Willard
R-II School District
| General Applications |
| Science Applications |
| Math Applications |
| Communication Arts Applications |
| Social Studies Applications |
| Fine Arts Applications |
| Strategy Games |
| Software Sites |
- Avantgo
is software to deliver Internet information to handheld devices. Option
for free subscriptions and purchased subscriptions are available.
- Avantgo makes the synching take longer so you might want to use the Custom option on the HotSync menu to set Avantgo to do do nothing when downloading the web page subscriptions is not required for that day's activities.
- We have two AvantGo accounts. This enables the teacher to login two times instead of 30 when choosing Web sites to download. Two or more of the same AvantGo accounts cannot sync to AvantGo's servers at once. So, half of the class, the even numbered, get one AvantGo account name. The other half, odd numbers, get the second AvantGo account. The odd numbered handhelds are HotSynced at the "Odd Station" and the even numbered handhelds are HotSynced at the "Even Station."
- Scholastic Wireless: Web pages optimized for use with Avantgo that include news for kids, lesson plans, and on-line activities.
- Beamer can be used to beam text or pictures. "One way I use this application is for Crosstalk. I pick a category, like prepositions, and pairs of students take turns naming something in that category. They cannot repeat anything that has already been used. The last student to write a valid item is the winner. When finished, the students compare their Beamer list with all possible answers," says Tony Vincent.
- By
Heart: A memorization application that allows you to input your
own content.
- Diagrams? allows students to make flowcharts, choosing the shape and controlling the connection.
- DieRoll - Another simple dice application. Choose to roll between 1 and 6 die at once. Scroll down to find the free download.
- The Discussion simulation poses participants a statement that they must consider (e.g. "Technology has succeeded in changing classroom practices"). Participants individually rate their agreement or disagreement with the statement and provide a brief rationale. Then everyone must go around and make their case to the other players, and track how their own opinion and rationale changes in response to feedback from others.
- Documents
to Go Documents
To Go by DataViz allows you to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint files
on your Palm OS handheld. $
- It is a program designed for one profession using one desktop computer. If you sync Docs to Go in multiple locations a student is asking for trouble. The computers, including the handheld, flip out because they are trying to keep everything in sync, but they can't find files where they think they should be.
- Additionally, if a student is trying to sync Docs to Go to a computer that knows Docs to Go wasn't installed to his/her handheld from the said computer, it throws a fit because it thinks someone might be trying to get a free lunch (piracy).
- Documents to Go is great for: 1. self-contained classrooms using only 1 or 2 desktop computers, 2. really big final projects with a lot of formatting, and the students and teacher are pretty tech savvy. Older kids who use the same computer in a computer lab on a routine basis.
- On the students' Tungsten E handhelds, Documents to Go caused a conflict with the Find button. Documents to Go offers a global find feature, but even when this was disabled the Find button still caused the handheld to lock up and required a soft reset. Version 6.002 of Documents to Go was included in the package when the handhelds were purchased. After perusing discussion groups and support sites I found that Documents to Go recommends purchasing their latest version and installing a downloadable word.prc file. Since the loss of the Find button was not a concern for our classroom use, and we couldn't finance purchasing the upgrade, we reassigned the button to the calculator. This conflict does not exist on the teacher's Zire 71. The Zire 71 came with version 5.004 of Documents to Go.
- Filez - This application had many functions. Filez lets you see all applications, documents, and files on your Palm. I use it to beam "hidden" files.
- FlingIt
- FlingIt allows users to instantaneously "fling" Web pages
from the desktop computer to the Palm OS computer. Students can decide
whether or not to include graphics and determine the link depth of the
captured Web pages. FlingIt sites can also be beamed from one Palm computer
to another for the sharing of Web-based resources.
- Fling it is now available as part of GoKnow's Handheld Learning Environment.
- $19.95 a year
- Free
Write is
a complete word processing program. In addition to the basic word processor
features, advanced features such as auto-capitalization, spell checking,
and revision help make writing easier for any user. Students can also
use the infrared capabilities of the Palm handheld to peer-edit documents
with others.
- FreeWrite is now available as part of GoKnow's Handheld Learning Environment. With HLE, all applications are integrated to link directly into one document. For example, a PiCoMap node can open directly into a FreeWrite or Sketchy document. Additionally, when students synch their work to PAAM, the teacher can view all related project documents in one place.
