Friday, August 15, 2008

Learn Something New… from iTunes U

Music. Movies. TV shows. Audio books. These are what most folks expect when they download iTunes onto their computer. But now, iTunes is becoming a valid source for something else… educational resources.

Apple’s iTunes U is nothing new. This portion of the renowned media store has offered ample resources in the past, but they were mainly geared toward collegiate level students. At a recent conference held in July of this year, iTunes made an announcement publicizing their intent to offer technology-based content that would greatly benefit those in the K-12 educational sector.

What kind of content can teachers expect to find? The options are wide open and cover various topics with a major focus on core curriculum subject areas. Load up your iTunes library with educational content for your students, as well as for yourself. Best practices, digital literacy, leadership, professional development, etc. – you name it and there is probably a podcast there to fit your criteria!

What is the best part about aligning a podcast with your lesson plan? The students can continue their learning whenever and wherever they are. Mp3 players can easily be converted into an educational “tool” that you and your students use to facilitate learning. Do you have students in your class that don’t own an mp3 player? Not a problem. Podcasts can be viewed on most computers if there is a media player installed.

The next time you are working on your lesson plans, take some time to browse through the iTunes store. Did I mention that all of the educational content is free?

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