School to hand free Apple iPod Touch to every pupil

Teachers at a Sunderland academy have gone high-tech in a bid to replace traditional teaching methods. Academy 360 has given staff Apple iPhones and plans to give similar technology to pupils.

The school is researching ways to use the Internet on the computer's applications as a learning tool.

School bosses say youngsters today are perfectly at home with mobile phones, Nintendo Wiis, and PlayStations and many of them spend hours a day chatting on social networking sites.

Academy 360 is working with the University of Hull to instruct teachers in the technology young people use.

Teachers are being encouraged to explore the tools it offers them and put forward suggestions of how it could be included in the curriculum.

Chief executive of Academy 360 Paul Prest believes activities such as blogs, Google and games could be used to teach students.

He hopes to give each pupil an iTouch hand set which has the same features as the teachers' equipment but without the phone.

And he aims to bring the new teaching practice into lessons at the Pennywell academy when the new term starts in September.

He said: "Academy 360 is working to provide a truly modern and innovative learning environment, where our teachers are constantly refreshing their skills to ensure that they are in touch with their students.

"This programme is part of a wider agenda of inspiring our community and presents a fantastic opportunity for Academy 360's team to be part of a new learning process that will truly engage our young people, delivering a teaching approach that is centred around them."

A college in Kent has already introduced a similar scheme hundreds of free iPods being handed out to its pupils so they can listen to lectures at their own leisure.

Mr Prest said: "This is not just about iPods and iPhones it's about 21st century education.

"The world has changed significantly and young people use an awful lot of technology

"So we have been asking how we can make that leap of faith and bring this into the classroom."

He demonstrated to the Echo how the iPhone could be used to convert kilometres into miles and English language into French.

Mr Prest also said plans were already in place to make sure pupils would be safe from the dangers of exploring the internet.


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