- $19.95 a year
- The one big advantage Free Write has over Documents to Go is that Free Write has some support for sharing and exchanging work. This is meant to facilitate the peer-editing/sharing process. With Free Write you can attach beamed documents into current text. This makes collaborative work less of a headache.
- Grant Street Software: This site offers a variety of management solutions for the classroom. For example, with SD Deploy is you configure one device exactly the way you'd like the others to look, including preferences, Date Book, etc. Then insert and remove the SD card to mirror this configuration onto an unlimited number of devices. $
- iKWL can be used by students to record what they know, wonder, and learned about a topic.
- InfraChat
is a chat program that can be used to send text, hand written messages
or images to other handhelds. It is similar to Beamer but has more options
including color.
- LiteNotes can be used to take notes with text and create drawings that can be beamed to others. This is great for vocabulary study, writing a definition and creating an illustration; and for recording data during science experiments.
- NamePick - Reads and displays a list of names or items from a memo and chooses once of them randomly when tapped. Great for calling on students.
- Noah Lite Dictionary
- PAAM
- Palm
OS Artifact & Assessment Manager
- $19.95
a year
- From GoKnow, PAAM is a new Internet-based solution for distributing, viewing and responding to class work or homework done using Palm OS handhelds. The PAAM Web site serves as the secure hub through which all interaction occurs. Students can access only their account, via password. Typically, students come to school and synchronize their handhelds to PAAM at any Web-connected computer using the HotSync function. Their homework is uploaded and their teachers' feedback, notices and new assignments are downloaded. After viewing an assignment, teachers may attach a short note, a grade or even a long document via Send Feedback. Use PAAM to distribute activities, rubrics, letters, schedules and more to one student, one or more classes, or the whole school. Parents may also login to view their children's progress. PAAM can manage hundreds of handhelds, works behind firewalls, and lets schools integrate handheld computing seamlessly into everyday instruction.
- PAAM is now available as part of GoKnow's Handheld Learning Environment.
- Palm
OS Artifact & Assessment Manager
- Palm Reader: read eBooks on your handheld. There are free versions and purchase versions of Palm Reader. This software comes with most handhelds. See the Communication Arts section for a list of sites with eBooks.
- PiCoMap
allows students to create, share, and explore concept maps on their
Palm OS computer. This program allows users to create multiple nodes
and relationships leading to elaborate concept maps for brainstorming,
visual outlining or assessment purposes. PiCoMaps can also be beamed
to other students and the teacher.
- PiCoMap is now available as part of GoKnow's Handheld Learning Environment. With HLE, all applications are integrated to link directly into one document. For example, a PiCoMap node can open directly into a FreeWrite or Sketchy document. Additionally, when students synch their work to PAAM, the teacher can view all related project documents in one place.
- $19.95 a year
- Pilot dB is a free database application.
- PrizeWheel is a random number picker where the user can set a lower and an upper value. I use this for randomly choosing students.
- QuikInstall is a free program. It disables all other conduits except the install conduit. By double-clicking a prc icon the QuikInstall window will appear and you can select to install the application to all Palms with just a single click. If you hotsync the Palm a 2nd time all other conduits will become active again. You can also uninstall QuikInstall to revert back to the normal Palm installer. Beware: the web site warns that conflicts with the newest Palm operating system have been reported. Due to this, I have not yet tried out this software.
- Quizzler
is free software that can be used to publish your quizzes; Multiple
choice, flash card, reverse questions, and true/false questions from
the same quiz; there is a version to buy that offers more features including
the ability to beam scores.
- Download free quizzes
- Quizzler User's Manual
- Sketchy
is an animation program with options for colors, patterns, text, and
more. Great for anything and everything including anything with a process
or sequence.
- Sketchy is now available as part of GoKnow's Handheld Learning Environment. With HLE, all applications are integrated to link directly into one document. For example, a PiCoMap node can open directly into a FreeWrite or Sketchy document. Additionally, when students synch their work to PAAM, the teacher can view all related project documents in one place.
- $19.95 a year
- If you have the Writing Area turned in, using the Preferences Application, the Sketchy won't function correctly.
