There’s no bigger or more important trend in education than mobile learning. Everyone’s talking about how it creates opportunities for learning outside classroom walls — and beyond the classroom hours. Mobile learning can help make any subject more relevant and more “real” for students. And it lets institutions reach students scattered across a province or across the world.
Mobile learning starts now.
Apple makes it simple for your institution to do all this — not a few years from now, but today.
Every Mac comes with software that lets educators easily create audio or video content for their classes. Podcast Producer takes care of formatting and publishing that content. Then with iTunes U, students can download the content to a Mac, keep it all organized, and automatically sync to an iPod touch or iPhone for playback anytime, anywhere.
iPod touch and iPhone also allow students to keep collaborating and researching online even when they’re not using a Mac. And they can run hundreds of different mobile applications, including powerful research and study tools such as anatomy flash cards, graphing calculators, and the World Wiki. Universities are even creating their own mobile applications to put information such as course catalogs, shuttle schedules, and campus news at students’ fingertips. Learn more about mobile learning
iTunes U: The biggest campus expansion plan ever.
Every once in a while, there’s an innovation that truly changes the way learning happens. iTunes U is one of those innovations. It gives any university or college a single home for all the audio and video course materials that faculty create or curate. It also makes it simple for students to find and download just what they’re looking for. iTunes U is a digital campus that never sleeps and can be reached from anywhere.
Here’s how it works. Your institution creates its own iTunes U site. Your site will use the familiar interface of the iTunes Store, so it’s easy to build and even easier to use. Once your site is live, faculty need little additional help from IT. They can start posting content right away — lectures, lab demonstrations, historical footage, whatever they choose to bring their subjects to life. Your staff can also add campus performances, athletics information, forums, and other events so students can keep up with more than their classes.
A catalyst for universities.
A strong iTunes U program puts your institution at the front of technology in education. This position gives you an edge in recruiting forward-thinking faculty. It also doesn’t hurt when it comes to competing for prospective students.
If you choose to make all or part of your iTunes U site available to the public, you can raise your school’s profile without raising your budget. You’ll also give alumni and parents a great way to stay connected with campus life. For institutions that have a larger mission to spread knowledge, there’s no better way to reach around the world to connect with people who are ready to learn.
An amazing resource for K-12.
iTunes U lets K-12 teachers choose from thousands of free resources that are ready for use as mobile learning assignments. Colleges, universities, PBS stations, museums, and other cultural institutions on iTunes U have created content especially for K-12 students. And hundreds of programs, documentaries, and exhibit tours are added all the time, keeping your classes far more up-to-date than any textbook ever could.
Teachers can also find digital curricula and professional development podcasts, both from departments of education and from university education programs. So just like that, your teachers have access to plenty of new ideas.
Getting started on iTunes U.
Ready to make iTunes U part of your mobile learning program? It’s easier than you think.
Apply for iTunes U
