i-Tunes may be a
brilliant business plan or just damn luck-innovation that matters
by Al Smith
http://www.apple.com/ca/education/hed/students/
It may be a brilliant business plan or just damn luck but Apple has revolutionized our culture and education- again... Whether an Apple evangelist or a PC prince, it is hard to deny the influence of iTunes on our culture. Not as a prescriptive recipe, but rather as an example quality design, iTunes is a model for rich content delivery that expands our overall cultural literacy-it need not be just rock'n roll.
Information literacy and rapidly evolving network technologies are now a reality. Web 2.0 innovations, like past technological innovations, are perceived as both a burden and a solution. No different than the TV or VCR, digital media is a two sided sword. They produce brilliant value and generate potential nightmares! Facebook is just the current example of the contrasting values but Apple's media delivery business has received little negative press. How can you bash music? We all consume it. The poignant aspect is how Apple's business model has positively influenced education.
Apple's iTunes-U is just one beacon of the web 2.0 plethora of tools that educators can use to develop effective practices to enrich learning. Most technological innovations are driven by either military needs or commerce. Apple has found a way to promote commerce, stimulate innovative uses of technologies and stimulate educational applications. Educators and teacher-librarians can embrace the resultant spin-offs by designing creative new methods for stimulating learning and greater understanding of ideas. The recent emergent software and hardware by Apple has generated change that even Steven Jobs didn't predict, yet, by offering resources like iTunes-U, Apple is an example of how business can compliment education. I believe the explanation lies in the thesis of Daniel Pink- fabulous design! Apple models of enterprise illustrate brilliant design and hence result in technologies that promote innovation- including education. Capitalism has its faults but in this case, it stimulates innovation beyond the factory floor. This is a good thing!
So why iTunes? and iPods? Whether we still hang on to the old platform wars of the early 90's or not, we have all seen the design brilliance of Apple innovations-none like the Apple iPod. I think Apple's latest project, iTunes-U is another model for new media delivery that benefits corporate goals and produces simultaneous educational rewards. Public schools do not have the budgets or capacity of colleges or corporations but public school teacher-librarians can exploit many free emergent technologies to strengthen their programs. Using Apple's iTunes for podcasting is just another powerful example. Educators can now access, distribute and integrate world class audio and video content into their lessons-for free. This is a good thing!
Back in the 1980's I witnessed the shift in computing, largely as a result of many innovations by Apple. No, I do not now own Apple stock (should have kept it) but I do use Apple tools when I can. Why? Quality. They pioneered a better user interface (GUI), hypertext software (HyperCard), video editing (iMovie) and an audio revolution (iTunes). The iMac influenced global computer design, as well as, the mega popular iPod mp3 player. The latest generation iPod video and iPhone have extended compact mobile multimedia to another level. Why? Good design is always a good thing!
I now see almost all of my high school students using iPods for storing homework, podcasts, TV and of course music. Some of my students have recently even produced their own video and processed it for iPod storage then share it in class through a LCD projector. As a teacher-librarian, I felt obliged to support student learning activities. I am experienced enough to see the changes as they occurred and could see a way to assist what students were participating in, despite us. Use 'their' technology to develop a discourse and process.
How? Get out of the way! Provide access and moral support. We now have students coming to library to acquire the support to bring their 'iPod' projects to class. If we learn the basics, students just want to feel they have the opportunity to deliver the goods. Their TL acts as a facilitator not a gatekeeper. Students can now deliver their movie files or other docs to classrooms via their iPods.
Apple's iTunes-U puts the power of the iTunes Store to work for colleges and universities, so users can easily search, download, and play course content just like they do music, movies, and TV shows. (Many schools are now issuing iPods, with preloaded lectures, etc. to some students as they register.) Hundreds of campuses can now, at no charge, store course content 24/7 from anywhere using Apple's iTunes Store. Apple is targeting colleges but public school can learn by example. Even now, anyone can use iTunes-U to access lectures and great speeches, etc. but more importantly, teachers can utilize the methodology available because of the new technology model.