- The Simulator
is a free application that you can download. We found this option to
be helpful because it projects such a clear image onto the screen. We
installed the Simulator on a laptop and used an LCD projector to project
the desktop's image. The Simulator software displays an interactive
Palm interface image. You can use the mouse to write graffiti and tap
on the applications and input buttons as if it were the stylus. This
was very helpful when we were using an application that required detailed
instructions. You may find it useful to know that the Simulator supports
the AutoLoad directory. If you add a directory called AutoLoad in the
same directory as PalmSim.exe, any PRCs or PDBs put into that directory
will be automatically loaded when you start the Simulator.
- Tit for Tat: This game is based on the problem of the Prisoner's Dilemma. You have the choice of cooperating with their partners or defecting against them. Depending on what both you and your partner do, the payoffs are different.
- Words Per Minute - Test typing or graffiti speed.
Top
Menu - General -Science
- Math - Communication Arts
- Social Studies
Fine
Arts - Games - Software Sites
- 1st Aid offers useful information to help you deal with common urgent and emergency care situations, ranging from a nosebleed or sunburn to a life-threatening heart attack or stroke.
- BeepMaker
plays a beep at a specified Frequency and Duration which can be accomplished
by tapping anywhere inside the grid, entering the desired values for
Frequency and Duration and tapping Play or tap the plus or minus buttons
to adjust the field values and the app plays the new beep.
- Big Fish - Little Fish (BFLF) models a predator prey system. Some players are schools of big fish who need to eat little fish to survive, while other players are schools of little fish who must avoid the big fish to survive. Players can track their school size over time via numerical readouts and real time graphs. The challenge is to support as many fish as possible in the pond, and preserve species diversity.
- Cooties is a simulation program that students use collaboratively to examine the spread of disease. The teacher can determine the incubation time, individual immunity levels, and how many Cooties characters, called coodles, will start with the infection. Students meet and possibly "infect" each other by beaming their Palm OS devices. The Cooties program tracks which coodles students have met and will tell students if their coodle is sick. After students have finished meeting each other, they collaboratively determine the initial carrier of the disease and trace the transmission path among coodles.
Crickometer
can calculate the temperature by counting chirps from crickets.- Earth and Sun shows the sun illuminated area of the Earth. It will also display: the latitude and longitude of an Earth location, the time zone at that location, based on only longitude not civil boundaries, the current time at that location based on the above time zone, the sunrise, sunset times, and day length at that location, the great circle distance between to locations on the earth.
- Ecological Footprint Calculator is a free tool that enables students to calculate their own ecological footprint, and to visualize their footprint in various ways. The Ecological Footprint Calculator measures our use of nature, by calculating how much land is required to produce all of the resources we consume, and absorb all of the waste we produce.
- FlashBoom! calculates your distance from lightning. Tap the “Flash” button when you see lightning then tap the “Boom” button when you hear the thunder. FlashBoom! uses NASA speed of sound calculations to estimate your distance in kilometers and miles. High Altitude checkbox compensates for thin air (where sound travels slower) when you’re in the mountains. FlashBoom! works with any sound source including jets, echoes, gunfire and sports sounds.
- Geney: Students collaborate to breed an alien with certain characteristics.
- JadeCompass
is a digital compass that works based on the current time of day and
the position of the Sun.
- Live Long and Prosper: Players in this simulation game are told to live as long as possible and reproduce. Your ability to survive and reproduce is influenced by your genome so figuring out what the genes stand for is critical in survival.
- NSB Lander: Students try to land a spacecraft on the moon, Earth, and Jupiter. Students quickly discover that the amount of gravity affects how difficult it is to land softly and how much fuel is used.
QDiary:
Students
can make diaries of sequential values triggered by time/date. All of
this information is saved in a MemoPad document. Students can record
such things as temperature and weight. - Sky Chart: Displays the night sky at any time and place. Students can compare the the sky at different times of year or from one location on Earth to another. Why are the constellations in different positions?
- Space Weight: This program calculates your weight in other planets.
- Track: virtually any type of data may be easily recorded for quick visual inspection of trends.
- Virus: Players in this simulation game are told to meet as many people as possible without getting sick. You can only meet each other player one time. The catch is that no one knows how you get sick.
- wdTemp
- This is a simple (but colorful) temperature converter. Change among
Celsius, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin.
