Not So Distant Future

I see edublogs has started working (now that I am finally home).   I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it is fixed.

I sat in on a good session with the Women of Web 2.0 today, and we were talking about handy web 2.0 tools.  But the one we forgot to mention and that hasn’t had much talk about it at the conference was the one I most appreciated tonight on my flight back to Austin–

my iPod.

After taking a bus, subway, having my flight cancelled, changing airlines twice, going through security twice, riding an escalator, elevator, moving sidewalk, and changing terminals two times, I found this tool to be the best possible thing to have with me.

As my flight finally took off from Atlanta, I turned on my iPod, plugged in my earphones, turned on Eliza Gilkyson, and looked out the window at the peaceful moon and finally had a tranquil moment soaring above the clouds.   Now that is the perfect technology item.  It transformed my mood and helped me create my own space to think and daydream and plan.   Add in a good book (Eat, Pray, Love) and I could finally relax.

The conference was great.   Met a lot of interesting people and learned a lot.  But it’s 2 a.m., I just finally arrived in Austin after another hour and a half flight delay in Houston, and I am sooo glad to be home.

More thoughts on the conference tomorrow.

iTunes U – university content offered via iTunes.   It’s not just audio podcasts but video as well. ( Thanks to Patrick Higgins at  Chalkdust for passing this along. )

So, what changes when academic courses become this accessible to everyone who is interested? 

  Earlier this week Joel (our tech coordinator) and I did one of our weekly “Project Technology” workshops for staff on using iTunes and iPods in the classroom.

Through the generosity of our PTO, we’ve bought six nanos to bring iPod technology into the school for staff and students to use.   The workshop went really well, and one of the best things about it was sharing with teachers how iTunes could be used in the classroom to share free podcasts and video podcasts with students, since all of our teachers’ classrooms are equipped with projectors.

We explored a number of helpful podcasts that could be used at the beginning of class, like the Princeton Review vocabulary song of the day podcast, or some that could become the lesson, like some of the CNET video podcasts or French Ecole podcasts.  While they are available elsewhere on the web, iTunes collects many of the education podcasts in one handy location for easy browsing.   In fact, it was one of those workshops where people didn’t want to leave when time was up, which is always an exciting moment.

Ironically, today Cnn.com featured an article, “Schools Say iPods Becoming Tools for Cheating,” (thanks to David Farhie for sharing it) about how some students may be using iPods themselves for cheating.   Not surprising, I suppose, since almost any technology tool can be used in both positive and negative ways.

The part of the article that most interested me, though, was a quote by Tim Dodd, of the Center for Academic Integrity at Duke University, who points out that “trying to fight the technology without a dialogue on values and expectations is a losing battle.”

The issue here is instilling in our students a sense of academic integrity.   I believe it will get more and more difficult to “wall out” the technology as devices get smaller and smaller.   We need to create tests and assignments that are difficult to just “download” the answer to, and we need to talk frequently and honestly with students about their ethics and integrity on many technology related issues.   I’m not pollyanish enough to believe that is a cure, but I do believe it is important to have meaningful classroom relationships with our students, and an environment in our classrooms where cheating isn’t acceptable to students either.  

I also agree with Tim Dodd, that iPods have many invaluable and productive uses for the classroom, as does the content on iTunes.

So here’s to some teachers willing to play with a new tool many of their students are already using!

Update 4/30:   I just saw a fascinating list of “Ten unexpected uses for an iPod” that the blog Assorted Stuff pointed to today.  Really interesting real life uses….

  We’ve requested six iPods from our PTO for use in the classroom, for checking out audiobooks to students, and for podcasting use, and they’re arriving next week.

Want some ideas how to use them in the classroom?  Check out this incredible presentation by Gloria Woods from the Bolles School at NECC last summer and at FETC for a creative wealth of ideas for using iPods across the curriculum!

(A few of the slides wouldn’t play for me, but the presentation is chock full of ideas!)

photo credit:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/zengame/272483282/