Erika Handheld Computers

Class #11- The last class with Tony

2005-04-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

It is amazing to me that this class is coming to an end. I have had such a good time working with everyone in class and with Tony. I think that all of us have learned so much from Tony and I know that I can't wait to pass on the information that I learned in this class to others.

One of the best things that I think that I have learned from Tony is that if you have enthusiasm about a subject, then more than likely you will be a great teacher of that subject. I think we all want to have that excitement within our classrooms.

I am really happy to have got to sit through everyone's presentations to see how each of us has thought about how to incorporate the handhelds within the class. I was really excited that I found TealPaint to share with everyone. I thought that it was a great program and a great way that you could use the handheld with upper class students. But the program was not just for high school students. I heard many of you talking about how you could use this program for your students in elementary schools also. I think that is a sign of a great program. If it can cover many different grade levels.

I know that I am going to try and use my handheld within the coaching world this upcoming fall season. I am looking forward to seeing how well it helps keep me and the rest of the coaching staff organized and on the same page. I think that there are some great things that it could produce.

I think that is all for now. I am looking forward to one last class. It should be interesting to talk to students about how they use the handhelds in their classrooms.

Tony... I hope your trip went well. Thanks for all that you did this past semester.

Class # 10 - Class is coming to an end

2005-04-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

This past week I was shocked to hear that our final lessons are due this coming Thursday. I knew when they were due but the time sure did fly by. It seems like just a few weeks ago I was trying to figure out who would want to buy a handheld. Boy, have my opinions changed.

I am trying to get all of my information narrowed down so that I can piece together my lesson ideas and projects. There is so much information out there and so much information that I have learned that it becomes hard to narrow my ideas down. From some of the other blogs that I have read it sounds like I am not the only one that is feeling like this. That makes me relieved just a bit.

This past week in class we got to learn a lot about interactive activities that you can do with your entire class. I found that some of these programs could be great and some of them I would have to work on a bit to make sure that I had the whole idea and concepts down. All of the programs that we learned could be used in many types of classrooms.

I really enjoyed getting to be able to make an ebook this week. I think that it is a valuable learning tool for students, and teachers have control of what thier students are reading. It was so easy and fast. I am glad that we were able to share Tony's wonderful management ideas with the entire class. Having that in your handheld will always give you a quick reference when things are not going they way that you thought they might.

Well... I am off to work on my lessons. I can't wait to see what you all have come up with.

Class #9 - My thoughts on handhelds....

2005-04-12T12:19:00.000-07:00

I have found myself thinking more and more about how I can use my handheld in my everyday life. Because I am not in education right now my mind tends to wonder in the direction of what my job is…COACHING! I just can’t see the reason why these little devices have not popped up more within the circuit of the coaching world. I know of a few programs that are using this technology but I have rarely seen handhelds used on the soccer field. I know that there has to be some people that are using the handhelds because they have created programs that would suit these types of needs.

I would love to create a huge curriculum base that would help college coach’s organize and be more successful in the recruiting process. I think that coaches could successfully keep databases, notes, and statistics with the use of a handheld computer. All they would have to do is input the data and keep records updated. This would be so much easier than the process of how we do it now. It would also save on out budget that is already minimal. This is defiantly something that I am looking forward to implementing soon. I would love to be able to go around and teach other coaches about these recruiting organizers that they could be using on the sidelines.

As far as our class goes….I am still learning, which is amazing! I don’t understand how some people can just open up the box and think that they can learn everything about handhelds. It is a whole new world and I am slowly getting sucked into it. There is so much to explore and learn and discover. Each time that I step into Tony’s class he blows my mind by what there is to learn from these tiny machines.

Class #8 - Posting is finally up

2005-04-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

Class #8
This past week in class we learn about graphic organizers and how they could be used within the classroom. We took a look at three different ones and were able to see what each one did and how some were better than others. I was a fan of Inspiration, but I think that this might have been because I have used that program on the regular computer before. I also think that it gave the students more options to use and was easier to navigate through. Actually, I think that if I were going to do any sort of outlining process I would still have the students do it on paper because I think that it is easier for them too see the entire work right in front of them.We also learned about how to make E-Books. I found this to be a great way for students to get the information that the teacher wants without having to buy texts or carrying around a ton of books with them each day to school. I was fascinated at how simple and easy it was to create a navigation system through the information that was within each of the books. What a great device to use in classes. This could become very cost effective if all teachers would create their texts on a handheld. No more heavy books and no more useless information to carry around.I really have started to enjoy learning about the programs that you can download. I am still having trouble getting my personal computer to download programs but I think that I am going to have to take off the Palm software and reinstall all of the software again. I think that this sounds like something Tony can help me out with.My final project is still coming along. It will be interesting to see what others come up with.