Top
Menu - General -Science
- Math - Communication Arts
- Social Studies
Fine
Arts - Games - Software Sites
- Algebraf: Solve a system of equations represented by icons. Great for teaching variables and trial and error problems.
- Be Smart: useful application will improve your skill to work with numbers. Either you want count them in your mind or your child is studying in school, the application will be helpful. It generates randomly for you number problems, allows you write on the screen, check your answer and shows whether you answered it correctly. $
- Cells is a versatile Spreadsheet creator. Perfect for any data entry, whether it be in the laboratory, by the stream, or at a gymnastics meet, Cells offers everyday functions such as average, minimum, maximum, and sum so that you can fully realize your Spreadsheet desires.
- Converter is a free unit conversion tool for the Palm, supporting over 200 unit types in 23 different categories. Convert from miles to kilometers, from pounds to kilograms and many, many other different conversions with ease.
Factors:
List all the factors of a number. - Fraction Calculator is a basic 4 function calculator for use with fractions.
- Herbert's Math Time: shareware $
- Matches
is a silly little game in which each of the two players (computer and
you) removes one after the other from one to three matches. The player
who removes the last match looses the game.
- Math Flash Cards: freeware
- MathWiz: Given 4 random numbers between 1 and 10, arrange them using the 4 basic arithmetic operators of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to equate to a given target number. You may also use parentheses. For example, if your random numbers were 1, 2, 3, and 4, and your target number was 5, you could create the following solution to the puzzle: ( 4 + 3 - 2 ) x 1 .
- Microgeometry
is a geometric volume and surface area calculation utility. Is supports
the following regular solids: Cone, Cube, Cylinder (solid and hollow),
Ellipsoid (general, oblate, prolate), Hexagonal, Pyramid, Rectangular,
Sphere, Wedge, Frustrum (cone, cone, pyramid). In addition Microgeometry
provides area and perimeter calculation support for 12 plane figures.
- My Checkbook
- Numerus
is a standard four-function calculator that operates in Roman numerals.
- Lesson Plan using Numerus by Tony Vincent
- People Counter is a very basic application that helps students to take a count.
- The
Response Timer
is a tool that enables you to measure your response time. Your time
is gauged by how quickly you can click the red light when it is displayed.
Your response time can be measured to 1/100th of an second!
- Table
is a simple multiplication table up to 10.
- X-Num:
This game is based on the Challenger game that appears in some newspapers.
It can be used as a scratchpad to play the newspaper game, or it can
generate a game for you. It is a crossnumber game where the rows, columns,
and diagonals must equal certain numbers.
Top
Menu - General -Science
- Math - Communication Arts
- Social Studies
Fine
Arts - Games - Software Sites
Communication Arts Applications
- AnagramAble - Students can explore anagrams.
- BookShare allows groups of people to collaboratively create and edit shared documents called Books. A book has a bunch of pages like memos. Two people can synchronize their books by holding their handhelds close together and BeamSyncing them (like Beaming). All changes anyone made to the book are integrated and spread to everyone else who has the same book!!! It's like magic! Everyone gets to contribute in creating new books and editing existing books to keep them up to date.
- BooksLog - Students record information about books they read, including a rating 1-5 and a short review. Records can be beamed to others. BooksLog is a great tool to have students take to the library when checking out a book because they can have reviews from their classmates.
- The Discussion simulation poses participants a statement that they must consider (e.g. "Technology has succeeded in changing classroom practices"). Participants individually rate their agreement or disagreement with the statement and provide a brief rationale. Then everyone must go around and make their case to the other players, and track how their own opinion and rationale changes in response to feedback from others.
- Documents to Go: Documents To Go by DataViz allows you to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on your Palm OS handheld. $
- It is a program designed for one profession using one desktop computer. If you sync Docs to Go in multiple locations you are asking for trouble. The computers, including the handheld, flip out because they are trying to keep everything in sync, but they can't find files where they think they should be.
- Additionally, if a student is trying to sync Docs to Go to a computer that knows Docs to Go wasn't installed to his/her handheld from the said computer, it throws a fit because it thinks someone might be trying to get a free lunch (piracy).
- Documents to Go is great for: 1. self-contained classrooms using only 1 or 2 desktop computers, 2. really big final projects with a lot of formatting, and the students and teacher are pretty tech savvy. Older kids who use the same computer in a computer lab on a routine basis.
