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Press Release
Palm Announces K-12 Grant Awards and New Professional Development Program
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15 Pioneers Named to Help Study Handheld Technologies
For Teaching and Learning; Palm Introduces Education
Training Coordinator Program
ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Here at the Florida Education
Technology Conference (FETC), Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM) today announced the
first round of its grant awards as part of the Palm Education Pioneer (PEP)
program, and also introduced its Palm Education Training Coordinator (PETC)
program, designed to support staff development in the implementation of
Palm(TM) handheld computers in education.
"Palm believes that investment in educational research and professional
development programs will yield long-term benefits for teachers and students,"
said Mike Lorion, vice president of education at Palm, Inc. "The research
results of the PEP program will add to the body of knowledge of 'best
practices' for the entire education community, and the professional
development program will ensure consistent and quality implementation of
handheld computers for education."
Palm Education Pioneer (PEP) Awards
Palm is teaming with SRI International's Center for Technology in Learning
(CTL). SRI's CTL is administering the program as well as developing and
conducting the PEP evaluation. This evaluation will study the learning uses,
experiences and effectiveness of Palm handhelds in K-12 education.
The PEP grant program gives Palm handheld computers to K-12 teachers and
their students to enable innovative teaching and learning. The first round of
PEP awards includes 15 winners from across the United States, representing
projects in a variety of grade levels and academic programs, including the
following:
-- Fifth-grade students in Madison Heights, Mich., will use Palm handhelds
in an art, science, and creative writing curriculum to study trees and their
leaves.
-- Junior-high students in Cincinnati, Ohio, including those with special
needs, will use Palm handhelds to take more responsibility for their own
learning in language, math, and science classes, and to manage their own time
and assignments.
-- Middle-school students in Shoreline, Wash., will use Palm handhelds to
develop data-collection kits to test the health of a local water supply, and
then will teach elementary students how to use them. They will also develop a
business, using Palm handhelds to manage budgets, maintain personal calendars,
and analyze business markets.
-- High-school students in Atwater, Calif., will use Palm handhelds during
four-week summer seminars in environmental science at Yosemite National Park.
The 15 winners constitute the first round of more than 100 grants to be
awarded in the PEP program. Prospective applicants can now register a
statement of intent for Round ll participation. The deadline for submitting
final applications is March 15. Additional information is available at
http://www.palmgrants.sri.com/.
Palm Education Training Coordinator (PETC) Program
The goal of the PETC program is to certify local educators to deliver
consistent and up-to-date staff development curriculum on the use of Palm
handhelds in education. The program helps school districts and educational
organizations to create in-house staff development programs for basic handheld
computer skills. Professional development has been identified by the Secretary
of Education and all major educational associations as the single most
important component of quality teaching and learning. The program provides
leadership, resources and curriculum to unlock a whole new set of tools for
administrators, faculty and students.
The program includes the following:
-- A three-day trainer certification course for qualified trainers.
-- A trainer starter kit of hardware and software.
-- A ready-to-use curriculum.
-- Ongoing support and update training for trainers.
In a collaborative effort between Palm and educational organizations, Palm
is providing the three-day training program at no cost and will support
ongoing professional development for the Education Training Coordinators
(ETCs). The ETCs must agree to conduct professional development classes for
educators in their district for two years and to stay current in the area of
educational technology. School systems are expected to provide transportation
to the certification training, and assistance and support for their new Palm
staff development program. Currently, certification classes are scheduled for
February, March, April and August. More information about the program, its
requirements, and the schedule of classes is available at
http://www.palm.com/education/training/.
Palm at FETC
Palm is showcasing handheld technology for education at the FETC
conference in Orlando, Fla., Jan. 11-13 in booth No. 400 in the Orange County
Convention Center. An array of education software developed for Palm handhelds
will be demonstrated, including solutions for capturing scientific data,
tracking student attendance, managing school databases, and taking
professional development courses. Developer partners participating in the Palm
booth will be Classroom Connect, Excelsior Software, FileMaker, Imagiworks,
Hands High Software, and ThinkingBytes.
About Palm, Inc.
Palm, Inc. is a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet
solutions and a leading provider of handheld computers (source: IDC, December
1999). Based on the Palm OS(R) platform, Palm's handheld solutions allow
people to carry and access their most critical information with them wherever
they go. Palm handhelds address the needs of individuals, enterprises and
educational institutions through thousands of application solutions. The Palm
OS platform is also the foundation for products from Palm's licensees and
strategic partners, such as CreSenda Wireless; ePocrates, Inc.; Franklin
Covey; Handspring; IBM; Sony; Symbol Technologies; and TRG. Platform licensees
also include Kyocera, Samsung, and Nokia. The Palm Economy is a growing global
community of industry-leading licensees, world-class OEM customers, and more
than 130,000 innovative developers and solution providers that have registered
to develop solutions based on the Palm OS platform. Palm went public on March
2, 2000. Its stock is traded on the Nasdaq national market under the symbol
PALM. More information is available at http://www.palm.com.
NOTE: Palm OS is a registered trademark and Palm is a trademark of Palm,
Inc. or its subsidiaries.
SOURCE Palm, Inc.
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