Handheld Technology for Administrators

by Susan Brooks-Young

 

School administrators at any level have one thing in common. Their days are continually interrupted and they often find themselves pulled in several directions at once. Any tool that can be used on the go to help the administrator keep organized and focused is worth its weight in gold. The personal digital assistant (PDA) or handheld computer has great potential to be that tool.

 

While numerous national pilot programs focus on teacher and student use of PDAs, fewer look specifically at their use for administrators. Yet it makes sense to explore this area when you consider that PDAs were originally designed as personal organizers for business executives. With the various applications programs these devices can run it is possible to write a memo, maintain a calendar, access student schedules and other information, and document classroom observations using a PDA. Keyboards that fold to pocket size make typing simple, and data is easily shared using either the PDA's infrared capability to beam information from one infrared-enabled device to another or by placing the PDA in a cradle connected to a computer and pushing a button that synchronizes the information in your handheld with your computer system.

 

This doesn't mean that you'll be tossing your desktop or laptop system anytime soon. A PDA is not a replacement for these computers and works best when used in conjunction with a traditional computer system. But it offers a level of technology mobility and a form of communication that has not previously been readily available.

 

Potential for Administrators

Consider the following scenarios:

In addition to the formal written evaluations you provide teachers during the school year, staff members have asked for informal feedback when you make your weekly walk-through visits to classrooms. You've tried placing quick, handwritten notes in their mailboxes, but this becomes more time consuming than you'd originally thought. A fellow principal mentions that her personal digital assistant enables her to use checklists and notes for brief classroom visits. At the end of her rounds, her secretary synchronizes the data with a desktop system and has a printout in each teacher's mailbox within 15 minutes.

Your district calendar is a living document that frequently requires updating or revision. In the past this meant noting changes, passing the revisions along to the office staff, and notifying the site staffs through bulletins or memos. Confusion and double bookings were common. Today, you note these changes using your PDA's calendar feature; then when you or you secretary synchronizes the PDA with an office desktop on the district's network, the information is available to those with access. This also comes in handy when staff members want to check the calendar or your secretary needs to schedule an appointment for you without disturbing you. Printing daily, weekly, or monthly calendars for staff, parents, or students is a snap. You can mark those items that don't need to be made public-a date for a family outing for instance-and everything else is printed.

It once was certain that attending a meeting on almost any level meant you would return to your office with yet another binder or stack of handouts to deal with. Today when you go to a meeting, the chairperson uses the infrared capabilities of a PDA to beam the agenda and handouts to every attendee. Back in your office, your secretary works with you briefly to organize electronic files you have downloaded to your desktop or laptop.

Each of these scenarios is not only possible but can be accomplished today with a personal digital assistant.

 

Will It Fit My Budget?

PDAs are attractive devices for administrators because they are inexpensive (prices begin at $129), fit in your pocket, and can run for several weeks on two AA batteries. Synchronizing data with a desktop or laptop computer is simple, and most PDAs can communicate with other reasonably priced infrared-enabled devices including computers, printers, and wireless networks.

 

The learning curve for using a PDA is extremely short: within 30 minutes most people have the basics down. Most PDAs come with programmed capabilities including a calendar, address book, memo pad, expense recording, to-do list, calculator, and e-mail manager. With the possible exception of the e-mail feature, these applications are based on familiar concepts, so it takes little time to become proficient in their use.

 

Where Do I Start?

Keep it simple. First, decide what type of PDA you want to use. Several vendors offer educational pricing or discounts, particularly when you purchase multiple units, so you may want to coordinate purchases with other administrators in your area. Consider size, weight, durability, battery life, memory, and synchronization compatibility with your desktop or laptop. Well-known vendors include Palm Computing (www.palmone.com/us/education), HandSpring (www.palmone.com/us/products/smartphones/), Compaq (www.compaq.com), Casio (www.casio.com), and Hewlett-Packard (www.hp.com).

 

Because the basics are easy to grasp, most PDA users are self-taught. The PDA you select will come with an onscreen tutorial that covers the minimum skills needed to use the device in about 20 minutes. You will also receive a manual. The book Palm Computing for Dummies (IDG Books), available at many bookstores or online, is a helpful reference guide as well. The vendor from which you purchase may also provide training. For example, the Palm Education Training Coordinator (PETC) program enables school districts to send two educators to a three-day workshop that prepares them to return home to train other educators. For additional information visit the Palm Computing site at www.palmone.com/education/training/.

 

What about Additional Software Programs?

You may find that as your level of comfort with PDA use grows, so does your curiosity about other uses. While software development for education is still in its infancy, exciting possibilities are on the horizon. Again, the focus has been primarily, but not exclusively, on teacher and student use. In addition to commercially produced programs for your PDA, freeware and shareware programs are available.

 

One commercial product to consider is Sunburst Technology's Learner Profile and Learner Profile To Go. Originally designed for teachers as an observation tool, these programs can set up checklists and notes for formal and informal teacher observations. While the main database is stored on a desktop or laptop, you use the checklists or make notes on the PDA, then synchronize your data to generate a report. Visit www.sunburst.com for information.

 

Another commercial product is GroveWare Technologies' calendar, scheduling, and resource management software, especially useful in middle and high schools. Using Calendar2.000 SE and ResourceManager2.000 SE software, a school district can maintain a single master calendar and separate school and department calendars and users can navigate from one calendar to another. A new feature enables users to download event information to a PDA. More information is available at www.groveware.com.

 

Free education PDA software is being made available through a project headed by Elliot Soloway at the University of Michigan. Funded by the National Science Foundation and called Highly Interactive Computing in Education (Hi-CE), some of the offerings are useful for administrators as well as teachers and students. Visit Hi-CE's Palm Pages at www.handheld.hice-dev.org/.

 

A major factor in successful educational technology integration programs is the support of the administrator. One of the best methods of showing support is by regularly modeling personal technology use. The personal digital assistant may be the tool that can help you do your job more effectively and serve as a reminder to staff, students, and the community that you are indeed a technology user.

 

Copyright 2002 by Peter Li, Inc. Used by permission.