Differentiated instruction using ipod touch

R. is a student in my 5^th grade class who moved here from Japan at the beginning of the school year.  He arrived knowing very little English but goes to ELL each day – but not during reading time.  As I am returning to my 5^th grade, this is a subject area where R. continues to struggle.  The class uses a Houghton text and often has a “packet” of activities about the reading to complete.  The teacher works with a small group while the rest of the class works independently on the packet.  R. sometimes works on something from ELL or Rosetta Stone and I am wondering if there is an opportunity to help R. using the ipod touch and Google translate as demonstrated by Jane in our first class.  At this time, I do not have wireless access at school, but I am working on that.  As a first step, I would like to be able to get the homework assignment (usually modified) translated into Japanese and sent home by email to R.’s mom, who reads and writes English pretty well.  Right now R. usually brings home the same homework as everyone else and my master teacher tries to remember to write a note home about the modifications and what to focus on, but it is difficult with 31 students in our class.

H. is a bright boy who has significant difficulty with writing.  He attends special ed to get help with writing skills as he gets so frustrated during writing, he completely melts down.  I am wondering if letting him use the ipod and the Dictation app could be helpful as it gets his ideas down by speaking and then the written version could be sent to an email or Google doc for him to continue.  Getting started seems to be the biggest hurdle.

C. is a quiet and bright girl in my class who has is looking for opportunities to have her thinking extended in science.  C is asking for more difficult science experiments or opportunities to learn something beyond the Foss kits.  Is there an opportunity for me to use the ipod to help her get there?  Even using Google to research erosion and deposition from our lab last week might help extend the lesson for her.