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palmOne Canada Helps Bring Handheld Innovation to School Campuses



Canadian educators use palmOne handhelds to introduce tech-driven firsts into the classroom environment

TORONTO, June 14, 2004 – As many students anticipate school's end and the beginning of summer, some educators already are looking ahead to the 2004/2005 school year as a time to introduce innovative handheld technology solutions into the school environment – including one of Canada's first wireless network installations in a public high school.

"With technology now playing a vital role in everyday life, educators are embracing handhelds as an effective tool for teaching, learning, and student progress tracking," said Michael Moskowitz, president and general manager, palmOne Canada. "The power and mobility of palmOne™ handhelds quickly place relevant information within easy reach of any user – from teachers to students to administrators – and in the coming school year we expect to see even greater adoption and more varied uses of handhelds in the academic environment."

Wi-Fi-enabled School
North Grenville District High School in Kemptville, Ontario, will become one of the province's first Wi-Fi (802.11b) enabled high schools when it finalizes the installation of a network that will enable teachers and administrators to monitor student attendance wirelessly. Beginning in the fall of 2004, all 35 teachers at the high school will carry Wi-Fi enabled Tungsten™ C handhelds from palmOne to track each period's student attendance with a web-based program called eSIS Student Information Systems created by software developer Administrative Assistants. Teachers will enter student information directly into their handhelds and submit the information wirelessly to a central computer system, enabling the school's administrator to view the attendance sheet within minutes. Previously, this process was completed manually.

"The Wi-Fi enabled handhelds from palmOne bring student tracking to an entirely new level," says Steve McLean, principal of North Grenville District High School. "Every school in the province is required to conduct a period-by-period tracking to ensure students are safe and in class. With palmOne handhelds, the tracking of student attendance will be fast, effective and completely reliable, enabling teachers to spend more time on student learning and less time on tedious administrative tasks."

While tracking student attendance wirelessly will be a new feature for the next school year, teachers already use palmOne handhelds in the classrooms for day-to-day planning and for assessment and evaluation of students with a program called eTeacher, developed by Media-X Systems of Ottawa. With eTeacher, teachers plan lessons, consolidate student information into detailed reports and do on-the-fly student testing and grading. According to Mclean, the ability for teachers to carry around a grading system that fits in their pockets is a very effective and time-saving benefit.

Pioneering the Near-paperless Classroom
Ancaster High School in Hamilton, Ontario, is one of the first secondary schools in the province to create a near paperless classroom by equipping students with palmOne handhelds for an entire course.
Introduced this year as an integral part of a first-of-its-kind three-credit package of university prep courses in science, students work with the palmOne handhelds to compare study notes, organize class schedules, access science databases such as the periodic table, and receive and submit assignments electronically with an online conferencing system called First Class. With First Class, students can complete the assignment on the handhelds using Dataviz® Documents To Go®, synchronize to a computer and upload the file to the First Class server.

Some tests and quizzes are performed on the devices directly, allowing teachers to provide a quick assessment and evaluation of student performance. Teachers can also set test dates and program reminders so students will remember exam dates and then synchronize the information directly to the students' handhelds via the First Class server.

Additional paperless strategies include accessing Internet web clippings using Fling it and AvantGo mobile Internet services, thus enabling students to view a designated web page directly on their handheld.

"palmOne handhelds have enabled our students to use a widely accepted technology to learn in a completely new way," explains Paul Hatala, science teacher at Ancaster High School. "Students now spend more time on analysis and learning. Our intention for this course was to provide our students with the technical skills needed to realize their full potential. Introducing palmOne handhelds into this course has accomplished that goal."

The school expects to again offer this inter-disciplinary program next year, ultimately widening the program scope by offering it to students across Ontario's Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.
Enhancing Student Learning with Mobile Technology

La Rose Sauvage school in Calgary, Alberta, is also driving innovation in the classroom. Today, every teacher in the school – as well all 48 students in grades 7 to 11 – is equipped with a Tungsten™ T handheld from palmOne with integrated Bluetooth® technology.

The handhelds enable students to view, carry and edit course work in technology, languages, social and applied sciences, and mathematics, among others. In math class, students use the built-in calculator for in-class assignments and quizzes; in applied sciences classes, students can access scientific databases such as the periodic table of elements, or do technical research on the Internet, via three PicoBlue™ Internet Access Points installed throughout the school.

In addition, the students work directly on the palmOne handheld devices to exchange study notes, collect homework instructions from the teachers, organize class schedules and agendas, and submit assignments electronically via the Bluetooth wireless access points.

"Almost every week we discover a new handheld feature by either exchanging information or sharing tips and ideas directly on the palmOne handhelds," explains Fred Lavoie, teacher at La Rose Sauvage. "The palmOne handhelds have definitely allowed us to reach students in a completely new way and to further motivate them to do great things."

Also, due to the success of the program and student enthusiasm, La Rose Sauvage plans to purchase additional palmOne devices for next year's incoming students.


About palmOne, Inc.

More information about palmOne, Inc. is available at http://www.palmOne.com.

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