Downloaded Application

2005-03-31T12:02:00.000-08:00

My downloaded program is called GSPro2. It is actually a program that I can use during every soccer game that I coach. I was amazed by this program because we (Creighton Women’s Soccer) bought an entire editing system that did what this one program could do for us. Actually, it could do it better.

The program allows me to program in our entire team and the opposing teams players. It lets me choose formations and statistics that I want to keep track of. This is great because we usually do this by hand while sitting on the sidelines of the games. Another great feature about this program is that it keeps a running clock so all the stats match up to the corresponding time of the game. The program shows what the field will look like and you are able to include substitutions into the game.

I am assuming that after the game you are able to hotsync your handheld to the computer and print out all the statistics that were kept during the game. I am not able to see if this is true due to the fact that program that I have downloaded is one that you have to pay for. I think the program is pretty cheap and I am looking forward to purchasing it.

Class #7 - Lots of programs

2005-03-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

Class this week helped fill me with hope that I could create a great lesson plan to give as my final project. I could not believe how many different programs there were to choose from. I think that I was in handheld denial about what my handheld could do. I was just coming to the conclusion that all I could do was to type and play games. Boy, was I wrong.

I can’t wait to show off my program that I found to the class. I don’t know if anyone will be as excited about it as I was but I think that it is a great tool for soccer coaches. I figured that since I am not in the classroom that I should see what kinds of programs there were to use for me as a coach. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there were a ton of different programs that I could use as a recruiter, a coach, and a keeper of stats.

This past weekend I had to go recruit in Dallas and got stuck in the rain and in a hotel all weekend. Needless to say I have become very good at the color matching game that was given to us at the end of class on Thursday. I am so addicted to that game. Hopefully, this week Tony will give me a new game to get addicted to because the colors are getting to my head!

I am very excited to get to see everyone’s programs that they found. I think that it is amazing to see how such a little device can run so many different types of programs.

Until next time…

Class #6 - Half Way Done!

2005-03-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

Once again we had another great class. It is hard to believe that we are half way through our time this semester. I guess that means we really need to start focusing on getting our final projects together. I have some ideas but I think that I am really going to have to dig through certain programs on the internet to help focus my ideas. I think that I am defiantly going to include sketchy into my curriculum because…if you couldn’t tell by my practice sketchy… I really enjoyed using it and can see many ways that my art students could use it.

I enjoyed getting the chance to share our sketchy project on Thursday. It is interesting all the different ideas that people came up with on how to use Sketchy. I think that most of us took away an idea from another classmate that we could use in within our own classroom.

Learning about the Willowdale “Willowcast” has really captured my attention. I really want to sit down and learn how to combine all the parts into one pod cast. I think that these could be so interesting and could become a great learning tool for all students and facility. I think that biggest thing that I have learned from Tony is that you have to really sit down and organize what you want to put together. Without being organized these projects could be a mess and kids could go crazy with the equipment that you put in front of them.

I can’t wait to learn more. Until next time…

Class #5 - Lots to Learn!

2005-03-10T08:02:00.000-08:00

This past class was by far my most favorite yet. (Except for the fact that it was my night to bring dinner -- What a stress!) The set up of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was great idea that I think that I will use that in my classes. I may not use it just for handheld topics but for other subjects too. I think that the students would love the interaction of the game with the use of subject learned. I think that this could work with all students at any age.

My most favorite thing of the class was when I got my sketchy program into my handheld. I just took off with it and have had a blast discovering my way around the program. I have actually had quit a busy week but sat down last night and created a sketchy animation that I feel is pretty good. Who knows…I am sure there are people’s animations that are just amazing! I can’t wait until the next class to see what others have discovered and created. I think my art background has lead me to think of many ways to use this program within my classroom. I think that it could be very valuable in ways to save lots of paper. I just think of all the sketches that I have done in my life and how this could have helped me and allowed me to store my many ideas. I defiantly think that this program will play a big part in my final curriculum project.

Each class I am amazed at how much more I can learn about such a small machine. It is amazing!

Until next time….

Class #4 – Is my handheld electronic?

2005-02-28T07:11:00.000-08:00

Roving Reporter: Erika Flanders

It had been three weeks since our last class. Some of us had used our handhelds over the break while others dusted it off just in time for class on Thursday. Tony assured us that we would be learning a lot today as he showed us what he had planned for us throughout the duration of the class period.

We started our learning by beginning with the PowerPoint presentation that taught us about how to use the tasks program on out handhelds. Probably the most important thing that we learned was how to go to the grocery (or at least how Tony does it!) This program seemed easy enough and I was able to think of some creative ways that we could use lists to beam to students to use in the classroom.

