Powell High School Dreams Foundation

Technology in the Classroom

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010 | Projects | 2 Comments

Technology in the Classroom

I-Pod storage and charging unit

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Our first project was identified and voted for funding unanimously. An I-Pod storage and charging unit for a classroom set of I-Pods is now installed in the freshman geography classroom, a high-tech enhancement for motivation and ease of communication with classroom work!

New projects may be applied for using our Foundation Grant Request.

Denise Watts, PHS teacher, reported to us about the implementation of the I-Pod storage and charging unit for her geography classes, our first project. She and the students are very excited about the use in the initial stages. Each student has a code name so that privacy of work can be maintained. They are using blogs already to discuss geographic concepts. Ms. Watts has implemented a question of the day periodically which each student can answer, and she can check immediately and reply.

The central office tech group came out to make sure the technical end was totally updated and on target. The classroom instruction is already making use of available links and creative student work based on I-Pod use. Ms. Watts also noted that the use of technology of this type really helps with student involvement with the instruction. They are still getting used to it and the navigation involved. She did poll the classes and probably no more than five in each class have access to an I-Pod at home so she is working on their getting used to this motivational tool. The Foundation is very proud to have provided the funds for this project.

In the News: PHS geography class using new I-Pod technology!

Using I-Pods in the classroom provides the opportunity to study geographic content and connect to issues such as economic development, disease and famine, and other concerns that our earth is facing. The I-Pod unit allows for efficient use of space and energy for these innovative student tools.
By Greg Householder of Powell Shopper-News

Thanks for providing us the following article to adapt for our web site! Earlier Foundation articles appear in the Powell Shopper-News archives. Watch for new articles as they appear!

“Mom! I need to get an iPod for school!” Yeah right, thinks Mom. Nice try. As school begins, kids come home with all kinds of demands for the new year—scientific calculators, trumpets, football cleats – maybe – but iPods? What’s an “iPod” anyway? For the technologically challenged, iPods are small hand-held devices made by Apple Computer that function essentially the same as a computer. Apple also makes a cell phone version called the iPhone.

If Powell High School socials studies teacher Denise Watts’ World Geography class is any indication, the conversation above might not be so far-fetched. Watts’ class is piloting a program at PHS using the iPod Touch. One moves through applications and surfs the internet using nothing more than a finger tip slid across the small screen. If typing is needed, with the flick of a finger a standard keyboard comes up on the screen. One will not produce typing speeds of 70 words per minute on the small display but at least words can be entered.

Imagine the classroom of the future – desks are replaced with comfy “pod chairs.” Books and backpacks will be a thing of the past, relegated to history like metal lunch buckets and book satchels. At the teacher’s desk sits a laptop computer and a contraption that reminds one of the R2D2 robot from Star Wars. In the “robot,” called an “iPod charging and synchronization station” rests the class iPods – all recharging and getting tomorrow’s assignments downloaded from the teacher’s laptop. Students are doing homework on their personal iPods and will synchronize them during class as they work on the classroom devices.

The future, or at least a glimpse into it, is available right now in Watts’ class. “We’re using it as a supplement to books right now,” says Watts. With a “crawl, walk, run” approach to the new technology, Watts’ class uses the devices to blog, search Wikipedia, send her messages and answers to her questions.

While iPods are neat things, as yet, they are not full blown computers. There are about 100,000 applications available from Apple – some free, others with a small cost. These applications or “apps” range from music programs, to games, to productivity software. Currently, the PHS class uses only the free software.

Only five of the 20 students in Watts’ class have either an iPod or iPhone at home. Last week the class completed an assignment to find and research three sites in the Middle East. The students used the iPods to surf the internet in search of answers to the assignment.

The iPod technology is still rapidly developing. The devices, while less expensive than a laptop or desktop computer at around $250 each, will most likely in a few years have the full capabilities of a regular computer.

While subjects such as geography make a good match for the iPod, math teachers would have to be more creative in its use. Surfing the internet does not help one grasp the intricacies of trigonometry. But it’s coming. And the kids at PHS are charting new territory.