Ipods in the Classroom

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• I-pods in the Classroom

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I-pods in the Classroom

• Apples iPod is one of the hottest technologies
  on the market. Besides being used to store and
  play music, people are now finding other methods
  for using it in their daily lives. Ipods are now
  becoming a popular item in the classroom as well.
  They are designed to organize and store large
  amounts of information that can be useful to
  todays technologically up to date student.
  Though some think it may cause a distraction,
  many teachers and administrators believe iPods
  are a great tool for students and that they will
  provide an immense amount of experience with
  technology and help them to learn some valuable
  life skills.

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I-pods in the Classroom

• In todays world everything about education and
  knowledge is changing. Many schools and college
  campuses now have access to a great deal of
  information via the internet and new technology.
  One new piece of technology that is popping up
  all over classrooms throughout the United States
  is Apples iPod. Originally used to store and
  play music the iPod has now proven it can be used
  for many other purposes, especially when it comes
  to learning. Teachers and administrators are
  finding ways to implement the technology into
  their classrooms as a learning aid. Though some
  have argued iPods may just be another distraction
  to children, others have shown these tiny objects
  can in fact improve and advance childrens idea
  of education and technology.

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I-pods in the Classroom

• Over the past two years, Apples iPod has become
  one of the hottest selling gadgets on the market.
  Its most popular use is for storing and playing
  songs. However, the MP3 player that runs off a
  hard drive or a flash memory can now do so much
  more than store and play thousands of music
  files. It now can store and organize addresses,
  phone numbers, notes, files, as well as play
  videos and pictures. They also can send reminders
  about of important dates, and store audiobooks
  and podcasts

• The iPod can be used by anyone with the iTunes
  program on their computer. The program allows
  them to sync their iPod to download all the songs
  and files they want onto it.

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I-pods in the Classroom

• Recently, iPod has been introduced into the
  classroom and workplace and is changing the face
  of learning. Students are now capable of doing
  everything from producing podcasts to creating
  papers and projects that can be shared via the
  web. A podcast is a term derived from combining
  iPod and broadcasting (Borja, 2005).
  Teachers and students alike are using podcasts to
  distribute their lectures, projects, and homework
  on the internet for others to access.

• A podcast is recorded using an audio software
  program and a microphone. The types of files
  range from files. The files can then be edited
  and compressed into an MP3 format. The final
  step is to post them on a web server for others
  to subscribe to such as Apples iTunes Music
  Store. The podcasts can then be accessed by
  anyone who wishes to hear them or read them.

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I-pods in the Classroom

• So just what can an iPod do for a student in
  the classroom?
• The iPod has been found to be most effectively
  used in subjects such as English, Language Arts,
  Social Studies, Science, and in foreign language
  classes.
• They are excellent for helping students with
  things such as vocabulary, research skills, and
  writing and editing papers.
• It also allows technology savvy students the
  chance to work with computers producing podcasts
  and presentations complete with music and audio
  files.
• Not only does using an iPod improve students
  learning skills, it also helps them with
  communication skills, time management, and
  problem solving. It also can help prevent losing
  written assignments by storing them and
  transporting them on the iPod from home to
  school.

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I-pods in the Classroom

• Programs such as iTunes U allows students on
  college campuses access to class materials,
  lectures, and other audio or video content all
  them time. As more and more campuses become
  wireless, this program is making it easier for
  students to download the content onto their
  computer, transfer it to the iPod and go,
  listening when it is convenient for them.

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I-pods in the Classroom

• Another place that the iPod has been utilized for
  education purposes is the workplace. Capital One
  Bank has used the iPod in their employee training
  and educational programs. When designing the
  programs, time was a big issue for both employees
  and the trainers. At first they began using an
  audio based program which allowed for the
  employee to listen to the material on his or her
  own time, while still getting all of their work
  done during the day. It also eliminated days
  missed due to attend such programs and workshop.

