Touch Project Final Reflection

I really enjoyed the iTouch experience.  I do not own an iPhone and had never downloaded an app before this class/quarter.  I got to experiment with a technology that is very new to me and think about how it can be used to help students or myself in the classroom.  I think my questions have shifted from how to use the technology (troubleshooting issues) to how will I incorporate the technology available at my school into my daily teaching?  Previous to this quarter I had always held new technology at arms length and tried to ignore or avoid it.  Now, I am more inclined to try to learn about it and try it out for myself.

Touch Apps Update

So, I successfully found and downloaded 6 free apps to my iTouch.  I had one criteria - that they be FREE.  I actually had fun looking for apps.  I found several that I thought were fun to play and also educational.  The two I like the best were Numberline and Pearl Diver.  I wrote reviews for these and put them on our class Wiki site.

My current questions about iTouch and apps regard how to best search for a particular app.  I searched for "special education" and "factorization" and these did not produce the kind of apps I was looking for.  It seems that the search function for apps is somewhat limited to the name of the app.  I wonder if the creators can tag the app so that it would be easier to search for it?

i See, i Touch

So, I consider myself one of the tech-challenged kids in my class.  But I impressed myself yesterday by charging my iTouch on my laptop and setting up my email.  This might not seem like much of an accomplishment, but I was glad to have made it that far.
I have not attempted to download any applications or applets yet.  I am not sure how to go about that.  I have iTunes and I think I was able to sync my touch to my computer.  Perhaps we could walk through one in class?
Regarding the apps you have to pay for, is there a 3-day trial where you can return if you don't like the product?  Is there a way to test an app before buying?  I guess I can forsee someone buying lots of apps because they are relatively cheap, but if they are not helpful or if you never use them, then why keep them.  Oh, right, you paid 99 cents for it. 

Thanks to our Professor for bearing with the slow ones in the group.  I think you have convinced us all of the merit of technology, but some of us may still need some hand-holding from time to time.