Duke University

I went searching online for a topic I knew nothing about and quickly stumbled upon a site that broke it down. I was told to search for academic uses for the iPhone and iPod and especially the Duke University study. Well, I found what I was looking for and was amazed at what the study found. Basically, Duke University provided a certain number of students with a free iPod to be used for classes. They were preloaded with podcasts, lectures, songs, etc., for the classes that were participating in the study. There were student and faculty focus groups created to report on the usage of the iPods. The findings were amazing. The university found that the most used tool on the iPods was the recording capability. Students used the record feature to replay lectures, record interviews, and collect field data. The students also used the iPods to watch preloaded vodcasts, replay definitions, and enhance their study experiences. The students found that they were more likely to put more time into their studies when they were more portable. I know that I would rather listen to a lecture while walking on the treadmill at the gym, than while sitting in my living room in my comfy chair with sleep tempting me. Students were able to watch orientation videos, videos on student life, etc. All in all, the study seemed to be a success.
I would have loved to have been in that class. How cool would it be to have your study tools at your finger tips! Knowing what I know now about iTunesU, an iPod would not make studying easier, it would make learning more enjoyable. And having my school provide the iPod to me free of charge would make the enhance the experience that much more. I think that as a future teacher of a public K-12 school, it would be ridiculous for me to expect my students to all be able to purchase an iPod and allow me to load all the needed material for the year onto it. But I also know that nothing is impossible, and perhaps with more studies such as this one, grants will be made available for just that purpose!