iPods in Grade School: Learning Tool or Goof-off Aid?

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@Brendan Fitterer/St. Petersberg Times
@Brendan Fitterer/St. Petersberg Times

We’ve written a lot about the iPod Touch becoming a near-requirement at US universities, but iPod use may be on the uptick in North American grade schools, too.

One Florida elementary school has 80 iPods that some kids use to listen to audio books (instead of reading them, it seems) others do comprehension exercises and the wee ones watch videos teaching them about the five senses and then answer questions.

“It’s cool,” 11-year-old Devyn Cabral said, taking a break from Science Fair by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. “When you’re sitting at your desk and reading a book, it’s harder. It’s easier for me to comprehend by listening to it.”

Julianne Audino, 8, said she liked the iPods “better than reading, because we actually get to listen.”

Seven-year-old Dejah Staton wasn’t so thrilled.
“I’d rather read the book,” she said. “You can imagine it on your own. This is telling you.”

In Gothenberg, Nebraska, fifth graders in the gifted class create a podcast documenting their school’s renovation for the school website.  In Canada, Calgary school district libraries are planning to load up iPod Touches with the complete works of Shakespeare, plus the periodic table and graphing calculators.

“iPods and other mobile devices have real potential to transform learning and make learning very personal because they are travelling around in the pockets of students,” education specialist Karen Pegler said.

While not totally against the iPod in school — the portable language lab for ESL learners seems like a good idea —  the photo illustrating the Florida story and the kid’s comments makes me wonder whether if iPods are like the AV resources of yesteryear (movies, audio cassettes) that were good excuses to de-rail attention and goof off.

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