iPhone/iTouch as classroom tool

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By Chris Connors
Posted 2009/01/12 @ 5:29 am
Category Computers & Mobile, Kids & Family

Joyce is a teacher and librarian. She recently got an iPhone, and has fallen in love.

Consider the portability of texts, the potential for blogging or taking notes and pictures in the field, the use of GPS for science and geography, the possibilities for organizing learning, the options for the music classroom, the opportunities to collaborate with other learners in geography-agnostics ways.

Thanks Chris

How is your school using the great gadgets that all the kids seem to have such a thirst for? What phone applications are great for education? What are the institutional barriers to using powerful new technology to help kids learn? Post your ideas in the comments, and include your photos and video in the MAKE Flickr pool.

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5 Responses to iPhone/iTouch as classroom tool

cankoklu.pip.verisignlabs.com on February 27th, 2009 at 6:58 pm said:

I use mine with Clarifi to take photos of other people’s notes.. http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/clarifi

Obviously, the calendar application is useful for keeping tabs on homeworks & projects too.

Also, I sometimes record seminars.

Last but not least.. Zynga’s Texas Hold’em is great for boring lectures.

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Casey on February 27th, 2009 at 8:07 pm said:

Where can I find that black case in the above pic?

Looks solid.

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David Good on February 28th, 2009 at 5:28 am said:

How about using 2-d barcodes? Microsoft tag is available online, and can act as a easy way to add information in a classroom environment. It’s free, and can be installed on any smart phone.
The problem is that most schools do not allow their students to use their phones during school hours. This of course negates the usefulness of any application.

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- Chris Connors on March 3rd, 2009 at 6:14 am said:
  
  David
  I really like the idea of bar coding parts of the room and school. This could make the classroom much more interactive. The teacher could even leave out some easter eggs as extra credit. On the G1 there is a bar code scanner, and I have found that it works off of the computer screen as well.
  
  Here is another suggestion from Bill Van Loo of Honey Creek Community School in Ann Arbor Michigan:
  “One tool I’m loving in the classroom is Pointer Remote. It’s a 99-cent app that lets you control Keynote, Powerpoint, or “generic” (which works great with NeoOffice Present on the Mac) – shows you what slide is currently being displayed, gives you forward/back buttons, and a faux laser pointer! It’s definitely frees you from having to be crouched behind your laptop while teaching – I roam around the classroom more now that I use it.”
  
  cankoklu.pip
  The link to the case with the lens is neat. I wonder about the possibility of scratching the lens on my camera as it sits in my pocket. Definitely taking pictures of hand written material is really useful. I sometimes take pictures of the white board after I have used it to explain something and then can post it online through flickr.
  
  Thanks folks!
  
  Reply ↓
Dana Decareaux on March 8th, 2009 at 10:17 am said:

I am a student at Tennessee Technological University, and I saw this posted on the front page the other day.

http://www.tntech.edu/publicaffairs/rel/2009/march09/ipods09.html

It made me think of this post, and I figured I’d share. Hope it helps!

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