It is not often that pdaED gets to hear from a student about their experience using a PDA for more than a day planner. Sam Kleinman has been fortunate enough to own two different devices and has a unique perspective to share about his experiences.
pdaED was given the opportunity to ask Sam about his experiences with his PDA, so read on to hear from a student about handheld technology in education.
pdaED: At first thought, a student using a PDA seems quite uncommon. How did you get into using a PDA, and which device do you use?
Sam Kleinman: It is a bit uncommon, but there are a handful of PDA users at my school, so I am not alone. I had known a little about handheld computing for a long time, but never really considered it to be of any use to me until about a year and a half ago. My father, who is a historian of science, saw someone with some Palm and a Go Type! in an archive. This ultimately led to the purchase of a Handspring Visor (the 2-megabyte version) with a Stowaway keyboard. After seeing this in action I realized how useful this would be at school and I got a similar setup for my self. After about 4 months I decided that I was better suited to the iPAQ PocketPC, so I traded in my Visor and got the iPAQ, and I'm still using that device today. The Visor that my dad got has since fallen into my hands and I still use it occasionally when I need something that only the PalmOS can provide.
pdaED:What made you choose a Handspring Visor, but then add an iPAQ PC to your use?
Sam Kleinman: I chose the Visor probably first of all because of its price. I wasn't 100% sure that it was going to work out at school, or that was even going to be helpful. It turned out to be one of the best purchases that I ever made, but I realized that if I wanted to upgrade to a newer model or get an MP3 player springboard, the price would quickly reach the price of the iPAQ. The PocketPCs were all very nice, but they were so expensive that I had never really considered getting one. When I realized that I was willing to spend that much money on the Visor and accessories to make something that was trying very hard to be a PocketPC, I decided that I would be happier if I just got the iPAQ, after all it did everything that I wanted it to and more, and the price was the same.
The iPAQ is small and ultra-portable; it lets me listen to music when I'm writing, it gives me formatting options that I never had with the PalmOS, and the screen is very easy on the eyes. I can even put a television show that I get in MPEG format on the iPAQ to watch when I have nothing better to do. It's the perfect handheld for me, and while I realize that while the color model I have is out of the price range of most students, the grayscale model is available in a great bundle for an even better price.
pdaED: How do you use your PDA to assist you as a student?
Sam Kleinman: I use it to take notes in class. Also, when doing research with the Stowaway in Pocket Word. I keep my class schedule in the calendar and homework assignments in the task application. Sometimes I keep track of grades in Pocket Excel. I always have a book or two that I'm reading, either on my device, or on the CF card. It's a lot faster and easier to pull out the PDA and keyboard than it is to find a working computer, log on and wait for it to work.
I have found that I compose better when I use a computer than when I write things in long hand. It's readable, more concise, I don't ramble as much, and with a spell checker (part of Calligrapher 6), others can understand what I'm writing. Because it helps me be organized and it lets me get my work done faster, I am much more efficient and I am able to spend more time doing things that are really important to me.
pdaED: What are some specific examples of class situations where your PDA helped you?
Sam Kleinman: When I'm in a classroom using the iPAQ I'm either taking notes on the lecture, and material that is put on the whiteboard, or I'm doing work. When I'm in the classroom I'm almost exclusively using Pocket Word, and there are little stops in the To-do list (Tasks) now and then. A large percentage of the books that I had to read for English class are kept on my iPAQ, which was great because it kept my already heavy book bag from being even heavier. I will use my iPAQ whenever I think that it will save me time and effort.
pdaED: Do you feel that using a PDA as a student is really more beneficial than not having one at all? If so, why?
Sam Kleinman: I think for some students having a PDA is far more beneficial than not having one. People who don't work well in long hand, or who can't get organized using a paper filing system will benefit from a PDA, but people who are doing quite fine with their Day Runner and binder system have no real reason to start using a PDA. That isn't to say that when more schools start to employ wireless networking and incorporating PDAs into the learning process that PDAs will not only be more beneficial than not having one, but it will be necessary.
pdaED: How have other students reacted to your using such an innovative technology on your own for school?
Sam Kleinman: At first, all of my peers were really impressed and wanted to see how it all worked. After a while people just got used to it and now they just accept it as being normal. No one has tried to steal it, and I'd say the response to it has been fairly good. On the other hand I'm the kind of person to do what ever works for me and ignore what people think. Some of my peers give me weird looks, but many people like it because it is easy to get notes from me if they miss a class.
pdaED: How have your teachers reacted?
