Oregon Schoolkids Given Palm Handhelds

PCMag via FoxNews.com ^ | October 28, 2005 | By Bary Alyssa Johnson

[hinckley buzzard]

Palm pilots are just about at the end of their rather brief product cycle, being replaced by cell phones and blackberries. The Palm OS is a good one apparently, but others know a lot more about that here than I. All I know is that I haven't seen a Palm in ages, and never got what good they were to begin with.

[Danae]

Ummmm, how are they going to learn to write legibly if they never have to write?

[festus]

Ummmm, how are they going to learn to write legibly if they never have to write?

We'll why should they have to learn to write legibly. The schools aren't producing anyone who can read what they write anyway.......

[FlingWingFlyer]

I guess that was what I was trying to say in my original post. Also, being a geezer, when I leave the office or home, I don't WANT to stay in touch with anyone. I finally got rid of my cellphone. (Great move for me.) It was becoming a pain in the ass. I don't consider my self so important that I need to be available and bothered by people 24/7. It's nice.

[Danae]

Oh yea, I forgot about that. That's how Liberals ensure their voting base, "Here, come get welfare since you can't read. Oh and here's a free apartment, and Oh, a job and here ya go, you don't need to pay taxes. Just remember me on November 2nd! I'll be right here on line 3, see this ballot, you just push here..."

[pageonetoo]

I agree. I have a friend that keeps telling me that I need to buy a palm pilot.

I've got a couple in a drawer... I run four businesses, but have never used them. I tried, but a legal pad, and a cedll phone are all I need.

[Young Werther]

The teacher "owns" the Tablet PC. Dan will use it in conjunction with his lesson plan.

The students will be focused on him, the lesson and the projected visuals. They'll still have paper textbooks, paper test papers and paper cuts!!!!

It seems a good Pythagorian foundation for the Socratic Method!

[blackie]

Our tax $$dollars$$ at work.

[cloud8]

> I've got a couple in a drawer...

I'll give you 40 bucks for em :)

[pageonetoo]

They're in the drawer, 'cause my wife gave them to me, as gifts. I NEVER get rid of wife's gifts! I learned that early!

[LibKill]

I agree. I have a friend that keeps telling me that I need to buy a palm pilot. He can't tell me why though. I love "gadgets" if they are useful.

The single best use of the Palm is the scheduler feature. It beeps at you when you set it to remind you of something.

I have a memory that is way too good for some things, but poor for remembering routine stuff that has to be done every week. This is where the Palm helps me, with convenient nagging.

The second best feature is the Contacts feature. You can have a phone book in your pocket. Not just numbers but emails and addresses.

Also, I use an encryption password keeper that keeps track of the 200+ passwords that I and my boss have.

Finally, it can do anything a bigger computer can do. Just not as fast. You can get programs for anything from engineering to cooking.

Very handy. Very useful.

[cloud8]

> NEVER get rid of wife's gifts! LOL Ain't it the truth! Check this out...The Ugly Ties Club.

Actually, the wife lugs around an address book the size of Webster's Third, and I've about convinced her that she needs a Palm. When all this stuff is integrated...cell, PDA, music, camera, Internet...I might even get one myself.

[tacticalogic]

The ONLY "powerful tools" required in a classroom -- is a competent TEACHER..and disciplined students.

As long as discipline doesn't start to suppress healthy curiousity.

[pageonetoo]

I have a Mac G4 PowerBook, and am getting used to the idea of using it "on the air". I use it at home with an Airport Extreme setup, and am thinking of going with Verizon's SLOWER, but WIDER, area WIFI service. I can just see me sitting in the woods, FReeping...

It is not a PDA, of course, and a Blackberry, or similar phone, are easier to lug. But, I can't read the little screen well enough, as my 17" one...

Besides, I can watch (OR MAKE) DVD's as well...

[Clinging Bitterly]

I'm also a Luddite in some ways...

You and me both. We're vacationing this weekend, it's our anniversary. We don't even own a cell phone (I have one for work that I only use when I'm on call. This morning I'm sitting in our room at the Shilo Inn at Bend, and all weekend the phone lines at this end of town have been out, so only way to get us would have been to send a messenger. But on the other hand, the motel's high speed internet connection has been out until this morning (and for some reason, I do like to have that available).

[Clinging Bitterly]

...and then the taxpayer will end up footing the bill for more of these things...

According to the article, that is exactly how it's going down in Eugene. The startup seems to have come from Palm, but subsequent years are presently being covered by "Uncle Sam".

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Yep. Unless it's your Mother (and even then Dear Old Mom is STILL suspect) always look for the strings attached when something is given to you "for free." ;)