ipods at Duke

Duke University's ipod program has recieved praise, awards, and criticism. The program has been active since 2004. The first year there were a small number of students and teachers who recieved ipods for aid in the teaching and learning experience.The first year was a big success. Now Duke has incorporated this technology into many of it's classes and gives undergraduate students an ipod if they are enrolled in a class requiring one. They also can be rented from the school and they provide training to the teachers and the students.
What are they using these ipods for? Well, lots of things. They use them for a information and communication source for the college; much like our school uses its internet web site and email system. Students can hear class lectures and even get lecture questions for the next days lecture. There are class exercises available as well as news program and other information sources that are related to the courses. Some instructors have even provided pictures to aid the students in lab testing. The things they have done with their ipods are amazing and I can only imagine how helpful this technology would be for the students.
I think that ipods in education is a great idea as a teaching/learning aid especially for colleges. For elementary it would be useful to communicate homework and give the students access to material related to subjects being taught or even incorporating photos. Unfortunately due to restiricted funding in Mobile County and lack of parenting in the majority of homes I do not think it is realistic to think this would be a possibility any time in the near future. Children are not being taught responsibility and their parents are not interested enough alot of the time for a student to keep up with an ipod or utilize its features. The schools in our area do not even have soap in the bathrooms half the time and the PTO provides paper and copiers so I do not see them providing ipods to their students. I think it would be wiser to spend the time and money to teach teachers how to do lesson plans and utilize the technological system that is already in place in our county.