How'd you like to give an instant survey in your classroom? There's new Palm software that can do just that: NinePoll from Ninelocks.com. NinePoll allows for a Palm user to create a poll, collect votes, and view the results.

A teacher or student creates a survey question with up to for responses. Then, the poll can be conducted in one of two different ways. The poll question can be beamed to other handhelds. The other handheld users make a selection and the original handheld collects the votes back by another beam. The results are updated as the votes come in. In addition, NinePoll can collect votes on the same handheld. This is handy if only one handheld is available. Perhaps that one handheld could be passed around the class or group. Again, the results are tallied and a percentage given. There are also colorful bar and pie graphs displaying the results. The results can even be exported to Memos for safe keeping, syncing, and printing. Be sure to check out the help menus to learn how to use NinePoll. But, like the developer says, the best way to learn to use NinePoll is to try using it.

Taking classroom polls are great for so many reasons. It helps students understand mathematical concepts like sample size, percentages, and graphs. Also, polls can help teachers check for understanding, opinions, and interests. NinePoll is a great application and I can't wait to see the different ways teachers use it!

Jon Trinder was gracious enough to create NinePoll because of a request posted on my Software Wish List. Thanks so much Jon for making this available to anyone and everyone for free!

The winners of the 2006 Sketchy Animation Contest have been announced! I am proud to say that two first place winners are students from my elementary school! I have to say, the winning animations in this contest just keep getting better and better each year.

GoKnow has posted the 2006 winning animations and you've got to check them out. These will serve as great examples for students when they learn about using Sketchy. One animation in particular I'd like to point out is from O'Neill, Nebraska (listen to an Our City Podcast from O'Neill). The animation is titled How To Use A Tungsten E2. The animation goes by quickly, but gives great information on the parts of a handheld and how to use Sketchy. Like all of the winning animations, it's very well done!

You can view the contest winners here.

Brian Miller, Dennis Brubaker, and Lavonne Sparling from Southwood Elementary School in Wabash, Indiana write:

Your most recent blog entry about Algebraf made me realize we should share with you a sixth grader's skills with the program. We bought used handhelds for our fifth graders at the beginning of this school year. We also bought enough for the students in the G/T class. Alyson is a sixth grader in that G/T program, therefore she was able to have some exposure to the handhelds. Alyson's excitement carried over to home, so her mom decided to buy Alyson her very own handheld.

We asked her to share a little about her experience with Algebraf. Alyson writes...

"The first time I went through this it took me about 2 weeks. I just finished my fourth time and it took me 1 hour. The more you do it the easier it gets. After you finish 1 time you have to delete the program and beam it back on to your handheld. On Algebraf there is not just one strategy to use. There is the simple obvious strategy and the guess and check."

We're including a screen shot of her progress. Please forgive us for the fuzziness of the picture. We had to put it on Elmo then photograph the television screen.

As you can see from the screenshot, part of the answer to level 69 is showing. You can also see the friendly message you receive when you reach the end of Algebraf: Congratulations. You finished the last level. Thank you. And thank you to Brian, Dennis, Lavonne, and "Amazing Alyson" for sharing great information about Algebraf!

Sixth graders Steve and Richard wrote about Handheld Computers for the Jaffe Journal. In their essay, the students explain some of the programs they use on their Palm Tungsten Es, including SpellIT, Dropairs, Quizzler, and Sketchy. Steve and Richard also mentions Algebraf. Algebraf is a free Palm program where you solve a system of equations represented by icons. Each different icon represents a digit 0-9 and it's quite a challenge to even complete the first level of Algebraf. Each level is more difficult than the last.

Richard, one of the writers of the Handheld Computers essay, is an Algebraf expert (among other things). Richard's teacher, Jason Jaffe, sent me a screenshot (he must be using PdaReach or Handshare and a Windows computer) showing Richard's progress in Algebraf. Richard has made it to level 51. That's certainly the highest I have ever heard of! Part of Richard's strategy is recording his attempts in Memos (see the screenshot to the left).

Algebraf's developer says that there are 69 levels. I bet Richard will complete all 69 levels before the conclusion of the school year. When that happens, I hope he shares with us what his handheld's screen tells him!

Mr. Jaffe has a remarkable website for his sixth grade class in Warrington, Pennsylvania. Besides the Journal and a section about handheld computers, the site has a monthly podcast that is truly outstanding, showcasing the work by many fine students like Steve and Richard.

learninginhand's Discussion Forums were quite busy in April. There were many great conversations about handhelds, podcasting, education, and technology. Presenting your monthly digest...

• Ian has questions about blogging with his students using handhelds. Specifically, he wants to know what is done about weekends and breaks.
• Mark announces the release of a DVD-ROM called "Ubiquitous Computing: How Anytime, Anywhere, Anyone Technology is Changing Education." You can obtain a copy here.
• Rolly shares insight into infrared printing. He even has some photos of it.
• Elaine and Mark write in response to Tony's topic about only 5% of 15 to 24 year-olds' communication is by pen and paper.
• Rolly tells us about his school's use of blogs. Mark encourages him to share a list of Blogging Terms and Conditions, which should prove useful to others.
• Tony answers Dale's question about time management in a classroom where students are working on several digital products.
• Wendy announces that her school district will be hosting their Second Handheld Conference on June 28 in Lexington, South Carolina. She'd love for you to come to the conference. Additionally, there's limited space for two workshops concentrating on differentiated instruction: one about handhelds by Mike Curtis and another about podcasting by Tony Vincent.
• Rolly posts about the appropriate age to begin keyboarding instruction.
• smcnew is curious about research that shows a direct connection between handhelds and student achievement. Elaine, Tony, Dale, and Rolly respond.
• Jessica wants to know about resources and ideas for getting started using handhelds with her students next year. Tony gives her some advice about what to do over the summer.
• Rolly shares some useful details of his schools' handheld use, including the elimination of paper planners and stand-alone calculators.
• Rolly also shares a link to new Palm freeware for outlining called HandOutline. A neat feature is that the outline can be exported to Memos so that you can sync it and print or copy and paste it into something else on the desktop.
• Corey wonders if there is any software to teach middle school students elapsed time. Dale and Tony make suggestions.
• Mark poses the question, "Is podcasting really worth the effort? What do kids (and teachers) get out of it?" Wendy, fresh from doing an Our City Podcast, has lots to say about podcasting.
• Katie reflects on her school's successful production of the Our City Podcast O'Neill Oracle. Katie also tells others about her experience with Our City Podcast in her NETA session titled "Collaborating with your Community." You can get to a podcast of her session from here.
• Remember, the learninginhand forums have their own RSS feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/forums.

Each month a forum contributor is randomly selected to receive a pair of learninginhand stylus-pens. April's winner is Corey from Independence, Missouri. Congratulations! If you want a chance to win two orange stylus-pens, be sure to post during the month of May!