Updated December 10, 2007

Handhelds are an affordable way for classrooms to achieve one-to-one computing! As you can see from learninginhand.com there are countless ways teachers can use available software for teaching and learning. However, there are so many applications teachers wish they had but don't.

I know there are many developers and programming enthusiasts out there ready to create educational Palm applications. I don't know much about programming, but I'm willing to help in any way I can.Students would be more than happy to test the applications and give feedback. These new applications could help handheld-toting students around the world learn things like parts of speech, long division, and grammar.

Some of the applications on my wish list might already be available but not as freeware. In order for classrooms to afford one-to-one computing, the software should be free or inexpensive.

If you're a programmer please consider helping classrooms by taking a stab at developing free software from the wish list below. Please send me an email if you decide to work on an application: learninginhand@mac.com.

I've made mock-up screens in a graphics program to give an idea of what some of the application might look like. If you're programming an application below, feel free to develop your own application name, features, and screens. The wish list is just a collection of suggestions. All the time and effort on any educational application is so very much appreciated!

Wishlist items can also posted in this forum:
http://tonyvincent.net/?q=forum/10

Fractions and Decimals Applications Janine Winkler, a fifth grade teacher in Traverse City, Michigan sent in this recommendation for any fraction or decimal software: We use Percent Table, which I found at Freewarepalm.com, to explore relationships between Percents and fractions.  I am looking for a more visual program which will draw both shaded shapes and groups of items to show half, one third, etc.  Students could select a numerator between zero and 10 and a denominator between 1 and 10; then the handheld would produce a visual representation to correspond with the fraction.  Another thought is that tenths and hundredths could be represented with graph-paper type shapes.  Four hundredths, .04, 4%, or 4/100 is prompted by the handheld.  The student responds by tapping four tiny squares out of the hundred on the screen to represent the given quantity.

Roundster Many students need practice with rounding all place values. This application would present students with a random number and place value to round to. It would be great if students could select which place values they will practice (millions, hundred-thousands, ten-thousands, thousands, hundreds, tens, ones, tenths, hundredths, thousandths, ten-thousandths). Roundster should let students go to the next problem until they answer the current problem correctly. Also, keeping a score (that can be reset) would be helpful for teachers and students. This application is currently being developed!

DivideIt With DivideIt, students practice long division. With randomly generated problems, students not only fill in the answer (with remainders), but also the step involved for the problem. A students taps each box to enter a number. In order to get the problem correct, all the boxes should be filled in with correct numbers. DivideIt shouldn't let students proceed to another problem until the current problem is answered correctly. There could be a reset score/get a new problem functions for students who get stuck. This same idea could be used for MultiplyIt to help students with large multiplication problems.

Geoboard Geoboards are a tool that are used to help teach area. It's a pegboard and students put rubber bands around the pegs. They can make a variety of shapes. This Palm application is a virtual geoboard. Students can make various shapes using a virtual rubber band. Geoboard calculates the area. An interesting option could be for students to calculate the area and then check to see if they calculated correctly. Geoboard could be modeled after the Java geoboards on this page.