Sam Kleinman: I attend what I, not so affectionately, call a geek school. There are 250 students and there are 20 or so teachers. It's a public school full of really bright students and most of us have some type of quirk. When the school was started in the 70s it was an alternative school with an even smaller and more elite student body, and the classes were taught by members of the community and at local colleges. I think as a result of this beginning, my school is really accepting of new and different things and no teacher has reacted badly to my PDA. I've had a few teachers give me strange looks when I said that I had entire lists of books on my iPAQ or Visor, but no one has said that I can't use it. I've had one teacher who just asked to look over my homework on the iPAQ so that I didn't have print anything up. All and all, I think at least in my school the PDA is well received, but then I'm in an abnormal school.
pdaED: From the perspective of a student, are there any areas you feel your device is lacking that could really be useful to students?
Sam Kleinman: As a student I don't really have many problems with the set up of the PocketPC. As a PDA user there are a few things that make me wonder what Microsoft and Compaq were thinking. For instance there are many things that could be activated from the Stowaway keyboard that aren't. Also I wonder why Clear Type isn't available system wide. All and all, I'm really pleased with my iPAQ and there aren't many things that it can't do that I really wish it could.
The Visor, on the other hand, is another issue. There are a number of things that I wish it were able to do that it can't, but I'm not going to get into those things because they've all been said before. While there is more specialized student software for the PalmOS, I find that they are more trouble than they are worth, and I tend to stick to the normal PIM apps. Having said that I must say that I really miss the good agenda view that comes with the DateBk+ of the Visor. Being able to write anywhere is what makes PDAs useful to students.
pdaED: What is the most helpful software you have?
Sam Kleinman: I find that for the most part the applications that come in the ROM of the iPAQ are enough to get me through most situations. There are 3 programs that I use regularly that aren't included in ROM: ListPro from Ilium software (www.iliumsoft.com/listpro.htm), Palm Reader from Palm Computing/Palm Digital Media (formerly Peanut Press), and Microsoft's Windows Media Player 7.1. ListPro is great for project planning and project management, and it comes with the iPAQ on an included CD-ROM. I like the latest version of Palm Reader a little better than Microsoft's Reader because you have the power to change the font, invert the screen, and turn off the sub-pixel font rendering if you choose. These features make reading easier and since the program runs a little bit faster, I try to do as much reading in it as possible. The newer media player is good because it sounds a bit nicer and it has the ability to play videos and I, from time, to time put a television show on a card to watch when I have a free moment.
pdaED: How do you see your use of handheld computing changing in the years to come?
Sam Kleinman: I think wireless is a big part of the future of these devices, but I think that wireless services like CDMA and GSM are going to have to become both a lot faster and a lot more affordable before it can be adopted across the entire market. I think for students, if schools can employ Bluetooth or 802.11b networks across campuses many students' lives would be easier. Unfortunately, I can't see that happening soon.
I think that handheld computing of one sort or another will become much more widespread. With quality devices such as the iPAQ H3150 (Grayscale model) being offered for such affordable prices and more 'budget' devices popping up all the time, in a number of years I suspect that a huge percentage of the population will have some sort of PDA.
pdaED: What might you say to other students who are thinking of using a PDA in school?
Sam Kleinman: The first thing that I would tell anyone considering using a PDA in school would be to consider how much they'd really use it. Look around and see what software is out there and then carry a steno pad around with you for a week and write down every time having a PDA would be helpful or make your life easier. If after this week you still think that a PDA would be worth the cost, then go for it. PDAs are wonderful things that can be quite helpful; but they can also be distracting, and for some people they simply may not be able to do what is asked. PDAs aren't toys and if you have one you still have to work, but for me they definetly make life easier, though that doesn't mean they would make life easier for everyone who gets one.
pdaED: Overall, how has your experience with your PDAs worked out?
Sam Kleinman: In the past year I have been without a PDA for a total of two weeks. For about a week in January I didn't have a PDA after the Visor was traded in, and before the iPAQ arrived. I didn't have my iPAQ for a week earlier this summer when the iPAQ was in the shop getting a new screen (dead pixel among other things). Those two weeks were the most nerve racking, unorganized, unproductive and anxiety ridden weeks in my memory. For me, having a PDA has allowed me to be more organized, more productive, and most importantly mobile. It's been wonderful and I can't imagine what would happen if I had to stop using my PDA. The experience of being this organized and productive has been nothing short of amazing.
If you would like to join others in chatting about this article or sharing a similar experience, join our discussion board at this thread:www.pdaed.com/vertical/forums/readwww.pdaed.com/vertical/forums/read.php3?num=3&id=24&loc=0&thread=24
Sam Kleinman is a writer and student in the midwestern United States. He is interested in a wide range of computing related subjects such as, information technology, mobile computing, and the psychology of Internet
communication. Sam also has an interest in history, science fiction, and
art. You can contact Sam by email at celchu19@yahoo.com.
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