ISTE Home
About ISTE
Advocacy
Educator Resources
Membership
ISTE 2010
NETS
Career Center
News & Events
Professional Development
Publications
Bookstore
Catalog
JCTE—Journal of Computing in Teacher Education
JDLTE-Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education
JRTE—Journal of Research on Technology in Education
L&L—Learning & Leading with Technology
About L&L
Advertise
Contact L&L
Current Issue
Past Issues
Volume 37 (2009-2010)
Volume 36 (2008-2009)
Volume 35 (2007-2008)
Volume 34 (2006-2007)
Volume 33 (2005-2006)
Volume 32 (2004-2005)
Volume 31 (2003-2004)
Volume 30 (2002-2003)
Volume 29 (2001-2002)
Volume 28 (2000-2001)
Volume 27 (1999-2000)
June-August (Summer)
May (No. 8)
April (No. 7)
March (No. 6)
February (No. 5)
December-January (No. 4)
November (No. 3)
October (No. 2)
September (No. 1)
Volume 26 (1998-1999)
Volume 25 (1997-1998)
Volume 24 (1996-1997)
Volume 23 (1995-1996)
Volume 22 (1995-1994)
Volume 21 (1994-1993)
Volume 19 (1992-1991)
Permissions & Reprints
Search L&L
Submit Articles
Permissions & Reprints
SIG Publications
Submission Information
Research
Store

Printer Friendly
Members Only Members Only

Online Supplement

The Next Small Thing

Handheld Computing for Educational Leaders

By David Pownell and Gerald D. Bailey


The newest revolution in computing is coming from the decrease in the physical size of computing devices combined with increased processing power. Small computers that fit in shirt pockets are being used for many information-handling tasks. These small computers are also known as PDAs (personal digital assistants), palmtop computers, or handheld computers. 3COM’S Palm and PalmPilot, introduced in 1996, are the most popular of the tiny computers. The Visor, just released by Handspring, also uses the Palm operating system but uses a unique expansion module for adding options. Other handheld computers include those made by Psion and models based on the WindowsCE operating system.

---------------------------------

Palm Resources

Thousands of programs currently are available for the Palm, and many developers are working on new solutions. Listed here are representative programs that can be used to enhance the palmtop computer users’ experience in the six leadership functions. These examples include freeware, shareware, and commercial programs and hardware.

Note. The Web sites listed here were valid when this supplement was posted. However, The Web is volatile, and we have no control over these other sites. Please e-mail the L&L Webmaster (ll_webmaster@iste.org) if you find a broken link, and we’ll do our best to fix it.

Product

Function

Available

1. Organizing and Planning

   a. Built-in PIM Functions

      Calendar

appointments and scheduling

built-in

      Address
      Book

contact lists

built-in

      Task List

prioritized tasks

built-in

      Memos

miscellaneous information

built-in

      Find

finding information on the palmtop

built-in

   b. PIM Enhancers

      Ascend

personal information manager

Franklin Covey,
www.franklincovey.com

      Lotus
      Organizer

personal information manager

Lotus Development Corp.,
www.lotus.com

      Datebk3

datebook with more features than built-in

Pimlico Software,
http://www.PimlicoSoftware.com

      Actioneer

interprets input and distributes to built-in programs

Actioneer,
http://actioneer2.cam-colo.
bbnplanet.com

      Clock

multiple time-zone clock and alarms

Bitware Australia,
www.bitwareoz.com

      FindHack

enhances the find function

Florent Pillet,
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/fpillet

   c. Outliners

      Brainforest

planning projects and organizing ideas

Aportis,
www.aportis.com

      Thoughtmill

planning projects and organizing ideas

Hands High Software,
www.handshigh.com

2. Reference Information

   a. Databases

      JFile (6c)

database program

Land-J Technologies,
www.land-j.com

      MobileDB

database program

Mobile Generation,
www.mobilegeneration.com

   b. Hyperlink Document Readers

      OnTap

illustrated, interactive pocket reference

OnTap Technology,
www.ontaptech.com

      iSilo

document reader for .doc and HTML files

iSilo,
www.iSilo.com

   c. Document Readers

      SmartDoc
      (4b, 6c)

