Free iPods Anyone?

So I just read an article explaining Duke University's new plan to give all of their incoming Freshmen a free iPod. At first it sounds like a ridiculous gimic to somehow persuade students to go there. However, their motives and plans to use the iPods are quite interesting. Duke plans to give all 1,650 incoming Freshmen an iPod downloaded with event calendars, orientation information and even school related music. They are doing an experiment this year to see if it is worth it to bring iPods to an academic use instead of just another thing to use for personal entertainment.
Many of the classes are going to be enhanced with things the students can download onto their iPods to help them with the class. They can record class lectures to be able to play them back for study. For foreign language classes they can access recorded versions of the novels they have to read so they can hear the novels in the proper way. The problem, of course, comes in with students who might not know how to use such technology. I predict that Duke might find there are some students that are not as familiar with computers and such. There is also the problems to be faced with lost, stolen, or misfunctioning devices. There is a lot to work out, but I think it is an amazing theory using iPods in such academic ways, and I am interested in finding out more about how the experiment goes. Below is the link to the article i found on the subject. Check it out to find out more about iPods in the classroom....



Duke's Experiment with iPods

November 2007 Post: Is it an English as a Second Language World?

I read the post on The Fischbowl blog that got an honorable mention in November 2007. I found if very fascinating. It was about how people in the world who speak English as their second language out number people who are native English speakers 3 to 1. That is a vast majority! It talks about how all over the world people who are communicating are doing it in English which is not their native language. It also comments on how many business meetings are conducted in English and people get relieved when there are no native speakers present! That thought especially struck me as fascinating. The fact that so many other people are using our language and changing it so much concerns me a little. When will the changing of our language start to actually affect those who speak it natively?
Some of the comments on this post interested me too. She agreed that even as a native English speaker her language had altered to fit the form of English spoken in other countries. They used English as a working language but it was an altered form of English that she had to adapt to to understand! I thought that was very interesting.
I guess when you think about it, this really is an English as a Second Language World!

No It's Not Ok for Teachers to be Technologically Illiterate...

Ok so I just finsished reading the blog about technologically illiterate teachers and I just have to say that I agree with about 97% of it. I think his manner in delivering his thoughts might have been a little bit rude and inappropriate but I think his thoughts were absolutelty correct. I guess somebody has to be the one to say it and this guy did! I think that it should be required for all teachers to be at least somewhat educated in various technological areas. Whether we like it or not this is a technology based economy and we have to adapt. The purpose of educating students is to prepare them to be mature, responsible citizens of the world we live in and that just will not happen if they are not familiar with all of the technology that is in it!
So to reflect on the need for teachers to be technonlogically educated, I agree with this blog. I think if a teacher is having trouble they should not be ashamed to educate themselves. They should not be proud of what they don't know, they should aim to always keep learning. I am for sure not the most computer knowledgeable person but as a teacher, I will strive to always learn new things that will benefit my students in my classroom as well as in their everyday lives.

My Presentation!!