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I'm a 4th grade teacher in Canby and I've been using the iPods for three years. The iPods have significantly improved my instruction delivery. Rather than just explaining what the NYC subway system is, the students look up a video of the subway and people riding it. Instead of just reading about a song, I download the song and let them hear it for themselves and they relate better to the story. That song was "Back to Sorrento" from the book The Cricket in Times Square. All of a sudden a student asks, "Can we check out Sorrento, Italy on google earth?" That wasn't anywhere in my lesson plans. The instruction became student driven and isn't that what everyone says they want? Students who think for themselves? Yes, they have a gadget in their hands, but I am teaching them how to use it to it's fullest potential. We still all talk with each other, we brainstorm and learn to find answers for ourselves. I have students who are below grade level readers who FINALLY feel like readers because they can intelligently discuss stories that before now were beyond their grasp simply because of poor decoding skills. Yes, I address those much needed skills, but the students want high quality literature that may be out of their grasp. The use of the actual book in conjunction with an audio book allows them to be like their peers and that is the motivating factor that every teacher should strive for.

posted 2 years, 4 months ago
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