In some schools, mobile phones and iPods are considered a distraction and are banned or confiscated. In New Jersey, iPods, supplied by the school, are being used to advantage, especially in bilingual classes, according to the New York Times on Tuesday.

Next month, the Union City school district in New Jersey will engage in a $130,000 experiment and provide 300 iPods to their students. The effort is aimed at improving the English language skills of bilingual students.

The idea is gaining momentum. The Perth Amboy and South Brunswick school districts have also engaged in an iPod project. School districts as far away as Monrovia, California have taken notice.

Using the iPod for teaching is helping to change the tenor of education whose methods are considered by some as obsolete. "It�s an innovation,� said Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association. "Most people think of the iPod as just entertainment."

Apple iPods are used as a tool to get bilingual students listening to English spoken songs and to better connect with students. Often, English language textbooks are found to be too boring. Some teachers have gone beyond mere text lessons, audio books and dictionaries and have designed video games around history lessons.

Pedro Noguera, a sociology professor at New York University notes that more and more schools are using the iPod to connect with students. "You know the No. 1 complaint about school is that it�s boring because the traditional way it�s taught relies on passive learning," Mr. Noguera said. �It�s not interactive enough."

One of the most encouraging results is that the iPod has been a cultural igniter. Bilingual students who were once shy and disconnected now feel a part of the culture and are more enthusiastic and proficient. For all these reasons, the iPod in education is getting more and more attention.