MarkBook CNX for Palm and Pocket PC PDAs MarkBook section 1-4
MarkBook CNX for Palm and Pocket PC PDAs
There are a
number of brands of handheld computers on the market. Collectively, these are
known as Personal Digital Assistants or PDAs. Some PDAs use the Palm Operating System or PalmOS
and these are called Palm computers. Others use the Windows CE OS and
these are known as Pocket PC computers. Many independent
manufacturers,
including Palm Inc., Sony, Handspring Visor, and others make their own
brand of PDAs that run
with a PalmOS. Other independents including Toshiba, Compaq, HP and Dell make
Pocket PCs. Regardless of manufacturer, all PalmOS handheld models come equipped
with useful software applications pre-installed including a date book, an address book, a
memo pad, date & clock, a calculator, and others. There are optional
hardware components
such as an attachable camera, keyboards, cell phones, carrying cases, etc. In addition, there are
thousands of separate software applications that one may purchase for their Palm
OS computer. Some function exclusively on the handheld while others
interoperate with a desktop or notebook computer. MarkBook CNX is one of
the latter.
Handheld computers
are designed to communicate with a PC. That is, they will exchange data and
files with
appropriate software applications running on a PC.
The process of exchanging data is known as a HotSync® or an Active
Sync. While PDAs will
work without a PC, all come with an installation CD to put software tools
(including the synchronization software) onto the user's desktop or a notebook computer. To
HotSync a PDA computer with a PC, the two computers must be connected through a wire
connected at the PC's serial port, or through a serial/USB adaptor, or wirelessly through their infrared ports.
During the Sync process, the PDA and the PC will update each other's
address book, date book, etc. in sequence. The Sync process is also used to install new
software applications, such as MarkBook CNX, onto the purchaser's handheld. Handhelds
run on batteries (some models are re-chargeable) and all are small enough to fit
in your pocket. Consequently, their most
obvious advantage over other computers is mobility. Secondly, with 2 to 8 Mb of
RAM, handhelds can store and display significant amounts of data. Thirdly,
PDA
computer users avoid typing by receiving files and data via the Sync process. Easy data
entry is a fourth advantage. The monitor viewer on PDAs is a touch screen.
On-the-spot data entry is done by touching the screen with the stylus included
in your PDA purchase. Fifthly, each PDA has an instant-on screen. No waiting! When
you touch the power button it's on and ready to perform! The downside of
handhelds is computational speed. For number crunching and sorting they're nowhere as fast as desktop or notebook computers.
Nor do they communicate conveniently with printers unless special software is
added. MarkBook CNX software goes with the
strengths - it receives classes electronically (no typing), it enables a teacher
to instantly access and display selected information, and it enables rapid, on-the-spot data entry.
When you decide to put in multiple assessments or record attendance, the
handheld is ready instantly. To do the number crunching, analysis, displays,
communication, and printing, MarkBook CNX sends all collected data back to MarkBook running on a desktop or notebook computer. There are assessment advantages in using a handheld. A
teacher is more likely to assess cognitive skills and psychomotor skills when using a
handheld. Without the handheld computer, paper-based assessment tends to focus on cognitive knowledge
expectations. See Appendix A-1 and
Appendix A-4 for details
on these categories of objectives. Assessment methodology can be vastly superior with
a handheld. Suppose a teacher is assessing microscope skills in the lab and has each student
demonstrate their skill. The teacher has the opportunity to provide
instant feedback and ask for a second showing: "Your use of coarse and
fine oculars was out of order. Show me again with the proper sequence." In
this process, the student gets a further chance to learn and to prove their achievement.
In educational jargon, the teacher has done formative assessment, provided
remediation, and ended by recording a summative assessment on the handheld, all within
seconds. Typically, the student is delighted because they got a further
opportunity to learn and to provide proof of their learning for summative
purposes. Finally, the student knows what mark they earned and why. This same series of events
would be unlikely with a typical paper-based assessment system. And the teacher
has measured the actual skill as opposed to grading a written description of the skill. There are administrative advantages as well. For school
evacuations, whether it be drills or real emergencies, teachers are expected to
take attendance for their current class once evacuation is complete. If the
paper attendance sheet is already in the office, or otherwise inaccessible, each
class list is on the handheld in the teacher's pocket ready for attendance
recording once outside the building.
MarkBook CNX will run on any PalmOS handheld device with Hotsync® version 3.1 or higher.
CNX also runs on a any Pocket PC with Windows CE 3.0 or higher, Windows Mobile 2003 and 2003 2nd
edition. This includes
Pocket PC 2003. The CNX CD comes with a complete installation and operating
manual as an Adobe Acrobat file (.pdf file). Contact a
distributor listed in section 13-1. HotSync® and Palm®
are trademarks of Palm Inc. Windows® is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. MarkBook®
is a trademark of Asylum Software Inc.Asylum Software's Home Page | Send Us Email | LockerManager | Why Use Class Management Software? | Start of the MarkBook Manual | Order a printed MarkBook Manual | LogiNotes (MarkBook En Français) | Bar Coded Attendance | MarkBook's Home Page | Electronic Report Cards | Order MarkBook