Using iPods in Education

Introduced by Apple in 2001, iPods are the top selling media devices in the United States. Many hold anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 songs, as well as enables the owner to watch movies, videos, play games, etc... The easy to use features, along with the amount of storage capacity also contribute to the popularity of the iPod. As of late, iPods are being used in the education arena to establish their benefits as a learning tool.
In order to "encourage creative uses of technology in education and campus life", Duke University gave 1600 Freshmen 20GB iPods in August of 2004. The Center for Instructional Technology formulated a study to evaluate how the iPods were used academically and their benefits. The results of that study stated that iPods; reduced the need for physical material for both faculty and students, lessened visits to the library and labs in search of resource material, useful for recording purposes, increased student interest and participation, and "enhanced support for individual learning preferences and needs." iPods are not just being used on the college level.
Mrs. Vanessa Levin, a ESL Pre-Kindergarten teacher in Dallas/ Fort Worth, Texas. has created a web site entitled, "pre-kpages" which is geared toward educators and parents of young children. There is a page on the site, "Using iPods in the Early Childhood Classroom", where Mrs. Levins discusses ways in which the iPod is an effective tool in the classroom. Tips on how to use the iPod in various phases of the curriculum along with creative ideas are given. This is a great site to visit.