iPods aren't just for music anymore

If a student is caught listening to their iPod in class, they might not get in trouble anymore. District 13 is using the popular device as a teaching tool, and students and teachers are embracing it.

Linda Alesi, the instructional technology specialist, said there are three iPod carts currently in the district. She said the decision to purchase iPods for the classroom was based on research showing that the technology could be successfully used for teaching and learning.

And it was very easy to integrate the technology into the classroom, Alesi said. Almost as soon as children picked up an iPod, they knew what they were doing. “We really thought we were going to have to teach the kids the technology behind it,” she said, “and that was not the case.”

Paula Barnick, an ESL teacher at Howell Road School, has been using the iPods with her students since the end of last year and said they are very useful because “technology is a universal language.” She uses a program call iSentence, which allows children to practice their grammar, and Clock Master, which is used to learn how to tell time. She also has students use their iPods to study weather by looking at climate conditions in their native countries.

There are many applications, or apps, that Barnick uses with her students. There is an app for notes, which can be used to practice writing, or record answers for a practice test. Voice Memos allow children to read a passage, and then play it back to hear how they can improve their reading and speaking skills.

Barnick noted that each child is assigned a specific iPod, so at the end of the day she can turn on each one and check on a student’s progress.

She has also created a few podcasts, which children can then listen to on their iPod. Barnick said this allows a child to work at their own pace and if they have trouble understanding something, they can simply play it back. One of her podcasts was on simple machines, which she said ties in with the science curriculum for the students. “I think it gives the teacher a lot of room for creativity,” she said of the iPods.

Eventually, Barnick said she wants students to start making their own podcasts to teach each other. She would also like to add an index card app which will allow students to learn vocabulary words, and incorporate music into her lessons.

Fifth-grader Christopher Turnier said he loves having the iPod in class, and learned how to spell several words using it. “It’s cool games that teach you stuff,” he said.

Alesi said that she gave Barnick a $50 budget for purchasing apps, and so far that has been more than enough. Apps typically cost 99 cents to $3.99. “It’s very cost effective,” Alesi said.

Barnick added that she samples every program before purchasing it to make sure that it is educational.

Initially, Alesi said, there were some concerns about whether the iPods were too small to be an effective learning tool. But size doesn't matter, she said, because students enjoy using it.

And the children treat the school’s iPods like their own. “They really take such care when they have these in their hands,” Barnick said.

Alesi said she will explore the possibility of purchasing iPads, which are larger and can be used for reading books.

As for the iPods, they are currently being used in the Wheeler Avenue School library and a sixth-grade class at Willow Road, in addition to Howell Road. Alesi said she would like to add additional iPod carts — which contain 20 iPods each — to more places in the district because the technology has proven to be a successful educational tool. “We would love to have one in each building,” she said. “That’s a definite plan this year if we have the funding to do it.”