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Press Release
Wichita Unified School District Showcases Handhelds in Education
Kansas District to Study Student Use of Tungsten E Handhelds From palmOne, Inc.
MILPITAS, Calif., March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Wichita Unified School District 259 recently added 380 Tungsten(TM) E handhelds to the more than 1,200 handheld computers already in use in its classrooms, palmOne, Inc. (Nasdaq: PLMO) announced today. With nearly 50,000 students, the district is a showcase for handhelds in education in the state of Kansas, and other schools are watching.
The Tungsten E handhelds are in use at Truesdell Middle School, where the district is watching how students respond to having access to classroom sets of handheld computers. Instructional Technology Specialist Jim Clark predicts positive results.
"Each of the students has access to a handheld in their classes and use in all subject areas," said Clark. "They will change classes together in groups so that we can study how these students do with the handhelds."
While the emphasis is on instructional use, Clark also is mindful that middle school is a big transition for students; many find it a challenge to organize five or six different class schedules, homework and activities. "If this device gets kids organized and helps them to use task lists and be diligent in their activities, it's worth its weight in gold," he said.
The remaining handhelds from palmOne are used in all areas of the curriculum, primarily in the upper elementary school grades, the result of a pilot program conducted last year with Wichita State University's College of Education.
"The kids love using a handheld; they think it's the greatest thing going," he said. "We emphasize instructional use, so the handheld has become a familiar tool that students and teachers use for their daily tasks. The responses strongly indicate that teachers view handheld computers as a positive addition to their classrooms."
An independent study by SRI International's Center for Technology in Learning in Menlo Park, Calif., showed similar results -- 96 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that handheld computers "are an effective instructional tool for teachers." The study, commissioned by palmOne, was based on 100 classrooms that used handhelds for teaching and learning. These classrooms were part of the Palm Education Pioneer (PEP) program, which awarded $2.3 million in technology grants to 175 classrooms in the United States. SRI administered the program and evaluated the results.
"The evaluation of the PEP program found that the most significant student benefits of using handheld computers included their role as an instructional tool and organizational/personal tool, and the positive motivational effect handheld computers had on students," said Mike Lorion, vice president of vertical markets for palmOne. "Teachers and researchers reported that they saw great value in students using handheld computers as personal learning tools. In this role, handheld computers promoted student autonomy and responsibility."
But it's the level of parent interest that Clark said "knocked my socks off. The parents are very interested and want to use the handhelds too. Teachers send notes home to parents via the handhelds, and the parents respond. They are great school-to-parent communication tools."
This year the district is building on the Wichita State University School of Education pilot with its Handheld Education Leadership Program. The program is modeled after the palmOne Education Training Coordinator (PETC) program, an in-service train-the-trainer program designed to support handheld technology staff development, planning and implementation for qualified educational systems. Having already completed the PETC program, Clark stepped forward to implement the program.
"We handpicked 21 educators to be participants, and to speak at district, state and national conferences about their experiences," he said. "It didn't take long for word to spread. Today, the district has many visitors from inside and outside of the state who are interested in seeing first hand how the students are doing with handhelds.
"Most of the participants agree that handhelds from palmOne are easy to support and an economical way to drive one-to-one computing," said Clark. "There is plenty of curriculum software available. They are small and mobile, so kids can put them in their backpacks. They also stand up to the daily stress of student use and the occasional extremes. Last year a student went on a field trip to a museum and dropped her handheld on the marble floor. She was in tears because she was sure she'd broken it, but we picked it up and it still worked."
More information on the SRI study is available at http://www.palmgrants.sri.com .
About palmOne, Inc.
palmOne, Inc. delivers what matters most to customers -- whether a single consumer or company of thousands -- enabling users to improve their personal lives and professional productivity through mobile devices and solutions.
palmOne is the name adopted in October 2003 by Palm, Inc., when it spun off PalmSource, Inc., maker of the Palm OS(R) platform software, and acquired Handspring, Inc. Uniting the Zire(TM), Tungsten(TM) and Treo(TM) subbrands, the creation of palmOne launched a new, stronger market leader in handheld computer and communications hardware and software solutions.
More information about palmOne, Inc. is available at http://www.palmOne.com .
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NOTE: palmOne, Zire, Tungsten, Treo and Palm OS are among the trademarks or registered trademarks owned by or licensed to palmOne, Inc. or its subsidiaries. All other brand and product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.
SOURCE palmOne, Inc.
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