Ann Arbor Open School in Michigan is an alternative public school that prides itself on accepting new ideas and student individuality, talents and interests.
But to the chagrin of some parents and teachers, there is one idea the school isn't open to – the use of handheld computers in the classroom.
"It doesn't feel like that school to do this," said Celeste Novak, an architect whose 13-year-old son Jay attends Ann Arbor Open. "His school is very wired."
Ann Arbor Open's policy isn't unique: Several schools around the country are banning handheld devices. Ironically, this comes at a time when many others are embracing the technology as a teaching tool.
These different approaches point at the lack of agreement on whether handheld devices stimulate learning in the classroom or detract from it.
According to International Communications Research, 23 percent of teens aged 13 to 19 say their schools forbid them from bringing in Palm Pilots. A whopping 60 percent of schools ban beepers and 55 percent of schools prohibit the use of cell phones, students said.
Most of the schools, including Ann Arbor Open, cite two reasons for the prohibition: concern over theft and dislike for the disruptive noises such devices make during class.
While it's difficult to find someone who doesn't agree that a ringing cell phone in public is annoying, parents and educators are concerned that school districts are banning Palms prematurely.
Unlike cell phones and pagers, Palms can be used directly for educational purposes: Software like dictionaries, graphing calculators, e-books and thermometers can be downloaded onto the Palms and used to simplify studying and classroom participation.
"I have no data, but I believe kids will read more on the Palm than they do on books because Palms are their generation," said Elliot Soloway, a professor in the college of engineering and school of education at the University of Michigan.
"Books are Perry Como's generation.... The children don't see the Palm as a computer, they see the Palm as media. Media is hot. Media is exciting. That's why they're going to participate in the reading."
Soloway, who is studying Palm handheld programs in schools, said that in order for "computing technology" to be effective in class instruction, there must be enough hardware for all the students, teachers must know how to use it, and administrators and parents must be supportive of the curriculum that incorporates it.
Handheld computers have an advantage over desktop PCs or laptops in that they are small enough to be carried anywhere and relatively inexpensive –- "the cost of a pair of tennis shoes," Soloway said.
"As long as the computers are down the hall and up the stairs to the lab, they are irrelevant to education," Soloway said.
Not all teachers share Soloway's enthusiasm for handheld devices.
Alan Warhaftig, an American literature teacher at the Fairfax Magnet Center for Visual Arts in Los Angeles and coordinator of the nonprofit organization Learning in the Real World, says more research is needed before schools squander their money on computing technology.