Monday, December 1, 2008

iPod Touch in the Classroom

I have been toying with the idea of iPod touches in the classroom for some time. After meeting my wife's cousin from California at Thanksgiving in Indianapolis I am now even more interested. My wife's cousin works for Apple's education department and she was able to share with me some very exciting applications for the iPod touch.

The two applications that intrigued me most were the graphing/scientific calculator applications and the potential use as a classroom response system. We have been investigating how to replace our aging TI graphing calculators and how we might purchase a classroom response system. Perhaps the iPod touch would satisfy both needs.

I was impressed by the ease in which a 10 year old and even my 18 month old could interact with this device. My wife's Aunt was equally comfortable navigating the applications and using the device. I own a Nokia N810 mobile internet device which has some similar features to the touch, but it is not nearly as user friendly.

Anyone out there using the iPod touch in schools? I've started my quest to explore the potential.