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We learned today that Apple has discontinued the iPod nano and iPod shuffle.
The iPod nano came out originally in 2005, and has not been updated since 2012. Going forward, the only iPod device will be the iPod touch.
Nowadays when I run (slowly), I listen to audiobooks and music on my iPhone 6S Plus. Almost every time I do so, I find myself wishing that I weren't.
At some point I stopped using my Nano for running. The iPhone had all my audiobooks and music. It was with me all the time. I did not need to plug it into my computer to download or manage my media. The Nano got relegated to the bottom drawer in my nightstand.
The thing is, a Nano is much better for running. It is the right size - easily fitting in the pocket of my shorts without bouncing around too much. The click wheel makes it easy to skip songs.
The iPhone is all wrong for running. It’s too big. The touchscreen is a poor substitute for a click wheel when it comes to navigating music by feel.
The lure of having only one device - the iPhone - overpowered the quality of a single-use (running) iPod nano experience.
Do we have examples in edtech where we’ve sacrificed convenience for quality?
It is very convenient to download books and music directly to an iPhone, and to only have to carry a single device. Are there technologies that we are using for teaching and learning that we have adopted because they work well in most cases, but poorly for specialized uses?
One example that comes to mind are classroom controls. I’ve never liked the touch screens in classrooms that bring controls for lighting, A/V, and computers to screens and software. Physical switches, knobs, sliders, and buttons seem to be more intuitive and reliable.
I’m also old enough to have taught using transparencies and overhead projectors. Maybe you are a fan of chalk boards. How many of you think that PowerPoint is a huge step backwards from writing on a board or a screen? Have digital technologies for teaching by writing and projecting caught up to our analog tools?
There are many of us who have been working towards mobile learning. I am amongst those who dream of extending learning to the devices that we carry around at all times. In this desire to make education mobile, how will we make sure that writing stays integral to learning. A good keyboard has always seemed like the most important tool for developing and sharing one’s ideas. Phones do not have good keyboards.
We tend to believe that the trajectory of technology is always positive. Or at least I believe that to be true. Wiser folks may understand that the arrow of technology can take us backwards as well as forward.
Do you have examples of technologies that have gotten worse?
Are there technologies for teaching and learning that have disappeared, for which you mourn their demise?
