iTunesU Post Number Two

        "Forward Looking" is the advancement of any subject beyond its current standard, rather, attempting to create a new method of doing something before it becomes standardized. Education is a subject that is becoming evermore affected by the increase of technological advancements. While one cannot predict the methodology of which education will eventually use, iTunesU is a great example of what may end up becoming standardized for learning.

        iTunesU is making use of the advancements in technology to also advance the education system. As a student, one can learn a great deal of information from an iTunesU course with extreme ease. The courses are composed of video lectures which one can watch and absorb information from just as if one was sitting inside of a lecture hall. The difference is in the factor that one does not need to travel to receive the lecture. Instead, the comfort of one's preferred location, whether that be at home, at a starbucks, perhaps even while on a train ride, the lectures can be viewed at any given location with ease.

        The advantages go further than just ease of the student. Teachers no longer have to worry about delivering a lecture on numerous occasions, nor any technical difficulties. With an already prepared and posted lecture, the burden of problems is removed. Everything is ready, posted online, and has an ease of access that can educate the world if wanted. Courses do not simply have to cater to registered students, hence why anybody can download lectures from iTunesU. With the use of the internet, anybody can become a student and anybody can educate themselves upon subjects of interest.

        Finally, one must also consider the reduction of costs. With an online course, students and teachers do not need to travel in order to educate or learn. Students do not need to make notes on paper, although rare already, online courses further reduce such things.  Therefore emissions, paper, and energy is conserved rather than spent everyday in a situation that could easily be reduced.