Just ask the several dozen Boy Scouts from Oxford, who recently earned their computer merit badges on the compact devices powered by the Microsoft Windows CE operating system. Ole Miss. Thus began the National Classroom Project, designed to explore use of the handheld computers with wireless connectivity and develop accompanying educational software. Many of the nation's schools have new computer equipment connected to the Internet, thanks at least in part to the President's Educational Technology Initiative. But many more schools are struggling to keep up. With wireless modems providing the connectivity, the room doesn't need to be wired and desk space is free of bulky PCs and monitors.
Schools can save hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovation costs.
A portable lab has the potential to make the poorest school in the country equal to the richest. Additionally, the Windows CE platform shares a similar user interface with Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0. This means introductory computer classes can be taught on Handheld PCs at both the high school and college levels. Web browsing is an incremental improvement for education, but it's not revolutionary, said Cook. Teachers have enough trouble getting through the material they have already.