Here’s a great video demonstrating how Louisa Muscatine Elementary school in the USA is using Video iPods to help special education students. They’re targeting students with reading difficulties who need tests to be read to them as well as viewing the test questions. Usually this would be done by having a teacher or aide sit and help them with the test, but using the iPods and an earphone the students can take the test in a “least restrictive environment” of a regular classroom without disturbing other students. The “least restrictive environment” is something USA law requires special education to provide for students – to be integrated with the regular classroom as much as possible.
Website: Louisa Muscatine Elementary using Video iPods to help special education students
- Ricky Buchanan
You would have to take precautions to prevent cheating. There was a recent case where a student was fed the answers by collaborateurs with a transmitter sitting in a car outside the school.
@robert: In these cases any iPod wifi connection isn’t being used so I wouldn’t think it would be switched on. It’s something to bear in mind but I don’t think it would be a big problem for schools.
What was the process for getting the test on the iPod?
@Mike: I believe they used audio versions of the tests, either using spoken or text-to-speech software.
I understand how to get the voice onto the iPod, but how did they get the questions on it? What program is used for that?