What do you get when you cross a highly technologically advance learning machine with a Game Boy Advance? You get Palm Pilots! As our class is lucky enough to use these mini computers, we have already noticed a general increase in the students' effort to work and do better in school. "But the best part" says one student, "is that we get to combine learning with fun."

Of course we have our wonderful teacher Mr. Jaffe to thank for this. In the summer of 2004, Mr. Jaffe entered an NEA contest. The contest judged essays of what you would do if your class earned $5,000. So when Mr. Jaffe won $5,000 to spend on palm pilots he not only proved his writing brilliance to the judges but to his students as well. Now we and other classes will have an advantage in academic areas.

Just take a look at the cool programs on our handhelds. We learn in creative, fun ways through a program called Spellit. This helps to greatly increase our understanding of the spelling words. In math we use our palm pilots to practice our mathematic skills through amusing programs such as Algebraf and Dropairs. Reading often requires an outline of the stories we have read. A neat program entitled Inspiration helps us organize our thoughts, ideas, and opinions of the story. These palms can speed up the process for writing quite a bit. Instead of bringing bulky folders and notebooks to the computer lab with the entire class, students can use their own personal keyboard to type whenever they need. And because there is no need for wire, students can move about the room to a position of their liking. Finally, an amusing program called Quizzler helps us create fun reviews for upcoming tests and assignments. However, learning is no longer boring. We can learn many games that teach problem solving and logic skills. The three most  utilized games are Lines, Sketchy and Coconut Fern.

But as the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility." We need to use our palms in a responsible manner. This means not only by not physically breaking them, but also by behaving and staying appropriate.