What teacher wouldn’t want to look 10 years younger? Here’s a surefire way! Grab an iPod. That’s right, pick up an iPod and wear the little white earbuds. Amazingly enough, students will think you are 10 years younger.
Recently my daughter had to have x-rays for kidney stones. When she came back to the waiting room she laughed at me. I was all “teched” out with my cell phone lights flashing on my lap and white ear cords dangling to the iPod in my hands. She mentioned I looked like a teenager! So there you go, I didn’t look just 10 years younger, I looked 35 years younger!
Besides looking younger, why would a teacher want an iPod? There are many answers to this question. My best advice is to take a look at Tony Vincent’s website, http://www.learninginhand.com.
Did you know you can create quizzes for your iPod? The newer iPods are being shipped with iQuiz in the games folder. There’s a 99¢ version for the older generation iPods on the Apple Music Store. The quizzes are very easy to create.
Another fascinating feature is the ability to save Keynote presentations or PowerPoint presentations onto the iPod. Simply create the presentation, keeping in mind as you create it that you’ll be putting it on an iPod, then save it as images. These images will go into a folder under photos on your iPod. Students can scroll through the folder and watch your presentation. This is a great way for students to review, for students to watch the presentation again on their own time, and for absent students to catch up.
Of course, you can also save videos to the iPod. Discovery Education Streaming videos can be put into iTunes and converted for the iPod. How wonderful that is for students who need to ‘see it again!’ They can use an iPod and watch the video again in their favorite mode rather than through full class instruction. They can pause it when they need to, rewind it and watch it again if necessary, and delete it when it’s time to move on.
An iPod stuck in a desk drawer isn’t doing anyone any good. Get out that iPod, give it to a student and let them show you how to get started. Then go to Tony Vincent’s site and see all the great educational uses of an iPod. Put on those earbuds then look in the mirror. You’ll be amazed!
By Mary Frazier, Buhler