Teacher's Domain

This was an excellent resource. I found it very useful! I think it would be extremely helpful for teachers and also great for variety for students. I loved that there were a variety of topics and I think the information can be used much of the time during teaching. The videos that I watched did skip a good bit of the time which made it difficult to watch.

As I said, I think the videos would be great for the classroom. All children have a different way of learning. For some, learning is visual so seeing these movies could be really helpful. Everything was straightforward and interesting. I know that students love the days when they are able to watch videos in class, and then for them to be educational and helpful with what the students are already learning that is even more beneficial. I think this would be great for substitutes as well. They would not have to be worried about having not prepared for a lesson or anything like that.

Overall, I think these videos would be great resources. I had never heard of this before, but I definitely would like to use this in my classroom.

Using iPods in Instruction

I honestly had no idea that the use of iPods for instruction even existed. It's really encouraging to hear that it has been a positive experience for some universities in the country. I think, like anything in life, it would definitely have its pros and cons. I would worry that it would make students think that they did not have to come to class anymore. Richard Lucic, a professor at Duke University says that he sends podcasts to "complement his lectures," which I think is great. I also read that using iPods has made class attendance increase because students want to discuss what they have heard on the podcasts. If this is working then I think it would definitely be something to try.

In thinking about it, one problem for me personally, would be making the time to listen to the podcasts. However, I think it would be so helpful to be able to listen to a piece of a lecture that I struggled with on the way to take my test. How beneficial! There are six schools that have participated in a pilot program with Apple called iTunes U. Those schools are Duke, Brown, Stanford, the University of Michigan, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Missouri School of Journalism. I don't think that this should ever become a substitute for the classroom environment because I believe that that is always important, but technology is changing and why shouldn't we change with it. I think incorporating iPods in teaching would be a great thing!

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