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Smart Classroom
iPod Course Design
7/18/2007
iPod Stands for: Absorb, Engage, and Matter!
Do you have effective pedagogical strategies for the iPod? Do you know how to plan and design content for the device? Start here.
YOU CAN ALMOST HEAR the sigh of relief today, as more and more students review course requirements and see that they will be learning, creating, and presenting with their iPods, as well as reading text and listening to course content with them. The Apple iPod and its related set of technologies are bringing a freshness, spontaneity, and engagement to learning experiences that we haven’t seen in a while; possibly, ever. Why are these small devices having such an impact?
The iPod’s almost overwhelming popularity probably stems from the combination of power, size, convenience, and flexibility inherent in the devices; they fit into arm bands during jogging, ride in jean pockets, and swing from belt loops. They’re small enough to easily be tucked into purses and backpacks, even large pockets. They are so compact, in fact, that they can be sneaked into exam venues and, not surprisingly, they now are being banned from classrooms during tests.
MP3 devices play music, audio, and even video podcasts; they display photos, PowerPoint lectures, and other complex data, as well; and they’re as cool as they are convenient and useful. Yet, what are effective pedagogical strategies for the iPod, and how do we plan and design content for this device?
For insights into where teaching and learning is headed, it is worth watching the evolution of iPod use at Duke University (NC), well known for its 2004 iPod initiative. The initiative is now in its third year, the fall 2006 “standard iPod package” consisting not only of the newest 30GB fifth-generation video iPod, but also including a stereo voice recorder attachment.
Why the recorder?
Answer: As Duke students began to use the iPod for the consumption of course content, students and faculty (almost simultaneously) discovered the exciting possibilities for creating, capturing, and producing learning content, too. As with so many technologies, once the tool was ubiquitous, new uses unfolded quickly. For the students, these new uses shifted to their taking charge of their learning experiences; for faculty, the new uses meant developing new skills in preparing, using, and formatting new audio course content for the iPod.
Clearly, using and producing podcasts generates a host of design
issues for content formatting as well as instruction. Following is a
sampling: iPods for Language Learning Joe Fahs is director of academic
technology services at
Cedarville University in southwestern Ohio has implemented SonicWALL firewalls to provide high-speed gateway firewall protection for its 3,000 students. The alumni association for the University of North Dakota has gone public with a data breach that occurred when a laptop belonging to a software vendor was stolen from a vehicle. The computer contained the names of 84,000 university alumni, donors, and others, according to coverage by the Grand Forks Herald. As competition for students increases, colleges and universities are looking more and more to customer (or constituent) relationship management software for help in remaining competitive. Intercast Networks has redesigned Kazam, its student Internet TV and video service based on the company's VideoXpress platform. Following a spring semester alpha trial at Columbia and Purdue University, the company redesigned Kazam's interface based on student feedback and added additional content that caters to a student audience. Doctors at Michigan State University have begun using the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) Services Grid from Acuo Technologies to transport and manage magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results from a hospital in Malawi, Africa in order to monitor the impact of malaria on children. Administrators at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) have gone public with their installation of open source database management software from Ingres. IIT Delhi, one of seven leading institutes of technology in India, adopted Ingres Database to support administration functions such as grading, finance, human resources, procurement, and hospital administration.
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