hy is "technology in education" synonymous with personal desktop computers? Why spend $1,350 or more on a computer when a $135 computer would do as well or better? Does a fourth grader really need a 400 MHz, 64MB machine with a 10GB drive?

In many learning situations, a handheld computer provides all the computational power needed - a huge savings compared to personal computers. Handhelds typically feature megabytes of storage, easy communication with a host computer, and an intuitive pen-based graphical interface. They support spreadsheets, word processors, graphics and probeware (see "Monday's Lesson," page 8). This makes them at least as powerful as the second-generation Macintoshes which were widely used in education.

Palm™ computers now dominate the handheld market and cost as little as $135. The similar Royal daVinci™ sells for $100. Competitors are flooding the market and driving down prices. Handheld sales, which reached 3.9 million units in 1998, are expected to increase and may surpass PC sales by 2002, when their cost could drop below $50. These could be "equity computers" - the educational right of every student.

Handhelds offer more than an inexpensive substitute for a PC, they offer portability. Students can use them in and out of the classroom, in the field, and at home. This brings student investigations to where the questions are and gives context often missing in the classroom.

Through our Science Learning in Context (SLiC) project and the Mobile Inquiry Technology (MIT) project, for which we are a collaborator with Hudson Public Schools in Massachusetts, we have been exploring the educational value of portability for four years, first with the Newton, then the eMate, and more recently, the Palm computers. And through the Center for Innovative Learning Technologies (CILT), we have launched research projects in California and Massachusetts to study student use of hand-helds for water quality activities. This research has convinced us that handhelds have at least a role in elementary science education (see "Probing Untested Ground,").

Still, additional research and development is needed before handhelds can be widely used. Right now, there is only one integrated package that includes software, curricula, server support, and teacher materials - the probeware from ImagiWorks™. As a result, using handhelds in the classroom for anything but probes puts a huge burden on the teacher for both technical and educational support.

It is time both educators and vendors woke up to the possibilities. Educators should be demanding support for handhelds from vendors, and vendors should be supplying far more options that use handhelds. To stimulate these developments, we are sponsoring an educational software contest through CILT (see "CILT Contest").

The profession needs far more research on educational applications, not just for today's handhelds, but for the entire spectrum of low-cost devices just over the horizon. One of the most dynamic areas of consumer electronics is the move toward low-cost computer-based products with less power than PCs, but which are easier to use and have better connectivity. Phones, pagers, and handheld computers are going to merge. Once we decide on standards, these devices will be connected all the time to the Web. One could call up a field guide while outdoors or share data with other students anywhere. Standards will also solve the problem of providing software for each new handheld; they would all execute the same Java programs obtained from the Web.

We need to create prototype systems and begin to lay the foundation for widespread use of today's and tomorrow's "equity computers" in education. Bob Tinker is president of The Concord Consortium. If you want to join in a discussion of equity in education, join our Open Forum.
bob@concord.org

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