In rural New Mexico, high school experiments with reaching students via podcast

FORT SUMNER, N.M. (AP) — Students at a rural New Mexico high school made a unique pledge: Right hands raised, they promised to take care of their Zune music players.

Almost all the roughly 100 students at Fort Sumner High School and 25 at South Valley Junior High in Liberty, Mo., were outfitted in February with the Microsoft Corp. gadget, which is like Apple Inc.'s iPod.

The idea was that students would watch videos and listen to podcasts created or recommended by teachers and fellow students — and that would enhance their education experience.

The students were encouraged to have the devices on during class hours, bus rides home and school trips. Teachers at Fort Sumner who identified 20 podcasts that supported their lessons and developed five podcasts of their own got a $400 bonus.

"My main hope is it's going to save us lost class time," said English teacher Pam Richards. "We are small, and the kids are involved in so many things."

For Microsoft, the project showcased its brand and technology and opened the possibility that these and other schools eventually will incorporate Zunes into curriculum.

The company is following a path trod for three decades by Apple Inc., which has donated computers to schools across the country and has tech-support relationships with the schools that analysts say have helped build its devoted following among users of all ages.

In exchange for the donated Zunes, which retail for $129 to $249, the schools are providing data — expected to be more qualitative than quantitative — on how helpful the devices were in the classroom. Microsoft plans to post a case study on the pilot project following this summer's National Education Computing Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

History teacher Eric Langhorst in Missouri — who had incorporated technology into his lessons for years, posting 20-minute audio test reviews on the Internet, for example — pitched the project to Microsoft at the conference last year.

Fort Sumner Spanish teacher Sandra Wertheim said the Zunes made it easier to convey weekly vocabulary lessons.

"No one could help them at home," she said. "Now, they don't need anyone. They have me. They take me home."

Freshman Ashley Stinnett said she liked being able to tune in to Wertheim's podcast over and over.

"Instead of thinking, 'How did she say all these words?' I have it right there with me," she said.

But Fort Sumner history teacher John Wootton wasn't impressed.