Walk to college/work placement/other learning venues or ride? Bus, train, car or bicycle?

Many learners travel considerable distances to colleges/work placements/other learning venues. Is this a waste of time or a useful period?

The answer may lie in what is on their iPod. When they synced it last night with iTunes what downloaded may have been things they did not think they would want to listen to.

They naturally have the music they want, but podcasts may also have come across from their computer.

When 40% of an organisation’s learners regularly log on to their learning provider’s digital environment (VLE) on a Sunday, one can only assume this is done voluntarily. When their learning provider has created podcasts giving commentaries on how to answer exam questions to achieve high grades, or has provided podcasts that provide a library of extension material, these may make appealing listening. It is the students’ choice - when they discover they are already on their iPod.

Phones and small devices such as MP3 players and iPods fit in students’ lifestyles. If they have ways of working, using these, which are more amenable to them, it makes sense for learning providers and teachers to look at ways to support this.

For the students it represents a change in their lifestyle, with the boundaries between learning time and leisure time becoming fuzzy.

Is this an invasion of private time, or a welcome acknowledgement by teachers that learners really want to take opportunities to learn out of class?