March 6, 2008
Giving Away Gadgets -- Like iPhones -- May Not Be the Best Way to Spur Innovation
Administrators at Abilene Christian University say they have a vision to use iPhones, which allow Web access in the palm of users’ hands, to revolutionize campus life. But is giving away the devices to all incoming freshmen the best way to spur innovation? A look at past technology giveaways at other campuses suggests that it might not be, as I note in a Chronicle article this week (free to all, even nonsubscribers).
What do you think? Will more colleges follow Abilene Christian’s lead (and that of Oklahoma Christian University, which is also giving away iPhones)? Should colleges do this? —Jeffrey R. Young
Posted on Thursday March 6, 2008 | Permalink |Comments
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And who’s going to replace it or fix it when students misplace it or break it? Education should not hinge on “giveaways” for students who will not appreciate them.
— JC Mar 6, 12:16 PM #
I couldn’t agree more that education shouldn’t be based merely on giveaways. Of course, ACU’s program is about much more, and we’ve spent significant time developing the educational rationale which actually engendered this program and then following that up with specific ways we think this will transform education in the 21st century.
By the way, as with laptop programs at other campuses, there will have to be spare devices available and policies and procedures for when one breaks or when students are negligent. But frankly, such details are easy. Envisioning how these can facilitate active, student-centric learning, how they can create a new educational paradigm, has been the hard part.
Check out ACU’s mobile learning site and philosophy at the “connected” website— http://www.acu.edu/connected.
— Bill Mar 6, 07:24 PM #
It should seem a tad ironic that a fundamentalist Christian university is the first to give out gadgets to its students that epitomize the obsession with materialism and constant connection to the internet that pervades the current crop of students. It’s difficult enough to prevent students from surfing the web or texting to their friends during class as it is. How can professors even hope to do so when students have no need to turn off or hide their officially sanctioned iPhones. I suppose we can all hope that having an iPhone helps the students at Abilene Christian University come closer to loving Jesus, steering clear of licentious behavior, or whatever else the administrators of the place expect from this policy.
— Megalopsuchos Mar 6, 07:28 PM #
Being the first to give away a high tech toy is clearly a strategy to gain national attention – something along the lines of getting mentioned in the Chronicle. Apparently it works.
— stevenb Mar 6, 08:34 PM #
Somebody ought to ask ACU about it’s multi-million dollar operating deficit this year…
— Ted Mar 7, 08:59 AM #
I was impressed at the video that ACU put together demonstrating how iPhones might be useful in the classroom. In one scene, an instructor asks his students to submit via their iPhones what comes to mind when they think of modernism. The students then tap away names of writers, artists, and historical movements related to modernism. These suggestions show up on the big screen in the classroom as word clouds, and the instructor uses the student suggestions as a spring board for class discussion. This is a great example of how technology can enhance the classroom dynamic, and if ACU can follow through on their vision by working with faculty to incorporate the technology in these kinds of meaningful ways, I think they’ll have a great deal of success with their new program.
— Derek Mar 7, 10:20 AM #
I see a rise in applications because of this. As silly as it sounds, you’re dealing with 18-year-old-kids and the appeal of a new iphone, in many cases, will trump the real process of searching for a college best suited to them.
— Andrew Mar 7, 10:33 AM #
The real rise in applications, as of yesterday with the release of the iPhone SDK, will be the number of applications being written for this new platform. It will be a shame if faculty and IT folks remain stuck in a desktop or laptop mindset while increasingly mobile students look on.
Did the Chronicle interview faculty at ACU?
— kd Mar 7, 10:58 AM #
Does anyone remember when you used to get a dish in a box of soap powder?
— marci Mar 7, 12:08 PM #
Did colleges ever give away typewriters? It is difficult NOT to view this as a marketing scheme.
— km Mar 7, 03:23 PM #
Thanks, ACU, for trying this strategy for engaging students in learning. The Chronicle article about your strategy has spurred a lot of positive conversation already at our institution about what we might do along these lines, including the need to plan for new kinds of IT services and professional development. We’ll be eager to hear how your program does.
— Jo Mar 7, 04:45 PM #
I am a current ACU student, and I think some of the comments above mine are underestimating the intelligence of the faculty, staff, and students here at ACU.
If an iPhone is all it takes to get a student to come to a university, then we would be one-upped by OC, who is ‘giving away’ macbooks AND iPhones (it’s included in their tuition, from what I understand). Furthermore, OC is simply giving away the devices, without also giving the students applications that will make them functional on campus.
The fact that ACU has done intensive research on the subject (indeed, research has been going on since before the iPhone was officially released) is much more impressive. Applications are currently being developed so that the iPhone or iPod touch can be used every day, inside and outside the classroom. We at ACU have already seen success in using iTunes U, which enables professors to create podcasts for their students. From what I see, this is just another step in developing that type of technology.
While a similar initiative was studied by Duke in 2004, they were simply using iPods. iPhones/iPod Touches are equipped with internet, which makes them infinitely more functional. Just because ACU is not as well known does not mean we don’t have the intellect to back up our technology initiatives. This is not a marketing ploy, or a recruiting ploy (I know for a fact that the admissions office is not using it to recruit students). This is an initiative that is keeping the students at its forefront, and is keeping up with modern technology. Whether or not you choose to believe that is up to you.
Were any faculty interviewed for this article? If the writer would have taken the time to speak with them, perhaps he would better understand the initiative and its goals. Please make sure that, before you publish a biased article, you check your facts — at the very least.
— Kristin Mar 10, 03:20 PM #
Office Supplies are pretty boring, but what about organization, productivity, office humor and annoying your coworkers? http://blog.officenmore.com
— qqqq Apr 4, 02:11 PM #