After over a year of debating and eventually coming to the conclusion that I really wanted an iPhone, I finally found myself in line at my local Apple store the morning the new iPhone 3GS was released. After a two hour wait due to a mix-up with my reservation paperwork, I was the proud new owner of the latest and greatest incarnation of the iPhone.
As with any toy, I started exploring the features. The ability to seamlessly watch Youtube videos was very cool. The GPS feature, again cool. Over the past two weeks, my attention has once again been drawn to the potential role for an iPhone or iPod Touch in the classroom. Colleges seem to agree (see iPod Touch, iPhone Mandatory for Students) that these devices are not just the future but part of the now.
When browsing through the Education category of the iTunes App store, I realize that there are 176 pages of education applications, each page with 20 apps listed. This is a staggering 3,520 apps for the iPhone or the iPod Touch. Every language is represented from Chinese to American Sign Language. Does anyone else find it ironic that German and Hebrew are listed next to each other? Math, Science, Schedulers, graphing calculators, books (Kindle) available in a portable format, even a California DMV prep. Admittedly, not all apps are top-notch and challenges are posed by the small size of the device, nevertheless, the intriguing benefit of both the iPhone and the iPod Touch are their ability to combine a multisensory experience, in such a small device, into play (especially the tactile aspect).
I would like to see future innovation with apps in two major areas. The first is classroom management. Attendance, notes, and other classroom duties could be made easier through the use of the iPhone or iPod touch. These devices create a powerful and portable hand held input system With this data sent to the classroom computer (or directly to the school’s servers), organized data can be efficiently gathered and easily used in gradebooks, progress reports, memos, and planning. Time can be saved.
The second area involves the creation of apps that enhance student learning. As mentioned previously, both the iPhone and the iPod Touch offer a multisensory experience. When this is properly used, extremely powerful, multidimensional learning can occur. Lab experiments, astronomy, and fascinating talks (ted.org) help bring a subject alive. The ability for interaction that these devices provide is unprecedented. Books would no longer tours of sites, movies, and a variety of other experiences. Bringing learning alive. I look forward to this.
Here are five educational apps that you may find useful:
- Wheels on the Bus
- Graphing Calculator
- Free Spanish Tutor/Free French Tutor (free)
- Pocket Universe: Virtual Sky Astronomy
- Art
- myhomework (free)
As always please share your feedback…
