New iTunes U App Hits iTunes With Over 500,000 Free Lectures, Videos & Books

One of the announcements at today's Apple event was the launch of a dedicated "iTunes U" app for iOS.

The new application will allow teachers create and manage courses with components like lectures, assignments, books, quizzes and syllabuses, and offer them to iOS users via their mobile devices. Participating universities include Cambridge, Duke, Harvard, Oxford, MIT, Yale, Stanford and others. 

Full story is at TechCrunch.

Is Apple going to create a "Garage Band for Textbooks"?

There are several reports that on Thursday, January 19, Apple will be announcing a new platform for creating and distributing digital textbooks.  From Gizmodo

Ahead of Thursday's NYC education event, Ars Technica reports via a leak source that Apple plans to announce a simpler way for authors to create and publish e-books as well as the iBook app's adoption of the ePub3 standard. The WSJ also names publisher McGraw-Hill as a project partner. All these developments suggest Apple's gearing up to bring textbooks to the iPad but we'll have to wait until Thursday to see

There are also stories on TUAW and Slashdot.

New Pocket Projectors From 3M Pump Up The Lumens

I've not had any experience with these new "pico projectors".   As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure that somewhere in the storage closet I have an "LCD panel" that we used to lay on top of an overhead projector.   But Techcrunch has a brief story about a series of new "Pocket Projectors" that have been demoed at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Best software for putting lectures online

Over at Slashdot someone posted this question:

"I'm trying to help a school put their classes online in the way most minimally invasive to the teachers. A few environmental considerations: They don't always have live internet in the classroom, or I'd just run to Skype. I'm hoping to make it as much one-touch start/stop as possible to start recording, stop recording, and upload to a server. I'd like to believe others here have already done something similar, so if a package or process worked for you, that would be great to hear. Not sure what if it's all PowerPoint lectures, or if they actually use a whiteboard, and if so what the best camera would be to use (on a school budget!)."

Like most Slashdot posts it's necessary to weed through the comments to see what people have to say, but there's a few good tips there.

Game-based Learning - Right Around the Corner?

Since 2005, the nonprofit association EDUCAUSE has been publishing annual Horizon Reports that describe areas of emerging technology that will significantly impact higher education in the near future.


In the 2011 Horizon Report, published earlier this year, 6 areas of technology are described that are projected to be adopted into higher education in the next one to five years.


Electronic Books and Mobiles (1 year or less)
Augmented Reality and Game-based Learning (2-3 years)
Gesture-based Computing and Learning Analytics (4-5 years)


We have seen a lot recently about electronic books (i.e., the iPad) in higher education as well as in K-12. But, what about these other technologies?


The use of augmented reality, projected to be adopted in the next 2-3 years, has been demonstrated in medicine, but what how is it being used in other areas? Game-based learning is also projected to be adopted in 2-3 years - Is anyone using games at their institutions now? Do you think 2-3 years is a realistic projection?

In Classroom of Future, Stagnant Scores

The New York Times has an article about the disappointing lack of improvement in standardized test scores despite significant investments in classroom technology.

To be sure, test scores can go up or down for many reasons. But to many education experts, something is not adding up — here and across the country. In a nutshell: schools are spending billions on technology, even as they cut budgets and lay off teachers, with little proof that this approach is improving basic learning.

This article has to do with K-12, but is the same true in higher education?

New in AJPE This Month

Computer-based Simulation Training to Improve Learning Outcomes in Mannequin-based Simulation Exercises

Lindsay B. Curtin, PharmD, Laura A. Finn, Quinn A. Czosnowski, PharmD, Craig B. Whitman, PharmD, and Michael J. Cawley, PharmD

Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, University of the Sciences


Objective. To assess the impact of computer-based simulation on the achievement of student learning outcomes during mannequin-based simulation.

Design. Participants were randomly assigned to rapid response teams of 5-6 students and then teams were randomly assigned to either a group that completed either computer-based or mannequin-based simulation cases first. In both simulations, students used their critical thinking skills and selected interventions independent of facilitator input.

Assessment. A predetermined rubric was used to record and assess students' performance in the mannequin-based simulations. Feedback and student performance scores were generated by the software in the computer-based simulations. More of the teams in the group that completed the computer-based simulation before completing the mannequin-based simulation achieved the primary outcome for the exercise, which was survival of the simulated patient (41.2% vs. 5.6%). The majority of students (>90%) recommended the continuation of simulation exercises in the course. Students in both groups felt the computer-based simulation should be completed prior to the mannequin-based simulation.

Conclusion. The use of computer-based simulation prior to mannequin-based simulation improved the achievement of learning goals and outcomes. In addition to improving participants' skills, completing the computer-based simulation first may improve participants' confidence during the more real-life setting achieved in the mannequin-based simulation.


Lindsay B. Curtin, Laura A. Finn, Quinn A. Czosnowski, Craig B. Whitman and Michael J. Cawley (2011). Computer-based Simulation Training to Improve Learning Outcomes in Mannequin-based Simulation Exercises. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education: Volume 75, Issue 6, Article 113.



Gary Theilman
University of Mississippi

TiPEL-SIG Program at AACP Meeting in San Antonio

iPads, Twitter, Google Sites, and Next-Gen Distance Learning: Interactive Technologies for Active Student Engagement
Jude A. Higdon, Nichole M. Kulinski, Amy L. Pittenger, Christene M. Jolowsky


In this session, several projects utilizing collaborative tools will be described for experiential, classroom-based, and research applications, including an iPad evaluation, social networking, "next generation" student response technology, web-based collaborative writing tools and a range of distance learning strategies for engaging learners. Program will include active participation and panel discussion.


During this session, learners will:
• Identify ways in which our students found iPads helpful -- and not helpful -- to their learning activities
• Articulate ways in which social tools, in particular Twitter, may be used to help build scholarly community among students
• Learn about and engage with emerging, cloud-based, device-neutral student response systems such as ChimeIn
• Explore the use of web-building sites such as Google Sites as a way for health professional students to demonstrate content mastery
• Describe how collaborative writing with tools such as PB works can enhance learning
• Identify techniques for engaging distance learners

Tuesday, July 12

3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Grand Hyatt San Antonio

Lone Star Ballroom, Salon C; Floor 2

Continuing Education credit will be available