Scratching the Surface with iPod Touch Project

My views using the iPod Touch to support differentiated instruction is still the same from my last update. I used the Touch for Student C mainly because he is not able to do the same work the whole class is doing. I have continued using the Touch for math with student C because when he comes back to class, there is still ten to fifteen minutes left during math and the rest of class is usually doing independent work. With the Touch, Student C seems to be always engaged using either a numbers recognition app or simple arithmetic. I came to find out, he uses one at home too.

Finding the time to incorporate and experiment with the Touch was the hard part. After reading some of my comments from my last update- yes, I think using the Touch for transitions would be a great idea. With my class the only concern I have are the students who I foresee rushing through certain assignments just to use the Touch. This has been the case for some students when using their Netbooks. They rush through writing or math so they can go onto Dreambox or Coolmath.com. Even with their own personal laptop to use, the students are now preferring to use the large computers. There was an interesting discussion in class about the small size of the Touch and perhaps an iPad maybe would be of better tool to use for instruction.

For one of the my classes earned parties, the class chose to have an electronic games party. Students brought in their little Nintendo DSi and their parent iTouches. For students that could not bring any, they were able to use their Netbooks. There were about four iTouches that the students brought from home. This made me think about another discussion in class about how technology is a big and growing part of our society, and with this being part of culture, how then are we going to integrate learning with technology? Let me tell you, every single one of the students were on task that day! It was also interesting to be able to read an email from one of the parents in concern with the electronic handhelds. This parent did not like the idea of students bringing in high end toys in a public school because she thought it promoted materialism and student's that did not have these types of games would feel left out. This added another food for thought with the use of technology- getting parents on board.

Personally, I am all for the use of technology and integrating it into the curriculum. I like the way the iTouch adds another entry point to learning. I think I was only able to scratch the surface with my ideas on how to incorporate the iTouch for different students. Someone should write a textbook about this. It is also a great teacher tool to record student interviews, record how students read and assess their fluency rate, and record a lesson given. All of these can be used to better assess students, share with parents, and also help a teacher assess themselves.