Technology has long promised to have a significant impact on K-12 education. Each new wave of innovation—mainframes, timesharing, desktops, the Internet—rekindles those expectations. Sadly, K-12 schools are still waiting for the long-promised results. Indeed, while the Internet has brought about positive changes in many areas of everyday life, including in commerce and government, K-12 education has gotten precious little value from it.

The arrival of a new generation of technology—handheld computers—also raises skeptical questions about the potential impact of these powerful tools: given our poor track record, why should anyone believe the technology enthusiasts? What is so different about handheld computers?

Since 1999, we have worked with more than 1,000 students in K-12 classrooms around the country exploring the strengths and weaknesses of handheld computers for teaching and learning. As a result, we believe the promise of handheld computers will be realized because they effectively address the concerns of teachers. What follows are some of the reasons based on what we have identified in our research and in conversations with teachers.