La Voz

Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: Features

Media Credit: Graphic by Tom Guffey

You can find them everywhere. In backpacks and pockets, on hips and on wrists and anywhere else students can manage to conceal them. Of course, they're iPods.

Most professors object to students using iPods, but English and poetry professor Anthony Delaney uses an iPod in classes to teach and enhance his classes with music, movies and media clips.

Since their release in October of 2001, iPods have revolutionized how people play and store music. With video iPods, another revolution has begun; an era of portable, personalized multi-media in the palm of your hand.

After receiving a video iPod for Christmas, Delaney began exploring new methods of communicating with his students. "I was just trying to think of different ways to utilize the video aspect of [the iPod in class]," said Delaney.

Finding relevant music and media clips, Delaney primarily uses the iPod to present information to his students, saying it acts as a "springboard" into meaningful conversations.

Delaney is currently using his iPod in his ELIT 11 Introduction to Poetry class. Delaney plays audio of poems read by their authors' voices to enrich the significance and understanding for students.

Integrating iPods in the classroom can "change up the rhythm of the class and make it a little more dynamic," Delaney said. "[The iPod] helps to break up the monotony of just listening or reading."

While De Anza has many "smart" classrooms, with audio and visual technology, choosing to use an iPod in class has just been easier, said Delaney.

In May of 2007, Apple released ITunes U, an educational section of the iTunes store containing free materials such as course content, lectures and podcasts (a compilation of media files downloadable over the Internet).

"I don't think people are using the iTunes U very much right now, but it's available to us," said Delaney.

De Anza College has their own page on iTunes U and Delaney says he would like to create podcasts of his classes.

Although iPods and podcasting are relatively new ideas in classes, integrating their technology would allow teachers and students to present information for three different learning styles - auditory, visual and reading - all at once.

"It could really take the school to the next level," Delaney said. "The difficulty with it is getting people to use it [and] getting teachers involved with it."

During the spring quarter, Delaney will be teaching a hybrid course, meeting on campus and over the Internet, and is looking forward to further broadening iPod technology in his curriculum.



Daniel Gamberg is a staff reporter for La Voz. Contact him at danielgamberg@lavozdeanza.com.

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