A final thought on the IPod Touch

Over this quarter I have spent quite a bit of time thinking about how to use the IPod Touch in my classroom. It’s ease in use for voice recording is a great tool all by itself, but would that make it worth the expense when there are other digital voice recorders out there they might serve the same function?


In my current placement we are fortunate enough to be able to use a lot of technology on a daily basis. We are a pilot program for having Net Book computers in the classroom (in addition to several desk top models that we have access to in a shared space right outside our classroom door). We use these resources as often as we can, making sure that they have a legitimate learning purpose. The mere mention of getting the computers out raises the excitement level in the room, even if it’s just to use them for writing friendly letters or using them for graphic organizers!

In contrast I only had access to one IPod Touch. I think if I had the resources to have a set (at least 5 or 6) so that we could rotate activities in small groups I might have had more incentive to explore the possibilities for differentiating instruction, just as we do with the computers that we have. Having just one put me in a position where I would have to choose just one student at a time to make use of it. I can however imagine the excitement students would have for learning with the Touch. Anything that makes a student WANT to learn is a good thing, in my opinion.

If our classroom had students that needed extra remediation in a particular subject (such as a special ed. Student or ELL), there might have been a logical use for one student to not participate with the rest of the class in what they were doing and do something different that was geared toward them, but as it was, our class is a highly capable class without these students to make considerations for.

You might ask yourself: Wouldn’t a classroom of gifted students be an ideal place to pilot differentiation of instruction using an IPod Touch? Yes, it would…if I had more than one. How do I choose from a class of 26 unique learners which one gets to use the Touch? Because I can guarantee, in this class, it would be noticed. Just asking 3 students to record interviews using the Touch caused all kinds of “why not me? Why them?” questions. If I only let 1 or 2 or 3 students sit off to the side and “play” with the Touch, I think we would have had another classroom management issue on our hands.

We instead chose to differentiate learning with the resources that we had: the Net Books and desktop computers. I anticipate that Touches could possibly be great tools in a classroom possessing a set and a teacher who was motivated to learn how to make use of them. But for the cost of a Touch relative to a Net Book (which I believe is much more versatile), I would have to choose the Net Book. If we were fortunate enough to have access to both, the possibilities for advancing our students in our learning would be even that much greater. Maybe someday in the future we will! I can hope…

In an ideal world, yes, I would love to have a set of Touches in my classroom. If I am ever fortunate enough to get them, I will make an effort to use them in real learning every day. Motivation goes a long way in helping students to learn. I have visions of math centers that kids rotate through to practice math facts, and literacy centers for beginning readers that allow them to listen to audio books and even make their own. But until I do have a set that I can work with and know that I can use for my students, I also believe that I need to focus on the resources that I DO have to differentiate learning for all of my students.

We need a place to go...

What are my current thoughts about using Touches for differentiated learning in the classroom?


My thoughts have not changed much over the course of the last few weeks. The possibilities are endless; it’s just a matter of having the time and opportunity to talk to like-minded professionals to help wade through vast array of applications that are available. Time is short for lesson planning, with or without this added technology. I do believe that this will serve as a valuable resource in our future classrooms, but we need to come up with a “one-stop shopping” source for ideas on how to use it. A place that is logically *organized* where teachers can submit their ideas, their tips they have thought of and used. A place where I can type in…polynomials…and I can pull up the app ideas that other teachers have used in their classrooms when differentiating this concept. Without the time, energy and resources, I am afraid that the Touch will end up being a really handy recording device (which I do LOVE, don’t get me wrong) and calculator in the classroom…and not much else.

And then there is the question of apps that are not free. If we have a class set of Touches (lucky us!) and we find a really fabulous app that costs $2.99, how do we pay for each Touch to be able to run it? Some free apps are great, but others cost money. Grants are one possibility, maybe, but they take time and the class that is sitting in front of me this year who could really use it might just be out of luck.

Why using an IPod Touch to differentiate learning would help my students…

My main placement is in a “highly capable” classroom. These students, as well as many others, would benefit greatly from having the ease of access to information that the Touch would give them. Currently, they are working on 2 different assignments that they have to research and put together using computer generated end projects. If they don’t have to wait for the use of a computer, a lot more can be accomplished during the school day. This would also help for those instances where the student does not have computer access at home to do this type of research.

It is also a great gift to a teacher who has many of these "highly capable" students so that they could make use of the large number of educational apps, available for every subject, as extensions of their learning while they are waiting for others to finish their work. The teacher could tailor the list of possible activities for each student according to what they need to work on at that time.

I have one student in particular who has a difficult time getting ideas down onto paper. He is VERY verbally talented with an amazing grasp of vocabulary and he is an out of the box thinker with fantastic ideas if you verbally ask him questions. But when he is confronted with a blank piece of paper, he can’t start. If he had the ability to go somewhere and record what he says in response to the prompt given verbally, and then he could listen to what he said and start to write it down on paper, it might get him past that initial first step of brainstorming freeze.

Our school is fortunate to be taking place in pilot program for using netbooks in the classroom. I have seen firsthand that even the mention of using technology gets these kids excited about even the smallest task. Enthusiasm and attitude can play a major role in how quickly and willingly students will advance their learning. If we are able to add this relatively inexpensive and easily accessible form of technology to our classroom activities, the level of excitement that could be brought to everyday activities, such as literacy centers and learning math facts, could only help these students advance. The tech can be somewhat distracting at times and the kids tend to lose focus on other things that they need to do instead, but with proper classroom management this can be minimized and possibly be used in a positive way.