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Bringing the Fun and Excitement of iPod Touch into the Classroom

Bringing the Fun and Excitement of iPod Touch into the Classroom. Wenbing Zhao Cleveland State University. Outline. Overview of iPod touch iPod touch and education Multimedia Mobile learning Educational applications My own experience Conclusion. Overview of iPod Touch.

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Bringing the Fun and Excitement of iPod Touch into the Classroom

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  1. Bringing the Fun and Excitement of iPod Touch into the Classroom Wenbing Zhao Cleveland State University

  2. Outline • Overview of iPod touch • iPod touch and education • Multimedia • Mobile learning • Educational applications • My own experience • Conclusion Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  3. Overview of iPod Touch • It is a wonderful media player • It is also a fairly capable portable computer • Can connect to the Internet using WiFi • It offers two outstanding features • Multi-touch screen • Accelerometer Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  4. m Multi-Touch Screen • A multi-touch screen allows for richer, more immediate interaction with digital content • Tap any application on iPod touch to open it • Drag up or down to scroll • Pinch to zoom Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  5. Multi-Touch Screen • How does it work? • The multi-touch display layers a protective shield over a capacitive panel that senses your touch using electric fields • Human body conduct electricity, a touch on the surface will affect the electric field and create a measurable change in the capacitance • The iPod touch software then process the touch or multi-touch inputs (such as tap, pinch, or rotate) and react accordingly Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  6. Accelerometer • iPod touch responds to motion using a build-in accelerometer • Many iPod touch applications (such as Web browser) can change the content according to the position of the iPod touch (portrait or landscape) • Opens the door for interesting games, such as car racing Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  7. Accelerometer • How does the accelerometer work? • It uses three elements: a silicon mass, a set of silicon springs, and an electrical current • The silicon springs measure the position of the silicon mass using the electrical current • Moving iPod touch causes a fluctuation in the electrical current passing through the silicon springs Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  8. iPod Touch and Education • It has been used in a number of ways for education • As a media player: use multimedia to enhance teaching and learning: podcast (iTuneU), movies, youtube, etc. • As a wireless mobile Internet tablet for mobile learning by many colleges and Universities • As a touch-based programmable learning/teaching device: use the ever more available educational apps • Could enhance education for both STEM and other subjects Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  9. iPod Touch as a Media Player • An iPod (touch) in every classroom • Kelly Croy, an early advocate, gave an presentation at 2007 eTech conference, http://web.mac.com/kcroy/iPod/iPod_in_Every_Classroom.html • Similar talk by Peggy Whyte at eTech 2009 • iTuneU: collection of free podcasts at iTune • Mostly college and University level currently • Some podcasts related to K-12 education Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  10. iPod Touch as a Portable Internet Tablet • Mobile learning: learn anytime and anywhere • Connect teacher and students: better communication and collaboration • Watch lectures (podcasts) • Example: • Mobile learning and the connected campus - Abilene Christian University. http://www.acu.edu/technology/mobilelearning/index.html Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  11. iPod Touch as a programmable Learning Device • iPod touch offers so much more capability than a media player and a typical Internet tablet • More intuitive ways of getting inputs: multi-touch and motion sensing • Powerful platform for application development • Development tool is free • Pay only $99 for a license to distribute your apps • More education-related applications are created and added to the app store every day • Over 3,000 apps as of June, 2009 • This is the real strength of iPod touch and it opens the door to revolutionize our education Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  12. Educational Apps for iPod Touch • Helper apps: help you memorize and understand • Flash cards, fraction helper, mathematical formulas, mathemagics, math tricks, iTrig, prism lab, study aid, planets, atom in a box, the chemical touch, memoreasy, electrical toolkit, physics, molecules, brain tutor, iEphemeris • Practice apps: help you practice what you have learned • Crazy math challenge, flow math, brain thaw, math king, math mania, multiplier, math races, pop math, match, basic math, brain+ • Test preparation apps: prepare for standardized tests such as SAT • 411 prep, SAT II Chemistry • Assessment apps: • Grade pad, grade tracker, iGrade, iGrade for teachers/students • Personal assistant apps: • My homework, iAssignment, voice notes, calendar • Just for fun games • Twenty four, 3sudoku, sum of 10, Tanzen, brain teaser Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  13. Helper Apps • Simple flash cards • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312115890&mt=8 • Molecules • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=284943090&mt=8 Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  14. Practice Apps • Crazy math challenge • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=310121478&mt=8 • Math king • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=302145285&mt=8 Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  15. Test Preparation Apps • 411 Prep: SAT Math • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=304947027&mt=8 • SAT II Chemistry • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=312307720&mt=8 Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  16. Assessment Apps • GradePad • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=316077475&mt=8 • iGrade • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=316419899&mt=8 Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  17. Personal Assistant Apps • MyHomeWork • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=303490844&mt=8 • iAssignment • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=306062777&mt=8 Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  18. Just for Fun Games • Twenty Four • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=316367668&mt=8 • TanZen • http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=286331900&mt=8 Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  19. iPod Touch Related Education Projects • Many initiatives and pilot projects with integration of iPod touch into education • iPod touch research project – Victoria, Australia (http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/ict/ipodtouchresearch2009.doc)(http://www.education.vic.gov.au/studentlearning/teachingresources/ict/research.htm) • Homework is fund on an iPod touch – Shepparton High School, Victoria, Australia (http://www.smh.com.au/news/digital-life/mp3-players/articles/homework-is-fun-on-an-ipod-touch/2009/01/02/1230681758552.html) • iPod touch schoolwide implementation – Culbreth Middle in Chapel Hill, NC (http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/ipod-touch-schoolwide) • iSchool initiative – started by a high schooler in US (https://www.ischoolinitiative.com/) • iPod in Education (http://ipodined.wikispaces.com/) • … Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  20. My Own Experience • Did a pilot project of using iPod touch to teach reliable data transfer in the Computer Networks course (I developed the app myself) Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  21. Lessons Learned • The iPod touch created so much excitement that students forget what they are supposed to learn • Once gotten an iPod touch, they turned their attention to the device itself! • It is very hard to find a good use of the multi-touch feature of the iPod touch (other than the trivial use such as pinch) • Multi-touch perhaps would make much more sense for large screen where multiple students can operate at the same time Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  22. Conclusion • iPod touch has been well-received by educators at various levels (from elementary schools to Universities) • I believe the greatest strength of iPod touch for education is the applications • 3,000 and growing each day • Don’t forget other technologies that also possess great potentials for engaged learning • Wii • Commercial or self-made multi-touch screens • Touch-enabled netbooks? Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

  23. Acknowledgement • This talk is made possible by the support of • CSU Transportation Center • CSU Center for Teaching Excellence Engineering Education Summer Conference 2009

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