Projects - Palm Network Research - Case Study

Kealing Junior High

Overview - Technical Details - Results

Throughout the 2001-2002 academic school year, the PDA Utilization Group researched the capabilities of Palm Networking at Kealing Junior High in the Austin Indepedent School District. The purpose of these efforts was to two-fold; one, to determine technical variations and limitations when transistioning from a controlled lab environment to an actual operating classroom, and two, to discern whether students and teachers could utilize Palm networking to their academic benefit. The PDA Utilization Group achieved considerable success in the former endeavor, but was unable to complete adequate research in the latter. Further study in a second deployment site will be necessary to complete this effort.

Research Motivation

Computing technologies provide users with the means to rapidly process large quantities of complex data, but to share and exchange information, users need networks. Educational technologies must be built upon networks to ensure a free flow of ideas between students and teachers, and to facilitate pervasive storage and retrieval of instructional material. The PDA Utilization Group believes that networking is key to the success of PDAs in educational environments.

Beaming vs. Networking

Most PDAs include a wireless transfer mechanism using infrared (IR) beams of light. On Palms, this action is known as "beaming". Users can send data or entire programs to other Palms, and even use their Palms to send documents to IR-ready printers. Beaming is typically one-way and does not provide for the true exchange of information, as indicated in the diagrams through this document.

Beaming works well for simple transactions between Palms, but has several disadvantages. In practice, beaming is slow. Only a few kilobytes of data per second can be transmitted from one Palm to another. Furthermore beaming can only be done over a short distance of a few feet (although some products that "broadcast" IR signals are available). Most importantly, however, beaming relies upon a one-to-one model. Distributing information to a large group of palms requires continued beaming.

Networking, however, allows any number of users to connect to any other number of users simulatenously. Data can be truly exchanged at high transfer rates. Information can be passively retrieved instead of only actively "pushed" to the recipient. These capabilities seperate networking from beaming and support the role of networks in our PDA research.

Network-Driven Applications

Much of the initial work done with handheld computing in education so far has dealt specifically with client-side applications. Software programs such as those developed by the Center Highly Interactive Computing in Education reside almost entirely on the Palm and provide educational affordances for students and teachers. The PDA Utilization Group focuses it's research on network driven applications -- opportunities that derive from the role PDA's play as part of larger computing networks. These include adminstrative functions, such as recording and distributing grades electronically, communication functions, such as providing handheld-based messaging for students and parents, and content services, such as providing electronic textbooks, course materials, and assessments.