Using iPods to improve learning.In 2002, the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD) is a school district based in Carrollton, Texas (USA). The district covers most of the cities of Carrollton and Farmers Branch and parts of Addison, Coppell, Dallas, and Irving (including the eastern half in Dallas began the Beyond Hardware Initiative, where students use "leisure technology" (PlayStations, MP3 players A digital music player that supports the MP3 format, which was the audio format that started a revolution in online music downloads and distribution. All portable music players, the iPod being the most popular, support MP3 along with one or more other audio formats. ) to learn math, vocabulary and English. Three years later, standardized test A standardized test is a test administered and scored in a standard manner. The tests are designed in such a way that the "questions, conditions for administering, scoring procedures, and interpretations are consistent" [1] scores of BHI BHI Baker Hughes Incorporated BHI Brain Heart Infusion (agar) BHI Better Hearing Institute BHI British Horological Institute (UK) BHI Boots Healthcare International BHI Branch If Higher fourth graders were higher than their non-BHI peers in reading and math. DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION spoke with Andy Berning, the district's chief technology officer, about the program. Q: What does "Beyond Hardware" mean? A: Research has shown that teachers have typically underutilized computers, so we wanted to focus on training that was based on instructional needs of teachers instead of on classroom hardware. Q: How did you choose the products? A: The general philosophy was to find tools that the kids like and get them hooked on them, using our curriculum. We knew students would take PlayStations and MP3 players home and spend more time on task, possibly with their parents, and everyone would win. Q: You started with PlayStations to improve math skills and moved on to MP3 players for ESL (1) An earlier family of client/server development tools for Windows and OS/2 from Ardent Software (formerly VMARK). It was originally developed by Easel Corporation, which was acquired by VMARK. students. What came next? A: Kindergarteners take home iPods and work on reading and other skills. Our next step is to use iPods for high-school foreign language instruction. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion