ICT in Schools
Personal Digital Assistant Project
A Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is a hand held portable computer. The Barking and Dagenham PDA Project has been set up to develop the use of mobile technology for teaching and learning within the borough.
The project builds upon a successful collaboration between Dulwich Picture Gallery, Warren Secondary School and Street Access Software Company.
Learning visits to Valence House
The first phase of the Barking and Dagenham PDA Project will use hand held computers and wireless technology to introduce students to the wealth of resources at Valence House Museum.
Teachers and Heritage Staff devise tours, trails, guides and lessons which can be accessed wirelessly in the museum using PDA's.
Pupils experience the hidden world of history, the real people behind the portraits.
The positive impact of using this technology:
- Increased confidence, motivation and involvement
- Personalised learning: Students navigate the guides or trails at their own pace and level
- Pupils are curious and engaged
- They respond, interpret and apply learning in new contexts
An important part of the project is the use of PDA's in the classroom to support remote learning at Valence House.
Teachers' tailor-make lesson material to fit with existing schemes of work using software that is easy to use.
View sample trails which support learning visits to Valence House
Guidance on using the i-guide portal 
PDF 25K
Initial report of the Barking and Dagenham PDA project: September 2005 - December 2005 PDF 514K
To view PDF files requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader software.
Bett 2006 - Personalised learning using Sony PSP
On the Street Access stand the Sony PSP hand held device displayed interactive educational content developed for Valence House Museum in Dagenham using the Street Access i-guide software.
Documents and articles
The Guardian article 4 April 2006|
The article highlights the developments in the PDA project in the fourth and final year.
Report documenting the pilot at Dulwich Picture gallery
Daily Telegraph article 1 January 2005|
The article follows GCSE textile students from Warren school using interactive trails in the gallery
CAL 2005 Teacher Poster Award Winner PDF 248K
Hand held computers in education. Can 21st Century Technology be used to learn about 17th Century Art?. A new approach to learning using interactive wireless lessons or 'trails'.
