Students use Zunes to boost learning http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jun/29/students-use-zunes-to-boost-learning/
Students at a rural New Mexico high school made a unique pledge: Right hands raised, they promised to take care of their Zune music players. Almost all of the roughly 100 students at Fort Sumner High School and 25 at South Valley Junior High in Liberty, Mo., were outfitted in February with the Microsoft Corp. gadget, which is like Apple Inc.'s iPod. The idea was that students would watch videos and listen to podcasts created or recommended by teachers and fellow students - and that would enhance their education. The students were encouraged to have the devices on during class hours, bus rides home and school trips. Teachers at Fort Sumner who identified 20 podcasts that supported their lessons and developed five podcasts of their own got a $400 bonus. "My main hope is it's going to save us lost class time," said English teacher Pam Richards. "We are small, and the kids are involved in so many things." For Microsoft, the project showcased its brand and technology and opened the possibility that these and other schools eventually will incorporate Zunes into their curriculum. In exchange for the donated Zunes, which retail for $129 to $249, the schools provide data - expected to be more qualitative than quantitative - on how helpful the devices were in the classroom. Microsoft plans to post a case study on the pilot project following this summer's National Education Computing Conference in San Antonio. Gregory S. Williams [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************* * POST TO [EMAIL PROTECTED] * ******************************* Medianews mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.etskywarn.net/mailman/listinfo/medianews
