Abilene Christian University in Abilene, TX passed out iPhones to their Freshman class to start using in the classroom.  Interesting idea.  I don’t even have an iPhone right now because, well, they are too expensive, but one day when I too am a tenured-track professor, I can take attendance right from my phone. But, what interests me, is the fact, professors can create interactive features to their lectures, which creates interactive learning!!!   And, I LOVE interactive learning!!!!

Cell phones welcomed in some classrooms

Cell phones have long been anathema in the classroom, banned as a potential distraction, at best, and as a possible vehicle for cheating, at worst. But lately, educators have begun changing their tune on mobile phones.

Abilene Christian University will hand out Apple’s iPhone 3G smartphone to two-thirds of this year’s entering class of 950 freshmen. Students will be expected to use the devices to brainstorm ideas and get virtual handouts and podcasts during class. Instructors will use them for such tasks as monitoring attendance.

“This is a new platform for learning, in the same way a laptop or a desktop was a new platform,” says William Rankin, co-director of mobile learning research at the school in Abilene, Texas.

An eight grade teacher has her students blog.  I like her attitude that her students need to learn computers.  This is a great way to teach students to how to communicate effectively online as well as learn important issues affecting today’s society.Students use blogs to study the world

According to the AP News Wire, The University of Minnesota teaches their students fact finding skills through a computer game. 

Game Teaches Journalism Students Skills 

To teach fact-finding skills, professors at the University of Minnesota have turned the fantasy computer game “Neverwinter Nights” into a tool for journalism students. Instead of slaying monsters and gathering gold, the players tackle sources and gather information.  It also teaches etiquette and interview skills.  It sounds like a very good idea.

The team, which includes game designer Matt Taylor and journalism professor Kathleen Hansen, have now modified the game graphics to look like a modern town, the fictional Harperville. A train has derailed, spilling toxic ammonia, and the players are sent out to cover the story. They dig up information by going to the library, government offices or talking to a retired train engineer at the bar.

Register early for The Mayborn Literary Nonfiction Writer’s Conference of the Southwest. A weekend of lectures, workshops, panel discussions that will explore ”The Art of Narrative Storytelling”.

The conference will be Friday, July 14, 2006, to Sunday, July 16, 2006 in Grapevine at the Hilton DFW Lakes.  Some of the authors that are attending:

• Gay Talese:  A Writer’s Life
• Melissa Fay Greene:  Praying for Sheetrock
• Ron Powers:  Flags for our Fathers
• H.W. Brands:  The First American
• Hampton Sides:  Ghost Soldiers
• and many more

Register Now

Dr. Andrew Chen from Minnesota State University University summarized the conference sessions on his blog, Lepus Inter Extraho.  Here is the link to what he thought of the panel I presented on.

 439 Computer Culture 13

She rightly points out a number of issues inherent in that sort of context, and I hope that word of her sort of work can get out more so that we can move beyond such definitional and descriptive issues as has been plaguing much of the discussion about weblogs.

 The discussion after both Dr. Philip Baruth and I presented was very good.  I thought the discussion about anonymous posts and blocking comments all together should be looked into more thoroughly.  If we block comments on blogs are we hindering the conversation that blogs are so well known for?  I enjoy comments when I receive them.  But, Dr. Baruth has a political satire blog where comments might hinder his blog posts.  Dr. Baruth welcomes e-mails and will include sections in his posts as would any “letter to the editor” section. But, as I mentioned in my paper, we can not say, this is how ALL blogs should run.  The author of the blog has a right to control the conversation.  I do!  All comments are emailed to me for my approval.  The beauty of a blog is that it’s the author’s voice.  If that voice is credible and informative, then the blog itself is a wonderful tool for our social-knowledge to grow.

 

Here’s a neat idea that one professor provided for his students. Additional lectures provided by podcasts… where one can download a professor’s lecture onto their MP3 player.

Now educating on an iPod near you

Many students walk through campus listening to their MP3 players, often with a favorite band filling their ears. But for a growing number of people, the sound may also be the voice of one of their professors.

Last term, journalism professor Al Stavitsky experimented with creating online audio files called podcasts, which he termed “Al Pods,” for his Mass Media and Society class.

Stavitsky, associate dean of the School of Journalism and Communication, said his podcasts differed from podcasts available at some schools in that they did not reproduce class lectures. Instead, they provided new content bridging the lectures and the assigned readings, freeing Stavitsky from spending large amounts of class time talking about the readings.