From M/Cyclopedia of New Media
PDA: CASE STUDY
'PDA's for Learners
Purpose
- This case study was carried out in Dewsbury College in West Yorkshire and looks at the accessibility and efficiency of Personal Digital Assistants in the learning processes at Outreach centres. The purpose of introducing PDA's into this environment was to possibly replace the use of much larger and heavier laptops and to gain a more individualised and independent learning experience.
Application
- For this case study, PDA’s were constantly used in general learning environments. To fulfill the needs of Dewsbury College, students must be able to effectively use a word processing program, spreadsheeting program, image programs, powerpoint or otherwise and also a specialised educational program call ‘hot potatoes’.
- For the most part, such programs ran effectively on PDA’s and were able to be properly utilised by students. The use of images and powerpoint shows were limiting due to the size of the device and therefore the size of the content. Hot potatoes did not run as it would on a Laptop, yet the basic applications of the program were effective. Word and Excel proved to be more than adequate, and fulfilled the needs of staff and students.
Advantages/Disadvantages
- In the circumstances of this case study, there have proven to be a number of advantages when working with PDA’s. Their versatility, easy mobility and compact size were effective for this kind of working environment. They also enabled learners to create an individualised and independent learning experience giving the freedom to work at their own pace and revisit content as necessary.
- However with these advantages there are also downfalls. The use of PDA’s is not suitable for everybody. Their screen size is small and therefore limiting to older people or those with poor eyesight. Also a certain degree of coordination Is required to operate PDA’s and for those with any kind of disabilities or problems in that area, it is not suitable equipment.
Conclusions
- From this Case study it was concluded that PDA’s can be effectively applied into learning processes yet should be used in conjunction with other technological devices. Their size is their main drawback, as they are not able to be used by those with poor eyesight or physical disabilities. They cannot properly project all program applications. However on a whole, they were effective in their purpose in creating an individualised and independent learning experience for students.
References
- TechDis (2005) 'M-Learning: Case Studies' http://www.techdis.ac.uk/index.php?p=9_5 Accessed 24 October 2005.
Jasmine McCormack 11:09, 28 Oct 2005 (EST)
