Using iPods in the Classroom

The use of technology in the classroom has escalated again with the use of iPods. If you type http://cit.duke.edu/pdf/reports/ipod_initiative_04_05.pdf into your browser, you will find that Duke University has employed the iPod in their classes. In 2004, Duke became the first college to offer 20GB iPods to all of their incoming freshmen. The new students cold use their iPods for a course dissemination tool for use in podcasts, as well as a classroom and field recording tool. The students became more engaged in school with the continued use of their iPods.

Another school using iPods in 2006 was Dallas Bishop Dunne Catholic School, in their World History class. Most kids already have iPods, so the teachers decided to use them for school and classroom instruction. The students in their World History class were learning about the Islamic religion, so they used their iPods to research the internet and download information pertaining to the material they were discussing in class. They could also use the iPods for class presentations and podcasts. Several of the teachers at Bishop Dunne could use the video technology for downloading class assignments, homework and lectures. The best thing about utilizing the iPod during classroom instruction is the ease and portability of the tool, thus minimizing the need for so many textbooks, binders, and other more cumbersome materials. As technology in education continues to advance, I'm sure many more schools will want to use the iPod in their future classes.