iPad 2
Apple has unveiled its new iTunes U application for the iPad which will allow college students to view course material, sign up for classes and interact with their teachers digitally.
In a special press conference held on Thursday 19th January, the American multimedia giants unveiled a series of software applications that is intended to inspire students to improve their learning techniques. Among the new apps is the iTune U which provides students instant access to all manner of information they wouldn´t have.
Speaking at the presentation, Apple´s senior vice president Eddy Cue said, “The all-new iTunes U app enables students anywhere to tap into entire courses from the world’s most prestigious universities. Never before have educators been able to offer their full courses in such an innovative way, allowing anyone who’s interested in a particular topic to learn from anywhere in the world, not just the classroom.”
With the new iTunes U application, students can obtain the class syllabus, a teachers office hours, course overviews as well as receives feedback and assignments from teachers. On the one hand it makes organising your school life much more easier than traditional methods, but on the downside students have no excuse for tuning in their homework even when they are not at school.
The information available is listed under specific headings and is easy to follow, but also allows users to access and modify their coursework and class notes under one tab. Selected text can be highlighted for ease of reference and when an assignment is completed it can be crossed off the task list. The iTunes U application will even allow students to sign up for courses from directly within the software. Courses and professors can even be rated through iTunes U for iPad.
Another advantage of the iTunes application is it is completely free and will save students a fortune in fees for textbooks and materials – not to mention the reduction in weight when carrying them around with them.
Also unveiled at the press conference was the new iBooks application that is designed to make learning more fun and interactive. Students have access to over 20,000 courses from around the world which apply visual aids like photographs and videos. Though Apple acknowledge one company alone cannot change the downturn in the results of the current education system, the introduction of digital tools is likely to encourage other companies to create educational apps as well.
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