A New Tool for The Classroom
Posted June 21st, 2008 by adminAccording to an article in Time, students in a rural New Mexico school have been equipped with mp3 players in an effort to incorporate a new tool into the classroom. The mp3 players will allow the students to watch videos and listen to lectures recommended by the teachers and other students. The students are encouraged to link up during class hours, on their bus rides to and from school, and while they are on school trips.
We all know this as podcasting, and this experiment is an agreement between the school and Microsoft. The teachers get a bonus for lessons that identify 20 downloadable lectures that support what they are teaching in class and for developing 5 of their own. Microsoft is collecting data on how the study works, and also gets to showcase their brand to the schools.
Of course, with an mp3 player comes responsibility. The students had to agree to not download anything that would be offensive and adhere to the “grandma rule”: don’t download anything that their grandmothers would find inappropriate. The teachers have designated certain areas, “no mp3 player” zones, and students must turn off their players when asked.
Bravo to this community for incorporating another tool into the learning process!
Happy learning!
Definitely an interesting idea, though that it’s fully funded through Microsoft makes me a little wary. I’m not sure how much better this is than advertising in schools, on the other hand, if there’s going to be advertising in schools, I’d much prefer that it’s actually helping the students as this seems to be.
Comment by maculate — April 8, 2009 @ 7:27 pm