Is it practical to use the iPod Touch in the classroom as an educational tool? Can the cost of these devices be justified?
I know iPods have great apps and kids (and adults) love them but I honestly don't see them in the elementary school classrooms, at least not one for every student, in the immediate future. I struggle with their practicality, especially for the younger grades. They're expensive and much time would have to be expended re their maintenance (downloading apps, charging them, etc.) Also, I'm not sure it's wise to give kindergartners and first graders such expensive tools to use independently, unless closely supervised, (and I don't think it's realistic to think that a first grade teacher could possibly watch 20 students that closely.) This age of children shouldn't be expected to understand the grave consequences if one of these devices is "accidently" dropped and damaged. (My opinion might be skewed slightly after my main placement with first graders.) To explain my point, a certain memory comes to mind of a past Thanksgiving at my mom's house. She insisted on giving my 3 year old son (at the time) some milk to drink, from one of her beautiful Waterford crystal glasses. I remember warning her that, although my son was usually very careful and didn't spill often, the thought of him drinking from her crystal glass made me extremely nervous. She told me not to worry.....and within 10 minutes, the glass was broken. (The stem got caught as he was placing it back up on the table - even though I was right there watching him!) Developmentally, it may be wise to offer these devies to older children, only after explicit instructions re their proper care and handling. Although many kids already have these skills, because they own their own, what about the kids from inner city schools who can't afford to buy them?
Another issue that comes to mind for me is the cost of these devices. They're very expensive. Can their cost be justified if a child can learn just as easily from a computer? I know iPods are more versatile, don't take up as much space and they're easy to use (for some more than others) but who will maintain them? Who will load all the apps? How will the teacher monitor their use? How can the teacher ensure that his or her students are "on task" and not distracted by its other features?
I'd like to think of myself as forward thinking but I believe there are a lot of issues to be addressed before iPods can be used in classrooms "across the board". I do, however, see their value on a case by case basis, if their use can be closely monitored. I know, for example, that there are great apps on an iPod to help autistic children improve their ability to make eye contact.
I know iPods are powerful tools and I realize that younger generations are very tech savvy and that they may learn more readily by using them (I have 3 kids!) but, it may be up to these "younger" generations (as they become involved in the educational system) to figure out how to implement these tools into the classroom effectively and to justify their cost.
And fortunately,they're much much more durable than waterford goblets in the hands of a 3 year old :).
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, ground rules for handling any classroom tools have to be set, regardless of age.
In your placements, you're likely seeing few computers and few that have been updated recently, unless you're in a district with really great resources. A class set of Touches costs much much less than the cost of an interactive white board, and much much less than updating full-size computers for all kids -- when kids really don't need that full computing power.
So the cost is actually one of the reasons that districts are liking hand-helds!
Teachers who have been using hand-helds for years have been very willingly sharing their experiences -- on their own blogs, on websites they've created. Some of these are on your tech wiki.
After you've read some of the reasons that experienced teachers are seeing real potential in these tools, you can ask them your questions directly! And you do could it on your Touch!
I too had many of the same questions about the use of the I-touch in schools for the younger grades. I love your story of your three year old son and the crystal glass. It would be a big responsibility to bring in a set of 30 touches into a classroom of 1st graders. It is so hard to know how beneficial the tool would be as opposed to a time consuming distraction.
ReplyDeleteI had a really awesome experience a couple of nights ago when I went to the screening, "Saving Samuel", the movie on the little guy with autism. It was a two hour documentary and the lady in front of me, who was deaf, had her six year old son who was also deaf. She did not have any activities to keep him busy and it was evident he was getting very restless. After watching her struggle to stay in his seat I signed to him if he would like to see a game I had on my I-touch. He was very excited that I knew sign language and that I had a hand held with games and puzzles on it. We signed back and forth, he wanted to know my name and told me his, where he goes to school and other info. He LOVED the educational games I had loaded on my I-phone and was very animated and happy when he was able to get correct answers. The mother was extremely grateful and it was a pretty neat experience.
It is hard to know thought how having all of those devices in a classroom would pan out though. With only 50 precious minutes to teach your 1st graders literacy, it is hard to envision using any of those minutes to deal with technology issues. Who knows though until we try I guess!