Apple 1 to 1 Empowers Unique Learners

Profiles in Success: Currey Ingram Academy

Some students use voice-recognition software to dictate writing projects into their laptops; the text then automatically appears in the document. Others use iCal to map out project completion schedules, and rely on the application’s alarms to remind them of important milestones. Almost all students use the digital learning tools in the iLife suite to create multisensory projects. For auditory learners, GarageBand is especially helpful, enabling students to express themselves through sounds and music. And having ready access to iTunes — along with the school’s supply of iPods — provides still more learning opportunities.

Auditory Learners Benefit from iPod and iTunes

Says Baugh, “By adding a Griffin iTalk to an iPod, a teacher can record a lesson for students’ use later. Our Spanish teacher often records lessons so her students can hear the proper pronunciation. Then she imports the sound files into her laptop and burns CDs for her students to take home and listen to. Other teachers store various recordings on our Power Mac servers, then students can download the files in iTunes and listen to them on their laptops or an iPod.”

While Baugh admits he was concerned that giving students access to iTunes might distract them from their lessons, he says he’s become an advocate of the tool in the classroom. “I wasn’t sure how the kids would manage the audio files, and whether they would have the ability to stay on task. But iTunes actually helps many of them stay focused. By listening to some sort of soft music, they can block out other sounds around them.

“Also,” Baugh adds, “a lot of our kids have issues with decoding text when they’re reading. Now that they can listen to a teacher actually reading a passage from a textbook or a play, students can understand the context much more easily than if they were trying to do the decoding on their own.”

Apple Solutions Help Students Stay Organized

With support from an Xserve G5 and three Power Mac G4 servers, students now have the bandwidth needed to create and maintain large electronic portfolios. Along with the PowerSchool student information system, these digital archives further assist students in staying organized, Baugh notes.

Students Benefit from Online, Personalized Assessments