Brian Thomas Carroll
human @ electronetwork.org
Architecture & Electromagnetism
Research, Design, & Development

the Electromagnetic Education Initiative
http://www.electronetwork.org/works/eei/

An essay proposing the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) as the basis for an affordable educational computer, and a foundation for creating digital classrooms. (Wed, 6 Nov 2002). Small format tablet computers with detachable keyboards would also apply.

• 1. A Few Basic Assumptions
• 2. PDA Student Computing (PSC)
• 3. PDA Student Computer Hardware
• 4. PDA Student Computer Software
• 5. The PSC Digital Classroom

-- A Case for PDA Student Computing --

I had the pleasure of going to a multimedia school where the curriculum explored the multidisciplinary aspects of multimedia computing, such as the history of computers and its relations to developments in other disciplines- and stories of technology pioneers who sketched ideas of what the computer _might become. In another class a project explored technology trends and one assignment was to imagine what a computer may be like in the near future. That is the genesis of this current essay, which explores a cost-effective computing infrastructure that could help bridge the 'digital divide' through both economies-of-scale hardware purchases and custom software development, for primary and secondary student computing devices, and their integration into current classroom setups.

Before detailing what is needed, it would help to dispel aspects of present day computing cultures which are not needed in classroom computing, for the most general utilities of computing in its widest sense, as a learning device, as a support tool, and not an education in itself. A full-scale Personal Computer (PC), costing hundreds to thousands of dollars is not required for grade school, junior high, and possibly even high-school student who may use it mostly for data entry, calculations, database lookups, scheduling, prebuilt software packages, and other basic (and some advanced) tasks. A school or student may have need for more computing power for Internet access, say, or as a dedicated art computer (audiovisual or painting) and therefore a computer lab may service these needs, or a particular classroom.

Hundreds of dollars worth of standard business software is also not needed for the general student to perform basic computing tasks, and explore computing at the same time. Microsoft's Word software, by itself, would cost more than the software and hardware of one student PDA computer. As would software from most major software industry manufacturers. Therefore, for some specific applications, open-source software developed within local, national, and international school systems may be codeveloped and shared, instead. Paid for by sweat- equity and-or government research and development grants. This alone would bring the price-per-computer, and issues of constantly upgrading software to a low price-point, likely comparable with current textbooks and materials, possibly below current costs, over a period of years.

Another aspect of traditional business computing that does not work in the educational sector towards its advantage is the form-factor, or the size, shape, and characteristics of a full-sized PC. They are big, bulky, noisy, create a lot of heat, need to be cooled, and this in itself takes a lot of resources, not least of which includes a monthly electric bill and needs for hiring computer experts to troubleshoot the simplest to most complex of problems. It is an avalanche scenario, where upon purchasing a regular PC system, especially for younger people, requires spending a lot of time keeping systems up and running, along with constant tech support, which as any computer user may know, can stop all activity should enough small things go wrong at once, making the focus of the classroom, the computer, and not education.

With that out of the way, it is now appropriate to delve a bit further into the concept of a PDA Student Computer.

For those unfamiliar with the acronym, a PDA is also known as a personal digital assistant. They have been around for years, basically re-branding the electronic organizers with scheduling and organizer functions into miniature computing devices that are now capable of running custom programs, such as astronomy, drawing, language translation, and other programs.

The proprietary operating systems of these PDAs include the Palm OS, Windows CE, and occasionally open-source Linux with some models. The PDA hardware is made by a diverse group of manufacturers, and a lower-end price- point is near $100 US, with color screens in the $200- $300 US range. Battery life is still an issue, but new models oftentimes come with rechargeable batteries, and most also include slots for removable digital storage cards, and wireless networking capabilities, for PDA-to-local-area-network and PDA-PDA connections.

Most PDAs use a touch-screen with a writing stylus, which at times is the most efficient method of navigation or data-entry, and other times a keyboard is needed. In response to this need, a foldable keyboard industry has sprouted up in response, and is a vital accessory which can turn a PDA into a basic student computing system:

IMAGE 1: PDA student computing (20 kilobytes)


All the issues inherent in traditional computer, from price to size to portability, to troubleshooting and tech support tend to a whole different approach to student computing that- it is proposed- PDA Student Computers are superior on most every level at which students are prepared to use them in a cost-effective way, in comparison with full-fledged computers whose resources may never get used before they are outdated.

