I Tunes U for Educators

By going to http://www.apple.com, a teacher has access to a wealth of knowledge that they can share with their classrooms. After going to the site and accessing i tunes U, it is pretty self explanatory to navigate through to the educational domains. Once there, there are many options to choose from ranging from grade level, subject matter and objectives.
I went to the PBS option and chose WGBH teacher's domain where i found a variety of links to choose from that could be helpful to me as an educator. I chose the grade level k-5 and selected science as the topic I wanted to research. Some of my options were the solar system, Energy in the coral reef, Precipitation and Weather. I chose to preview a lesson on clouds.
I found the lesson to be brief yet informative and think that elementary students would find it very enjoyable way to be introduced to subject matter. The video lessons ranged from 1 to 4 minutes, so they are designed to be quick, and therefore, they lack the dread that can sometime come along with watching an educational film.
I am certain that I will take advantage of the resources i tunes offers to enhance my teaching and professional development once I get in the classroom. Until this lesson, I am embarrassed to say that I thought I tunes was only a music resource. I plan on using it for myself during the remainder of my academic studies.

What is I Tunes University?

I tunes U delivers easy access to educational content from colleges, universities, and educationally focused organizations across the country. It is accessible to anyone with a computer. It keeps students engaged by offering audio and video material in a much more entertaining way than lectures and printed pages.
I tunes works by going to the website http://www.apple.com, and looking up subject matter individuals want or need. I tunes U can then be synced with ipods or iphones and listened to or watch at the persons leisure.

Why Use Podcasting?

Up until recently, the term podcasting was foreign to me, and then I found out it is a fairly common method of sending messages via the internet. Podcasting is the concept of downloading and streaming an online audio or video broadcast. It enables communication for personal, professional or educational purposes through a more proficient way. It allows one to save content digitally and replay it at their convienence, even when not online.
In the fall of 2004, Duke University issued all of their incoming freshman a new ipod with the idea that it would allow their students the opportunity to have access to learning in a non-traditional way. Having the flexibility to listen to lectures and take notes other than regularly scheduled class times gives the students added assurance in succeeding in school. Learning in this nature definately gives the student added marketability when it comes time to execute a career.
I think that more schools, businesses and individuals should look at the advantages of staying on top of the current technological trends and get involved early instead of being forced to learn what everyone else already knows. This class has opened my eyes into the amazing and exciting options we all have at the tip of our fingers.

Where did quality customer service go?

In the best of Fischbowl May, 2007, a public school tech support employee addressed the topic of customer service and/or the lack of. He linked customer service to the field of education and brought up the concept that educators, administration, and students are either a customer or one in the position of power. Like customer service in any business, it can make either positive or negative impacts on the people who are obtaining the services, and we, as teachers need to access what kind of service we are providing.
The blog gave an example of poor customer service from a audio tapped conversation between a customer and a customer service representative. Listening to the dialog was familiar to frustrating situations I have encountered, but have come to accept as the norm for today's standards. Those of us that can remember quality customer service from either days gone by or from a recent, and pleasant encounter should do our part to give back that type of service to those of whom we interact. Word of mouth can go a long way in building a business, and when my future students talk about the service I provided to them, I hope that new customers come to me full of anticipation for a positive experience.