iPods in the Classroom, part 1

Hello everyone,

When you think about what policies to use in the classroom, it is helpful to think in both broad terms (how does this affect everything) and linear terms (what will be the result of this down the road; what is the logical consequence of this policy).

Here are a couple of examples:

Ipods:

Suppose you allow students to use ipods in the classroom.

In broad terms, the ipods rarely affect other students directly, so long as they are not turned up too loudly. There is a slight problem that may occur in other classes when there are conflicts with teachers who do not allow ipods, but most experienced teachers can handle differences between their styles and their colleagues’ styles.

The school does not allow ipods or other electronic devices, so there is a problem with undermining the overall school disciplinary policy. There is the countering effect of being considered cool for being willing to buck the system, though that may backfire when you are unwilling to allow students to buck your system.

Speaking in linear terms, when you start down the road of allowing students to listen to ipods, you are automatically on one or more dead-ends.

The most obvious is that if students are listening to their ipods, they aren’t listening to you. If you don’t think what you’re saying is important, you ought to consider another profession.

Jeff Combe