As mentioned, with hardware available today, off-the- shelf technologies could be used, or specifications for an educational computer, designed to meet the specific needs & requirements of educational computing could be designed and mass manufactured on such a scale as to bring the price-point down from those of commercial models, through uniformity and bulk purchasing, and possible leasing of these handhelds until a major hardware revision is available to make an upgrade cost-effective. Else, in such a system a phased-in upgrade could happen in school districts, or specific test classrooms, in order to experiment with the PDA Student Computer as a model for digital classrooms, and to explore their full potential which today is being downgraded because the consumer market is tending towards mobile phones with PDA functionality.

Yet, PDAs are unique as a small form-factor system which could be put into a young person's backpack, safely transported from school to home, and last for several years, as a basic supplementary computing system. The Hardware would not be designed for the Internet, WWW, text messaging, or audio and video. Instead, it would be like a notebook and textbook and calculator and class-schedule and gradebook, drawing pad, word processor, dictionary, translator, science experiment kit, programming tool, and general educational device, which young adults may begin to learn the basics of computing with, and expand upon this knowledge with larger and more powerful systems on their own time or in a different lab with Internet access, while the PDA computer could be stored away and setup quickly during any class, for support work in the service of learning, where it performs its tasks as an infrastructure for various daily lessons.

And, as easily, this diminutive device can be ignored even as it sits on a desk, or be left to idle without having to worry about tech support or other issues that would require an expert to fix on the spot. The hardware could also be brought home, thus helping all students have access to the devices, and possibly to learning software, homework, and programs which they can learn at their own pace, and in interests which are particular to their learning interests, at a young age, without requiring that all students do the same.

To do this would require a standardization of the PDA Student Computer, and a competitive market for various companies to develop better and better devices so that as more schools sign-on to affordable digital classrooms, they also benefit by technological advances, and by lower prices and higher performance in contracts.

PDA Student Computers need an operating system (OS) that can use both proprietary and open-source software programs. This is for two important reasons. One being that these computers need to connect to larger PCs, from time to time, and thus need an interface to do so which is cross-platform and stable. A proprietary OS might be preferred by certain commercial or pre-existing software companies who want to cross-market PDA educational software in existing markets. Whereas an open-source OS would enable custom programming by schools and universities to be used, at no- or low-cost, by thousands to millions of students in schools across the world, without the worry of paying for software and constant upgrades. The goal of the PDA Computer software is stability, and the OS would not be constantly upgraded so as to require upgrading all software, if at all possible. Only a major and planned upgrades would be allowed for PDA Student Computing hardware and software, to ensure longevity of systems, and their stability, and benefits of large scale deployments.

It is possible that the US Military or other government R&D labs have developed some technologies for field use that may be beneficial to the software (and hardware) of PDA Student Computers, and these would also be explored, as a way to pool resources to do as much as possible with the least amount of wasted resources.

An example of proprietary software that may be used in various grade schools might be a language program which helps translate meanings of certain words or sentences. The best vendor for such programs may be a commercial software maker who ports their program to the PDA as one of many platforms. In each grade, or class, one or two such programs may be critical, and could become 'leased' or 'purchased' software, under some mutually beneficial agreement which is cost-effective while getting the most out of a specific product. Its contents may be a history textbook, or mathematics training and learning programs. And a private company may produce a superior product to justify the investment, as part of a school's curriculum, which may be stored on a permanent digital card, or may be transferred to the PDA for a specific class, replacing textbooks, paper, and handouts for some (but not all) classes, and also allowing learners to bring their work, and questions, home with them, and work on them there.

Collectively developed custom software would also be a critical application for PDA Student Computing, and it would be able to leverage millions of students and others in middle and upper educational systems to create software for younger students, as part of their education. So too, young students using the PDA Student Computer could begin to learn the basics of computer programming, along with other areas of discovery and development, through their own first steps in programming their own ideas in software.

