iPod Trial – Picking up PE01

iPod #1 (PE01) was bought before winter break in a move to have the Tech department try it out and check that it could run on our school network.  I went into the office today excited to see the new model (pink for visibility) and talk to them about what they trialed.  I have decided that I will be upbeat and positive here, and that any issue is actually with me not sharing my master plan, not with anybody else who may have misinterpreted or not fully got with what is happening with the trial…

So, summary from today’s meeting:

1. iPods that belong to the school/department need to be labelled or have clear inventory so that they can’t walk or be stolen straight out
2. iPods for PE or practical purposes need a case, we work on hard floors and so it is vital they are protected from this and from the weather.  The case needs to be a vibrant colour so we can see it in the green grass and on the concrete court space (or the pile of junk on my desk…)
3. Does the iPod need to connect to the network?  This is a question that is ongoing.  What do we need access to in a normal lesson, and will each student need to log on to the network or can we have a universal access?
4. How can we make sure that we can have any student or teacher have access to every iPod and internet access to see and use QR codes to url’s and video/pictures?
5. How can I ensure that we can download student made videos’ without involving a teacher or third party?  Can we have students make drop box accounts and log in and out of them easily on a school iPod to allow them to take video (using Coaches Eye) and then evaluate or edit and then share these for them to upload to their own blogs or other as part of ongoing work?
6. How do we keep the iPods clean – who is going to delete all the work that is put onto them that is rubbish?
7. How do we connect to iTunes?  I have decided to run a trial off of our personal account for now as we will need to:
   1. Have a central computer or tablet that is dedicated as the iTunes computer
   2. Have a school credit card from an iTunes region allowing us to use that as the regional hub
   3. Have access to iTunes for teachers, either gift cards or a central place where apps are bought – this could really limit the mobility but as these iPods are for class use, not for individual assignment, it would make sense to have a central location and tablet/account.

I can really see that there are going to be lots of questions and areas for exploration and it is going to take time to explain what I want to do with these devices and the vision that I have for this work.   If you have any answers or can guide our set up, I would love to hear from you.