ETIPS - Make Thinking Visible
Ready Access
Ready access to supported, managed hardware/software resources is provided. Teachers must be provided with convenient and flexible access for educational technology. Although part of this is provided by the work environment, this resource area provides some access points and resources for classroom utilization and further exploration of the subject matter.
General Tools
Internet
Online reference tools
WebQuests
Spreadsheets
Databases
Word processing
Desktop publishing software
Web authoring tools
Email
Telecommunication technologies
Bulletin board, chat room, discussion forum, ex. Tappedin.org
Discussion software, ex. Instant Messenger
Database, ex. ERIC
Computer simulation
Video clips
CD-ROMs
Online magazines and newsletters
School-based or teacher's website for posting grades and comments, assignments,
attendance, summaries of lesson plans, ex. ThinkWave.com
Inspiration
URL:
http://www.inspiration.com
Description: Inspiration is a powerful visual learning tool that inspires students,
grades 4-12, to develop ideas and organize thinking. Use Inspiration to assist
you and your students in outlining, diagramming, concept mapping and webbing.
Set up live hyperlinks to create direct connections to the immense resources
of the Internet.
Kidspiration
URL:
http://www.inspiration.com
Description: Kidspiration helps K-3 students see, organize and develop their
great ideas. Students can brainstorm ideas with pictures and words; organize
and categorize information visually; create stories and descriptions using
engaging visual tools; and explore new ideas with webs and visual mapping.
HyperStudio
URL:
http://www.hyperstudio.com
Description: For over 10 years, HyperStudio has been the de facto standard
classroom multimedia-authoring program. The newest version, HyperStudio 4,
represents the next level in desktop and online multimedia communications
for educators and students. Use this versatile application with high school
students to develop electronic portfolios.
PowerPoint
URL:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/powerpoint/default.asp
Description: With its easy-to-use tools for creating presentations, Microsoft’s
PowerPoint is an engaging form of communication in the classroom. Instructors
and students use PowerPoint to add images of art, video clips of artists, and
art techniques for instructional or creative purposes.
PDA Website Resources for K-12 Teachers
General Curriulum Resources
Learning in the Palm of Your Hand
URL: http://www.handheld.hice-dev.org/
Description: This site provides excellent PDA resources for K-12 teachers. The Hi-CE (Center for Highly Interactive Computing in Education at the University of Michigan) has developed a collection of Palm applications for the classroom along with instructions for each. This website also offers a monthly newsletter, downloads and a message board areas for teachers to share ideas. Hi-CE offers eight new applications for Palms in the classroom, all FREE of charge!
The Educators Palm
URL: http://educatorspalm.org/
Description: The Educator’s Palm provides a wealth of information about using PDA’s in K-12 settings and how educators can use the emerging technologies to improve learning communities. The site offers teachers news and academic articles on PDA’s, a Teaching and Learning section, and tips and ideas of how handheld computers can enhance teaching and learning.
K-12 Handhelds: Handheld Solutions for Educators
URL: http//www.k12handhelds.com/
Description: K12 Handhelds provides schools with curriculum ideas for handheld use in K-12 education. For successful handheld implementation, this website offers handheld applications, an online store, free downloads, staff development ideas and product information/comparisons on the various types of PDA’s on the market.
Education @ Palm
URL: http://www.palm.com/education/
At this Palm education site, discover information about Palm's latest developments for K-12 schools and for college campuses. This site provides news on handheld computers, reviews on hardware and softwar, promotions and classroom success stories and testimonials from teachers on how to best integrate technology into teaching and learning.
Handheld Education.com
URL: http://www.handheldeducation.com/
Description: The goal of this website is to help K-12 teachers and students to improve learning through the use of handheld computers. This site includes software downloads, reviews of products, and a myriad of ideas on how to use handheld computers to enhance teaching and learning.
pdaED.com
Description: This site especially for educators, offers general information about various handheld devices and extensions, articles, “how to guides”on downloading and installing software, and a discussion area with lesson plan ideas contributed by K-12 teachers. This site has separate areas for doctors, lawyers and realest ate brokers.
Paperless Classroom. org
URL: http://www.paperlessclassroom.org/
Description: The Eminence Middle School in located in Henry County, Kentucky is experimenting with Personal Digital Assistants. All homework and reading assignments for 7th and 8th grade Language Arts are done on the PDAs. To learn more about their story, and recommended links see their website.
