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 Mark Marshall on
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I am wondering what to do if we purchase apps from a non-US credit card from our school? Wouldn't most apps not be available? Does anyone have a work around?
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Permalink Reply by Denise Plain on
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mmm... not sure what you mean by this Mark. Do you mean do you have to have a US credit card? You definitely don't. I have purchased apps and use an Australian credit card.
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Yes, I am concerned as we have a Malaysian credit card and thus get diverted to the Malaysian store where most apps aren't available.
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Permalink Reply by Deon Scanlon on
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I am not sure what you are asking, Mark.
I believe that the Volume Purchasing procedure requires schools to send purchase orders, and to pay on invoice.
Assuming that your school is a US school, are you saying that your school has a non-US credit card?
I think the credit card attached to the account must be in the same currency and from the same country as the iTunes store to which you are connecting.
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My school is an international school, not a US school, hence the problem. Sending orders and paying on invoice is an extremely long process from Malaysia.
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The Volume Purchasing process is only for US iTunes store, at this point.
At least, that is my understanding.
There is no iTunes store for Malaysia, which, according to sources I have read, is supposed to mean that you can't use a credit card for your iTunes account, as the address on your credit card must be in the country of origin of the iTunes account.
How do you currently pay for apps at school? I would have thought you would have needed to use iTunes vouchers.
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In Australia, I have only purchased a few apps and paid for them via the school credit card - BUT, this was when we had been told you only needed to purchase once and could put the app on all 21 iPods in the school.
We have since been told a maximum of 5 ipods per paid app, but now reading this it seems to have changed again.
You know - considering how cheap apps are, we would be happy to pay 21 times, but to have to go through what Tony explained with the VPP - too hard!!
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Who told you these things, Denise? Apple have been very 'stand-offish' about it, in my experience, with education reps' usual responses being "refer to the terms and conditions".
The terms and conditions don't say anything about 5 iPods per account, they simply say "up to 5 iTunes-authorised devices". You do not have to authorise an iPod touch or iPhone to an iTunes account... to me, this means it isn't an 'iTunes-authorised device'.
This would probably be the simplest way: if the iPod had to be authorised to an account, just like the computer you use, then you wouldn't be able to sync apps from one account to any number of devices. It would be fiddly, as you would have to ensure the same four iPods were synced with the same iTunes account authorised computer. At least it would be a definitive answer!
I agree with you about your last comment, Denise: schools generally want to do the right thing, and would be willing to pay more if the process were reasonable. If I want to buy licences for 100 users for Microsoft Word, I buy the media, pay for that many licences, and then transfer to the appropriate number of devices. NEVER are you expected to go through the process of buying/downloading something 100 times!
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The Apple reps have told us different things Deon - the Ed Apple Distributor rep told us put the apps on as many as you like - then the Apple rep said on 5 - this was a few months ago though.
Haven't bought an app for a while - will stick to the freebies for now
Thanks
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Can you not log into the US site??
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I can look at it but apps are sorted by which country you pick. If you don't have a US credit card, you can't buy apps from the US store.
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You aren't allowed to have a US account if you aren't in the US.
You can create an account by providing a false mailing address, and not linking a credit card to it, and then purchase apps with iTunes cards from that country purchased on the Internet (there is quite a lucrative business in it on places such as eBay!). But this is obviously dodgy!
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