iTunes and iPods for Educational Purposes

Dr. Christie makes technology easy for teachers!
Dr. Alice Christie compiled very important aspects of teaching from her forty-years' worth of experience into one website. From exploring her website, I found many items of technology that I never would have imagined to use in the classroom - like GPS systems! Is there really a better way to teach students latitude and longitude than by using a GPS and going on a scavenger hunt? That sounds like something that I would like to do as a college student! Imagine how much fun that could be for a middle-schooler!

If teachers created their own websites for their classrooms- much like a blogging system, I've finally learned - communicating with students and parents outside of the classroom would be so simple. Upcoming projects, field trips, meetings, and important deadlines could be posted for parents to keep up with and organize into their schedules; this website could display daily assignments and requirements for them for easy reference: much easier than trying to keep up with homework sheets. Dr. Christie makes this creation process a breeze; she even shows examples of good and bad websites.

These are just some of the many resources Dr. Christie posted on her website. I will most definitely use her website as a reference when I start my teaching career. This is the easiest things I've come across thus far.


iTunes University
...provides podcasts of lectures for college students to use to accompany their knowledge from classroom lectures - or in some cases, replace them. I read an article about this on the New Science website. Statistically, students who listened to the podcast lectures did better on a comprehension test than the students who instead attended the lecture teaching the material in a classroom. Although the podcast learners only scored average C's, the lecture-attendees had averages in the D's. Motivation was probably the case for these overall low grades, but the results still revealed the advantage that podcasts have over lectures. The question now is one of whether or not podcasts can replace professors.

Class attendance may be affected if the lectures can be downloaded on iTunes University, but perhaps this is a good thing: sometimes it's difficult to attend class, and it may be easier and more beneficial to listen to the podcasts at a time more convenient to the student - when the student can pay more attention them and study in an environment most suiting for them personally. Reviewing difficult points in the lecture is now possible, making note-taking more efficient and making the likelihood of missing something very important very unlikely. Making these podcasts available to students whenever and wherever enables students to use their free time - in traffic, in a waiting room, while eating dinner, etc. - more wisely...especially if that "free time" isn't at the scheduled class time.


...so iTunes on iPods?
iPods are apparently not just for entertainment anymore; teachers and professors can use iPods for engaging their students in lectures and other learning experiences. Education World explains how iPods have a specific education function, offering lesson plans, activities, and downloadable material for enhancing students' experiences.

Just as I mentioned above, the iTunes University can be a very important tool in helping college students succeed at their own pace and at their own convenience. Since iTunes are available on iPods (I assume? I don't own an iPod...), this enables the student to take their lessons wherever they go.

Allowing students to use their iPods is very beneficial; requiring them to have them, however, could create some problems. iPods are expensive - which is why I don't have one - and could be very complicated for some students. I don't know how to use them, but I would be willing to learn if I ever decide to buy one. They should be a supplement for students who wish to use them, not a requirement for the students who don't. Duke University offers iPods to students enrolled in classes that specially benefit from their use. Several case studies prove their effectiveness to the learning experience, and I believe that since they are offered to students - instead of just being another added expense to the students - they are willing to use them. They really can be "a pocketful of learning" if approached the right way.