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iPods and iPads in the Classroom
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January 14, 2011 | The Startl Team
The Herald Journal posted an article this week detailing one school’s use of iPods and iPads in the classroom. Kids and teachers alike find these devices not just entertaining but useful in learning as well. Something that we at Startl have seen first-hand through our Developer Boost and Accelerator programs.
Students are using the popular gadget to practice math skills, learn how to read and improve English fluency.
In the last year, iPods and iPads have been introduced into Logan classrooms. According to local educators, kids have excelled because of it.
Classrooms have iPods or iPads available for various curriculum throughout the day.
In Jen Green’s English as a Second Language class at Adams Elementary, students in kindergarten through fifth grade use iPods.
On Tuesday morning, a handful of them spent about 40 minutes working on iPods. To help kids with reading and fluency, Green has students use iPods to record themselves reading. Green and the student then listen to the recording together. They hear any errors, and then the student reads and records again until they have read it correctly in a certain amount of time.
Green said student progress has been “unbelievable.” With one student, she saw results in just minutes. Green has kept some of the recordings to measure progress. By listening to the child’s first recorded reading, it was difficult to understand what they were saying. Green played a reading recorded 15 minutes later and the words were clear and understandable.
While we see a broader adoption of use of apps and devices in the classroom, the question to ask is how can teachers evaluate what apps suit their needs best and how will they be integrated into the classroom?
Many teachers use a blog to facilitate the typical activities of the classroom: post homework, celebrate student achievements, communicate with parents, stimulate interest in subject matter, link to useful Web sites, promote writing for an authentic audience, etc. All these things are wonderful and easily accomplished by any teacher with average technical skills. The ClassPortal is a natural extension of this approach to using an online space to enhance student learning. Quite simply, what sets it apart is that the ClassPortal focuses on a particular topic or question and uses the power of the Web to fuel this shared interest. This one difference holds the potential to transform classroom learning from a series of engaging activities to actually building a body of knowledge and expertise.
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