For example, if a Linux or other OS was used, open-source programmers could possibly develop programs that are both school- and student-specific, for class or individual projects, or science-fairs, say. Also, 'experiments' could be designed and conducted virtually in PDA software, such as with learning basic electronics, with an electronics laboratory complete with breadboard for creating circuits. Or, devices could be attached to the USB port on the PDA Student Computers to use for measurements or other goals in a lesson plan, in support of learning initiatives. Also, many of the best resources such as dictionaries and other devices exist in the open-source community which would be superior in price and comparable in functionality to a commercial product, and therefore, this open-design is essential in the social-economics of PDA Student Computers.

The biggest challenge in bringing a PDA Student Computer (PSC) into the present-day classroom environment, in terms of technologically, would be finding a way to safely wire a room for rechargeable power plugs available at each desk. The form-factor of the PSC in creating a Digital Classroom would enable current furniture to be used, no additional hard wiring in existing building walls, and an ability to store the devices safely in protective cases when not in use. This means that, with today's technology, and a low- cost computing budget, most every school would be able to leverage whatever moneys are allocated for student computing to greatest effect, at least expenditure, and with greatest flexibility and utility versus a corporate PC or commercial computing vision, sold as an educational solution when almost all of its computing power will be wasted on all but the most intensive users.

The Digital Classroom consists of a few basic features, and this model is applicable for most every classroom in most every grade in primary and secondary schools, assuming that those older with use the PSC devices to greater effect, and intensity, where full-scale labs may become necessary for Internet-related work and audiovisual and other study.

Image 2: The Digital Classroom (94 kilobytes)
Click to open full-size Image 2 in a new window


The Digital Classroom consists of a few major components. One is each student having access to their own PDA Student Computer (PSC). Each PSC would have wireless capabilities, and each desk would be equipped for recharging the devices. The wireless network would be commanded from a wall-mounted wireless base station, which could send PSC signals to a wireless printer, or to the teacher's full-scale PC system, which could then be put up on a classroom digital projector, all in real-time, through local area network. Homework and other resources, like learning materials or programs, could be transferred onto digital storage disks and given to each student to open, use, and take home to work on the materials.

In addition, the storage cards could be changed or updated by the teacher through a card reader. Students could also beam their work to the wireless printer for print outs and other assignments, and with programmed software automation such tasks could be done in an instant, through the touch of a button, instead of having to manually collect, collate, and store such information. More permanent works could be archived via CD or placed on USB keychain drives for PSC information to be transferred to home or lab computers.

This functionality comes on top of basic PDA software which is either included in an OS or could be achieved with little or no cost through existing solutions, and that is the basic scheduling, to-do lists, word processing, calculator, alarms, and other built-in programs which in many ways could help a student acclimate to intensive information environments that are inherent with computer passwords, URLs, names, dates, notes, and other data which may be electronically organized.

In all, to summarize the PSC Digital Classroom as described, it is an available, malleable, robust, affordable, open- ended, upgradeable, efficient and perfectly sufficient computer system for use in primary and secondary schools. It has most all the functionality that makes computers worthwhile in investing in, for student education, if the goal is to supplement the learning process, and open new horizons related to personal educational computing. Its costs are a fraction of what commercial and corporate computer systems cost, such as laptops, whose power a student is unlikely to need or use to justify the cost. So too, issues of software, hardware, and needed changes or PC systems are not an issue with PDA Student Computing systems, and the PSC Digital Classroom. With this approach, the computer is not the focus, the student is, and students have what they need to learn and explore, and if they need more they can use their own resources to go further in depth, but everyone would have access, versus only a few students in a few schools, with basically equipment re-branded and sold as educational computing rather than designed for it.

Please consider this idea as one possibility in the future of basic educational computing, and one present-day way to bridge the gap existing between those with computer resources and those in need of gaining fundamental computer literacy. If the priorities are clear enough, and the needs are able to be standardized for group-bargaining, manufacturers and others may be able to work together for such a device that uses the best of public and private resources to benefit all.