Vegas PBS to study iPods and learning

Vegas PBS received a $20,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to study the effectiveness of using iPods and other handheld devices to download literacy materials developed for use by children in at-risk schools.

The research project is called Targeted, Assessment-based Multimedia Literacy Intervention For Young Children At Risk and is sponsored by Sesame Workshop and Wireless Generation.

"It's very important that as new technology comes out that we are at the forefront to see how this technology can benefit the children," said Tom Axtell, general manager at Vegas PBS. "We're going to be very interested to see if this technology really works."

Vegas PBS will work with the school district and Title One schools on this study, but as of yet no preliminary selections have been made as far as the students are concerned.

In total, 100 to 160 children will be involved.

"Media is often seen as the antithesis to reading, but in this case, it's used to teach," said Lee Solonche, the director of educational media services at Vegas PBS.

Students involved in the study will receive educational materials based on their test scores and abilities.

The idea is to test children before and after receiving the content via a handheld electronic device to see if it is a viable method of relaying instructional material to school-age children.

In Las Vegas, first- and second-graders will be involved in the study.

"We are one of a small group of stations that will be working with Sesame Workshop and Wireless Generation," Solonche said.

The project will be tested at one station each in New York, Massachusetts, Nevada and Arkansas.

The point of the study is to see if downloading content to a child via an iPod or other device is an effective educational tool, Axtell said.

The project may start as early as February and "we anticipate it ending by the end of the school year," Solonche said. "We're excited about it because we think it's a reflection of our previous efforts with literacy."