IDT Group

For insights into where teaching and learning is headed, it is worth watching the evolution of iPod use at Duke University (NC), well known for its 2004 iPod initiative.

One of the things you do by podcasting is participate in student culture," Mr. Jackson says, arguing that college students are more likely to show up for class if they think a professor is speaking their language.

And perhaps the largest coursecasting project is at Purdue University at West Lafayette.

"We're trying to give people as many options as possible if they miss a course and need to catch up — or if they just want to review," he says.

It’s this transparency that lowers the barriers to entry and participation.

reputation is a significant resource

What’s the downside to open source?

put the relative threat of online predators in perspective, while at the same time noting that schools and parents must to more to give students the media literacy skills required to use the Internet responsibly.

On the other side of this digital divide, there are countless young people who feel like they are masters of digital technology, despite the fact they often use these tools naively or recklessly because of a lack media literacy and critical thinking skills.

parents should consider monitoring the amount of time spent on-line.

phone calls from men

Some computer-sex offenders have even obtained toll-free 800 numbers, so that their potential victims can call them without their parents finding out.

“It didn’t cost a cent to do this,” he said.

If used correctly, computers in more hands can help speed schools along the path to 21st-century learning, Walery says.

The district’s policy didn’t allow for students to bring in their own computers and connect to the school’s network,