Everyone, young and old, is walking around with little white cords dangling from their ears. What's coming out of those ubiquitous earbuds? You might assume rock, but it may well be a free podcast on the Great Depression downloaded from San José State's new iTunes U Web site.
Through Apple's iTunes U, universities can make audio and video podcasts of courses, lectures or the latest events available to students and the general public -- free of charge. At San José State, faculty and staff members create and post their own podcasts, complete with transcripts. Podcasts can closely resemble the classroom experience, making iTunes U an excellent tool for SJSU students and lifelong learners alike.
"Enhanced audio podcasts deliver the voice of the lecturer along with an image that can be displayed on the screen of an iPod," explains Thayer Watkins, SJSU lecturer in economics.
"This is ideal since the image can be a diagram, a table or a picture, which I use in my lectures."
Ever wonder if monetary policy was to blame for the Depression in the 1930s? Download Watkins' podcast on the origins of the Depression and check out the diagrams and tables in the transcript. Want to know more about current economic conditions in the United States? You'll find a podcast on that, too.
"iTunes U is providing an opportunity for students to continue their learning beyond the classroom," says Mary Fran Breiling, director of iTunes U @ San José State. "It's also an opportunity for the university to tout and celebrate its experts."
San José State is the first California State University to join iTunes U, and ne of only two universities nationwide to make all its content accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. Breiling says San José State is using all the technologies it can to reach as many people as possible through iTunes U.
"We're offering students and the community an opportunity to revisit the classroom and to listen to the lectures as many times as they need in order to gain the level of understanding they desire," she says.
The next time you cock an eyebrow in disapproval at someone in earbud oblivion, think twice. Instead of damaging their hearing by jamming to their favorite guitar licks, they may be learning about complicated economic theory.
--Jody Ulate, '05
Download free courses and information from iTunes U @ San José State on the Web. Tuned in here is Jovil Clemente, a creative arts major and a Peer Mentor.
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