iPods: Not Just for Music Anymore - K-12 iPod Initiatives
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At Jamestown Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia, students learn how to use the technology to record podcasts. Camilla Gagliolo, the school’s instructional technology coordinator, notes that this may be one of the best ways to reach the young learners. “This is the GameBoy generation, so these devices really are simple for them to understand and adopt,” she explained. “Students really like them. They’re excited about them. They forget they’re learning because learning becomes so fun.”
One Texas school district used more than 100 iPods in a pilot program at a number of schools. Kindergarten teachers got into the act by downloading songs and stories into iPods to help the students learning English to practice their language skills at school and at home. Angela Shelley, the district’s media specialist, said that the students benefit from being able to “listen, read along [when class readings are downloaded into the iPod], and practice saying those words – seeing and comprehending them better. They can listen to it over and over, take it home, and refer to it again.”
Gunston Middle School, also in Arlington, Virginia, puts out “Buzzwords,” a free weekly student-run podcast. These short shows are slices of life at the middle school; a recent one featured the sounds of soccer players, cheerleaders, an interview with a student working on designing a set for a play at the school, and more. In a sense, a podcast to this generation is a little like the school newspaper to a previous generation. The tricky part, of course, is that teachers still need to learn how to handle the technology if they’re going to teach their students how to use it.
At Pinecrest Elementary School in Hastings, Minnesota, music teacher Michael Fridgen uses iPods to help him teach concepts such as rhythm, tempo, and dynamics. Before iPods, he used to play musical selections on CDs. Now his first-through-fifth graders enjoy the interactive aspect of iPods, along with the ability to choose which songs to play. “They feel this sense of empowerment,” Fridgen explains.
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