Today, I am teaching myself to do more with iTouch applications by exploring literacy tools in the palm of my hand. For instance, imagine accessing the complete works of (insert your favorite author here). Recently, I discovered two apps worth mentioning. The first, Story Book Reading, offers the titles, “Three Little Pigs, “Waldo at the Zoo,” and “Black Ear Blonde Ear”. Each has beautiful illustrations to share and text that may be zoomed in for reading clearly. While the fables are ethnically diverse and maintain strong values, I have a hard time imagining sharing a 2-inch by 2-inch window with a class of 26 students. Where is the visual impact? How can this display be synched with projection on the ActiveBoard? I imagine this is only a matter of time.
A second app that I find useful for small group learning, is World Wiki. How demonstrative this would be for the World Geography unit I conducted last October. Differentiating instruction with a group of four students in a split 2/3-grade classroom, this app can quickly convey a myriad of statistics on any country from around the world. Students can learn that Vietnam, for instance, earned independence from France on September 2, 1945. In addition, the capitol city is Hanoi and the currency is the Dong. Advanced grade level students may chart, compare and contrast mathematical data between different countries, such as the G.D.P. of Vietnam in 2008 reaching 290 billion dollars. Today, information is literally at our fingertips. The mobility of these devices keeps us joined with knowledge. Is there really any excuse for ignorance? When we integrate these devices into the classroom, a key remaining question I have is: How do we design the experience to be equitable for all students? Does the “i” in iTouch stand for independent, interactive, or irresistible? Certainly, I believe that it is far more than an iToy. I imagine the iTouch will evolve as an integrated educational tool, strategically shared with all students.
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