Summary
PDAs are personal productivity tools as well as useful instructional tools (McFadden, 2001). As the range of PDA software offers more features, instructional uses will continue to expand. Currently, PDAs provide many options for communicating, facilitating, and enhancing learning. In our teaching experience, we have found that PDAs increase motivational levels of students and enhance the learning atmosphere in many courses by giving students a greater sense of connection to the class and the course content.
We encourage instructors to experiment with PDAs and to explore the many instructional possibilities they offer. An examination of various PDAs and PDA software will assist instructors in determining how these devices can best assist them in achieving their instructional goals. As instructors integrate technologies with course content, students will become more sophisticated users of technology able to apply tools to their continuing education and work experiences.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
McFadden, A. (2001, January).This Tech’s for You: Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) Part III. International Education Daily. [Online] Available: http://members.iteachnet.com/webzine/article.php?story=2001011514490321
McFadden, A. (2000, December).This Tech’s for You: PDAs-What, What for, and Why? Part II. International Education Daily. [Online] Available: http://members.iteachnet.com/webzine/article.php?story=20001216181108911
Pownell, D. & Bailey. (2000). The next small thing: Handheld computing for educational leaders.Learning and Leading with Technology, 27(8), 46–49.
Ray, B., McFadden, A., Patterson, S., & Wright, V. (in review). Personal Digital Assistants in the Middle School Classroom: Lessons in Hand.
Soloway, E. (2000).Supporting science inquiry in K-12 using Palm computers: A Palm Manifesto. Center for Highly-Interactive Computing in Education. [Online] Available: http://hi-ce.org/palm/solowayletter.htmlAcknowledge
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Beverly Ray was Director of Technology Development for the Laboratory for Interactive Technology in Education (LITE) in the College of Education at the University of Alabama. Presently she is on the faculty of the Instructional Technology Program at Idaho State University. Her areas of interest include technology integration and Internet society and culture. She uses her PDA to maintain grades and course materials in an undergraduate computer course that she teaches in the College of Education. She is also involved in PDA integration projects in local K-12 schools.
Anna McFadden is Associate Professor of Instructional Technology at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL. She uses her PDA to organize class materials and to maintain contact with her colleague and graduate students in UA’s Instructional Technology Program. Her research interests focus on emerging technologies such as PDAs and Internet networking applications.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ray, B., McFadden, A. PDAs in higher education: Tips for instructors and students. J. Comput. High. Educ. 13, 110–118 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02940947
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02940947