- On the students' Tungsten E handhelds, Documents to Go caused a conflict with the Find button. Documents to Go offers a global find feature, but even when this was disabled the Find button still caused the handheld to lock up and required a soft reset. Version 6.002 of Documents to Go was included in the package when the handhelds were purchased. After perusing discussion groups and support sites I found that Documents to Go recommends purchasing their latest version and installing a downloadable word.prc file. Since the loss of the Find button was not a concern for our classroom use, and we couldn't finance purchasing the upgrade, we reassigned the button to the calculator. This conflict does not exist on the teacher's Zire 71. The Zire 71 came with version 5.004 of Documents to Go.
- Free
Write is
a complete word processing program. In addition to the basic word processor
features, advanced features such as auto-capitalization, spell checking,
and revision help make writing easier for any user. Students can also
use the infrared capabilities of the Palm handheld to peer-edit documents
with others.
- FreeWrite is now available as part of GoKnow's Handheld Learning Environment. With HLE, all applications are integrated to link directly into one document. For example, a PiCoMap node can open directly into a FreeWrite or Sketchy document. Additionally, when students synch their work to PAAM, the teacher can view all related project documents in one place.
- $19.95 a year
- The one big advantage Free Write has over Documents to Go is that Free Write has some support for sharing and exchanging work. This is meant to facilitate the peer-editing/sharing process. With Free Write you can attach beamed documents into current text. This makes collaborative work less of a headache.
- Hungman is freeware that is great for practice spelling words.
- Palm
ebook Studio: a program you can purchase to use to publish you own
ebooks, a wonderful tool! $
- Example ebooks created by Tony Vincent's 5th grade class
- Palm
Reader:
read eBooks on your handheld. There are free versions and purchase versions
of Palm Reader. This software comes with most handhelds.
- eBook
Resources
- 250ebooks: offers 250 eBooks for education at one low price of $19.95
- Adobe Digital Media Store: purchase
- Amazon.com ebooks: purchase
- ebooks.com: purchase
- Memoware: free ebooks
- Palm Digital Media eBooks: purchase
- University of Virginia's eBook Library: free
- pdabooks.org
- Powell's has an enormous selection of books available for the Palm, at a cost.
- Project Gutenberg: free ebook
- Reading Assessment Tools by Wireless Generation: software for determining student reading skills and keeping running records $
- What if Builder is a free tool that enables students to create decision-tree models, also known as "Action Mazes," "tree literature," "plot branching" or "choose your own adventure.
Top
Menu - General -Science
- Math - Communication Arts
- Social Studies
Fine
Arts - Games - Software Sites
- CityZen is a mapping application. It contains the world's major cities, capitals, countries, seas, and oceans! Students can quickly find latitude and longitude for any location. They can also find the distance between any two places on the map. CityZen also can quiz students over any and all geographical locations.
- The Constitution of the United States
- Herbert and the Presidents $
- Herbert's 50 States $
- Inflation Master: enter a dollar value for any year since 1914 and find how much money that would be today.
- Learn World Geometry
- Mapopolis - Download maps of any county in the United States at mapopolis.com. Free maps last nine days.
- Solar Wars: Students learn great economics lessons with this game. They must buy supplies low and sell when the market is high.
- Trade
is a stock market trading game that lets you test your market skills
and try to make it rich. Trade in and out of 8 stocks over the course
of a day.
Top
Menu - General -Science
- Math - Communication Arts
- Social Studies
Fine
Arts - Games - Software Sites
- Colours may be mixed by adjusting the color sliders or by picking a starting color from a color palette.
- Illusion 4: Share color optical illusions with students.
- MatchWho allows students to select facial features and hair to create a person. This is a great application to use to help teach how to draw portraits.
- Simon Sayz a free, simple, musical game
- Sketchy
is an animation
program with options for colors, patterns, text, and more.
- Sketchy is now available as part of GoKnow's Handheld Learning Environment. With HLE, all applications are integrated to link directly into one document. For example, a PiCoMap node can open directly into a FreeWrite or Sketchy document. Additionally, when students synch their work to PAAM, the teacher can view all related project documents in one place.
- $19.95 a year
- If you have the Writing Area turned in, using the Preferences Application, the Sketchy won't function correctly.
