iDentical iPods: Getting Ready for Next School-Year

  I'm a little particular with the iPods we use during Technology. Because I have students ranging from 4 years old through 5th grade using them,  I've found the organization of folders to be very helpful. The problem though is having 30 iPods synced identically (apps sorted into folders as you see fit). The benefits of this are having the ability to quickly direct students where an app is located (especially in the primary grades) and demonstrating how students can manage their own iPods.
   So the problem still exists: how do we get 30 iPods to look identical? Its actually not a big problem, though the solution is time consuming. Basically, it involves setting one iPod exactly like you want the rest to look like, syncing it to your laptop, letting it backup, then restoring every other iPod to that backup. Here are the steps:

1) Sync 1 iPod with the computer it normally syncs with.
2) Organize that iPod the way you want the entire set to look (hold down on an app until it wiggles. Move one app on top of another to create a folder. Name that folder and hit the home button or create new folders)
3) Plug it back into the computer and allow it to backup and sync.
4) Unplug that iPod and plug in the remaining iPods (if you have access to a charging cart/case use that - if not, you'll have to repeat steps 5-8 for each additional iPod)
5) Right-Click (two finger tap on Mac) on the next iPod in the iTunes sidebar. Select Restore from Backup.
6) From the selection panel, find and select the last backup of the iPod you used in steps 1-3.
7) Click restore.
8) When iTunes completes its restore process, rename that iPod in the iTunes sidebar.  I use Mobile Cart 02, Mobile Cart 03, etc...(click once on the iPod to select, then click a second time to rename). The iPod will now have its unique name but look just like iPod 1.
9) Repeat this process for each iPod.

 Another quick tip for staying organized with iPods that look the same is giving them a numerical lock-screen wallpaper. Tony Vincent (Learning in Hand blogger and mobile tech extraordinaire)  has a number of photo sets with numbers specifically for this:
http://learninginhand.com/blog/wallpaper-ipod-touch-with-numbers.html
1)Create a photo album in iPhoto or in a folder in Windows for the Number Wallpapers.
2) in iTunes with your iPods plugged in, select Pictures from each iPod's menu. Locate the album and allow it to sync to each iPod.
3) On the iPod itself, locate the newly synced photo album, select the iPod's number and set it as the Lock Screen wallpaper.

Kerpoof! (and outside-of-class communication)

 

  I found this website earlier on this year while browsing for some out-of-the-ordinary web 2.0 activities for my elementary (2nd-5th grade) classes. Its completely based on creativity and computer-art projects like movies, cards, drawings, etc... and has excellent potential for literacy exercise as well. The features are basically free, plus with a (verified) teacher account, classes can be set up and projects shared either with the entire site, or just with one's class/group. 

  After setting up the classes, getting my students logged on, the students began creating their own content, sometimes with specific projects directed by me, other times, their own ideas. Many did this at home as well at school since they either remembered or took their logins with them. This is where the "mail/class/group" features come in. While I the chat or post features can be turned on and off, I wish there was a moderation feature. The classes are certainly private - no one except group members can post to their particular group - but as the technology teacher with over one hundred accounts and over 20 classes, it gets cumbersome to browse through every string of posts.

  Is anyone out there using Kerpoof in a "more than one class" setting? I'm curious as to if you're using the "mail" or chat features with your classes and how you moderate them. The concept of Kerpoof is pretty amazing and my students all love it. Just curious as to if there's a good method of monitoring the posts.