With all the hype about the iPad in education and elsewhere, it seems the little brother iPod Touch has lost some of his luster with educators. I have been one of them. Even though I have the iPods here in my classroom, my mind drifts to thinking of the ‘what if’s’ of having a class set of the ‘bigger iPod.’ So why is the iPod Touch still relevant, and why am I still on the bandwagon for creating relevant learning experiences on these devices, follow along!
- Cost and Ownership – When I talk to teachers about iPods in the classroom, I no longer suggest that the school purchase them for each student. I now view schools as supplementary for technology, providing only for those students who cannot purchase technology on their own. My own informal (but school-wide) surveys have shown that between 40-60% of students already own an iPod or iPhone that we could use in education. If schools and teachers are more focused on using what students already have more effectively, then we will get out of this technology catchup game and focus on student learning as the important element.
- Ubiquitous Devices – I love the idea of the iPad for me. With the amount of reading I do, and the basic editing and text creation I am involved in, this will be a device that I will take with me everywhere, and I will sit down with my laptop for more in-depth work. I don’t think students will be there with the iPad. My gut tells me that students will still carry their smaller device with them all the time, and I want their education to be relevant all the time. For that reason, I need to create content and learning that is built for their devices. Also, to be clear, ‘their devices’ doesn’t have to mean just ‘i’ devices, using HTML5, Moodle or some of the other options out there, we can ensure that any personal web device can interact with our content.
- Adaptablility - The iPhone OS is still the active OS for apple’s mobile devices. Yes, some developers have taken to designing for the iPad, but no one has forgotten the millions of iPhones out in the wild. Developers will continue to strike a balance between the two devices, and their content will work with either.
I see the iPad as a supplementary device that schools may provide for some tasks in which an iPod or iPhone screen is not big enough, but we can’t look for the ‘perfect device’ in education.
Have a great day, and thanks for reading!
We have a class set of iPod Touch. While I would love to try an iPad, I cannot justify spending the money for a class set and our school district will most likely be slashing library budgets completely next year to save money. Anyway, what I have noticed when I introduce the iPods, is that the kids are instantly engaged. We have to make sure lessons are not designed to kill that engagement and enthusiasm, but the iPods are still a powerful tool.
Good point Jason, and I agree about the cost factor. What I am trying to do in my division is break the ‘laptop’ mold where we buy a device that is $1000 where we could buy five iPods or even two iPads. With the cuts to library budgets, there will need to be some allocation to digital resources (even if they aren’t e-textbooks), I think these devices can support that transition.
Good to know. I agree. Back to work!
I’d like to have an I-pad in my classroom because it can be connected to a smart board and I can use the apps on a bigger screen. This way,even if you have kids that don’t have Ipods, they can still, in a way, benefit from it. IPads are also cheaper than computers, oops, does it mean that the laptops carts now become a big “white elephant” and we can have a set of IPads?I do agree that they are bulkier than ipods which still makes the last ones an attractive alternative to students on the go.
Pleasure reading this!