Developing Education

This post is probably overdue. Teachers ask me all the time how I keep students from ‘fooling around’ on the iPods. These little handhelds have a reputation (as furthered by Apple no less) that they are gaming devices. Yes, they have an ‘app for everything,’ but much of the press on iPods is about game developers, and the iPod’s abilities as a gaming system. So, what’s a teacher to do?

Management of the ‘distraction’ of iPods is much easier with school-owned devices, as I simply don’t install games on them. However, this doesn’t deal with all of the distraction, as students still have access to the internet and can find plenty of ways to ‘do their own thing’ with the apps I provide. I have found that management of any technology comes down more to the teacher than the students.

My strategy with iPods (and cell phones, and other music players) has always been appropriate use at appropriate times. But, appropriate use doesn’t transfer into student cooperation unless we are ‘present’ in working with the class. Working closely with students on their projects has the greatest impact on proper use and effective learning with individualized devices (including computers.) I have learned this one the hard way. There have been times when I have ‘set the students loose’ to work on classwork that might not have been the most engaging, only to find them disengaged later upon review of the results.

I have also found that one key policy alleviates 90% of student issues with iPods and cell phones. I am lucky enough to work in a school where teachers are able to ‘set their own standard’ in the classroom for mobile devices. As such, I let students use their cell phones and iPods during worktime, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the classroom. My policy during instruction and direct activities however, is that students will have their devices off and in the corner of their desks. This includes the class iPods. As long as I hold to this rule, students appreciate the difference in time usage and use the devices far more appropriately, even in the times when they are allowed to. It’s about setting a climate for technology use in the classroom. At some point in the near future, I am going to formalize some tech in the classroom presentations for students and educators, as this is becoming an area in which I see more and more need for good resources. (if you’re interested, let me know; it’ll get me working on it faster!)

I also had my first instance of a student installing an app on a classroom iPod in this last week. I had gone almost a year without even turning on the parental controls on the units, which in hindsight I probably should have done. However, I always err on the side of trust, and students had never shown any desire to try and install apps or download music. As I synced the devices to install a new app, I had a warning through iTunes about the app, and easily identified the student who had done the installation. He was sorry he had done it, and I’m sure he would never do it again. However, in the interest of not having students be put in the position of being tempted again, I finally disabled iTunes and the App Store.

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