From the Los Angeles Times — Putting Knowledge in Their Grasp
Students at a Newport Beach intermediate school will soon stop passing notes in class. Instead, they’ll beam them.
All 625 seventh-graders at Ensign Intermediate School received hand-held computers last week.
With the personal digital assistants, once the toys of tech-savvy executives, the students will be able to download books, write reports and quietly exchange written questions and answers with their teachers.
And those who care as much about appearances as they do academics will be able to check their hair, thanks to software that makes the device’s screen reflective….
In Sandy Asper’s English class, students already have begun writing essays on their PDAs, using miniature keyboards that plug into them. Their assignment is displayed on the board: write a five-paragraph essay about a favorite book. As students begin writing, the classroom quickly becomes a symphony of clicking and tapping.
Once finished, students beam their completed work to Asper’s PDA. The technology is similar to that of a television remote control, in which digital information is carried through an infrared light beam.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am,” said the 32-year veteran teacher. “It will be infinitely better.”
Asper said a question can now be answered simultaneously by all students, instead of the old-fashioned way of raising hands. She will be able to determine how many students knew the answer.
For instance, when her students read books downloaded onto their PDAs, Asper will be able to beam a reading question that will appear on their screens. Students will beam back their answers.