The Apple of My Eye....Phone

The other day, I read a rather interesting article. It is about Abilene Christian University in Texas, where they are using iPhones for just about everything in their classrooms. Here, I'll let an out-of-context quote sum it up for you:

"The initiative’s goal was to explore how the always-connected iPhone might revolutionize the classroom experience with a dash of digital interactivity. Think web apps to turn in homework, look up campus maps, watch lecture podcasts and check class schedules and grades. For classroom participation, there’s even polling software for Abilene students to digitally raise their hand."

So let's see: you can turn in homework in and look at maps on your iPhone, you can watch lectures on your iPhone so you don't have to get up early, and you can raise your hand with your iPhone. That certainly sounds like it will "revolutionize the classroom experience" as the article phrases it. Only thing is, can't we already do all of that on computers? And with much greater ease and practicality? And raising your hand is not the most revolutionary concept I've heard this week. As for the polling technology, that can be handled by a device called the iClicker, which costs a mere 20 bucks. Sounds like all they're doing is making the classroom experience smaller. That's not my main concern though. My problem with it is as follows:

Who needs computers
When you can solely count on
an Apple iPhone?


I understand that the point of the iPhone for this campus is to revolutionize the college experience, but seriously- it is no replacement for a computer. You still need to write essays on a computer, and overall a computer is simply much more practical. While the iPhone might bring some degree of convenience, people are still going to be lugging laptops around with them to do their work. If they have a laptop, they can do all of that stuff the iPhone does, only with greater efficiency. All the iPhone does is bring novelty and slight degree of convenience to the students. And at what cost?

I am now going to ask another question about this plan, the question that most people avoid asking. What happens if you lose it? What happens if you misplace this wallet-sized device on which your entire education depends? If absolutely everyone has an iPhone and the classroom revolves around it, you're going to be needing it at all times. What happens if you drop it in the toilet? Hmm? Do you fish it out from your own excrement and talk on the phone knowing that its been in a toilet? Or do you just flush your college education down the toilet? It happens, believe me. And it's not pleasant.

So, for the time being, my stance is that ACU is not revolutionizing or streamlining the classroom experience, just making it smaller and easier to drop in your own shit.


The title has no real bearing. I just couldn't resist making the pun.