Elementary School Loans Students iPods To Use For Math Practice

The St. Petersburg Times (4/5, Perez) reports that in an effort "to help students who scored below grade level on the math portion of the FCAT last year," High Point Elementary School in Clearwater, Florida, "decided to experiment with the iPod Touch." High Point is "the only elementary school" in Pinellas County "where students are using the iPod Touch." It "spent $8,000 on [the] effort, using money normally devoted to paying teachers a reduced hourly wage for after-school teaching. ... Students get a fully loaded iPod -- so far teachers have handpicked 84 applications -- on Monday and return the devices on Friday." Parents agree to supervise their children's activity and verify that the students use the devices for at least a half-hour per day. The St. Petersburg Times notes that use of "the iPod Touch and similar hand-held devices in classrooms has become popular around the country."