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iTunes University

Vision for Utah’s Learning Environments

CHOICES:
Today’s students have access to information 24 hours a day via media outlets and the Internet. More than 70% of high school students have access to cell phones. Many also own digital media players like iPods. Rich content is easy to access via portals such as iTunesU.

DEMAND:
Students and parents expect choice and flexibility. Online learning is well positioned to meet the expectations.

STRATEGY:
Utah’s Electronic High School (EHS) is meeting student needs with open-entry/open-exit courses and within three years will have converted most curriculum to downloadable media.

The following links open in a new browser window:

• UHS’s iTunes site contains a growing number of downloadable media from our curriculum.

• Other states are also offering their K12 content via iTunesU.

• Many universities also offer educational content via iTunesU.

• More information about the EHS iTunesU site is available at http://itunes.ehs.uen.org/

• NOTE: If you are interested in creating Podcasts for your class, there are a number of great resources available to you. Read Creating Content for iPod + iTunes - PDF.

• There are some new copyright concerns regarding Podcasts for your MP3 player. Make sure to check out the copyright resources.

• You may want to Download iTunes and visit the Apple iTunes Site to learn more about Podcasts.
  

Utah’s iTunesU in EDUTOPIA

In One Ear: iTunes U Puts iPods to Good Use A new online repository offers free, state-approved K-12 course materials and teacher development tools. - PDF
"We believe high-quality content is available everywhere on the net, and iTunes U collects all of that in one interface," says Kathleen Webb, principal of Utah's Electronic High School and educational technology coordinator for the state's Department of Education. Webb, who contributes to the site and uses its resources, adds, "The thing that's exciting for us is that as others put high-quality content out there, it will be easier to integrate into our learning environment for our own students." Webb says iTunes U helps teachers quickly identify materials they can use as references in their courses. For example, a chemistry teacher seeking resources on hydrogen can perform a search for the element using the iTunes Store's Power Search tool, and she can limit it to return only iTunes U results. She can then add the appropriate links to her course page and encourage students to download the audio to study. This feature will become increasingly useful as the content library grows. Meanwhile, early iTunes U K-12 users have already found a few more ways in which the content can bolster traditional learning.