Article: Texas Schools Welcome iPods

The Dallas Morning News published the story Grand Prairie Schools Welcome iPods in Classrooms. It features Whitt Elementary in Grand Prairie, Texas where teachers are using 321 iPods "to teach kids about subjects they might otherwise find boring." The iPods have only been in use a couple of weeks at the school, but the media players have inspired teachers to have these ideas:

• Use GarageBand to produce a song about states of matter. Listen here.
• Help teach English Language Learners and foreign languages.
• Video students being revolving planets.
• Produce a podcast about the American Revolution.
• View video about season changes.
• Allow students to take the iPods home (as long as they are returned the next day).

Whitt's principal, Alisha Crumley is quoted, "This is tech generation. So, when we think of instructing students, we have to think of different ways of teaching, To get their attention in class, we have to keep up."

Whitt teachers are embracing change and are doing great things for students. The activities and teacher/student creation of media seem to be the most powerful parts of how teachers are changing instruction. iPods are not necessary to create these products--the content creation is done almost exclusively on desktop computers. But, the mere presence of iPods and the desire to fill them with something engaging is the catalyst for change and that's a good thing and probably worth the $73,114 price tag.

For more iPod uses click on over to learninginhand's iPods in Education page.

Comments

[Judy]

Wow. This is great. Just what I have been trying to convince our district to get involved with more.
Love the excitement from the teachers and principal.

[Mackinac Fur Trader]

I love it. This is what educating today's digital students is all about. I wish my administrators and school board understood this.

[Mr. Stevens]

Glad to hear that other schools in the Dallas area are embracing the power of iPod technology. It is nice to know that Bishop Dunne is not the only school in DFW that realizes the power of this technology and that students no longer learn the way they did ten or fifteen years ago.

Kyle Stevens
Bishop Dunne Catholic School

[Anonymous]

One really cool thing about iPods is that parents think of them as great gift ideas. A forward-thinking teacher could casually mention all the classroom podcasting planned for January in newsletters.

Dale