A PILOT program in which teenagers used iPods for school work has increased attendance and increased enthusiasm for homework.

A class of year 8 students at Shepparton High School in central Victoria are the first in Australia and among the first in the world to use iPod Touches in the classroom for a global "mobile learning" project.

The students use the hand-held media players to search the internet, download music, do quizzes, research and submit assignments and collaborate with a school in Singapore.

Preliminary research on the program found students were more willing to come to school, did more homework and used their iPods more than laptops or desktop computers.

Using an online learning program called Studywiz, students and teachers accessed school-wide emails and saved their homework to an "elocker".

Pupils also used the iPods, which were lent by Apple, for science experiments - to see how many decibels they produce - and in history classes.

Louise Duncan, the teacher who set up the project, said the devices were cheaper than laptops and allowed students to tailor information and stay focused in class.

The project had also shown not all teenagers were comfortable in a digital environment. "We assume that 14-year-olds are really technologically savvy, but they're often not," she said.

Miki Perkins