iPod Touch Schoolwide Implementation
There are a number of posts from individuals interested in using iPod Touches for teaching and Learning. At Culbreth Middle in Chapel Hill, NC we began a pilot this past August to place the iPod Touch in the hands of staff and students.
Our staff development for faculty to roll out the new technology centered on teacher coaches leading their groups in exploration through professional learning communities.
Our AVID students use the iPod Touch in the AVID classroom and in all other courses. They have piloted this program, using the iPod Touches daily for note taking, keeping individual agendas, translation for world languages, and accessing research through the Internet. In addition, our AVID students use many of the apps that teachers sync with these mobile devices. As student leaders, they’ve understood their responsibility to work and share this learning tool in collaborative groups.
This winter we were able to add iPod Touch labs for each of our seven interdisciplinary teams and two labs for our exploratory and resource teams. The interdisciplinary grade level iPod Touch labs are housed with each team and shared among the four content teachers (math, language arts, science, and social studies). These teachers plan together so that their students have access throughout each day. They access the internet as needed and use many apps as well.
Teacher current app favorites include: WordBook, Thesaurus, USA, Countries, Brain Tuner, Blanks, Whiteboard, CoinToss, Lose It!, Word Warp, FlipBook Lite. Of course they are using the included apps: Calendar, Calculator, Notes, Clock, YouTube throughout each day.
We held an iPod Touch Day last week with visitors from all over the state and from across the country. We even had a group from the UK come see our students and teachers in action with the iPod Touch. With almost 400 iPod Touches now in use at Culbreth, we’re happy to share what we’ve learned and what we’re learning.
Our staff development for faculty to roll out the new technology centered on teacher coaches leading their groups in exploration through professional learning communities.
Our AVID students use the iPod Touch in the AVID classroom and in all other courses. They have piloted this program, using the iPod Touches daily for note taking, keeping individual agendas, translation for world languages, and accessing research through the Internet. In addition, our AVID students use many of the apps that teachers sync with these mobile devices. As student leaders, they’ve understood their responsibility to work and share this learning tool in collaborative groups.
This winter we were able to add iPod Touch labs for each of our seven interdisciplinary teams and two labs for our exploratory and resource teams. The interdisciplinary grade level iPod Touch labs are housed with each team and shared among the four content teachers (math, language arts, science, and social studies). These teachers plan together so that their students have access throughout each day. They access the internet as needed and use many apps as well.
Teacher current app favorites include: WordBook, Thesaurus, USA, Countries, Brain Tuner, Blanks, Whiteboard, CoinToss, Lose It!, Word Warp, FlipBook Lite. Of course they are using the included apps: Calendar, Calculator, Notes, Clock, YouTube throughout each day.
We held an iPod Touch Day last week with visitors from all over the state and from across the country. We even had a group from the UK come see our students and teachers in action with the iPod Touch. With almost 400 iPod Touches now in use at Culbreth, we’re happy to share what we’ve learned and what we’re learning.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sean Nelson on
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Sounds like a good solution to that would be using a master computer. That way you're only dealing with one iTunes account, all of the apps and media are stored in one location, and it would be easier to control the content going onto each device.
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Permalink Reply by Susan Wells on
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You're right Stephen. At this point we do have about 500 units and although it works for us to run them with the Belkin carts and MacBooks we're looking forward to our server being up soon and running all the units through the master mac.
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Permalink Reply by Val Brown on
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Hi Stephen, I am the tech spec at Culbreth Middle School responsible for setup, configuration and management of the 380 iPod Touches currently in our building.
We have not enabled parental controls and have not had any issues with students downloading apps or music to the devices. But within the device there is a restriction panel that will not allow students to install apps. I have chosen not to use this at this time and have had no need to as the devices are synced with one laptop and any downloaded app/music will be erased with the next sync.
The teams which the carts reside are mainly responsible for apps used and I perform "clean up" or "maintainence" at my discretion.
When we sync them, yes they do all receive the same content. It is just easier that way. However, on one of the Check Out carts for elective teams, there is content that is different, for example--Carts that the reading teachers use have books that all the devices do not need. Reading teachers typically only use 5 of the 18 devices on the cart. I will sync those 5 separately.
At the end of the school year all carts will be turned in but apps will likely not be removed. I will restore according to the team's wishes.
