LTC to Support Development of Handheld Applications - October 10th., 2006

The College of Education has received Information Technology Advisory Committee (ITAC) funding to pilot the instructional use of handheld devices such as Palm Pilots. The ITAC support will allow the Learning Technology Center (LTC) to purchase at least one classroom set of handheld devices, as well as some software and peripheral devices. The LTC will also be able to develop custom applications that will allow COE faculty to explore new uses of handhelds in education and research.

Handheld devices have received increasing attention from educators lately. Math teachers can equip them with graphing calculator software and science teachers can choose among many data collection devices that interface with the handheld. Researchers are transferring many paper-based observation instruments to handhelds, which can sync directly to databases. And proponents of one-to-one technology initiatives cite the devices’ low cost, which is just a fraction of the price of a laptop computer.

If you have ideas for ways to use handheld devices in your teaching or research, send an email to Ken Tothero. The LTC will try to support as many of your creative ideas as possible!

—Laurie Caldwell, LTC Communications Coordinator