Small scale computing devices in schools

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Small scale computing devices in schools

• David Perry
• davidlp_at_rmplc.co.uk

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My interest

• Evaluating sub-laptops in EAZ
• Becta WLAN guidance booklet
• PFI Connected Learning Project
• Becta Handhelds (PDAs) report author

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Products

• Sub-laptops / ultra-portables
• Web Pads
• with or without wireless networking
• PDAs (with phone?)

4
Products

• Apple emate 1997 Intel Florence 2003
• NEC MobilePro keyboard that's nearly the same
  size as those found on regular notebooks and an
  8.1-inch screen, 8hrs battery life, medical
  market 2003
• HP/Thai Govt Peoples notebook 285 (Linux)

5
BECTa/DfES PDA project

• 150 teachers in
• 30 schools with
• about 100 devices for pupils
• Palm OS (Palm M130s)
• MS-Pocket PC 2002 (Compaq iPAQs)
• Some graphic calculators

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Twin focuses

• Managing teachers workload
• Supporting teaching and learning
• Managing teaching
• Managing learning

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Three categories of user

• School managers SMTs/ technicians/ caretaker
• as per business users
• Teachers
• managing functions
• direct support to teaching
• Pupils
• learning
• managing their information/games/etc

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School managers

• Up to date - fully synchronised
• Access to network resources anywhere (WLAN)
• Instantly available
• Contact lists, diaries and meeting arrangements
• Email anywhere
• Attendance info chasing

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School managers

• I co-ordinate my diary between my Personal
  Assistant and myself - I have no paper diary
  anymore. I have all my tasks on the PDA, they
  are all under control. I can manage tasks better
  and can give tasks to staff
• Russell Moon, Headteacher
• Philip Morant School and College, Colchester

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Teachers - managing learning

• I use my PDA regularly.   It has become my
  first, best reference tool I would never
  willingly go without one now it is my instantly
  accessible Encyclopaedia, Thesaurus, Periodic
  Table, Diary, Register/Mark Book, World map and
  even Star Chart!"
• Mike Rutherford, Durham Johnston

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Pupils

• If I didnt have the PDA, Id probably forget my
  work
• There is more room to write what the homework is
  in the PDA than there is in the planner, so you
  write better notes
• People dont always bring their homework planner,
  but no one ever forgets their PDA
• Im not very good with my homework, but when I
  put it into the PDA and turn it on when I get
  home, it s telling me to do my homework
• A cool tool!

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Palm PDAs

• Carolyn Offer
• ICT Co-ordinator
• East Herrington Primary School
• Sunderland

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Palm 130m

• Compact/Portable
• Quick boot up
• Powerful/Internet
• Additions
• Colour screen
• Battery Charging
• Supporting websites
• Sturdy

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Software?

• Word documents
• Spreadsheets
• Powerpoint presentations connected to a
  projector
• Display photos in Photosuite
• QCA maths software available
• Downloaded books
• Notepad, calculator, addresses, alarm
  reminders

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Downloading printing

• We have 31 Palms in the class and downloading
  into Word is done by means of a cradle attached
  to the laptop and each Palm in my class has its
  own account.
• One pupil is in charge of supervising this
  operation and printing off the work.

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Beaming (Infra-red)

• Sharing information
• Simple programs downloaded from net and beamed to
  each child
• Cooties!
• Maths and literacy software
• Foundation subjects, even Spanish
• Easy for children to use

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Group use

• Hannah inputs the weeks spelling list and beams
  it to the rest of her spelling group
• Some children prefer to use small keyboards
• The PDAs are used for paired writing in poetry

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Taking notes

• Making notes and observations on the sights and
  sounds of spring
• These were collated later and used for poetry
  writing
• The Palms are useful for note taking on school
  visits as a worksheet can be prepared and beamed
  to each PDA before the visit.

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In class

• With only 16 computers in our previous ICT room
  the PDAs provided valuable extra ICT equipment
  - so the whole class of 30 were hard at work
  preparing poems.

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Motivation - special needs pupils

• No problems with story writing!
• Willing to complete work
• Short task in pairs to correct a piece of work
  with some incorrect spellings beamed from my PDA
• Downloaded books for group reading
• Literacy text work

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Staff use

• School diary
• Making notes when marking books
• Recording marks on class spreadsheets.
• Preparing worksheets
• Literacy frameworks
• Uploading to my PC at home
• Literacy frameworks
• Sharing skills and ideas

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My class at the moment..

• Science projects on Living Things
• Powerpoint presentations
• Downloaded to PDAs.
• Shown to parents at home
• Used with projector and presented in the
  classroom

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Learning together
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Psion netBooks

• Beverley Russell-Burke
• Hill Mead Primary
• Lambeth

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Introducing netBooks

• Get to grips with Psions - teacher perspective
• Awe and wonder to the classroom
• Pupils attachment to netBooks
• Using the netBooks in the classroom

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How are they used?

• Home school agreement
• netBooks going home
• Literacy lessons
• Numeracy Lessons

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How are they used?

• Foundation subjects
• Internet searches
• Creative Activity Afternoon (CAA)
• Parents

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And Finally...

• netBook benefits
• Promote Literacy and Numeracy
• Extend and enhance ICT skills
• Give children a wider experience of the internet
• Involve parents/carers in childrens learning.

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The York e-Learning Pilot
Chris Sharples, e-Learning Officer, City of York
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Simpad latest pros

• Wirelessly connected to Network - Internet,
  printing, interactive whiteboard
• Applications Internet, word, excel, textmaker,
  datalogging
• Handwriting recognition
• CF memory card
• Classroom management essentials On/off, 10
  second soft reset, connectivity icons

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Where are we now?
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Classroom of the Future?
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Classroom of the Future
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Getting there key issues

• Pupils - skills and responsibility
• Teacher capacity
• Finance - E-Learning Foundation
• Changing Technology
• Building shared understanding
  within and between
  schools

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Thank you to

• Teachers
• Pupils

Parents LEA Colleagues
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Conclusions

• David Perry

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Bold steps

• Exploring potential must not mean half-hearted
  commitment
• Most projects choose
• Limited users, comprehensive uses OR
• Comprehensive users, limited uses
• Ubiquitous computing is difficult to test

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Ubiquitous computing?

• Wherever, whatever, ownership
• Important for pupils as well as teachers
• ICT capability pupils take decisions
• ICT literacy understanding and using
  information how do we get them there?

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Small device advantages

• Small size, lifestyle integration
• Instant-on, no waiting for boot up
• Classroom integration changing the pedagogy of
  ICT
• Transformation potential

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Small device advantages

• Wireless networking LAN/Internet
• Quantity of data always available
• Up-to-dateness (currency) of the data
• Ease of synchronisation and sharing of data by
  infra-red beaming or WLAN
• Price universality potential

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Limitations

• Need projection for sharing
• Rugged enough for child use?
• Input techniques (free text/DTP)
• Management demands charging/file storage/backup

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The device of the future?

• Most small devices wont (yet) do everything
• Interim possibilities
• A bridge between
• classroom and ICT suite
• school and home
• teachers, pupils and families
• 40 each - is it feasible to equip every member
  of staff and pupil with a PDA - now?

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Mobile phones

• Ban them?
• Encourage them?
• Use them?
• Who pays for them?

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Small computers

• Ban them?
• Encourage them?
• Use them?
• Who pays for them?

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Nina at 2yrs 7m