E- Books! (and handhelds)

This post is supposed to contain ideas I gained from the e-book about using handhelds. But, I must first comment on the e-book. WOW! What an incredible way to "take a book with you". My son makes me carry his book when we go into a restaurant or Dr.'s office so people will not see him with it. He thinks that is not cool. He would love for people to see him with a handheld, however! Of course, the tough part would be making him stay off the games and on the e-book. There are so many other advantages to the ebook, but I will have to address that later.

With all of the advantages to handhelds, there are still some concerns that have to be address. One of my first concerns would be cheating. A teacher would have to be more attentive to how and when the handhelds were used during an assessment. There are ways to restrict beaming to curb some of this. Expectations and consequences would need to be addressed and clearly communicated to the students and parents.

My next concern would be professional development. So often in education, we jump on the latest bandwagon only to find we do not know how to drive it. It is critical to the success of technology in the classroom that teachers are provided the necessary training on how to use it.
It would need to be practical and timely.

Now, let's talk about advantages. There are so many, but I will list only a few that I think are outstanding. The first one is the attraction for the students. Technology is SO-O-O motivational! With the possibility for each student to have "their own" computer, and to take it home!?! I think that alone would raise assessment scores on whatever activity you are conducting.

I also think the ease for the teacher is attracitive. A teacher can manage a number of different things simultaneously. Attendance, class lessons, parent contacts, student information are just a few of the things that can be done on the handheld ---anywhere in the building.

With a digital camera built in, a teacher can enhance any number of lessons. Students love to see themselves. You can conduct a lesson one day and post thier pictures in the classroom the next! Depending on the level of students, you can also use the camera to help record data in a lesson, manage behavior, or create presentations.

The possibilities are endless!