• When the company introduced the iPod and
  podcasting, it cut costs even further allowing
  more people to use it. Mike Bress, a financial
  manager for Capital One, said audio learning
  lets users move at their own pace, and if there
  is material they dont understand or want to
  review, its as simple as hitting the reverse
  key and listening again (Sussman, 2005).

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iPods can be used for several things, but how can
they be beneficial in the classroom?

• According to Steve Sloan, the iPod is used for
  distance learning, to facilitate self-paced
  learners, for recommendation of slower learners,
  to allow faculty to offer advanced and or highly
  motivated learners extra content, and for
  helping students with reading and/or other
  learning disabilities (Sloan, 2004).
• Sloan also states several other reasons why
  iPods are beneficial in the classroom, including
  giving teachers a break from lecturing and
  allowing educators to have a guest speaker from a
  remote location.
• Apple.com offers lesson plans for teachers who
  wish to use podcasting as an educational resource
  and they offer students ideas on how to use the
  iPod for presentations and other work.
• They even offer student discounts at the Apple
  Authorized Campus Store (Apple, 2006). As the
  tool has become more popular, seminars and
  workshops demonstrating their capabilities are
  springing up all over the country

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Are there also drawbacks of using iPods in the
classroom ?

• . Jerry Strantton, principal of Johnston High
  School in Iowa, is trying to get iPods banned
  from the school because they are a distraction.
• Stratton recommended to the board that the high
  school handbook be amended to add iPods to a list
  of items considered a distraction to students and
  teachers.
• Currently, the list includes skateboards, laser
  pointers, CD players, water devices, radios,
  cassette players, playing cards, televisions,
  pagers and cell phones (Ryan, 2006).
• Schools all around the country are trying to ban
  iPods. Anderson County School District in
  Tennessee has successfully done so (WATE, 2006).

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Another drawback to podcasting is taking place on
college campuses. Professors can simply record
their lecture and post it on the internet to be
downloaded by the student. When this happens,
parents begin to wonder what they are paying
tuition for. The students do not have to
physically go to class to learn. Why spend
thousands of dollars for your child to sit in his
or her dorm room playing with a new gadget, are
iPods really helping them learn?
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I-pods in the Classroom

• Overview

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I-pods in the Classroom

• Integrated into iTunes and iLife
• iTunes provides seamless and automatic
  synchronization. Students can create slideshows,
  soundtracks, and movie projects using iPhoto,
  iMovie HD, and QuickTime, organize and store them
  using iTunes, and access them or present them
  anywhere. And iPod can connect to a TV, video
  projector, or display using optional cables and
  present student work to an entire classroom.
• Digital photos make science experiments, social
  studies assignments, and journalism projects come
  to life. Yearbook and drama clubs rely on
  photography, too. You can transfer thousands of
  photos to your iPod or iPod nano from iPhoto.
  Plus, upload photos directly from your camera to
  iPod using the optional iPod Camera Connector.

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I-pods in the Classroom

• Class notes, not just musical notes
• Transfer text-based information to your iPod and
  read it onscreen. With the notes reader, news
  articles, classroom notes, even flash cards for
  spelling tests can be right at hand. You can even
  link audio files and notes files for enhanced
  audio/visual learning, and podcasts allow
  students to subscribe to text, audio, and video
  curriculum materials right out of iTunes.
• Keep track of your schedule and your classmates
  with iPodit supports iCal and Address Book on
  the Mac and Outlook or Outlook Express on the PC,
  as well as industry-standard vCalendar and vCard
  files for Entourage and Palm Desktop syncing. So
  creative excuses are replaced by creative
  homework.

