Quick way to tell the difference between an ipod and iphone?

I am a teacher and I do not allow texting in my classroom. However, sometimes when I think I'm catching a kid texting, they're actually looking at songs on their ipod. The two tools look exactly the same from a distance. Even up close its hard to tell the difference. What can I do about this?

About the only way to tell the iPod Touch and iPhone apart are that the former is significantly thinner than the latter and is missing the metallic antenna on the surround. However, if the iPod/iPhone is in a case, you won't be able to see the antenna anyway and it might not be easy to how thin or thick the device is either..

The only policy to prevent this might be a blanket no electronics policy..

What is the ipod "touch" exactly? Is it different from a nano and do they still make nano's?

A Touch is like an iPhone but does not make Phone Calls. It's a iPod that plays music with everything else the iPhone has except Cellular ability.

They do make iPod Nano's and the latest generation is a narrow tall thing that is distinctly different than the iPhone. The iPod Nano's, however, can't text or do any of those things..

usingmac said:

I am a teacher and I do not allow texting in my classroom. However, sometimes when I think I'm catching a kid texting, they're actually looking at songs on their ipod. The two tools look exactly the same from a distance. Even up close its hard to tell the difference. What can I do about this?

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Well you cannot tell the difference from a distance - like on airplanes, you need to enforce the students to turn off all of their mobile devices, or if you're in the 'Old West' and entering a bar, then the devices have to be checked in before entering the class -

BUT, in all honesty, this is becoming a MAJOR problem - I don't think that these devices should be allowed in school - an extremist view, I guess, however what other choices are there to prevent this distraction from learning? Just my opinion - Dave

BUT, in all honesty, this is becoming a MAJOR problem - I don't think that these devices should be allowed in school - an extremist view, I guess, however what other choices are there to prevent this distraction from learning? Just my opinion - Dave

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One which I share. It reminds me when I was a youngster attending school and would bring a comic book to class. Didn't take long before the teacher would confiscate it. That of course was back in the dinosaur age when we didn't have social media.

usingmac said:

I am a teacher and I do not allow texting in my classroom. However, sometimes when I think I'm catching a kid texting, they're actually looking at songs on their ipod. The two tools look exactly the same from a distance. Even up close its hard to tell the difference. What can I do about this?

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It would hard to tell looking at the phone physically. If you snatch it out of their hands, you can look for the Phone app. Only the iphone will have that. If your school is providing wifi the student can still use the Touch to text or use chat clients.

chscag said:

One which I share. It reminds me when I was a youngster attending school and would bring a comic book to class. Didn't take long before the teacher would confiscate it. That of course was back in the dinosaur age when we didn't have social media.

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Hi Chscag - well I was in HS in the early '60s - transistor radios were just appearing w/ earphones - BOY, I wanted one and picked a model (can't remember which brand) for $35 - a LOT of $$ then (see the inflation in quotes below), but my parents bought it! I LOVED taking it to HS (fit in my pocket) - just used it in study hall, but I should have been paying attention to my classes - OH, the shame -

Well, I still got into the University of Michigan, so did OK - LOL at the moment - Dave

What cost $35 in 1962 would cost $262.09 in 2012

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RadDave said:

Hi Chscag - well I was in HS in the early '60s - transistor radios were just appearing w/ earphones - BOY, I wanted one and picked a model (can't remember which brand) for $35 - a LOT of $$ then (see the inflation in quotes below), but my parents bought it! I LOVED taking it to HS (fit in my pocket) - just used it in study hall, but I should have been paying attention to my classes - OH, the shame -

Well, I still got into the University of Michigan, so did OK - LOL at the moment - Dave

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Same here. Besides the transistor radios a couple of friends and I built Heathkit Walkie Talkies and took those to class and talked when the teacher was not looking. My science teacher took it away once till the end of the class and gave it back! Grin

I agree best way to be sure if it's an iPhone or Ipad if you can't tell the thinness is demand to see it and check for the phone app.

Sorry, but I don't see that there is any difference between texting and looking at the songs on a mobile device during class. Unless one of them is an assignment.

And, an iPhone has iPhone printed on the back side of it.

dtravis7 said:

Same here. Besides the transistor radios a couple of friends and I built Heathkit Walkie Talkies and took those to class and talked when the teacher was not looking. My science teacher took it away once till the end of the class and gave it back! Grin

I agree best way to be sure if it's an iPhone or Ipad if you can't tell the thinness is demand to see it and check for the phone app.

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LOL! - we were all scoudrels even back a half century ago! BUT, this current texting/phoning practice by the younger population has become a MAJOR concern and has to be addressed - Dave

Totally agree Dave and agree completely with Bobtomay. Unless they are looking something up for class or classwork, they should not be doing music or chatting or anything.

I am definitely not anti-electronics in the classroom, but students should be doing neither texting nor "looking up songs on their iPod." Both would indicate that their attention is, at best, divided.

There are two things I think have to become standard rules in classrooms:

1. Electronics cannot be used in class when the teacher is lecturing. Period.
2. Teachers need to be sure they aren't boring. You want kids to listen to you, be compelling.

dtravis7 said:

Same here. Besides the transistor radios a couple of friends and I built Heathkit Walkie Talkies and took those to class and talked when the teacher was not looking. My science teacher took it away once till the end of the class and gave it back! Grin

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Yeah that... I just took my transistor radio in. Had one subject that I listened to the radio &/or slept through for several years and never did a single homework assignment. The teachers were using a curve back then by having tests with 110 points on them instead of 100. Those teachers let me get away with it because I averaged 105-110 on their tests. Was not a good thing and they should have taken it away from me - finally caught up to me when I hit Trig.

Use to get those mid term grading reports sent home to have my parents sign - Pays Attention in Class, None; Homework Assignments Missing, All; Average, Excellent... That was pretty funny to me back then...