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iPodI explored the iPod at an in-depth level for multiple reasons. The first reason being that I love iPods and have used one since they first came out in the early 2000’s. It is an extremely handy device due to its size (which seems to decrease and decrease every year) and also due to its functionality. I always have my iPod on my person mainly because of these two reasons. The breakthrough in the iPod line really came in the iPod Touch, which is essentially an iPhone minus the phone feature. Learning on the iPod was excellent for me because, I am an extremely active and visual learner. The iPod accommodates both of those learning styles well through its vibrant screen and through the apps that feature buttons and 3D diagrams.

iPads The iPad was the most fun and exciting technology to investigate out of the three. I always carry my iPod, but I seem to enjoy using my iPad the most. I have had it for 3 semesters now and have tried to incorporate into my learning in various ways. This class showed me some great apps and great methods for the iPad. The iPad is very tactile and engages my active learning preference to the fullest. I use it to watch videos, use apps, surf, and complete assignments. The fact that it has the best screen of all the technologies helps, when I need to be visually stimulated.

MicroblogsMicroblogs were also very interesting to me before I even began the course. I had used Twitter and Tumblr before, as they are both very cool, popular forms of microblogging. Surprisingly, I liked using Twitter more, even though it is significantly less visual than Tumblr. Twitter would update for me much faster than Tumblr, and that made the app seem more active, engaging, and alive. At times there are pictures, but overall I enjoyed Twitter’s speed the most.

PARAGRAPH 2The technology that interested me the most was the iPad. I feel that the iPad and tablets in general are emerging pieces of technology that are catching on quite quickly and that are here to stay. It is very practical and very powerful, just look around campus and you will see as many iPads as laptops. The technology that surprised me the most was definitely the iPod. I had always viewed the iPod as an entertainment device and never as an educational learning tool. Exploring its capabilities really proves itself as an educational tool. The technology that does not seem to work very well as a learning tool would have to be the microblog. Although, it can be used for learning, I think that will take some time to catch on. Still many use it for social interaction, and the true educational benefits with microblogging can still be difficult to uncover.

PARAGRAPH 3The iPad worked best for my learning preference. The platform offers many apps that are obviously highly visual and also interactive, great for an active learner. A global learner, like myself also benefits from the many hands-on, interactive apps that let you skip around and freely “explore”. A good example of this type of app is the 3D brain app for the Level 1 activity. This app was visually appealing (brain illustration), active (rotatable brain and clickable notes), and global (no certain order to navigate the app). In the 3D Brain app, there was an excellent combination of hands-on diagrams that really stimulated my learning. Normally, I would not want to learn about the brain at all, but I enjoyed learning about it mainly because this app was so cool and intuitive.

PARAGRAPH 4The most simple, but definitely most useful app that I learned about was the iPad Flashcard app. It was a very straight-forward, no frills app, but it served its purpose very well. It was very simple to make a deck and you can make as many decks as you want, without spending any money on flashcards. I also thought that they cloud deck storage was very helpful if you have multiple iOS devices. As for this learning strategy, I will definitely use it post-college. I know many businesses and even government agencies are beginning to use iPads in their day-to-day operations. I can learn new vocabulary, sequences of tasks, and various protocols with the Flashcard app in the workforce.

PARAGRAPH 5After this course I will continue using apps on the iPod and also the iPad for learning. The selection of apps is so wide that almost any course I take here at San Francisco State will have an app that can supplement the material. The apps are always very hands on and of course visual, something that helps me tremendously. The Flashcard app can be used but so can many other apps such as note taking apps, scheduling apps, word processors, and spreadsheet apps. There are even appscan give companies and organizations the ability to meet with each other online.