At the urging of a coach, Joey developed a version for emergency medical technicians. EMTs can take notes on the computer during a patient pickup, then download the information to a computer at the hospital. That eliminates retyping, a big source of mistakes. For classrooms, the company makes software it calls Student Assignment Maker for use on Apple's eMate, a portable-size computer that has been popular in schools. A teacher can create assignments or tests on a desktop and download them to the students' eMates.
Students can log on to do the work, then download it for the teacher to grade.
The teacher also can use the software to analyze an individual student's work, an entire class' performance or the assignment itself. Joey also signed a partnership deal with JetForm Corp. of Ottawa, an international company that creates electronic forms. Their expertise in the market would be hard to find anywhere else. As the small devices gain power and functions, Collins says, more businesses will start using them. Workers who are on the move can enter data on a hand-held device, then download it into an office desktop or network, a move toward a paperless office.