document reader and editor

Cutting Edge Software, Inc.,
www.cesinc.com

      TealDoc

document reader

TealPoint Software,
www.tealpoint.com

   d. E-Books

      Peanut
      Reader

electronic book reader

PeanutPress,
www.peanutpress.com

   e. Specialized Databases

      City Guides

travel information for various cities around the world

Aramis Communications,
www.aramis-inc.com

      Thesaurus

find synonyms and spellings for words

DDH Software,
www.ddhsoftware.com

3. Gathering and Analyzing

   a. Calculations and Spreadsheets

      MiniCalc

spreadsheet program

Solutions in Hand,
http://home.att.net/~a.bootman/
SolutionsInHand.html

      Quicksheet

spreadsheet program

Cutting Edge Software, Inc.,
www.cesinc.com

   b. Databases

      TimeTracker

project time-keeping tool

Inertron Software,
www.inertron.com

      PhoneLog

track phone calls, voice mail, conversations, and messages

Hands High Software,
www.handshigh.com

   c. Finance

      VehicleLog

track fuel purchases, trip mileage and expenses, and maintenance costs

Little Wing Software,
www.lwsd.com

      Pocket
      Quicken

expense tracking

Landware,
www.landware.com

      ExpensePlus

expense tracking

Wallet ware,
www.walletware.com

   d. Forms

      Pendragon Forms

develop data-collection applications with little or no programming

Pendragon Software Corp.,
www.pendragonsoftware.com

      SurveyMaker

gather interview information, count it, chart it, and see percentages

Thinking Bytes Technology,
www.thinkingbytes.com

   e. Inventory/Ordering

      On Hand

inventory collection software

Stevens Creek Software,
www.stevenscreek.com/

4. Learning and Self-Improvement

   a. Web Page Readers

      AvantGo

downloads channels of Web pages to palmtop

AvantGo, Inc.,
http://avantgo.com

   b. Large Document Editors

      Smart Doc
      (2c, 6c)

document reader and editor

Cutting Edge Software, Inc.,
www.cesinc.com

c. Self-Testing

      JTutor

quiz program for learning with multiple choice, true-or-false, and flashcard modules

Land-J Technologies,
www.land-j.com

   d. Journaling

      PalmJournal

keep track of daily thoughts and activities

On-Course Technologies,
www.oncoursetech.com

   e. Inspiration/Reflection

      PalmQuotes

a library of famous quotes and sayings

PalmQuotes,
www.palmquotes.com

   f. Health Tracking

      ExerLog

track activity and exercise

Softcare Clinical Informatics,
www.softclin.com

   g. Language Translators

      Translator

10-language translator

Palm Gear,
www.palmgear.com

5. Communicating

   a. Beaming Information

      Built-in PIM
      (6c)

beam information from built-in programs

built-in

      Electronic
      Business
      Cards

beam “business card” from address book

built-in

   b. E-Mail/Fax/Internet

      HandMail

e-mail program

SmartCode Software,
www.smartcodesoft.com

      HandFax

send faxes directly from palmtop

SmartCode Software,
www.smartcodesoft.com

      HandWeb

Web browser

SmartCode Software,
www.smartcodesoft.com

      Palmscape

Web browser

PalmGear,
www.palmgear.com

      MultiMail
      (6d)

e-mail program

Actual Software Inc.,
www.actualsoft.com

   c. Graphics

      HandMap

view and search premade maps

Evolutionary System,
www.evolutionary.net

      ImageViewer

convert and view images

Firepad,
www.firepad.com

      TealPaint

paint program

TealPoint Software,
www.tealpoint.com

6. Teaming and Collaborating

   a. Wireless Communication

      Minstrel
      (modem)

wireless modem

Novatel,
www.novatelwireless.com

   b. Project Scheduling

      Punchline

monitor and update project schedules, notes, and so on

Strata Systems,
www.punchlist.com

c. Beaming Information

      Built-in PIM
      (5a)

beam information from built-in programs

built-in

      SmartDoc
      (2c, 4b)

document reader and editor

Cutting Edge Software, Inc.,
www.cesinc.com

      JFile (2a)

database program, allows beaming of databases

Land-J Technologies,
www.land-j.com

      BeamBox

beam programs and documents

Jeremy Radlow,
www.inkverse.com

d. Fax/Paging/E-Mail/Internet

      MultiMail
      (5b)

e-mail software

Actual Software Inc.,
www.actualsoft.com

      Pager Card

add paging capabilities to palmtop

WebLink Wireless,
www.pagemart.com

      BeamLink

share, collaborate, and beam/synchronize documents between palmtops

JP Systems, Inc.,
www.jpsystems.com

Find detailed information about these and other Palm products at www.palmgear.com or www.palmblvd.com. Products that appear in more than one category have a parenthetical reference to the other categories in which they are listed.

 

David Pownell can be reached at 016D Bluemont Hall, 1100 Mid-Campus Dr., College of Education, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-5318; 785.532.5886; fax 785.532.7304; dwp4231@ksu.edu; http://educatorspalm.org

Gerald D. Bailey can be reached at 303 Bluemont Hall, 1100 Mid-Campus Dr., College of Education, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-5318; 785.532.5847; fax 785.532.7304; jbailey@ksu.edu; www.educ.ksu.edu/go/bailey

Copyright © 2000, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.

Customer Service: iste@iste.org   1.800.336.5191   1.541.302.3777 (Int'l)   1.541.302.3778 (fax)
Visit the ISTE Career Center for educational technology jobs, resources, and listings. Copyright 1997-