Secrets of the Palm Queen

Bretzlaff encouraged Litt to read everything she could find about using Palms in middle schools. Litt zipped through the literature on Soloway's Web site (www.handheld.hice-dev.org) and followed its links to other helpful articles and resources. Then together with Bretzlaff and a group of enthusiastic teachers, she started a handheld users' group. They soon sketched out a plan to flood every classroom with Palms, but began modestly. Bretzlaff obtained district technology funds to purchase 125 Palm m125s—enough for every sixth-grade student and teacher—plus 60 Landware keyboards (to plug the Palms into) and a half-dozen attachable digital cameras. The Palms came loaded with Scanton's Classroom Wizard software that allowed teachers to give the students tests and quizzes, as well as the drawing and word-processing programs Sketchy and FreeWrite. Since Litt and her colleagues ordered a large number of Palms, they received a hefty discount. Instead of paying the retail price of $179 per Palm, Litt and crew paid $125.

The Palms arrived in the spring of 2002, and Litt distributed them to the school's five sixth-grade teachers. Mike Curtis, HICE's manager of professional development, presented an introductory teacher-training session on handhelds. The teachers returned during the summer for several more days of workshops. When the students arrived on the first day of school in September, each sixth grader received a Palm, for classroom as well as home use. Students and their parents were required to sign a contract, agreeing to replace any Palms that were lost, stolen, or damaged. (For the record, only four of the more than 10 dozen devices needed to be replaced or repaired.) Litt became the de facto troubleshooter, fixing software or hardware problems for students and educators alike. "Because we don't have a computer teacher, and I'm on a flexible schedule, my teachers know that I will drop everything and support them," she says. "They call me the Palm Queen."

The Palm program's first year was a big success. Science and social studies teacher Sarah Saint-Hershey's class, for example, used the Palms' address books to create a science dictionary with 120 definitions. Students used the freeware program Big Clock as a stopwatch to time their lab experiments, and Sketchy to create drawings of natural processes, such as the water cycle. "Students who hated taking notes or had poor handwriting were much more eager to take detailed notes using the Palms instead of pencil and paper," says Saint-Hershey.

Gerry Finnigan's science class worked with Saint-Hershey's students and Litt on a water-quality project. The classes visited the nearby Rouge River and equipped their Palms with water-sampling probes to measure the water's temperature, pH value, oxygen content, and amount of sediment. Finnigan used a Palm to assess how well the kids were doing. "Students took quizzes and tests on their Palms using Classroom Wizard software. They received instant scores and feedback, while I received data to make classroom decisions on further lessons and activities," he says. Litt made digital videos (available through the school's home page at www.bloomfield.org/westhills), so the community could view the ambitious project.

This fall, a new batch of sixth graders will receive Palms, and incoming seventh graders will get back their old ones. If all goes as planned, every student and teacher in grades six through eight will have a Palm in hand by the beginning of the 2004–2005 school year. Finnigan, Saint-Hershey, and Principal Bretzlaff are unanimous in praising Litt as the catalyst that made the handheld program successful. What's the secret of her success? "The biggest thing is to have a well-thought-out plan," says the Palm Queen.