The iPod firmware is closed so only Apple can offer software and games that run on an iPod. Until now, the games offered from Apple have not been educational. That has changed today with the release of iQuiz. This game has lots of learning possibilities.

You can watch a short video preview of iQuiz in iTunes. You'll see that iQuiz has slick game show graphics and exciting background music for a fun and lively atmosphere. The one drawback I see for classroom use is that the timer cannot be turned off or slowed down. A timer can be distracting and inappropriate for some learners.

Go to iQuizMaker.com to download free software for making your very own true/false and multiple choice quizzes. You can include explanations with your true/false questions. You can set several options, including how many questions a user can answer incorrectly and the graphics theme of the quiz. iQuiz Maker includes an iPod simulator so you can take the quiz on your desktop before syncing to an iPod. Currently the software is Mac only with the Windows version due in May.

iQuizMaker.com has additional quizzes you can download for iQuiz, including Human Anatomy and Cats & Dogs. You can download the Quiz Installer for making the process of getting these on your iPod easier. [To manually install a quiz pack, put the quiz pack folder in the iQuiz folder, which is in the iPod Games folder in your iTunes folder.] Apple has more detailed information for installing and creating quizzes.

Apple's Learning Interchange has a section called Teaching with iPod and iTunes. There are a couple iQuiz examples listed.

iQuiz is compatible only with the fifth-generation iPod (that's the iPod with video) with iPod Software 1.2 or later. These games cannot be played in iTunes, nor are they compatible with other iPod models. Use this page from Apple to identify which iPod model you have.

Currently iQuiz is 99¢ and you can sync it to multiple iPods from one computer. It's a great value and I hope to see more educational software for iPods from Apple.

Labels: ipod