PDAs.

■ ■

The Department of Computer Science has been veryactive in the programme. They found very little

educational software available commercially for thePDA and so chose to develop some 80 small softwareapplications, including:

• interactive reference documents

• interactive exercises

• explanatory documents

• annotated exercises

• interactive quizzes.

Students with visual or physical impairments foundthe PDAs difficult to use – more detail on accessibilityissues can be found at[http://www.techdis.ac.uk/PDA/].

■ ■

In terms of technical support, the university provided40 ‘synching’ stations around campus that providedinfrared connections to the campus infrastructure.The Computer Service undertook all first yearwarranty work.

• Connectivity and distribution of content was aproblem – because there was no central serversolution (they used Avantgo).

• Faculty [staff ] roundtables were introduced toshare experiences.

• The change came from the top-down and was seenas probably the best way to get things movingquickly.

• Not as much software in the private sector wasavailable as they thought they (sic) would be, andhence they realised they were at the bleeding edge.

27

Becta is indebted to:

Ted Smith – Head of Technologies Centre, York, forpermission to quote from his report.

Acknowledgements:

Mike Sharples, Kodak Professor of EducationalTechnology, Birmingham University: Consultant

David Perry: Independent consultant and author

David Wright: Project Manager, Becta

Questions Answered, York: Researchers

Participating schools

Cams Lane Primary

St Peter’s Collegiate School

Ashcombe School

Charlton School

Middlemarch Junior School

St Francis Primary School

St James CE Junior School

New Earswick Primary School

St Nicolas’ CE Primary School

The Redway School

Soar Valley Community College

Nightingale School

St Bedes RC Middle School

Priory School

Furze Platt Infant School

Monkwearmouth School

Falconers Hill Junior School

South Bromsgrove High School

Roche County Primary School

Fawcett Primary School

Walmley Infant School

Old Earth Primary School

The Netherhall School and Sixth Form Centre

Our Lady of Mt Carmell RC First School

Whitehills Lower School

Stow Heath Junior School

Philip Morant School and College

East Herrington Junior School

The Benjamin Britten High School

The Wildern School

Durham Johnston School

Contributing schools

The Arnewood School

Hermitage School

Harris School

Dunraven Lambeth School

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British Educational Communications and Technology Agency

Millburn Hill Road, Science Park, Coventry CV4 7JJ

Tel: 024 7641 6994 Fax: 024 7641 1418Email: becta@becta.org.uk URL: www.becta.org.uk

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