Student created content on Team devices is not saved on the device. AVID students, however, do save notes on their device, because it is considered "their" device. They carry the device with them all day. Team devices are assigned or should be assigned to a particular student for a class period. Which means that 1 device is shared possibly by up to four students. I found a note taking app/site (POGO Notes) that students can use where notes are simultaneously saved on a website with an account. That way notes do not have to be stored on the device. Notes can be accessed via the web and on the device itself. It is a login process through the device. We will no doubt move to this process next year.
iTunes is currently the only software used for management. We will also manage/push content thru our Mac OS X server which is being set up to do that now. With the next upgrade in server software (possibly early June) we are told that we can do more with this process. I do not use Apple's iPhone Configuration Utility.
Staff development was simply to give them the device and said--Go Explore. I answered individual questions from Faculty/Staff but they were minimal and mostly related to setup with their individual laptops that devices were to be "syunc" with.
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Permalink Reply by Cory Tressler on
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Does anyone have any information about transfering and using content made for a traditional iPod onto a new iTouch? The traditional iPod obviously uses the "spin dial" to control the functions, so I'm not sure that flash cards and other applications designed to use the traditional "spin dial" found on an iPod would work on the new touch interface of the iTouch.
Anyone have any experience upgrading from the iPod to an iTouch in an educational environment? Were you able to use what you created for the iPod? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
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Cory,
I don't know if you ever heard back on your transferring question but I was in our Apple store yesterday and asked. The guy I talked to there seemed to think it was pretty straightforward, a matter of backing up the old iPod content onto a laptop environment and from there onto a CD or DVD. Of course once you've captured it you can then move it files again over to the iPod Touch. Does that make sense? Of course he also said to just bring it to the genius bar at your local Apple store, if you have one, and they'd do it for you. Or post the question on their Q&A site and they'll walk you through it.
Best,
Susan
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Permalink Reply by Brad Nikunen on
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I too use these in my classroom, but only have 2! Wow! A class set sounds nice.
How are your teachers using them? Are any teachers using for grade recording? I know that by using Google Docs, and a text document in "Notes" I can import grades into my Easy Grade Pro Gradebook.....this is quite a few steps, therefore I don't take grades that way.
Anybody else taking grades on their iTouch? Thanks!
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Permalink Reply by Lynne Goodhand on
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Hi Brad, Yes, having a lab for each team is terrific. Our teachers use them in so many ways it is difficult to synopsize; however, here are a few - the PE teachers take them out to the field and show videos to help teach techniques; our world language teachers use them for communication overseas; our art teacher uses them to teach art techniques and to bring in many examples to show from all over the world; our math teacher recently used the stats app to track scores for a basketball unit; our music teacher uses a note and chord app; our language arts teachers use many of the word apps; and everyone uses the research component. As I said, that's just a sprinkling of examples. As far as I know though, no one is using them for grades right now.
Anyone else?
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Okay, I have a chance to persuade my school district to maybe allow me to write a grant for iPod touches. I need to submit an action plan on uses and the positives. I was reading this post and wondering if any of you have any resources that I might be able to cite to help me further prove the use of the iPod touch. Thanks in advance for any help.
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Permalink Reply by Derek Keenan on
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I have a proposal that I used in my division to win a grant if it would help you. I have uploaded it with this post.
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iPod Proposal.pdf, 38 KB
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Permalink Reply by Hall Davidson on
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Susan, What is your summary of the use of your iTouches? From the aps, it looks like students did work both at home and at school. Very neat stuff? Do you have any on-going evaluations, even anectodal ones? Full disclosure: I'm doing a cellphone in education session at NECC and am looking for on-the-ground uses that work. We're trying to get these devices on the OK list. Did you do or assign any videos on the iPods, from your streaming library or from the web? Thanks!
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Hall,
I've written up our project and presented on it. Students did not take the devices home this year although now many of our students own their own iPod touches and so use many of the apps at home. We have grade-based data, survey data and of course a great deal of anectodal evaluative evidence that really is all exceedingly positive. We've used video on the iPod touches from iTunesU as well as from UTube. Students have also self-produced and then uploaded from the server to the iPod touches. I'm happy to talk with you about the project, I'll be at NECC as well.
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Permalink Reply by Supra Manohar on
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Susan - we recently partnered with Abilene Christian University and created a platform for iPhone/iTouch apps. The apps are a closed system for teachers to use and dynamically create a push learning content to the learning communities. We are excited about the fact that there are others that are evangelizing the device. Good luck and would love to chat and hear about your case - we are always looking to present cases of schools implementing the same. - Supra
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