High School In Utah Distributes iPods To All Teachers, Students Through Federal Grant

The Salt Lake Tribune (11/7, Winters) reported that teachers and "nearly 1,700 students at Kearns High [School]" each received an iPod from "a $1 million federal stimulus Enhancing Education Through Technology grant" the school was awarded this summer. With the devices, "students can keep track of homework assignments and get automatic reminders of due dates, create and study flash cards, and read text books while highlighting key points and looking up unfamiliar words in the dictionary." Over the past few months, teachers were trained "on how to teach with the iPods" and they have brainstormed ways "to make sure students don't use the devices to goof off during class." The Tribune notes that the U.S. Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) in August "included the Kearns High grant on a list of 100 questionable uses of stimulus funds." But Kearns senior J.R. Finai argued, "We're here to prove them wrong. .. We're confident in this program and we feel very strongly that it will be a huge success."