EdTechBytes

What happens if you have a desktop PC at home, a desktop PC at work, a PC laptop, a MacBook Pro, and an iPhone, and you want to be able to add, edit, and access your notes and files anywhere and also keep them synchronized?
 
One solution is to have a USB drive to keep your files in one place and access the files from the drive when needed.
 
Another solution is to use a “cloud” organizer like Evernote, which works on both PC’s, Mac’s, and other portable devices like the iPhone.  You can access your notes via a web interface, or download a client version for when the Internet is not always available, or use the iPhone app. Your files live on the Internet, so access and synchronization is never a problem.
 

 
A terrific solution for those using multiple computers at various locations.

With the students now gone for the summer, Mr. Jarosz and I posted an article on Teacher Magazine online about some of our conclusions about the iPod Touch Pilot. The article is entitled Adding a Touch of Technology.

The iPod Octopus

Implementing the iPod Touch in a PC Only environment without an Apple iPod Touch cart using only free apps  requires us to problem solve some  challenges. Here is a picture of what that may look like.

Parts

1: Synching PC Laptop

2: Power Supplies

3: Main USB Hub: Connects to laptop

4: USB Hubs: Connects to Main USB Hub (which connects to laptop).

The teacher synchs all iPods through a single iTunes Account. As a classroom teacher, think about the possible challenges:

1) Got Space?  Look at the picture. You’ll need it.

2) Got Procedures? A good teacher provisions for everything that happens in the classroom, so determining, modeling, and coordinating a synching procedure for 29 students is very important.  For example, how often will the teacher synch the iPods? When will this occur? Which students go first? How will the students get their iPods back? What will the students be doing when the teacher is entangled in those wires trying to synch?

3) Got Behavior Problems? One won’t if they do #2 correctly. (This refers to the students, not the teacher or technology specialist trying to synch.) 

4) Got Saved Work? The synching process will remove all student data from the iPods, so any files must be transferred prior to synching.

5) Got Flexibility? Not all iPods may synch upon connecting the Main USB Hub to the laptop. Based on my experience, one should not try to synch more than 5-10 iPods at a time. Which leads to:

6) Got Time? A teacher will need time to manage the synching process.

Just some of the technical challenges involved.

Due to these issues, we only synched once prior to the start of the pilot. Therefore, we had to think of all the applications and media that the students would need to do the activities.  Since we used a WordPress class website, instead of our county’s Blackboard system, we did not have any problems with getting content to students.

Students in Mr. Jarosz’s English class were expected to create podcasts at home and outside the classroom using the iPod Touch. After reviewing various recording devices, iTalk appeared to be the app of choice. A free version is available and the interface is very easy to use.  Highly recommended.

Students in Mr. Jarosz’s 8th Grade English class are using the free Stanza application to read free books on their iPod Touch. Since the students can bring the Touch home, they have on-demand access to their reading assignments. 

The terms of our pilot limit us to free apps, so using a free book reader that can download a variety of free books online has many advantages. At the same time, these are the challenges:

1) Any book or story assigned must be previewed by the teacher. The challenge was to find a free book or story that was appropriate to the 8th grade curriculum and the student’s interests. 

2) The Stanza application can download other books online, raising the next implementation policy question of whether we should allow students to download other books freely. Since any programs or content on the Touch should support instructional classroom goals, we required the students to ask teacher permission prior to downloading other books or stories.  The criteria for defining what is acceptable reading material in a school library can provide guidelines as to what is appropriate. 

The results so far have been positive. 

To be continued….

Does increased access to technology lead to increased usage and integration in the classroom?

Does increased usage and integration in the classroom lead to increased student engagement, motivation, learning, achievement, higher order thinking skills, and creativity?

What does it take, in terms of technical, administrative, and instructional support, development, and classroom practices to get to the next level?

And the big evolutionary question: As computing in schools evolves from desktop access in hallway computer labs, to labs of portable laptop carts accessible in individual classrooms, to now ultra portable handhelds for ubiquitous computing, how will teachers and administrators integrate the fact that students can now have, in their pocket, easy access to the Internet and powerful tools for learning and creating?

Will the nature of teaching and learning change? Or, will we just continue traditional teaching in digital format?

Of course we won’t solve these types of questions in a June iPod Touch pilot. And these questions are not new to anyone involved with technology. But, hopefully, as more educators see these devices and understand the potential, more will understand why these questions are important.

There’s an App for that… as the iPhone/iTouch commercial goes.. 

Our iPod Touch pilot limits us to free apps. During one of our county meetings, it appears that the issue of buying and distributing apps is still in the early stages. For example, if our school bought an app, and we synch 30 computers to one iTunes account, do we buy one app for the synching computer, or do we need 30 licenses for the 30 iTouches? 

So for now, it’s free apps only. I’ve heard from some sources that Apple is aware of this issue, and has hinted that a school would only need one app. But, any tech geek is always hopeful and cautious about rumors when it comes to Apples.

From initial observations, the variety of apps provide the iTouch with a significant advantage over previous handheld technologies. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for those of us in tech to always expect the one killer application or the immediate transformational effect that defines the benefits of a technology product, perhaps originating from the hopeful, but flawed, perspective to see technology as the immediate silver bullet solution to problems in education.

But, in this case, the sum may be greater than the parts. All the different apps, from graphing calculators, e-book readers, notes, personal organizers, video, slideshows, etc- all quickly and easily accessible in a student’s pocket, may define the value of the iPod Touch as a supplemental learning tool in education- if we can figure out how to pay for some apps.

How can the iPod Touch facilitate teaching and learning? From an educator perspective, more importantly, what kinds of technical, instructional, and administrative support are needed to maximize the potential?

I’m fortunate to be at a school chosen to participate in an iPod Touch pilot, where a classroom of 30 students will have an iPod Touch to use at home and at school.  As hardware and software costs continue to decrease, it’s inevitable that these technologies that enable 1:1 computing in some format, whether it be laptops, netbooks, palm pilots, or iPods,  will be available in more and more schools. There are several districts, classrooms, and schools where such programs are already in place, so naturally we are all obviously excited about the project. 

More to follow….