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• Load and transfer with ease
• Loading files, photos, notes, and songs onto your
  iPod is easy. The iPod dock connector on the
  bottom of the iPod lets you connect, sync, and
  recharge quickly using the included USB cable. Or
  for iPod, you can leave the optional iPod
  Universal Dock connected to your Mac or Windows
  PC, and sync and charge every time you dock your
  iPod. And since the dock works with the new Apple
  Remote, you can now connect the Universal Dock to
  a stereo system, powered speakers, or a TV, and
  control your music, slideshows, and video from
  across the room.
• An iPod for everyone
• Choose an iPod that meets your needs, whether
  its a 30GB or 60GB iPod, now with video, 2GB or
  4GB iPod nano, or a 500MB or 1GB iPod shuffle.
  Youll find that you can store hours of music,
  slideshows (on iPod and iPod nano), video (on
  iPod), audiobooks and lectures or weeks of
  language lessons. You can even use your iPod to
  conveniently transfer your digital files from
  school to home and back. And you can listen
  longer on your iPod with up to 15 hours of
  battery life.

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iPod in Education News Profiles

• Georgia College State University A Pocket Full
  of Learning
• In rural Georgia, many college students are
  sporting a new accessory. Professors at Georgia
  College State University (GCSU) have
  discovered that the iPod isnt just the worlds
  coolest device for storing and playing music
  tracks. Now, students in several classes tote an
  iPod around campus to listen to digital audio
  content that ranges from Shakespeare to Spanish
  history.
• Stanford University Revolutionizing Curriculum
  and Communications
• As a founding member of the Apple Digital Campus
  Exchange, Stanford began exploring a future in
  which pervasive computing and the use of devices
  such as iPod would play a significant role in
  education. Soon after, the university launched
  its Stanford on iTunes initiative, which gave
  users an easy way to access rich digital
  materials.
• The Brearley School iPod Personalizes Language
  Learning
• In times past, a student wearing headphones in
  class, listening to rap music, would receive a
  one-way ticket to detention. But in certain
  language classes at the Brearley School, the
  faculty enthusiastically endorses this behavior.
  However, instead of traditional headphones,
  students now sport the sleek, white iPod buds.
  And the rap music, quite often, is in French.

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I-pods in the Classroom

• Technology has been changing the classroom and
  learning for decades. With the invention of the
  internet and the world wide wed, people gained
  instant access to places and information that was
  never accessible before. As technology advances
  even further learning will inevitably change as
  well. Many people wonder if learning should be
  this convenient. Will iPods become the new
  computer for the classroom? Do they really help
  children learn or are they just another
  distraction? No one is sure for now, but for many
  these tiny pieces of machinery are changing the
  outlook on learning. Maybe one day our whole
  learning experience will be online and through
  these portable gadgets. One thing that is clear
  is that iPods are changing the regular classroom
  routine and making it easier for young kids to
  understand technology and the modern world and
  learn in a whole new way.

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• References
• (2006). Apple Student Discounts. Retrieved
• April 29,2006, from Apple
• Web site http//www.apple.com/education/hed/stude
  nts/discounts.html
• Balas, Janet L. (2005).
• Blogging is so Last Year--Now Podcasting is Hot.
• Computers in Libraries. 25, 29-32.
• Borja, R.R. (2005, December, 7). Podcasting
• craze comes to K-12 Schools.
• Education Week, 25,
• Retrieved April 24, 2006,
• from http//search.epnet.com/login.aspx?directtru
  edbqehanBEDI051
• Clinton, Board votes to ban iPods and
• other electronic devices from

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• Galuszka, Peter (2005). Colleges and Universities
  
• Are Increasingly Exploring the Academic Use of
  Digital
• Mobil Devices-But Lack of Money Sometimes Stands
  in the Way.
• Technology's Latest Wave, 20, Retrieved 3-6, from
  http//eric.ed.gov/EricWebPortal/home.portal?
• iPod in the Classroom. . Retrieved March 10, 2006
• Web site http//www.apple.com/au/education/ipod
• Itunes U. Retrieved April 12, 2005,
• from Apple Education Web site http//www.apple.co
  m/education/solutions/itunes_u/
• Ryan, Lisa Lavia (2006, April 28).
• Students, put away your iPods.
• The DesMoines Register.
• Selingo, J Students and teachers, from
• K to 12 hit the podcasts.
• (2006, January 25). The
• New York Times, p. G4.

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By Kelly Sherwood, Valerie Panuska, Rebecca
Lilly, Rachael Pope
I-pods in the Classroom