When it comes to pod casts…I have to say I may be a fan. I was always a fan of books on tape and when I was driving and hour and a half to Geneseo three day a week one of my professors gave me a few books we were reading on CD and I thought it was the great. Half the time when I was driving I was just trying to get there so I could do work. When he gave me those tapes I was able to pop in the CD and pick up where I left off on my drive. I wanted to do the same for my other English classes but I was unable to to find any of the books (and if I did they were out of my budget). Nevertheless, I do own an i-pod…I have had an i-pod for three years…I never thought to put a book on it…now I’m kicking myself for not thinking about it.
I made the mistake of getting the nano when it first came out (It only has 2GB) and now I want a bigger on…but can’t justify spending the money on it…yet. I like to read a lot and would love to be able to load a chapter of a book onto my i-pod and drive (My commute to work and school is about 40 minutes…30 the way I drive). But, having the book on my i-pod would save me from digging around my Cd’s, flipping stations, or even flipping my i-pod to a new song or artist. I know this doesn’t have to do much with education, but, I do think it’s a good idea to cleaning up my car ride…I have books in my back seat for “just in case moments” when I have to wait for a long time…hmmmm…
Anyways, in terms of education we as teachers can carry less books, not worry so much about DVDs, Cd’s, or VHS! If we familiarize ourselves with the i-pod and know how the technology works…then our technological difficulties in class will be minimal. No skipping Cd’s, confusing remotes, and long stares into a blank screen saying, “huh…I wonder what’s not working”.
As for students, I still do not know if I trust them enough to have them on. Now, if we had class i-pods…that operated like computers where there is the teacher computer that can monitor what everyone else is doing…then maybe. But, they are expensive and easy to lose, so, I’m still a little hesitant about giving them to the students, but, as teachers, I think it is something we should really think about working into our classroom as a tool for us.
Kmerman9's Weblog 
I feel the same way, and never thought of using an ipod as an educational tool, either for myself or my students. What a great way to continue to educate yourself. The fact that i can sit in on a FREE lecture from Harvard is pretty cool. Great points.