Imagine closing your eyes on the metro and drowning out the busy sounds of commuters by listening to your favorite teacher's words of wisdom. Or maybe sitting on a park bench and watching one of the most fascinating biology labs you have ever seen.
For some students this fantasy has actually become a reality. iTunes has found a way to snatch the classroom away from campuses and deliver them to palms.
iTunes U was designed to give colleges and universities the opportunity to give audio and video content to its students in a creative new way. Based on the iTunes Store, iTunes U is dedicated entirely to education by showcasing thousands of audio and video files from institutions across the country in the same places that students download music, movies and TV shows.
In 2004, Tracy Futhey, vice president for information technology at Duke University, pushed for the distribution of 1,400 iPod players to incoming freshman. The results of this launch helped develop Apple's interest in combining technology with education.
With the help of Duke's staff, faculty and students, Apple was able to launch iTunes U in the Fall of 2005. According to Apple's website, "(today) more than half of the nation's top 500 schools use it to distribute their digital content to students."
Some of these schools include New York Law School, Northeastern University, MIT, Stanford and Texas A&M University.
"I think that Howard students would benefit from iTunes U because most of Howard students have an iPod" said Keisha Herbert, a junior political science major. "Using the iPod for lessons will allow students to use technology, not disturb other people and also use their iPod for education instead of just entertainment."
Howard uses SmartBoards in some classrooms to conduct interactive lectures and BlackBoard allows students access to an online classroom. But iTunes U hasn't hit Howard yet and some think it could be useful.
"I believe that Howard University needs to modernize itself, because we are behind other schools when it comes to technology," Herbert said. "iTunes U is great because it is more effective than a tape recorder. Not only will you be able to listen to a teacher's lesson, but also watch it. That's priceless."
Others see the mix of traditional pleasure and education as a potential distraction.
"I don't think students will benefit from iTunes U because students will not go to class, especially those who don't live on campus," said Kyle Spence, sophomore architecture major. "I feel that students will abuse the technology and turn it from a positive to a negative."
The situation might not be so polarized as some students see both sides of the technology
Colleen Wedderburn, sophomore political science major from Uniondale, NY had this to say, "Honestly, I think I am on the fence. iTunes U can be useful because I can watch my teacher's lessons if I miss class, but I feel that if I missed class it was because that class wasn't very interesting to me. So if I wouldn't want to watch the teacher in public, why would I watch them on my iPod?"
Victor Eno, National Government professor at Howard University felt iTunes U would be extremely beneficial for students. "iTunes U is beneficial because it will help learning. I think that Howard students would be open to this idea if they are able to afford the resources," he said.
But Howard doesn't have to cast it's own lectures to take advantage of the educational material offered by Apple.
Joshua Dennison, a freshman at the University of Maryland at College Park, said his professors assign lectures given by professors from other schools that are part of the iTunes network.
He said it gives him a chance to get classes outside his university without actually attending another school
Lectures, labs, music, and other courses available from different schools are available to all students. In addition to university content, Apple has programming available from PBS, and American Public Media.