Top
Menu - General -Science
- Math - Communication Arts
- Social Studies
Fine
Arts - Games - Software Sites
- Autopond is an infrared card trading game.
- Center Four: The goal of the game is to move four block pieces to the center square.
- Grouper: Puzzle-card game played by finding groups in a set of cards. You look for matches that are completely different!
- Hexplode: Two player strategy game played on a grid of hexagons.
- Jumpwire: Fast paced puzzle game where you have to connect the positive and negative blocks together by rotating the wire segments.
- Lights Out: The object is to turn off all the lights; not so easy since when you turn one light on or off, the surrounding lights also switch states.
- Logic Game: This is a two player game where players move "L" shaped pieces and balls into a position so the other player cannot move. This is great for students to write an expository paragraph about their game strategy.
- Marbles Squared: The aim of the game is to clear all of the blocks on the grid by tapping and removing block ''sets''. Students can test and share strategies.
- Memorix: Memorix is like the game of Memory, only with a single player. The player tried to match all tiles before the time runs out!
- Minefield: Puzzle game where you must flag the mines to win the game.
- Nevermind: A variation of the logic game, Mastermind with two different play modes.
- PalmLinez: The purpose of the game is to build up a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line consisting of five or more one-style balls.
- Parking Lot: Get your car out of a crowded parking lot by moving your car as well as other cars and trucks as needed. This game certainly takes spatial intelligence and inventive thinking!
- Pilotski - The object of the game is to maneuver the red block to its destination in the fewest number of moves.
- PPuzzle: This application gives the user a set of Pneumonia pieces. The pieces can be moved, flipped, and rotated on the screen. The application doesn't show the puzzles for the Pentminos.
- SameGame: The object of the game is to remove as many tiles as possible and removing tiles in the largest possible groups. The larger the group of tiles removed, the higher your score!
- Shuffle: The goal of Shuffle is to press the switch buttons until the cells are arranged in order.
- SimonSayz - A simple, musical memory game. The game starts with one note and continues until you make a mistake.
- Summing: Mathematical tile game.
- Tetravex - Drag the tiles into the top left area so that any two adjacent numbers are the same.
- TicTacTough: TicTacTough is a version of Tic-tac-toe. The program also keeps a list of statistics as you play. It keeps track of games won, lost and drawn, as well as percentages. Great for teaching ratios to students.
- XrOw: Place five pieces in a row in a 16 x 16 grid. This is quite a challenging game!
Top
Menu - General -Science
- Math - Communication Arts
- Social Studies
Fine
Arts - Games - Software Sites
- Beret Applications LLC makes educational programs for PalmOS handhelds. The programs are great tools for teachers and parents to use to help their children enhance their learning experience. This site includes language arts, reading, social studies and math applications at a minimal cost.
- cnet Palm downloads: freeware, shareware, and purchase
- Education Applications: a variety of applications organized by use, some free some purchase
- FreewarePalm
- GoKnow: free and purchase educational software; GoKnow's products are unique in that they are aligned with national standards, learner-centered, integrated into curriculum, and supported by professional development materials.
- Handmark: purchase
- Hands High Software: purchase
- Learning at Hand Software Reviews
- Palm Applications in Education: The Concord Consortium is a nonprofit educational research and development organization created by educators, curriculum developers, technology experts and researchers. Search their database, that is updated monthly for Palm application reviews. The reviews include an overall summary and ranking of each application, project starters, companion applications, and correlations to standards.
- Palm for Academics
- Palm Gear: purchase
- Palm Source: purchase
- Palm Spot: applications for Education
- Software for Handhelds: This TechLearning article focuses on assessment tools for educators, curriculum products for students, and productivity tools for both. You'll find a sampling of such applications, most of which are freeware or shareware (prices listed are for the full-featured version of the product). All the software is available for the Palm operating system-the dominant platform for K-12-specific software. 4/2003
- Tucows: shareware, freeware, and purchase
- Version Tracker: shareware, freeware, and purchase
Top
Menu - General -Science
- Math - Communication Arts
- Social Studies
Fine
Arts - Games - Software Sites
I
would like to thank Tony
Vincent for his inspiration and support of handhelds in education,
including
his Learning
in Hand web site.
Many of these software references, provided with his permission, are a
result of his research.