We then jumped right into our “Advanced Housekeeping” where we learned about the memory, installing, applications, preferences and trouble shooting. The following are the websites that we can find other applications:

www.palmone.com
www.palmone.com/us/education
www.palmgear.com
www.handango.com
www.learninginhand.com

I think that one of the most important things that I learned in today’s class was how to troubleshoot if I happen to have problems with my handheld. I would have had no idea how to fix my mine if it wouldn’t have been for this. So the following is a reminder for us all…

* Digitize
* Soft reset – paper clip in small hole on back of handheld
* Safe reset – hold reset button in and then use paper clip in hole
* Hard reset – hold power button and use paper clip (YOU LOSE ALL DATA!)

After that lesson we went and had dinner together. The soup was great tonight and so were all the cookies! I am dreading my turn to cook next week because all the meals have been so good. Now there are high expectations because of all of you that have already cooked did such a good job!

As we began to return from dinner Tony got us downloading programs into our handhelds as we watched our nightly movie which showed us more on the usage of handhelds in the classroom.

After the movie we began to learn about E-books and began to have an E-book exchange. We learned all the tricks of how to take notes and save pages while reading the books. One of the great features that I had not figured out myself was the automatic scrolling that can be used to read books. That is a wonderful feature for those of us who don’t have a lot of time to sit and read! Others in the class for this useful for when they were traveling or flying. That is when the “Is my handheld electronic?” speech popped up!

Once we got Bridget sorted out on her most intelligent question we began to play with two new programs that Tony showed and gave us. First, was the prize wheel. I found this to be a great way to get students involved in class participation. Anything where students can win prizes can’t be half bad! The one downfall…the noise that 12 prize wheels creates in a class. REMEMBER: Don’t give this program to students. This is for teachers only!
The last program that we were able to get through was the name picker. We began with a list in Memo Pad and then brought up that list in Name Picker. This is where you enter your class names and it will randomly pick a name. This is a good tool to have so that students are constantly paying attention because they don’t know who is going to be picked.

We were supposed to get through HanDBase but we ran out of time. I am assuming that this will be one of the first things that we cover during next week’s class. Don’t forget about your assignment that is due next week. Read the assigned E-Book and blog about ten new things that you learned!)

And for those of you that were wondering… A HANDHELD IS ELECTRONIC!

Class #3 -- Finally my entry is up!

2005-02-24T05:40:00.000-08:00

One thing that I have learned this over this past break is that you need to check your blog account to see if it is up and running. I wrote what was supposed to be this entry, two weeks ago and it never got posted! So, I am now putting together my entry last minute and hoping I get it in on time! Lesson to be learned: ALWAYS CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR ENTRY IS POSTED!

Enough of me lecturing on what not to do for your blog account. Let's talk about my handheld! I am still using my handheld a lot. I have really got into using the calendar and have tryed to fit my whole life into it. I think that it is a great organizational tool. I have also found that if you are stuck places your handheld can become a form of entertainment. I got to experience this first hand while being stuck in the Denver airport for thirteen hours this past weekend.

As for the last class that we had, which was quite a while ago, I took away some good learning tools. I think that I have gone through the basics myself so I am really looking forward to pushing through the basics and digging deeper into the handheld information. I think that there are many things that I will be able to use my handheld for but I need to continue to learn about what I have on mine!

Here is my question to pose to Tony and others that may have more knowledge about handhelds than I do. Do I need to buy a memory card for my handheld? Does it really help? What is a good type to get and how large does it have to be? Is it worth it to buy?

Until the next blog...

Class # 2 - Palm Basic and Blogs

2005-01-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

This past week we began to learn more about blogging and how to set up our blogline account. I found this to be a pretty easy task but one that will make checking blogs much quicker and more time efficient. I have already found myself checking other blogs more often. I think that I am finally starting to understand my way around the “blog world” but I also feel that there is so much more that I don’t know yet. What blogs are good ones to read and which ones are ones that will be useful to me in the classroom? How do you find these specific types of blogs?

During class this week we also began learning the basics of our handheld computers. I think that I had a good idea of how to use the basics just by teaching myself, but Tony was helpful in teaching certain things that I would have never figured out myself (i.e. dragging you stylist from bottom to top to see the Graffiti letters). I am so excited to keep learning about these kinds of tools that my handheld has.

Throughout this past week and weekend I find myself playing my new Giraffe game on my handheld. I think that I have become addicted to it a little bit. I did reach my 1400 score and still want to keep playing. I think that I am really getting the hang of the graffiti lettering system which is making the use of my handheld a lot less time consuming (as far as writing goes!)

