iTunes U

I have been thinking about iTunes U for a while now.

My main issue at the moment is why?

I am not concerned about the application process, as other colleges have undertaken the process.

Nor am I concerened about doing all the design work for the front end. Apple has useful guides and we have the resources to do this too.

I am slightly concerned about the following line from Apple’s website:

At a minimum, your institution should have 150 audio and video files of acceptable quality ready to go on day one, with a plan for posting updated content on a regular basis.

It’s not that we don’t have this level of content, nor am I concerned about whether it is to an acceptable quality, my slight concern is whether any of the content contains third party content that we may be licensed to use within college or on the VLE, but won’t have the rights to re-distribute those third party materials.

My main concern or worry is why!

Why would we use iTunes U?

We still need to host the materials.

We need to apply.

We need to sort out RSS.

We need to plan for regular content.

But why would we use iTunes U?

Apple say:

With an open iTunes U presence, your school can gain recognition — not to mention a competitive edge — as you reach out and share your knowledge.

I think I can see this from a University perspective competing for learners who may look at things like iTunes U. I am not so sure that our learners will be looking at or persuaded by us being on iTunes U.

I like the concept of iTunes U, but I can’t see why I should be using it.

iPhone Application Programming Training

There are many interesting and useful things on iTunes U.

If you are thinking about writing an application for the new iPad or the iPhone then these resources from Stanford University on iTunes U may just fit the bill.

These are BIG files, most of the hour long videos are nearly 500MB in size and there are over twenty of them!

There are also accompany PDFs.

If I can find the time I am hoping to go through the materials and write my first iPhone App.

Tate art made available on iTunes

The Tate galleries have made hundreds of video and audio downloads available for free on iTunes.

More than 400 files are now on iTunes U – a section of the online store which features educational content.

From BBC News

Oxford lecture tops iTunes chart

BBC reports on how Oxford University are top of the pops academic podcasts on the iTunes Store.

An Oxford University economics lecture about the credit crunch is at the top of a global iTunes chart for education.

Earlier this month Oxford and Cambridge began to distribute lectures to students and the public through the iTunes downloading service.

A talk by the Nobel Prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz, is the current chart topper in the “iTunes U” service for university lectures.

Listen to it now (requires iTunes).