September 2006 — Wireless/Mobile Computing
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Takin’ It to the Creeks
One suggestion from Curtis: Schools buying handhelds for field use should consider spending a bit more and getting devices with Bluetooth wireless connectivity. Often, schools have discovered incompatible connections between newer handhelds and older probes. Wireless connectivity in both devices makes that a non-issue.
[With the handhelds], we’re able to get much more meaningful data, and better able to share access to the data. Kids like to feel like they’re doing real science, and this is real science.Pam Miller, Seaside High School teacher
Staying In Focus
However enticing it sounds to add low-cost handhelds and assorted probes, experts stress the importance of setting curricular goals before investing in any products. As with any technology device, having a clear use in mind before implementation is critical. “Don’t get into it because it’s exciting technology or something looks neat,” says Fasimpaur. Instead, she adds, schools should ask themselves “what their curricular goals are, irrespective of technology. What are the areas that students are struggling with?” With that knowledge, districts can use handheld technology to address existing issues. That kind of focus can help with funding as well, Fasimpaur points out. “Schools are under so much pressure right now in terms of achievement. [Any proposal] has to directly relate to achievement issues.” Another way to make handhelds more cost-effective—and educationally useful—is to consider their broader uses, to plan multiple ways of applying them beyond science classes. “I caution schools: What is your focus?” Doubek says. “If measuring levels of pH in a pond is the only time you’re going to pull out those handhelds, that’s a big investment.”
In the end, it’s a matter of value. Handhelds in the field offer plenty of computing power in a device that costs a fraction of the price of a laptop computer. According to Doubek, though, some districts still have reservations, shying away from handhelds because “they don’t produce a product”—the sorts of color printouts and flashy presentations that a bigger computer can churn out. But school districts shouldn’t be fooled by that. “It’s process vs. product: What’s your focus?” she asks. “Handhelds are great for process learning.”
Linda L. Briggs is a freelance writer based in San Diego, CA.
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