Dec 11 2008
Got an iPod Touch?
I recently attended an Apple Seminar titled Think Ahead in which participants learned how to use an iPod Touch for instruction. We were shown how students, using 21st century skills, can work collaboratively in real world classroom projects and publish their work to be viewed on an iPod Touch.
Podcast/Vodcast
Instead of creating a basic power point presentation, where the power point slide show takes precedence over the students oral presentation, students can create a podcast or a vodcast. When students create power point presentations, they usually just repeat what is on the slide. Students don’t really get to internalize what they have learned. Most of the time, students just copy and paste what they find in text or on the web and put it in a bulleted list with a picture and they are done.
With the podcast, or vodcast, students need to understand and take ownership of the content before they can create the product. They need to write out a script and chunk it into sections. Each section also needs to have an appropriate image to accompany it. Because the product is going to be published and synced to the iPod Touch to be shared with the class or made available online, students are going to put more effort into their work in order to put out quality work. And because it is going to be synced to the iPod, students will be able to listen to their work over and over.
iTunes
Another benefit for using iPods is the ability to get “just in time learning.” Teachers and students can use iTunes to log into the iTunes Store and access thousands of free educational podcasts. iTunes also has a number of Universities participatng in iTunesU, which offer free college level course material in the form of podcasts.
Fluency
Want to record your students fluency readings? With the use of a Belkin microphone for the iPod, you can record your students as they read and track their progress. Think about the impact this will have on your EL students. This will give them the opportunity to practice speaking and reflect on their ability to pronounce words correctly and improve their fluency.
Recording their fluency is just one of many uses of an iPod. How about having students record the sound spelling card sounds and publishing it on a CD for others to use. How about digitizing stories so that students can listen to them on a CD or iPod?
If you have any other ideas or suggestions, post them here to share with others.
