PDAs+in+the+Classroom

PDAs or Personal Digital Assitants can be extremely useful in the classroom. They have access to the internet, Word and Excel documents, and are used for organization purposes. They can benefit the teacher because they are less expensive than personal computers. They also can bring documents from home into school and can avoid internet and software bans that some school computers have. PDAs can benefit students because some students have issues with organization and task management. Students with disabilities can use the PDAs for the aforementioned reasons. A PDA can be difficult to use for some due to difficulty with sight or use of the stylus. The screen for the PDA is quite small and a stylus is used to navigate through the PDA. Overall, the PDA can be useful for both teachers and students but have their downside as well. They are difficult if someone has a disability leaving them with difficulty seeing or lack of hand eye coordination. PDAs have both upsides and downsides.

The above information was found at http://www.washington.edu/accessit/articles?1062

Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are small handheld computers, also known as palmtops, handheld PCs, or handhelds. PDAs are becoming increasingly popular, not solely for business and personal use but also for use in education. At all educational levels, PDAs are being used in the classroom for increasing students' organization, fostering collaboration, and maximizing portability of technology. In many ways, PDAs provide benefits to individuals with disabilities. For example, people with learning disabilities or cognitive disabilities can benefit from PDAs' organizational and task management functions. Also, some people with mobility impairments can benefit from PDAs' small size, light weight, and portability.

Incorporating PDAs in the classroom can be very beneficial. I think that when a teacher or professor hooks up their computer to one it is very effective. Teaching and instructing seems to be easier and more self-explained. Especially in a computer-friendly environment. Students can mirror what the instructor is doing when learning something new. For example, in setting up this wiki account I followed my professor's instruction through means of the PDA. I clicked where she clicked, and so forth. The PDA helps out visual students and gives them a better opportunity to learn. In today's society, internet is a way of life. Using the internet in the classroom with a PDA seems almost like a necessity.