iPod touch, Apps & Wirenode in Fourth Grade

Lauren Haber teaches fourth graders at Sandy Plains Elementary in Maryland. She's got a class set of iPod touches, and her students and she are having a blast learning with them! Lauren shared some of her favorite apps with me (and she assured me that they have many favorites at Sandy Plains).

Math

• Sticker Shop - Lauren used this as a review of counting money. She wishes it could have different ability levels because it doesn't challenge her students, but they love it.
• Math Carries - Practice regrouping.
• Dice - Great for when they play games in class, random number generation, and probability. There's no real dice for students to misplace or leave scattered around the classroom.
• Multiples - This is another great multiplication game, with expressions represented as arrays.
• Math Dr. Lite - Lauren loves how it can be customized for the needs of each student (they use it for multiplication and division facts) and she likes the variety of helpful aids while students are in review mode (number line, repeated addition, multiplication table, nearby facts).

Social Studies and Science

• Discovery News - Read about currently events.
• NASA - Terrific space resources.
• Live Moon - Display a picture of what moon looks like on this day and  access a current calendar of moon phases.

Language Arts

• Make Words - Use root words, prefixes, and suffixes to create words.
• Dragon Dication - Transcribe what students speak into a microphone with this free speech-to-text app.
• Dictionary.com - Great for word of the day and choosing appropriate definitions.

Lauren has created a mobile website for her students and their parents using the free Wirenode service. It makes it simple for Lauren to share links with students, and it gives her students a place to go on the web related to each of their subject areas. Parents find the page helpful for keeping updated on what's going on in class. The site also guides students when they research topics at home. Check out the mobile site at misshaber.wirenode.mobi.

Lauren says her students are so much more engaged while using the iPod touches. She can't imagine teaching without them as much as her students can't imagine learning without them!

Comments

[Moe]

I think it's important to note that the iPod Touch has completely unfiltered WIFI access. A child who has unsupervised access to one of these has access to all the pornography and social network predators of the internet. Anyone knowledgeable in internet law enforcement or addictions can tell you that this is a recipe for disaster. Any blocking mechanism you put on the iPod touch can easily be removed by resetting the device, and every child knows this.

[Kevin]

"Any blocking mechanism you put on the iPod touch can easily be removed by resetting the device, and every child knows this."

Every school district knows this, too. That is why the filtering has to be at the system level. An iPod Touch connected to the network in my school would be subject to the same web filtering as any other internet device in the building (and, believe me, my district is very restrictive). I would be totally comfortable with a class set of iPod Touches in the hands of my students.

[Moe]

Thanks Kevin. Wouldn't the school level restrictions only work if they connect the iPods to the school wifi network? What's stopping the children from connecting to another network that's broadcasting near the school? Also, if they take these iPods home you have all the networks they connect with in their neighborhoods.

[Gemma]

It's amazing how early childhood education has expanded into phones. It's amazing that kids at such a young age are actively being promoted to use technology.

[Kevin]

"What's stopping the children from connecting to another network that's broadcasting near the school?"

Outside wifi networks would be a problem for some schools, although most modern schools are built on such large physical plants that an iPod Touch would have trouble establishing a good connection. It certainly would have to be tested in a school first.

Of course, nothing can take the place of good old fashioned teacher supervision in the classroom. I hope to have a iPod Touch classroom set someday for my elementary music class, and I see them as an extension of me - not a replacement of me. I will be actively involved in the lesson activity, actively guiding and supervising students, just as I do now. Any student who abuses the privilege of using mobile technology will loose the privilege, so there should be some motivation to follow the rules in that (although I'm sure some will anyway).

I would never allow an iPod Touch to go home with a student, as well.

[Moe]

Thanks Kevin. I'm really glad to hear that you're aware of the issue and that you are taking steps to make this work appropriately. I hope all school and parents (we can always hope) are as vigilante. I wish you much success!