this is me....and?: October 2006

Thursday, October 19, 2006

An iPod Classroom?



Education is a vital requirement to be successful in life in this modern age we live in today. Fusing technology with education is an extraordinary finding. If I were a student at York University, it would be a pleasure to work independently and would be excited to start. As a Mary Ward student, I have learned some qualities in the full year I have attended this school, and suggest that this iPod in a classroom would be an excellent idea for students here at Mary Ward. Since Mary Ward is already a self-directed and independent learning school, with students who need frequent breaks, and do mostly hands-on work, it would not be a problem adapting to such methods in the future. I personally, think that the iPod in my classroom would benefit my learning skills when in university. The iPod is still hands-on work, but I would also be attending a university. Instead of going to college, I would still be able to go to university and be in a comfortable environment. With the good, comes the bad. Some disadvantages with this new learning method would be distraction. Students are easily distracted if they find something that is not interesting in their opinion, and may get caught in another subject. The iPod video was originally created to view music videos and movies. If a student can make up an excuse to do work, they can obviously trail off their work to watch a few unrelated school videos during class. In a school like Mary Ward where the teachers are not able to look after every single student especially if they are in a consultation, they cannot watch over the students to make sure they are doing work. So would the iPod benefit or distract a student? The answer, it depends on the student. If they are self-disciplined, and focused on work and able to concentrate, the iPod would definitely be a benefit. If a student like the majority of Mary Ward students dislike work, and are distracted or get bored easily, the iPod may make things worse when it is time to sit down and do work seriously.