Testing iPods in Special Education

 

In this clip, we see pupils with special educational needs from Louisa-Muscatine Elementary in Iowa using Video iPods to help them do better in their basic skills tests and personalise their learning. The pilot project set up in 2005 allows students to listen to each question being read aloud while they follow the text on the screen and paper.

"Because of the capability of the Video iPod, students will be able to pause the test and advance to the next question at their own pace. Viewing the questions on the screen will help students with the one to one correspondance of each test question allowing the teacher to observe and assist individual students without interrupting others".

As the teacher Michelle Ryan says, the great thing about the iPods is that the pupils can work more independently from her and she can focus in on how each child is coping with the demands of the test.

The project report does highlight some teething problems with the initiative such as the time-consuming process of scanning in the papers and transferring them on to the portable devices as well as concerns over the security of the iPods and the test papers. Some have criticised the cost of purchasing the iPods in the first place, suggesting the money could have been better spent on traditional technologies such as pen and paper!

If you would like to make tests for iPods or mobile phones, have a look at the following links:

• Create mobile phone quizzes in MS Paint
• How to create a video from PowerPoint
• Mobile revision with eBook to images
• PowerPoint on iPod and YouTube
• Playing PowerPoints on an mp3 player or mobile phone
• Convert PowerPoint into an iPod movie
• Cool stuff you can do with your iPod
• PPT to iPod tutorial
• The iPod in Education
• iPods in the classroom
• Love of Learning
• Using the iPod for Oral Fluency
• Sean on the News 
• iPods help special-education students excel

Comments

[Skip Zalneraitis]

Great resource. I forwarded it immediately to members of our Special Ed staff. Thanks.

[Joe Dale]

Thanks Skip. I think making mobile versions of PowerPoint presentations or text based revision notes would be useful as much in the mainstream as in Special Education.

The challenge is to persuade young people of the value of downloading this sort of material and transfering it on to their handheld devices so they can learn on the move.

[Rob]

My mom actually works as a teachers aid in a special needs classroom. This is such a great idea. With software like Scate Ignite (http://www.scateignite.com) teachers will be able to create course content and put it on iPods so kids can take it home to do homework, or show it to their parents or guardians.

[Andy Crozier]

I was the teacher behind this project at Louisa-Muscatine. If you would like to know more info, shoot me an email. acrozier@gwaea.org

We have a number of schools taking part in this project in Iowa and all are having success!

[Joe Dale]

Thanks for the comment Andy. Will do!