I came across an article titled "Low-cost Handheld Targets Elementary Students" on eschoolnews.com. It highlighted how a Chicago-based non-profit organization developed eLearning software for elementary school age children. When they attempted to deploy their product, they encountered some unforseen problems. Many schools had out dated, broken, and a limited number of PCs. To overcome this problem, they decided to install the software on handheld computers for a cost of $50 per student. When compared to purchasing a desktop computer, the amount of money spent on the mobile device was minuscule. They killed two birds with one stone! The program will be rolled out to all of the Chicago area public schools with planned roll outs in N.Y., Detroit, New Orleans, and a few other large metropolitan area schools. The article didn't mention what role the teacher plays in the classroom when the device is being used. I would be interested to know if a teacher guide is provided and how much interaction the teacher has with the students while they are using the device. However, they did mention that the University of Illinois at Chicago will be conducting a study on the effectiveness of teaching with the device and its accompanying software.
The company that developed the device and software, Innovations for Learning has demo units available for teachers to try out. Unfortunately, according to the website, they no longer send out free units because of the high demand for their product, but you can get one for $50 plus $2.50 in SH charges if you're interested in reviewing it.
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2 comments:
It's too bad that it is only for elementary students. I would love to see it, but I can't justify spending $50 when I don't work with elementary students. I love the idea though. Thank you so much for this post.
I agree with Tobie, I would really like to check this out, if there was a free trial version. Thanks for sharing... It sounds great.
Elizabeth
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