iPods in Instruction

I feel that I have to begin this blog with a WOW and a "Now I feel old" comment! Of course that should be followed up with "What a wonderfully obvious idea!" After doing my research on using iPods in the classroom I am left sitting here wishing that I had the same opportunity and excited because that will most likely be how my children will learn.



The first website I visited was the apple website . That was a great place for me to start my research. I felt Apple did a wonderful job of really laying the information out there for me in a easy format for me to digest. They talk about mobile learning and the necessity of such tools. Apple is informative on how to not only create the educational content but also how to get that content to your students. They are quick to point out how easy and convenient it will be for students to be able to tune into class topics on their own schedule.



Another site I visited was the Duke Center for Instruction and Technology . Here I discovered the DDI, Duke Digital Initiative, which is a multi-year program that will experiment, develop and implement many new and emerging technologies. Duke has created this to tested the effectiveness of these technologies within their school. In 2004 Duke gave the entering freshmen an iPOD to help enhance this experiment! Now, duke is only giving the iPods to students taking classes in which the professor will be specifically using the equipment to further the study. I think this proves that there is great initiative out there in our state side universities. How many other state side universities are there out there that are doing this? Perhaps there should be more?



Here is an impressive school that is doing something similar to Duke University: The Chapin School. This is an all girls school ranging from grades K though 12 and located in New York. Although they are not giving the iPods to the students, they are still using them within the classroom. I was taken back to find out that they are using the iPods in their class as early as the eighth grade. Then, I thought about how well my 4 year old plays the Wii and how well my 6 year old niece can navigate around on her iPhone. This website is worth poking around. Check it out and let me know your thoughts!