Apples in Education

From watching Steve Job's keynote speech earlier this week at the World Wide Developers Conference, I was reminded of the fact that technology is changing the way we teach. As boring as traditional keynote speeches can be, Apple has turned keynotes into world-changing, cataclysmic events that command the attention of millions. As I watched the webcast, my interest in Apple's new operating system (due out in October) grew, while at the same time I was learning how to use it.

That's how education must work--teachers need to demonstrate how to apply new skills and simultaneously raise the interest level of their students. No one does this better than Apple. If we can get students on the edge of their seats (as I was straining to watch the fuzzy Quicktime feed on my laptop), we can raise test scores, close the achievement gap, and adequately prepare students for college.

This past week, I reviewed a few podcasts and educational video streaming sites that do just that. One in particular that I found interesting was from the Educational Podcast Network: "English idioms and slang." Students at a lower reading level may be turned off by reading plain black and white text. But put that same information on a podcast and they are hooked. I know I was.