Until next time….

Artical Review Assignment

2005-01-23T13:14:00.000-08:00

Technology Article
Handhelds in the Classroom

This article can be found at: http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech083.shtml

Article by Mary Daniels BrownEducation World® Copyright © 2001 Education World

This article was found on the Educators World website and gave a good overview of some of the things that we are seeing in the classroom dealing with handheld computers. Mary Daniels Brown discussed some of the new developments and studies that are taking place in classrooms all over America. Some of the school discussed where ones that companies donated handheld to so that they could do there own research on education and handhelds.

Most of the schools that were incorporated into the studies said that they liked what the handheld had to offer their students but were afraid that they didn’t offer enough educational resources that could be used in the classroom. All of the classes that used these handhelds took full advantage of the calendar, tasks, and organizational aspects of the handheld. I personally think that is a large step in the right direct to creating more organization and interest in assignments, homework and projects.

While learning about handhelds myself, one thing that I have noticed while learning about them is that most of the students that are using these as educational resources are in elementary school or middle school. This article included, they spent most of their time discussing this same age group. Is there is use for these computers in a high school setting? I can see where some of the programs that are included in them could really help high school student’s achievement and organization. Why aren’t handheld companies reaching out to them like they are to the younger schools?

One of my favorite parts about this article is the list of resources that it has included with it. There is information on where to buy educational handheld software in all different subject areas along with articles and reviews from other sources. These articles discuss the pros and cons of the handheld along with many success stories that teachers have had while using these devices. If you are trying to bring handhelds to your class I would recommend you check out this website that is full of many useful learning tools and resources for teachers and educators.

Class #1 – Introduction To Handhelds in the Classroom

2005-01-17T10:38:00.000-08:00

I entered my first week of classes at University of Nebraska at Omaha and was very excited because it will be my last semester that I will have until I receive my masters degree. I am really looking forward to this semester because almost all of my classes are technology based. I feel that learning about ways to intergraded technology into the classroom will make me a strong art teacher in that I will be able to help teach future art students were technology can be used within the future of art.

One of the classes that I was really looking forward to was Handhelds in the Classroom. I had heard from many of my former professors about what a great class it was to take. I was excited to get my feet wet in the area of handhelds and was couldn’t wait to learn how I could incorporate them into the classroom. I have never previously used a handheld but couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and see what kinds of things that it could produce.

Step one in learning about handhelds was going to class. For me this could have been one of the toughest things to get accomplished on the first day of class. I only got lost a mere three or four times before I finally managed to arrive at Willowdale Elementary School where class would be held each week. I followed the signs posted up for class and found that we would be meeting in the library.

We spent the being of class getting acquainted to our new teacher, Mr. Tony Vincent. Tony has been working at Willowdale Elementary and has headed the handheld craze that has swept through this elementary school. He seemed like a great guy who knew tons of information about handheld computers. You have to love learning from someone that love his work like Tony does.

After meeting Tony and getting to know him we then spent time learning about each other. We had to interview one another and then introduce your interviewee to the rest of the class. It was a good icebreaker to learn about the people that we would be working with during each of our classes. I was especially interested to learn that there were so many art teachers that were in the same boat that I was. We all wanted to know how we could incorporate this sort of technology into our classrooms.

The next step to out introduction to our class was to learn of the coarse objectives and requirements. I feel that it is going to be a lot of work but feel like I am going to enjoy the work that is given to us. I don’t think that I will ever dread this class. I think that the requirements and objectives are going to help teach us to use technology within our classrooms.

One of my favorite parts of class was dinner. I was excited to find out that I wouldn’t have to starve for four hours each Thursday night and thought that it was a great way to really start to learn about my other classmates. This week we were treated to Tony’s “Famous Chili”, which was great because it was such a cold night.

After dinner we started to finally learn about what Tony teaches and about handheld computers. We watched video, learned research, and learned about why we need to use handhelds. Much of the information was great to learn about. Tony then took us through the information that we needed to know when buying our own handheld computer. I was a little nervous because I felt like many of my classmates already had handhelds and were a bit more knowledgeable about the subject that I was. But, I took my notes and would be on a mission to find my handheld later during the week.

Our final bit of learning would be learning about this. BLOGGING! I had never even heard of it before or seen it. I was curious to learn about what blog was and to try it on my own. As you can see, I figured it out quickly and will be looking forward to many more entries in the future.

Since class on Thursday, I did go out and but a new handheld. I bought a PalmOne Tungsten E and have begun to experiment with it. I think that I am going to have a lot of fun learning about it and it’s capabilities. Until next class……