As part of their Value of Investment initiative, the Washington-based Consortium for School Networking has posted two new case studies of mobile learning initiatives in two Texas school districts.
The Rockdale Independent School District recently handed out 150 iPod Touches to 6th graders to use in school in order to increase student achievement and engagement, as well as teacher satisfaction and retention. The school district is also implementing a bring-your-own technology project in its high school to achieve the same benefits with older students.
The Katy Independent School District is in its second year of a pilot program that has put 3G smartphones into the hands of one 5th grade class to use out of school for homework and collaborative projects, the press release says. So far, the pilot program has adjusted the type of phone the students are using as well as the mobile operating system, and has expanded the initial program to 10 more 5th grade classrooms in the district. Like Rockdale ISD, the pilot program has spurred a bring-your-own-technology program in the district’s high schools as well.
To read more about the case studies, which detail the implementation of the mobile devices as well as the direct and indirect costs of the projects, check out CoSN’s website. You must be a CoSN member to receive the full versions of the case studies, but you can read the summaries for free.