I don't know about you, but my students LOVE when I use technology in the classroom. Just listening to music on my iPhone is a wonderful motivator, reward, and even a stress relief to many students. I have a very old CD player in my classroom, but honestly who even has CDs anymore? The radio doesn't work because the antenna is broken off, but yet I keep the boom box on my back table for a reason, which you can read about below.
Why would the classroom need to listen to my iPhone? Some of my favorite apps are audio apps like audible (for listening to chapter books read aloud), Pandora (for relaxation or holiday themed music), Scholastic (for articles read aloud, while we follow along with our magazines), any websites that read stories out loud, and even local news stations that have videos of current events that I want my students to listen to, but not necessarily see.
#1. Have you ever heard of a Male Stereo Audio Cable? It sounds a lot more complicated than it is. It is a cable with a plug on both ends. One plug can go in the iPhone and the other in the CD player. When it is plugged in, the sound from the iPhone will come out of the CD player speakers and be loud enough for the whole classroom to enjoy. These cables are pretty cheap too! I've seen them for sale everywhere from CVS to Amazon!
#2. I have no idea what this amazing speaker is called, I got it at a career fair and it is AMAZING. The only reason why I can't take it to school with me is because my husband snatched it for the PE office at his school. This portable speaker takes three AA batteries. All you do is press the on button and place your phone on top. The sound from this speaker is probably just as good as a iHome! If anyone knows what this is called, please let me know! It would be perfect for a listening station because there is nothing to fool around with and only one button. Students would get a kick out of being able to use it on their own!
#3. My favorite way because it is free! Grab a cup or even a bowl and place your iPhone inside. You will not believe the sound that will come out when you turn up the volume! I showed this to my mom and she was shocked! We used this technique while camping with a plastic solo cup and it still worked amazingly!
#4. iHome! I absolutely love my charging station/iHome. This year I am going to bring it to school with me because my phone tends to run out of power quickly, when I use it a lot. The speaker is SO loud and convenient and as a bonus, there is a digital clock on the front.
#5. Here is another easy and free way to boost the volume on your iPhone. Have you tried this simple trick? I was skeptical at first, but all I did is cut a horizontal slit in a toilet paper roll and slid my iPhone inside. The music came pouring out. I KNOW it would work even better in a paper towel roll, so next time you empty some paper towels, save the roll.
Need another reason to try out using your iPhone in class? Download the FREE QRCode Reader App and check out my most popular freebie in my TpT store! Print these beautiful task cards out and laminate them for easy access to any of the websites! If you already downloaded them, download them again for all the updates! I added 12 new websites that my class loved this year!
Since I'm always learning and looking for new ideas, I'd love to know how you use your iPone/iPod in the classroom?