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University
of South Dakota First to Require use of Palm Handhelds
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Handhelds to Go to Incoming Undergraduates and First-Year
Law and Medical Students
SIOUX FALLS, S.D., -- In a move that puts it
at the forefront of mobile technology use on campuses, The
university of South Dakota (USD) of Vermillion today announces
it will provide Palm handheld computers to all first-year
undergraduate students as well as first-year law and medical
school students. The initiative, the first in the United States
to mandate the use of handheld computers by undergraduate
students, takes place beginning with the 2001-2002 academic
year and affects approximately 1,300 students.
USD is working with Palm, Inc. (Nasdaq: PALM),
a pioneer in the field of mobile and wireless Internet solutions
and a leading provider of handheld computers, to implement
the program and to select a suite of software applications
for use in student coursework. The USD Foundation is underwriting
the majority of the cost of the handhelds. Students will bear
a portion of the cost through a small assessment during four
semesters.
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At a news conference here, USD President James W.
Abbott said, "The University of South Dakota students live
in a mobile society. We must provide a learning environment using
the latest technology so our students can take advantage of the
benefits of anytime, anywhere learning to better prepare for the
future. Palm's mobile technology enables us to extend learning beyond
the walls of classrooms.
"Another benefit is that Palm handhelds can be
loaded with applications, such as financial calculators, reference
books, literature books, coursework organizers and word processors,
so we can considerably lighten the 20-pound backpack that the typical
student lugs around," Abbott said. "We look forward to
working with Palm to develop more and better ways to enhance the
educational experience of our students and the teaching experience
for our faculty."
Mike Lorion, Palm's vice president of education, said,
"USD has stepped into a leadership role; it's one that's reminiscent
of what happened in the mid-1980s when Dartmouth, Princeton, Stanford
and other top universities made significant investments that led
to the widespread adoption of personal computing technology on campuses
around the world. Palm handhelds are a great match for today's students
because they epitomize their mobile lifestyle."
Palm handhelds provide students a quick, simple, smart
and fun way to learn and communicate inside and outside of lecture
halls and dormitory rooms. With thousands of applications and accessories
available for Palm handhelds, students can take notes, access writing
tools such as a dictionary and thesaurus, create drawings, collect
data, graph mathematical functions, manage activities and assignments
and play games. They also can instantly beam messages to their friends,
send and receive emails and access the Internet wirelessly. Palm
developers have created approximately 500 education-specific applications
and accessories for students and faculty.
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