Awhile back, I started looking for digital content for teachers in my school. I originally wanted to provide more content, via our library web site, but soon realized the shift was going to be more extensive and complicated. I already had a substantial video collection but they did not engage the students' different learning styles. I wanted more than passive viewing or stand and deliver. I wanted to encourage more interaction. Finding content and technology is one thing, changing entrenched patterns of teaching is quite another. I needed to anticipate and target new tools and content when the teachers evoked an interest. The first step was to study and learn what opportunities and challenges I would face.
I purchased a few select audio books for select units and recreational reading. While reading the old favourite, Chrysalids, with the audio book some learners are more engaged. I provided in-service on how to integrate Discovery's streaming video clips into presentations. Gradually, a variety of small digital projects started to evolve. Teachers began to ask for digital services just as they have always expected print resources.
Meanwhile, I could see that the video format was undergoing large industrial change and format wars. We would soon have hardware device issues and copyright concerns. Not only old VHS players were dying but even some DVD players were not compatible. Buying multiple player units for a large school would be a cost challenge. I needed to learn more.
I had found Unitedstreaming video as one avenue to strengthen our educational video content. Several teachers that collaborated with the library to design and deliver units found ways to use the multimedia with their students. Some English classes liked the audio content and Social Studies and Science classes were starting to use streaming video. Podcasts ranging from Martin Luther King, Al Gore or author interviews opened up resource diversity. Just as I try to do with new books, I preview and share items with classes as needed through our school network or my library web site. When we anticipate the content needs of teachers, it is so rewarding to have a few lesson options already in development.
A few teachers have collaborated with me to use our district's proprietary network, Firstclass, to engage learners with online conferencing. Our History teacher, Lindsay Gibson, uses the forum environment to record weekly student responses, publish essays and share content such as web sites, video clips, etc. This software is a great way to provide an educational opportunity that targets the online preferences of today's youth. The new generation of free web 2.0 tools expands the opportunities beyond just the proprietary world of purchased software. Although it has its own troubles, You-Tube is just one example of how teachers can embed video content into documents and lesson planning. These interactive tools provide a library program with devices to teach students, deliver resources and provide services that strengthen their role in the school.
All of these tools are great but I still wanted to investigate other tools and content that would provide us with topic scope, online access and ease of use.
So why iTunes? Many teachers started to share their frustration with answering email and managing listserv content. This made me think further about web2.0 as a solution for not just professional development but as an educational asset. A colleague and I started to study and implement some RSS feeds. I discovered some terrific tools that work seamlessly to assist content collection. Google delivers a good suite of online tools: Google Docs, Google Reader, Page Creator, Picasa and iGoogle to integrate some of the forums, blogs, and newswires into one location. I control. The iTunes podcasting features became another means of gathering and distributing content.
I use it myself for CBC content not available to me during the day but more importantly, I now use Google to manage my email, my BCTLA Forum, BCTLA Ex. and more. I am now using GoogleDocs with Angie Macritchie to organize content for the BCTLA Bookmark. We both access the same content from a central place rather than email each other a million times. I now can search, download and save content from various subject areas. Similar to the Wiki model, Google can address a need that teachers have for information management.
Recently, I found a free tool (Odiogo ) that allows users to subscribe (iTunes or other reader) to our ' KSSreads' blog and listen to the text in generated audio mp3 format. Bloggers can listen to my posts as well as read text. (software speech) For reluctant readers, this audio content might just build an interest in literature and expository writing. Although our blog is in development, it provides me with a potential model to share with interested teachers. It gives our students a chance to participate in a way even our Firstclass network cannot. I can collect and deliver primary or secondary text, audio and video content within one web environment- a resource portal if you like! As always, for teacher-librarians, the unknown issue is the degree of labour/benefit an initiative generates.
Just as iTunes has revolutionized entertainment media, it also generates educational opportunities. Although there are many web2.0 companies and services, the marriage of iTunes and RSS technologies is an exciting partnership that leads by example. Despite being proprietary software, Apple's iTunes has invented a medium that educational innovators can exploit for the benefit of student learning.
As iTunes is essentially free, the need to purchase large and expensive software packages or licenses is fading. High-end production software still has an educational niche but I think these new tools, like blogs, RSS and iTunes, provide a window of opportunity for developing rich student learning activities while promoting literacy, information management and literature appreciation.
Isn't that what teacher-librarians do?
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