Ore. district says iPods fire up kids for reading

Check out today's top story by Meris Stansbury, Associate Editor at eSchool News, "how young students in one Oregon school district are taking advantage of what mobile learning, specifically Apple's iPod, has to offer: math tools and curriculum to increase test scores, 24/7 access to learning, and increased student engagement."


Photo: eSchool News

Ed-tech leader continues to embrace mobile learning devices, even amid budget restrictions.

With a furrowed brow and a deep breath, 9-year-old Dallis Engel pressed down on the screen of her iPod touch.

Then, she began to read.

“My brother William is a fisherman,” she said, using a finger to trace words in Patricia MacLachlan’s book, Sarah, Plain and Tall.

The fourth-grader stumbled over pronunciations and skipped words as an application recorded her voice. When she finished the passage, she glanced over at her teacher, Kelly Turcotte, and explained her next step.

“I have to listen to it and make sure it’s perfect,” she said. “If you sound like a robot, you have to do it again.”

In Oregon’s Canby School District, it’s a familiar scene. While other school systems across the nation have banned personal cellular phones or mobile internet devices, the Canby School District is one of a growing number of districts that is fully embracing mobile learning technology.
Read more...

Source: eSchool News