"I think it's a matter of time before we're all using (handhelds)," said Sally Hennis, a teacher and technology coordinator from St. Louis, who was practicing her graffiti. "I think it's a matter of getting other teachers to buy into it. I just see a lot of benefits for the everyday kid."

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The excitement doesn't surprise Elliot Soloway, a professor at the University of Michigan who is developing applications for the Palm OS.

"Last year, handhelds were emerging," he said. "This year, it's established."

Hennis uses her handheld computer all the time.

"I bought it wondering if I would use it, knowing that education was really moving that way. Now I don't know how I lived without it," she said, now on her second Palm in a year and a half.

She had hoped to see more workshops on applications for the Palm at this year's National Educational Computing Conference.

"I'm trying to figure out how to use Palms in our schools," said Jim Clark, an instructional technology specialist with the Wichita Public Schools in Kansas.

Clark said that a few schools in the district are using the handhelds but he hopes to get some grants to jump-start a larger program.

"It gives all kids an opportunity to use technology," he said.

Texas Instruments also hopes to expand its image beyond that of a graphing calculator for science and math classes to that of a handheld that can be used in other subject areas.

Many schools already use the devices and could download new applications onto them for use in other classes.

"We're not focused on doing PDAs for business," said Tom Ferrio, vice president of education for TI. "This is specifically designed for students."

The company introduced a new, durable keyboard that is built to withstand the hazards of a backpack. It's packaged with a word processing software application so that students can take notes. Other new applications include customizable flashcards and multiple choice questions.

The company is working with the National Council of Social Studies and the National Council of Teachers of English to develop more lessons that can be used in conjunction with the device.

In the fall, TI will introduce a product called the TI Navigator, a wireless hub for teachers that can collect student work stored on the individual TI-83s, then move them to the teacher's computer to be evaluated.

While the company is expanding into other subject areas, a number of teachers still regard TI's tools as strictly math and science.