The Busy Educator's Guide To The World Wide Web
This site is a collection of Internet resources produced for and by educators (teachers, librarians, administrators, parents and others) who know that there is a wealth of information out there to make our jobs easier.
Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library
URL: http://etext.virginia.edu/ebooks
Description: The University of Virginia Library system provides a free Ebook library for the Microsoft reader and Palm users. 1,600 publicly-available ebooks from the Etext Center’s collection, including classic British and American fiction, major authors, children's literature, American history, Shakespeare, African-American documents, as well as other titles.
PromoNet Global Communiations
Description: Fine Literature Digitally Re-Published. The Oldest (since 1971) and The Original Internet Information Provider.
Rainbow Tech: Teaching and Learning with Technololgy
URL: http://www.rainbowtech.org/Palm/index.html
Description: This website offers teachers a host of handheld resources including websites, workshops, website links, and a rich Cyber Library with lesson plan ideas, special projects, virtual fieldtrips, and assessment rubrics by which to evaluate projects.
A Valuable Technology Tool for Student Teachers
Authors: Anna C. McFadden, Barrie Jo Price and George E. Marsh II
URL: http://glef.org/
AvantGo.com
Description: AvantGo the leading provider of mobile enterprise software. The AvantGo Mobile Internet service provides free interactive and personalized content and applications for handheld devices. They also have Internet-enabled mobile phone real-time via wireless connection or desktop synchronization.
PEP: Palm Eduction Pioneer Grants
URL: http://www.palmgrants.sri.com/
Description: SRI International, a nonprofit research and organization, invites teachers in the fifty United States to apply for a Palm Education Pioneer (PEP) grant. To qualify, teachers need to develop creative ways to use handheld computers in the classroom. The grant provides Palm handhelds for teachers and their students and evaluates the variety of uses of handhelds in the classroom. This site also include teaching ideas for using PDA’s in K-12 settings. Check with Palm to see when the next round of grant applications is being offered.
Handango
Description: Handango is the world's leading publisher of handheld and wireless software, serving more than 5,000 handheld software companies through international distribution channels. Handango has thousands of education and reference applications to use in K-12 settings. Refer to education/reference section.
Teacher Information Network
Description: A host of ideas and articles
Freeware Palm
URL: http://www.freewarepalm.com
Description: Download free software to your Palm handheld.
Handwatch
Description: Software to view JPEG’s on a Palm and allow two Palm users to share a sketch pad via infrared beaming.
eSchool News Online
URL: http://www.eschoolnews.com/
Description: eSchool News provides essential technology news and internet information for the K-12 professional. Type in the keyword “PDA”or “handheld”and a list of current articles pops up which discuss using pocket-size computers in K-12 education.
CITE: Contemporaty Issues in technology and teacher Education
URL: http://www.citejournal.org/vol2/iss1/toc.cfm
Description: Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education (CITE) is a publication of the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education (SITE), established as an electronic counterpart of the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. Cite is funded by a US Department of Education PT3 catalyst grant.
Classroom Wizard
URL: http://www.classroomwizard.com/
Description: Classroom Wizard is breakthrough technology brought to you by Scantron that allows educators to quickly quiz, grade and report simultaneously right in the classroom.
Hardware Resources
Pocket PC
Description: Microsoft's Web Page that is designed to educate PocketPC and WindowsCE users.
WiredGuy.com
Description: WiredGuy.com is the first Pocket PC related website that delivers video/audio content over the web. Using the latest in digital video technology, this site posts video reviews, interviews, and related information. At WiredGuy, viewers can read about newest hardware products and accessories. A weekly e-mail newsletter is available that offers Pocket PC tips & tricks, download suggestions, and more.
PocketGear.com
URL: http://www.pocketgear.com/mobile.asp
Description: This site, PocketGear.com, provides tools and services that will simplify and extend the use of your PDA.
Pocket PC Magazine
URL: http://www.pocketpcmag.com/
Description: This company publishes a magazine for Windows Powered Handheld and Pocket PCs with reviews, a support area, how to’s and 1000’s of product reviews.
PalmGear.com
Description: This site is the one stop source for your Palm connected organizer. This site that offers a deluge of software, hardware and accessories from which to browse. To view educational resources, type “teaching”or “teachers”as the keyword word.
