Anywhere Anytime Administration
As schools move toward the newest technologies, school administrators need to be reassured that vital information will reach them instantly, whether they are in the office, in a meeting, or traveling across their district or campus. The need for anywhere, anytime access has led many administrators to depend on mobile, handheld devices for eMail and other applications.
Advances in handheld software now give administrators immediate access to student records, emergency contacts and procedures, attendance figures, and information on school policy. Now more than ever, just because a school leader is not at his or her desk does not mean that essential information is not easily received.
With the generous support of Discovery Software, we've assembled this collection of stories from the eSchool News archives to help school leaders sort through these issues. Our aim is to help you make the best possible decision as you consider giving your own administrators the power to go mobile.
--The Editors
News Stories
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Students demo uses for Google cell-phone OS
What do you want your cell phone to be able to do? Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor Hal Abelson put that question to about 20 computer-science students this semester when he gave them one assignment: Design a software program for cell phones that use Google Inc.'s upcoming Android mobile operating system. [ Read More ] -
Schools respond to iPhone's popularity
Responding to the iPhone's popularity among students, many universities are rolling out initiatives that aim to take advantage of its potential as a converged, mobile learning device. [ Read More ] -
SIS software evolves to meet complex needs
With a heightened focus on accountability spurring the use of data to track student progress, a robust student information system (SIS) has become a critical component of today's school systems. And companies are striving to meet this need by developing ever more dynamic software. [ Read More ] -
University’s cellular project captures award
The University of Notre Dame has received an award from a higher-education technology group for an innovative approach to upgrading its communications infrastructure. [ Read More ] -
New technology boosts schools' office efficiency
New technology boosts schools' office efficiency System allows workers to use cell phones to submit forms on the go. [ Read More ] -
New way to make school purchases: RFID
In what is believed to be the first experiment of its kind at a U.S. school, students and staff members at Pennsylvania’s Slippery Rock University soon will be able to use their cell phones to make payments at locations on campus, as well as with participating merchants in the surrounding community, by attaching a small radio-frequency identification (RFID) token to their phones. [ Read More ] -
Villanova heads most-wired college list
Villanova University is higher education's high-tech hotspot, claiming the No. 1 ranking in a new list of "Top 20 Wired Colleges." [ Read More ] -
Coaches grab handheld computers to track stats
When high school baseball coach Jeff Barker wants to know how to defend a certain hitter, he just checks his scorebook. [ Read More ] -
Research team develops free ed software for handhelds
A Michigan University professor and a team of researchers are developing a suite of educational tools for handheld computers that will be available for downloading at no charge. The tools are expected to be ready by September. [ Read More ]
Additional resources
Student Disengagement is the Root of Numerous School Issues
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/anywhere-anytime-administration/StudentConnectedness.pdf
CASE STUDY: PRINCIPALM helps California schools respond to disasters
http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/anywhere-anytime-administration/PrincipalmCaseStudy_CAFires.pdf
Mobile Access to Data and Information
http://www.pewinternet.org/report_display.asp?r=244
Sixty-two percent of all Americans are part of a wireless, mobile population that participates in digital activities away from home or work, according to a Pew Internet report on mobile access to data and administration. Not only are young people attuned to this kind of access, African Americans and English-speaking Latinos are more likely than white Americans to use non-voice data applications on their cell phones.\
A Guide to Handheld Computing in K-12 Schools
http://www.cosn.org/resources/emerging_technologies/handheld.cfm
A Guide to Handheld Computing in K-12 Schools is the second report by CoSN's Emerging Technologies Committee. Based upon research and interviews with educators, administrators, and industry experts, the 60-page report evaluates handheld computers and their applications in education and administration, assesses their strengths and weaknesses, offers advice about implementing handhelds in K-12 schools, and reports on lessons learned by early adopters.
Handhelds in Education Case Studies
http://www.k12handhelds.com/casestudy.php
These case studies highlight some of the ways in which educators are taking advantage of handheld computers in education.