I’ll keep this post to the point and try and capture some of the unique points of our program and how it’s set up. I’ll leave the decisions behind why we’re doing what we’re doing for another post. This should give you a quick frame a reference to better understand some of the other posts.

Our trial run is running from January to May of 2010. Over the course of those months 83 students will be given iPod Touches to use in school and at home. The students weren’t selected so much as the teachers were selected. We chose three teachers from different content areas (Math – 6th Grade, English – 7th Grade, and Social Studies – 8th Grade). The goal is 1to 1.

Each teacher was told to choose one class. The only stipulation was that they couldn’t all select their most advanced class. (Only one chose to do so.)

To ease the launch, we started one group at a time at a staggered pace. Each group was assigned to a morning class that met for 20 minutes a day for orientation. The class covered the basics of use, maintenance, and any extra apps that we had purchased.

We decided to start with a relatively low budget on apps, about $300. Apps need only purchased once and can be synced to all of the devices. To sync this we use a cart made by Bretford. More on this later.

Before releasing the iPod Touches to be taken home, we talked personally to the parents and sent home a Usage Agreement.

Again, this section is relatively short. Links will be added as posts are written about each section.