2/21/10 Assignment

1. A big challenge for any teacher is the ability to provide young students free access to educational resources on the internet. Dr. Christie has a link that is titled Educational Technology on her site. This link provides a range of online educational resources that is available to students absolutely free. This would be a very useful resource for me as a teacher because it enables me to provide free access to educational resources for my students.
The technology section of the site provides access to information that should inspire students. There is a link called Adora Svitak: Flying Fingers. This is an interview with a child prodigy author. Using this link in class is a great way to show what other kids are doing, while at the same time stimulating new creative writing ideas among my students.
2. iTunesU is a great way for students to learn new methods of communication. iTunesU allows two-way communication between the student and teacher. For example, the student can post comments to the group via RSS feed and and the teacher can post lectures and podcasts. Some students may prefer this method of learning than the traditional classroom based method, so I think this is a great resource that can be very useful.
In addition to learning the cutting edge communication methods, educating children on how to use iTunesU could introduce new ideas and interests to the student. The breadth of information on iTunesU is simply incredible! The student has a world of information at the fingertips. Furthermore, it is a very cool website for the student to explore. When I was young the resources we used in school were boring and dull. This website is sharp and stimulates interest.
3. iPods can extend the learning beyond the classroom. It enables students to do a variety of convenient tasks. IPods transmit documents to different computers as well as enable students to record class lectures and download audiobooks. It is a great way for students to learn outside the classroom.
Duke University experimented with ipods and found that many students thought they were very useful for school. Seventy-Five percent of students who were given an ipod by the University reported using it in at least one class. They often used the ipods to record class lectures. One of the drawbacks of the experiment suggested that students were less likely to use the ipod for school purposes if the material was not already loaded onto the ipod. Another drawback was the quality of the recordings, which some students found unclear.
Altogether, I am wary to encourage students to use an ipod in the classroom. I feel that they would be listening to music when they should be working, or watching the newest rap videos. If teachers could provide ipods to students that only allowed download of class material, I could see the benefit of including it in the classroom.