The Optimist

Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Katie Gager

Faculty and staff are taking the first steps to see whether ACU pursues becoming an iPhone university. At this early stage, the first steps are looking more like a golf shot.

"It's just like that $1 million hole-in-one thing. I'll pay my dollar and take a swing," George Saltsman said. "The ball's in the air, and that's looking pretty good. I have no idea if it's going to land in that hole or not, but it's kind of exciting to see the ball going in that direction."

Saltsman, director of Educational Technology in the Adams Center for Teaching Excellence, Bill Rankin, associate professor of English, along with others want to bring Apple's new iPhone to campus.

Those leading the charge met with faculty and staff Thursday at lunch to discuss the proposal to Apple and future steps regarding the iPhone.

Saltsman, Rankin and Dr. Kyle Dickson, assistant professor of English, presented on podcasting in a similar luncheon that took place Wednesday. The lunch focused on podcasting and ACU's use of iTunes University. Last year only a dozen or so faculty used iTunes U. Of them, most were in the distance learning program through ACU WorldWide.

This year, Saltsman said about 60 faculty members, or about one-fourth of the total faculty at ACU, will podcast for their classes.

Nearly 70 faculty and staff members interested in testing the iPhone attended Thursday's luncheon in the Campus Center Living Room to hear about the iPhone's possibilities. Faculty and staff must submit proposals to receive iPhones for a two-year commitment to be a part of a research team dedicated to finding the usefulness of this new product. Friday is the deadline for applicants to turn in the proposal. It is not known exactly how many will be selected for the research group.

The selected members will research how to use the iPhone in the future and its application in the classroom and on campus.

"Is it the next generation tool or is it just a toy that's a really cool consumer device but has no use in the classroom?" Saltsman said.

The group, consisting of Saltsman, Rankin and others,
hopes this research discovers whether the iPhone and higher education can be a successful match.

As part of this research, ACU launched its own blog Thursday,
iThinkEd.com, which is geared toward sharing ideas on how technologies like podcasting and the iPhone can better higher education.

Continued...

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