Classroom assistant for real-time information retrieval

The popularization of the PDA as a mass market productivity tool and the increasing focus on using technology to augment learning has led to many experiments with digital assistants in the classroom setting. Most such systems simply combine existing networking and database technologies to create an unimaginative application that converts traditional classroom activities into a digital format. In this paper, we propose a wireless handheld system which contains feedback and retrieval capabilities, plus an integrated onboard camera to enable image capture and save directly from the classroom, as well as image search and retrieval from the same information server. This system not only presents advancement over existing digital tools for the classroom, it also means a step forward for the smart classroom environment.