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Both teachers put the PDAs to use in what they call language block.
Shankle says they “enjoyed watching the students create and publish fairy tales.” The teachers say that it all became easier and more fun than using laptops or taking the class off to a computer lab.
The good news is the effectiveness of the PDA. The bad news is that there are 20-some children in the class, and only nine of t he PDAs.
There would be none, had it not been for a grant of $2,000 from the Headwaters Foundation. That funding started the PDA program, and school officials have decided to budget for more of the devices in the coming school year.
Does all this work? Does the device perform the essential task of helping kids learn?
You can see the answer in the face of teacher Shelley Shankle, as it lights up when she talks about how the girls and boys engage the electronics. The effectiveness is plain, too, in the faces of the youngsters, as they exchange information electronically, use a calculator, draw a picture, create an outline, visualize and solve an equation.
Since there are only nine of the Palm Pilots, they must remain in the classroom overnight. When the time comes
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