Palm-Sized Devices are the
Personal Computers of Choice for K-12
March 18, 2003

On March 18, 2003, COATT sponsored a free video conference presentation by Dr. Elliot Soloway. For more information on handhelds, see this page with resources covered in Dr. Soloway's presentation.

For the past 25 years, technology-focused educators have claimed that computational technologies would change K-12 education. However, at least in the U.S., to a first-order approximation, the impact of computers and the Internet on K-12 has been zero. By and large what goes on the in the classroom has been indifferent to the introduction of computers and Internet. For example, using our Snapshot Survey, approximately 45% of 5,000 teachers in the U.S. surveyed report that they use a computer with their students less than 15 minutes a week! 65% say use they use an Internet-connected computer with their students for less than 15 minutes a week.

Given the above, why should anyone believe that palm-sized computers would have an impact on K-12? What is different about palm-sized computers that will lead to these devices having an impact on K-12 education? Here are four suggestions: (1) given that a palm-sized computer costs approximately what a pair of tennis shoes costs, it is totally imaginable that each and every child could have their own palm-sized computer to use whenever they wish, (2) children using palm-sized computers integrate comfortably into the ebb and flow of activities in a K-12 classroom, (3) today’s children see a palm-sized device more as a media gadget than as a computer and as such find palm-sized devices fun, (4) teachers are seeing palm-sized computers as accessible and usable in the K-12 classrooms. Thus, while there is prima facie evidence that this time technology will significantly impact K-12, it’s still too early to really call.

In this presentation, we will report on our experiences with palm-sized devices with over 2,000 students K-12 classrooms in the U.S. in order to provide a vision of how you might well use palm-sized computers in your classroom not someday, but Monday.

Bio

Elliot Soloway is on the faculty at the University of Michigan; he is a Charles F. Thurnau Professor in College of Engineering, School of Education, and School of Information. He is also the founder and CEO of GoKnow, an educational software development company based in Ann Arbor.