February 21st Assignment

Dr. Alice Christy

I really enjoyed viewing Dr. Alice Christy’s website and I found a section that I have been interested in learning about for a while now! She has a section on her website all about using the GPS system in the classroom and Geocaching. I received a GPS system for Christmas this year and the first thing someone told me to do was go Geocaching. I had never even heard about it, but I did some research and it looked like a lot of fun! I still haven’t been, but maybe with some of Dr. Christy’s instructions I will have a try for myself.

Geocaching merges technology and exploration into a fun filled event. People put all types of coordinates online so that you can type them into your GPS system and find a cache. A cache normally involves something to sign or leave at the place and there are normally a bunch of signatures to read! Dr. Christy’s website has a lot of links to websites with coordinates and activities. It also has videos and pictures of Geocaching experiences! There are links to Google Earth to teach geography with your Geocaching and lots of lesson ideas. I also love the fact that she did research about the best GPS systems for the classrooms. I really enjoyed this website and can’t wait to go Geocaching myself!


iTunes U

ITunes University is an awesome source for educational podcasts. Many colleges are offering courses on iTunes U and most of the podcasts on iTunes U are free. Apple’s website calls iTunes U mobile learning and says that students need to be able to access information on the go these days. You can basically go on the iTunes U section of the popular music program and find any educational information you need. I love the fact that I can attend classes at schools such as Yale, Duke, and Oxford from the comfort of my home.

An article on newsscientist.com said that students who used the podcasts on iTunes U instead of coming to class actually did much better on the exams. I think I would probably do better on exams if I had that option in some classes. A professor stated on the article that he enjoyed uploading his lectures to iTunes U instead of doing the lengthy lecture during class. It freed up his time for questions in class and he had his students coming to class since he gave quizzes at the beginning of every class time.

I cannot wait until there are more classes that access iTunes U. I really think that it would be a wonderful study tool and I will be checking out other lectures on the website.

Links for extra reading:
The News Scientist Article

Apple's Mobile Learning Information


iPods in the Classroom

I never thought that I would ever see an iPod being used as a learning tool. I would have thought that it would be hard to keep students under control with their iPods since there are games and songs they would want to play with. Teachers have found great ways to use these electronic devices as learning devices. Some PE teachers are using the items as calorie counters during the day with the Nike iPod kits. Other teachers are using the iPods to catch students up who missed class by uploading audio, video, and pictures to their devices. ELL students are using the iPods as language tools! They can create and use flashcards on their iPods, which is really cool.

EducationWorld.com has great information about people using iPods in the classroom. I will put a link to the page under this paragraph. The website even says Duke University has been using the iPod in their classrooms! The school offers iPods to students who are taking certain classes. They use their iPods to record audio for lectures, capture field information, study with audio books, podcasts, and more, and they store and transfer files through their iPods. I think that is awesome and I wish it was used here at South! It would definitely help my learning experience and study experience be much easier.

Here are two sites that I enjoyed reading on:
Duke's Center for Technology

Education World