Alice Christie, iTunes University, and iPods

Alice Christie

The portion of Alice Christie's website I chose to explore was her Podcasting Resource Page. Not only did I want to read about what she has learned by using podcasting, but we are about to begin a podcasting project in my EDM 310 class. I thought this could help me with our project.
First, Ms. Christie explained what podcasting is. This portion of her site could be very useful to educators because it explains what podcasting is, how it is useful, and she provided several helpful links for creating a podcast. I also really liked how she created a section on her own personal experiences with podcasting. I really appreciate Ms. Alice Christie for creating her website www.alicechristie.org to help future as well as current educators.

iTunes University

Since I was unfamiliar with what exactly iTunes University was, I went directly to the Apple website to try to learn (www.apple.com/education/itunes-u/what-is.html). I discovered that iTunes University is a branch of iTunes specifically designed for students and professors at institutions to record and distribute such things as lectures, courses, and research materials.
I think this is a great idea for students because if a student must miss class, they can still download the lecture from iTunes. Most students own or have used an iPod, so this should be simple to do. I also like how iTunes University can be accessible to everyone, including the hearing or vision-impaired.
Institutions can choose to have their content accessible to the general public if they wish. This could be good for smaller institutions to get their name out there and possibly attract more students.

iPods in the Classroom

The site I first visited was www.educationworld.com. According to this site, iPods are great to use in the classroom because of the portability of the iPod and the amount of information one can store. There is an official iPod in education site on Apple's website that contains such things as "The Lesson Plan" page which provides activities and downloads for the classroom. There is also an iPod in Education resource which explains to educators how to use and incorporate the iPod into the classroom.
Duke University had an interesting idea by giving all entering students in 2004 an iPod. The students were encouraged to explore how it could enhance not only the academic side of school, but the social as well. Students thought the iPods were very helpful because they could access information from their classes, and download lectures and videos to better their understanding. More information can be found here www.wired.com/entertainment/music/news/2004/07/64282

On Wikipedia and "What I've Learned This Year"

Wikipedia

I was made aware of the validity - or possibly lack thereof - of Wikipedia a year ago when the school librarian educated us on the path to finding references for projects or essays. She showed us that Wikipedia has an "Edit" option on most of the searches. She explained to us that anyone can revise or delete information on the site. Since then, I have been ceased to use Wikipedia for any research for school, because of the - in my opinion - lack of reliability.
I was very pleased to learn that Virgil Griffith created a means of tracking IP addresses so that users can know who is making edits. I was not surprised to find that businesses and the government were making a majority of the edits. I think that if people - especially students - want to use Wikipedia as a "jumping off" point for research, that is fine, but I advise them to use books in the library or find a more reliable source.

"What I've Learned This Year"

I felt this post by Mr. McClung was filled with sincerity and good advice. As a future educator, I am very interested in learning what first year teachers have learned, so that it can prepare me mentally for my future. One of my favorite points he wrote about was to Listen to Your Students. I think this encompasses a lot of the points he mentioned. Better communication will result in better learning. Students will tell you how they learn best so listening to them is important. I also think this will motivate the students to learn just by knowing you care enough to listen to them. I think in its entirety, his post was a great one.

The Benefits of Podcasting in the Classroom

After watching the video of the benefits of podcasting in the classroom by Doug Saunders, I felt really motivated to utilize podcasting myself. I agree with the persuasive points he made, such as promoting students' creativity and innovation and that podcasting allows more parental involvement. Saunders referred to the current group of students in schools as "Millenials" which means they are born after 1980. He stated that this group has been around and using technology for most of their lives. Technology has changed the way students learn. Podcasting better suits their style of learning for several reasons.
Often times when students need to find answers or need to conduct research, they turn to the internet. Students now have a very visual means of learning. Podcasting/vodcasting provides the perfect tool to aid in student learning. Also, if a student is ill and must miss school, podcasting provides a way for the student to not fall behind in their studies.
I like how podcasting allows for student involvement. The video showed a group of students recording a podcast. I think this is a great way for them to learn the information they're saying and providing their fellow classmates with something different than the teacher giving the lesson.
Mr. Saunders did a great job with his video and I appreciate him providing the links for podcasting video tutorials at the conclusion of his podcast.