iPods (and more) In Your Education

This recent article in the (online) New York Times about the use of iPods in classrooms seems to fit well with our class mandate to Play more. Learn more. Fear less. Some time ago I had read about iPods being required for some classes at a well-known university (possibly Duke, but I can't recall with any certainty) where lectures were recorded in advance, and classes could engage in what one teacher called Socratic method during the time previously spent listening to lectures. Students and teacher could interact, having the opportunity as a group to ask questions and discuss and argue the merits of what was presented in the recordings.

At the time I first heard of the project, it got me to thinking about replacing schools (the buildings anyway) with online courses and lessons, and perhaps having teaching assistants available online (or maybe for drop-in visits at the local public library!) to answer questions and maybe provide feedback or guidance as needed. Granted, you'd be losing out on the social interactions that schools provide, but you'd also be avoiding bullying, ostracism and peer pressure. Not to mention dodge ball and communal showers in your physical education classes. And that yummy cafeteria food. The University of Phoenix and distance learning seem to work well enough for adults, why wouldn't the same option work well for younger students?

We're already doing something along these lines with hundred of offerings from the Teaching Company and other publishers that are nothing more (nor less) than recorded (or video-recorded) lectures. And we've recently added Learning Express, although that seems to be more test-preparation than learning (I confess I've yet to dive into it).

Of course, iPods are just a step shy of being a computer, and the $100 laptop project (prices may vary) that seems to be aimed at third world children (but could arguably be just as effective in "developed" countries like our own) is merely a marketing tool to make online education affordable for [us to give to] the developing world, bypassing the traditional building/teacher/students that have been the costlier standard many of us grew up using. And, truthfully, who doesn't recognize the huge educational opportunities that computers can provide?

Certainly not Project Players like ourselves.

BTW, author Neal Stephenson has written a couple novels (Snow Crash and The Diamond Age, both available at your local library) where computers/dynabooks seem to have achieved the ubiquity that we're approaching with Web 2.0. Thought-provoking reading.

As always, your comments are welcome.