The viable alternative: handhelds; why the personal computer of choice in K-12 ought to fit in a student's palm

School Administrator, April, 2003 by Cathleen A. Norris, Elliot M. Soloway

Ample empirical data from the past 25 years suggest that when certain conditions are met, computing technology has a positive impact on learning and teaching in the primary and secondary grades.

In fact, we see a range of impacts--increased time on task, higher test scores, lower cost and increased motivation. Based on the research literature, the six conditions that must be met are these: sufficient access to technology; adequate teacher preparation; effective curriculum; relevant assessment; supportive school/district administration; and supportive family/community.

There are no surprises here. These conditions are needed for any educational innovation to be successful.

That said, clearly K-12 schools in the United States have not enjoyed the expected positive impact of technology. The trade newspaper eSchcolNews, for example, reports on an international study that found American schools have more technology than any other country's schools, yet student achievement ranks in the middle of the pack.

Better Access

For the most part, our schools have not achieved the six conditions. On the issue of access, our online survey of educators found 42 percent of teachers reported their students use a computer less than 15 minutes a week, while 65 percent reported they have their students use the Internet less than 15 minutes a week.

We analyzed the demographic information we collected and found the reason for this low use has precious little to do with the teachers per se--but everything to do with access. It is not true, for instance, that older teachers use technology less. Nearly 60 percent of the teachers reported they have either one or no computers in their classroom. Furthermore, 65 percent reported they and their students have either no access to a computer lab, access less than once a week to a computer lab or access at most once a week.

In terms of teacher preparation, a one-day in-service program is simply not sufficient to prepare teachers to deal with the significant challenges of using technology in the classroom. Curriculum has been ill-served by technology. Innovation in educational software pales in comparison to the wildly successful and plentiful entertainment technologies.

Thus, it's not the case that the lack of impact of technology on teaching and learning is due to the technology. Rather, the conditions that support the use of the technology have simply not been in place. In most cases, students have not gained from using technology, not because technology is ineffective but because they haven't used the technology in any coherent, substantive way.

Access is the baseline enabling condition. Until the technology is pervasive in K-12 schools, textbook publishers are not going to invest the considerable sums it takes to develop top-quality software. Teachers won't be interested in spending precious in-service training time to learn about using technology as long as their access to it is so limited. Assessments that tap into the types of learning that technology fosters won't come into being until the technology is widely and routinely used. We must solve the access problem first.

Opportunity Knacks

Over the past three years, handheld computer technologies have emerged as a viable alternative to desktop and laptop computers in elementary and secondary education. The advantages may be measured in terms of cost and appropriateness.

An entry-level handheld computer, such as the Palm M105, can be purchased for about $100. America is simply not going to spend $1,000 to purchase a desktop/laptop for each of the 55 million school-age children. While former Maine Coy. Angus King championed providing a laptop computer for each 7th-grade child in his state, were he to start that program now rather than in 2000, he would most certainly have selected handhelds instead of laptops. Had they gone with handhelds, Maine could have equipped almost 10 times the number of students for the same dollars.

In terms of appropriateness, while desktop/laptops will have a place in school for the foreseeable future, as personal computing devices they are not particularly appropriate for K-12. They take up too much space, they need electricity on a regular basis, and they are overly complex, burdened with excess functionality. A low-power device that fits readily into the palm of a child's hand can go everywhere and be used everywhere. While handhelds are auxiliary devices for those in the business world, they are going to be the primary computing device for K-12 students.

If we had the will, we could solve the access problem for K-12 school children tomorrow by issuing every child a handheld computer. The country recently spent $4 billion to replace the voting machines in this country. Providing every child with a handheld computer would have cost only marginally more and would certainly have had more of an impact.

A 1:1 Ratio

The data from our survey make clear that use is directly correlated to access. Those teachers who had ready access to computers had their children use the computers. Use leads to gains in effectiveness and gains in achievement. Time on task is a cornerstone condition for effective learning.