Yahoo Software for Handhelds
URL:
http://dir.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/
Personal_Digital_Assistants__PDAs_/Software/Palm_OS/
Description: At this site, get products for Palm OS powered handheld, including your Palm V, Palm m100, m105, m500, m505, Handspring Visor and Visor Prism, Sony CLIE, Handera and others
Motorola’s Bluetooth Website
URL:
http://e-www.motorola.com/webapp/sps/site/
overview.jsp?nodeId=03M0ymVXlR5M0zk3j7Tr
Description: Scenarios about how Bluetooth will revolutionize living digitally.
Ways to Use PDAs in Your Language Arts Classroom
In Language Arts, secondary students can use a word processing application
such as WordSmith to take notes in class, write assignments, and share
information with peers or teachers. Beaming rough drafts to peer editors
can enhance students’collaboration and editing skills.
In Language Arts, secondary students can use a concept mapping application
such as PiCoMap to create elaborate concept maps. This allows them to practice
representing ideas and concepts visually. With PiCoMap, they can then communicate
their ideas by beaming to other students or teachers, printing directly to
a printer with an infrared port, syncing with a desktop computer, or posting
to the web.
Software Applications and Hardware/Peripherals
Software:
Children's Illustrated eTales (v1.01)
URL:
http://www.ddhsoftware.com/software.html
ETales are short stories with colorful illustrations for early readers. EBooks
are simply downloaded to a desktop computer and installed on a Palm handheld.
Cost: $9.99. (For a review, go to
http://pie.concord.org/
product.php3?id=4
FreeWrite
URL:
http://www.goknow.com/Products/FreeWrite.html
Word processing tool with 109,000 word spell-checker. Use for note-taking,
journaling, peer editing. Allows you to print directly from your Palm. Free
download.
Fling It
URL:
http://www.goknow.com/Products/FlingIt.html
Allows you to download and share web content for offline use. Once downloaded,
content is searchable. Free download.
Quickword (v5.03)
URL:
http://www.cesinc.com/quickword/
Quickword links MS Word documents to your Palm handheld. Allows you to create
documents on your Palm whenever you need to. You can also access and edit
your Word Documents from any location. Cost: $19.95. (For a review, go to
http://pie.concord.org/product.php3?id=19.)
Peanut Reader (v3.2.7)
URL:
http://www.peanutpress.com/
Peanut Reader is an electronic book reader for the Palm Operating System. Teachers
and students can download books from the peanutpress.com website. (For a
review, go to
http://pie.concord.org/product.php3?id=7.)
Hardware/Peripherals:
Palm portable keyboard
URL:
http://www.palm.com/products/accessories/keyboard/
A full size keyboard that folds up to the size of a Palm.
Targus HandCam Springboard module
URL:
http://www.palmgear.com/hs/products/
prodoverview.cfm?sid=24813420020416123148.513538975&prodID=487&prodcatID=5
A digital camera for the Handspring Visor Handheld.
Resources and Readings
Resources
Center for Highly Interactive Computing in Education (HiCE) at the University of Michigan
URL:
http://www.handheld.hice-dev.org/
Through this site, you can access a collection of free, downloadable Palm applications,
swap ideas about using PDAs through the message board, and view articles
and photos.
Handheld Learning
URL:
http://www.educatorspalm.org/
Handheld technologies are changing the way people access and work with information.
Educators and students need to be taking advantage of these emerging technologies
to enhance lifelong learning. This site will help all people in learning
organizations to use and get the most from these devices.
K12 Handhelds: Handheld Solutions for Educators
URL:
http://www.k12handhelds.com/index
K12 Handhelds provides schools with integrated solutions for handheld use in
education, believing that careful planning, professional development, hardware
and software selection, on-going support, and follow-up assessment are keys
to a successful handheld implementation.
Education@Palm
URL:
http://www.palm.com/education/
Palm’s web site for education.
Readings
Palm™ Handheld Computers in K-12: A Hands-On Guide
By Michael Curtis, Bard Williams, Cathleen Norris, David O’Leary, and Elliot Soloway. See http://www.goknow.com/Research/Technology.html for more information.
A Report Card on Handheld Computing
URL:
http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/02/
handheld.html
This article from Technology and Learning Magazine details the history of PDAs,
their potential for use in schools, and tips for integrating PDAs into instruction.
Dick Tracy Goes Digital: Educators take to personal digital assistants.
URL:
http://www.electronic-school.com/199901/0199toolsofthetrade.html
This article from electronic school describes some of the common uses of PDAs
and provides links to companies that manufacture these devices.