Portable computing once meant lugging around a laptop PC, but today it embraces a wide range of devices from netbooks to tablet PCs and games consoles to mobile phones. At their simplest, portable computing devices offer students and teachers the freedom to use ICT beyond the desktop and even the classroom.
"Portable computing has changed our school for the better," says Dan Roberts, assistant head teacher at Saltash.net community school in Plymouth, Devon. "It offers flexibility and you can be more creative in the classroom."
Schools are using portable devices for many activities, from data-logging out in the field and collaborative work in class projects to accessing the internet from anywhere within the school campus.
Portable devices are not only small, lightweight and easy to carry around, but the arrival of low-cost netbooks (see panel) has enabled schools to improve the computer/pupil ratio while sacrificing little in terms of performance and functionality.
At Bett 2010, there will be a chance to see plenty of products aimed at the portable computing user. Intel will be showing Classmate, a portable computer that can be used like a conventional laptop or a tablet PC, by simply twisting the LCD screen. The tablet PC function offers touch technology and pupils can write or draw on the screen using a stylus. It also has a water-resistant keyboard and comes pre-loaded with software.
Meanwhile, Toshiba's stand will be packed with its latest Portege and Satellite Pro laptops. The former includes EasyGuard technology which offers features such as a hard drive with extra protection in case the laptop is knocked or bumped, a liquid-resistant keyboard, a fingerprint reader, plus a multiple-level password system. There is also a reinforced security cable slot.
Storage and security for portable machines can be an issue which schools find difficult to manage, especially if space is limited. Lapsafe is showing a range of cabinets designed for laptops and netbooks. The mobile Mentor, for example, can hold up to 30 laptops or 60 netbooks and includes a charging system. There is also the option for including a factory-fitted alarm.
Handheld games consoles are really powerful computers with superb multimedia capabilities, and some can even connect to the internet. ConnectED uses the computing power of the Sony
PlayStation Portable (PSP) to offer engaging educational content. It is launching Second Sight for PSP at Bett, a tool that allows teachers to create their own content using a mix of audio, video, text and graphics.
Also on show will be ready-made content for portable devices, such as GCSEPod's interactive learning and revision podcasts that can be downloaded on to iPods and MP3 players. GCSEPod is also launching a subscription service that will allow schools to create their own iPod revision libraries, which could loan podcasts to students.
Studywiz offers tests, messaging services and student-linked galleries, which can be downloaded to various portable devices including the iPhone and the iPod Touch. It has extended its reach even further by offering compatibility to mobile phones and other portable devices running Windows 6.1 or Google's Android operating system.
Most schools have yet to take advantage of the fact that many pupils carry a mobile phone in their pocket, and that lots of these are smartphones with the ability to record still images, video and sound as well as accessing the internet. But Saltash.net has been allowing its 1,400 pupils to use their mobile phones and other portable devices in lessons for more than four years. "Why ban them?" asks Roberts. "Why not get pupils to use them the right way, such as for recording interviews or taking pictures of their science experiment? They can also free up ICT resources for other students."
Provided a school has a robust e-safety policy, which sets out guidance on acceptable use, there should be few problems, he adds. "We've had very few incidents and students know that using their mobile phone is a privilege and not a right."
