Title: Pushing the Envelope of Instructional Technology: Handheld Computers and Wireless Networks
1Pushing the Envelope of Instructional Technology
Handheld Computers and Wireless Networks
- Charles R. Ward
- Department of Chemistry
- University of North Carolina at Wilmington
2Outline of Presentation
- Historical Background
- Numina I
- Brief Overview of Handheld PC
- Classroom Use
- Pocket PC vs. Handheld PC
- Numina II
- Pocket PC Applications
- Conclusions
3History of Project Numina I
- Multi-disciplinary team that has been working
together on technology projects since 1990. - The team predicted that small handheld computing
platforms would be ubiquitous by 2003. - Funding obtained from Pearson Education and UNCW
to explore the use of handheld computer
technology for teaching science and mathematics.
4HP Jornada 720 Handheld Computers
- StrongArm CPU 206 MHz
- 32 MB 48 MB of RAM
- WinCE (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Explorer)
- Hyperchem, FTP, SRS (SWATT), Textbook
5Cisco 340 Wireless Network
- 802.11b Standards-based network
- 150 range around access point (indoors)
- 11 Mbps throughput
- Wireless access throughout entire building
6Handheld Computer Distribution
- Computers distributed in class from carts
- 32 computers on each cart with power supplies
- The contents of each cart can be distributed and
returned in under 6 minutes
7eBook Chemistry Textbook
- Chemistry The Central Science 8th Ed.
- Prentice-Hall Publishers
- HTML format entirely editable
8eBook Chemistry Textbook
- Fully illustrated
- Recently added problems, appendices, links
- Access to Prentice-Hall Web site
9GraphData Graphing for Pocket Excel
- Pocket Excel has no graphing capability
- GraphData uses data copied to the clipboard from
within Excel - The graphs from GraphData can be pasted into
Pocket Word
10Pocket Hyperchem from Hypercube
- Pen-based interface
- MM and Semi-Empirical Calculations
- Standard functions for general, inorganic, and
organic chemistry
11General Chemistry
- View and rotate molecules (pre-built)
- Measure bond angles and bond lengths
- View molecules in different renderings
12Organic and Inorganic Chemistry
- Build molecules
- Optimize geometries
- Explore properties of molecules
13- Study the nature of the strain in methyl
substituted cyclohexanes
mono
hexa
14Inorganic Chemistry
- Generate the MO diagram for BF3 and study its
Lewis acid-base chemistry
15Exercise 1Experimental group used Hyperchem to
rotate molecules and measure bond angles
16Exercise 2Control group used the Jornadas to
view this as a Web form in color, but with no
rotation capability
17Sample Quiz Questions
18Results
T-Test for Subtotal 1X1AVG 4.3 X2AVG
3.7N1 65 N2 49t 2.27 df
112p (two-tail) 0.025
VSEPR Questions
19Results
T-Test for Subtotal 1X1AVG 4.3 X2AVG
3.7N1 65 N2 49t 2.27 df
112p (two-tail) 0.025
T-Test for Subtotal 2X1AVG 0.91 X2AVG
0.94N1 65 N2 49t -0.24
df 112p (two-tail) 0.810
Gas Law Questions
VSEPR Questions
20SWATT Student Response System
- Interactive classroom questioning
- Completely Web-based system
- Student feedback is anonymous
- Data are available for later analysis
21SWATT Student Response Pad
- Student view is synchronized with classroom view
through the Web-based database - IP address of Jornada is used to prevent multiple
responses to the same question - Student feedback is anonymous
22SWATT Interfaces Under Development
23Which one of the following statements about a
chemical reaction at equilibrium is correct?
- The concentrations of reactants and products are
equal. - The rates of the forward and reverse reactions
are equal. - No more reactants are converted to products.
- d) The concentrations of reactants and products
change with time.
24Which one of the following statements about a
chemical reaction at equilibrium is correct?
- The concentrations of reactants and products are
equal. - The rates of the forward and reverse reactions
are equal. - No more reactants are converted to products.
- d) The concentrations of reactants and products
change with time.
25What is the half-life of the following
first-order reaction?
a) 2 s b) 10 s c) 5 s d) 20 s
26What is the half-life of the following
first-order reaction?
a) 2 s b) 10 s c) 5 s d) 20 s
27What is the value of the equilibrium constant (K)
for this reaction?
a) 9.0 b) 1.0 c) 0.90 d) 0.11
28What is the value of the equilibrium constant (K)
for this reaction?
a) 9.0 b) 1.0 c) 0.90 d) 0.11
29Pros and Cons of Each Platform
- Keyboard
- Size Weight
- Features of OS
- Expandability
- TFT LCD Display
30Pros and Cons of Each Platform
- Handheld PC has backlit TFT display
- Pocket PC has backlit / reflective TFT display
- Pocket PC can be viewed in direct sunlight
31Project Numina II
- Internal seed grant obtained to study the Pocket
PC as an alternative to the Handheld PC. - Is it possible to do serious chemistry on a
Pocket PC? - This depends on both thehardware and the
softwarethat are available.
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43Software Development for Numina II
- Molecular Animator (states of matter, vapor
pressure, phase diagrams, etc.) - Kinetics Simulator
- Equilibrium Simulator
- Data Analysis Module
- Data Acquisition Software Hardware
44The Ultimate Device?
- Horizontally oriented Pocket PC with detachable
keyboard.
45Project Funding
- National Science Foundation
- Pearson Education
- UNCW
- College of Arts and Sciences
- Division of Academic Affairs
- Information Technology Systems Division
46Acknowledgements
Collaborators
- Department of Chemistry
- Dr. Jimmy Reeves
- Dr. David White
- Dr. Barbara Heath
- Ms. Jennifer Bishoff, Graduate Student
- Ms. Rebecca Popovec, Undergraduate
- Ms. Jenny Wright, Undergraduate
- Ms. Gina Taylor, Undergraduate
- Ms. Katy Magolan, Undergraduate
47Acknowledgements
Collaborators
- Mathematics and Statistics
- Dr. Gabriel Lugo
- Dr. Russ Herman
- Ms. Valerie Kepley, Undergraduate
- Computer Science
- Dr. Ron Vetter
- Mr. Steve da Silva, Undergraduate
- Mr. Eli Weinstock-Herman, Undergraduate
48http//aa.uncwil.edu/numina