ByBen Charny
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

The equipment maker on Wednesday unveiled its entry into the networked classroom business with a wireless system so sophisticated students don't have to raise their hands to get attention from a teacher.

The TI-Navigator, now being tested in a half dozen U.S. schools, is meant to take on Palm and Dell Computer, which have introduced their own networked classroom systems. All three are vying for a share of the $50 billion that the National Education Association estimates it will take to modernize America's schools in the coming years.

Michael Disabato of The Burton Group said TI's entry into this field is a natural evolution for the same company that invented the calculator. It's also a direct assault on the latest moves by Palm and Dell.

Of the three, Palm may have already fallen behind, he said.

"Palm has been making noise about a lot of stuff," he said. "But I don't know how they are going to bring anything to market because they don't have Bluetooth (which enables computers to talk to each other without wires)."

Dell's system is also different from what TI introduced Wednesday, Disabato said. Dell is selling schools stacks of computers that are Internet-enabled. The laptops can be reused from class to class.

But the Navigator is a wireless LAN (local area network) that lets the teacher interact and monitor each of the coupled computers.

The system, which costs about $9,800, does not come with an essential element, the actual handheld device that all the magic works on. The system only works, of course, on TI's handheld TI-83 Plus. The company says that nearly 50 percent of all students have the handheld device, and schools can always buy them to augment the Navigator system.

One of the more unique features is that the Navigator uses a browser so teachers can see, for example, if a student is on eBay auctioning off the TI-83 he or she just got instead of paying attention.

TI Vice President Tom Ferrio said this interactive element is a key development.

"It's a simple thing. Teachers can pause and, for instance, send three multiple choice questions to gauge if the students are paying attention," he said. "A lot of educators say they want to be able to monitor if their lessons are being understood."

While it's still in test phases, TI is already planning an upgrade to be released later this year that will let teachers beam homework assignments to their students' handhelds. When they next meet, the teacher can collect the work, all without a single piece of paper changing hands.

TI-Navigator™ fuels student interaction, enables real-time assessment

DALLAS, June 30, 2003

Texas Instruments, the leader in handheld educational technology, announced today the commercial availability of the TI-Navigator™, a wireless classroom learning system. This networked classroom technology allows teachers to assess their students’ level of comprehension in real-time and adjust their instruction to address students’ individual needs. In addition, it promotes open discussion and interest and gives quieter students a means to more fully participate.

"As achievement, assessment and increased comprehension remain top of mind with educators and parents alike, the TI-Navigator system, coupled with established curriculum, is a solution that can help teachers and students succeed," said Tom Ferrio, vice president of Educational & Productivity Solutions for Texas Instruments. "We’ve tested the system in classrooms across the country, and the teachers and students that we’ve worked with are extremely enthusiastic about their experience."

Classroom Reaction

According to Corey Boby of the Arkansas Department of Education, "The most interesting aspect of the TI-Navigator system is the environment it helps foster in the classroom. I use it mostly to get feedback from my students. With the technology, I can quickly find out where my entire class is relative to a concept or an opinion, without the conversation being dominated by one or two vocal students." Ann Davidian, Math Chairperson at MacArthur High School in Levittown, NY, also has used the TI Navigator with her calculus classes. "When I use TI-Navigator my students get excited about doing their work. With this system I'm able to see where I need to focus more or less energy to move on to the next topic. In addition, TI-Navigator shows my students that they are not alone when they get questions wrong or right. It builds a sense of community in my classes."

Research Supports the Use of Classroom Networks

"Teachers and researchers began reporting their experience with classroom networks over a decade ago and the level of research has surged in the past few years," said Jeremy Roschelle, a senior cognitive scientist at SRI's Center for Technology in Learning. "Classroom teachers have developed powerful uses of the technology, and documented the positive effects they have seen. Their experiences resonate with educational theories and established empirical results. Now, with more advanced versions of the technology becoming available, researchers will be able to conduct rigorous scientific studies of the learning gains that are possible with this technology."

How it Works

The TI-Navigator system easily integrates into the classroom environment and works with the TI educational handhelds and software applications already used by many schools. It runs on the 802.11b protocol, also known as Wi-Fi, and incorporates four key elements:

Teachers can disseminate class materials, assignments and quizzes from their PC to the students’ TI handheld. When the students respond via their handhelds, their answers and completed assignments appear on the teacher’s PC, often in the form of a bar chart or similarly easy to read chart. Teachers can evaluate overall classroom comprehension, and identify areas in need of further instruction. They can also have increased confidence that the results reflect the entire classroom, including those students who are too shy or reticent to fully participate.