iTunes may be best known as a
place to download music and videos, but
the Apple software offers more than the latest pop
hit.
At iTunes U, users can access more than 30,000
audio and video files from colleges and
universities around the country, encompassing
everything from tutorials on physics to video lectures
on global affairs. The Beyond Campus section includes
material from museums, public radio and
television stations, and other educational organizations.
Users can search, download, and play all content
for free.
In early March, the NSF-funded National
Science Digital Library (NSDL), whose
core integration office is based at UCAR,
jumped into the fray. NSDL now offers a variety of
material on iTunes U drawn from UCAR/NCAR and UCAR
members. Users can download a teacher’s
guide on the Sun-Earth connection, listen
to a podcast about Project BudBurst (see
the winter 2007–08
UCAR Quarterly), or watch NCAR scientist
Kevin Trenberth explain the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change process.
The NSDL site on
iTunes U saw more than 54,000 visitors
in its first month, according to Susan
Van Gundy, who led the initiative along with colleagues
in NSDL and UCAR Communications. She hopes to add
new material to iTunes as frequently as possible,
including a series of video podcasts related to the
International Polar Year.
University partners who
have multimedia material that may be
appropriate for inclusion on the site
are encouraged to contact Van Gundy (vangundy@ucar.edu,
303-497-2946).
To access NSDL’s content on iTunes,
follow the link provided at http://nsdl.org/iTunesU.
Or launch iTunes software (for PC or Mac), enter
the iTunes Store, and look for iTunes U. The heading “National
Science Digital Library” is listed under “Beyond
Campus.” Alternatively, enter “NSDL” or “NCAR” in
the search box to go directly to those
content areas. ♦
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