Fwd: [PalmAddicts] 100-Year-Old School on Technology Fast Track; Illinois Institution Plans Schoolwide Use of palmOne Handhelds

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Avery Coonley School may be nearly 100 years old, but when it
comes to endowing its teachers and students with handheld technology for
the classroom, this private, independent school in Downers Grove, Ill., is
one of the most forward-looking schools in the state.

After the rousing success of a fourth-grade pilot program last year, each
student and teacher in grades four through eight now have their own
Zire(TM) 72 handheld, as well as a wireless keyboard, from palmOne, Inc.
(Nasdaq: PLMO). It's the realization of the school's vision to provide a
learning device for every student, and one that has earned full support and
cooperation from students, teachers and parents.

"The pilot program gave us a chance to discover the possibilities that
handhelds bring to teaching, learning and other aspects of school life,"
said Joe Janojak, technology director at Avery Coonley. "Once we
articulated our vision, parents embraced the idea and were instrumental in
helping us raise the funds. They see the benefits."

According to Jennifer Garetto and Laura Bojkovski, the fourth-grade
teachers who ran the pilot program, the benefits are obvious -- students
are more enthusiastic and motivated. They also require very little
instruction. Within a few days they are scheduling appointments, writing
memos, writing lists to keep themselves on task, filling in the calendar
with homework assignments and due dates, and even setting the alarm to
remind themselves of a deadline. But the benefits go beyond organization.

"The students write more often and more efficiently because they have
keyboards and are no longer dependant upon going to the computer lab once a
week," said Garetto. "They write essays, stories and vocabulary words, as
well as print them using a wireless Bluetooth(R) printer. They also take
their handhelds on field trips, use them to create animations and draw, and
use them throughout the curriculum -- keeping everything they need together
in one place."

Students fresh from the pilot program are ready and eager to show others
the ropes. "They are mentors to other students and teachers. It's a very
fun way for them to engage with each other," Garetto said.

The students also have enormous respect for the technology, thanks in part
to a creative program that rewards student responsibility. Before they can
take their handhelds home, students must earn a "palmOne Operating License"
by mastering a set of skills and demonstrating them to their teachers. To
get a license, students must be able to enter characters using the
handheld's built-in Graffiti(R) 2 software, beam, manage a To Do list,
schedule tasks, operate the handheld's camera, change preferences, and sign
a contract confirming their understanding of how to take care of their
handheld and keep it safe. Most kids get their license in three weeks, and
so far, not one handheld has been lost.

What impresses Headmaster Tom Kracht and the other administrators and
teachers is how quickly the kids adapt to using the technology and how
versatile they are.

"They work more independently, have more conversations, and share
information by beaming notes to each other," he said. "Overall, they are
more efficient and organized. Having a handheld to use is fun and
exhilarating. It gives them a certain measure of independence. To these
kids, handheld computers are indispensable tools."
- Jason McLoughlin, Associate Writer, (UK)