iPod Touch and iPads in the Classroom - List of Resources and Ideas - Part 2

photo © 2007 DerkT | more info (via: Wylio)
It has been almost a year since I have had these powerful devices in my classroom and boy has life changed for all of us. Here's an update to my previous post about iPods in the classroom.

I should also add that I purchased an iPad in June and it has really influenced how I interact with my iPods. I now have a control centre for running all of the apps my students have on their iPods, but with a bigger screen. Much easier to show groups of students how to use an app as everyone in the group can see it in action. I even use an app called Planbook to access my lesson plans. I simply sync it using my Dropbox from the fabulous desktop program I was already using on my Mac to the app on my iPad. Genius! It has increased my productivity immensely.

I am a fan of Google Apps and use the Google Mobile app to access my docs, forms and presentations. My students all have Google accounts through Google Apps for education and we have essentially eliminated the need to print in my classroom. I get instant feedback or collect assignments from my students using Google Forms that they can complete on the iPods.

I discoverred that I can use my iPods as clickers using the eClicker Host on my iPad and eClicker on their iPods. They work like the SMART Response system you can purchase for your classroom, but instead of purchasing and storing more devices, you are using tools you already have in your classroom. I make up quizzes or feedback forms online before class and then activate them during class. I can check for understanding and get feedback during instruction or have students complete quick quizzes to see what they already know before starting new concepts.

A must have for any set of class iPods are little microphones that plug into the headphone jack of the iPod. You can find them for next to nothing on Amazon for about $2.00.

We have used them for voice recording in a number of different ways. From recording the Grade 1 and 2 students reading their books to practice fluency, to Grade 6, 7 and 8 students recording podcasts, conducting interviews and creating videos, these little microphones are an invaluable tool when paired with the iPod Touch. The best app I have found for voice recording and being able to use the audio elsewhere is called iPro Recorder because you can download the recording over a wireless network onto a computer and re-edit it in a program like Garage Band or Audacity. I found that Audioboo is a great site to host podcasts and share them with others. You can also easily embed them on your blog, wiki or website.

After watching Tony Vincent's Learning in Hand video on the K12 Online Conference, I had my Grade 8 students used Sonic Pics to create videos to introduce their team's position for the debate they held about the sale of Canadian water to the US. Using screen shots of photos they located from websites I had linked on our class website, they edited and narrated short videos. They also used PS Express, Comic Touch and Doodle Buddy to re-work their images to fit their argument. (You can watch the final product of their videos by following this link.) I also used Sonic Pics to create "how-to" instructional videos using screen shots from my  iPod to explain how to use the apps for this project. They were referred to often by the students during the project.


One project I would like to try before the end of the year is an iPod/iPad band or musical performance after being inspired by the North Point iBand. I saw their video over the holidays and I have started downloading instrument apps and will share what works best once we've successfully set-up our "band".

Some of the other resources I have come across since my last post that you might find useful are:

• Apptivities - A great website with reviews and activity ideas for the use of apps by educators organized by grade level.
• Math  Apps - Top 10 Apps to use in Math class on the iPod Touch.
• Apps for Educators - Top 200 iPad Apps in the United States for Educators
• Digital Storytelling with the iPad
• 38 Interesting ways to use the iPad in the Classroom
• 28 Interesting ways to use  the iPod Touch in the Classroom
• iPods, iPhones and iPads in Education
• Teach with your iPad
• The Best iPhone apps for Kids, 2010
• 50 Must Have Educational Apps
• iPod and iPad Usergroup Wiki

Please leave a comment with your favourite resource, website or story about how you are using these devices in education. I would love to hear from you!