Alan reports that

Students in the incoming Class of 2008 at Duke University each get a brand-new iPod, to be used, says the university’s IT wonks, as part of a project exploring innovative classroom technologies.

I’m thinking of using an iPod in my graduate seminar this semester. The idea is that the students divide into groups and then buy me an iPod and, um, that’s it. Perhaps also items from my Amazon wish list, for the advanced ones.

As it happens, I do know of a student at Arizona who used an mp3 player as an innovative classroom technology: he was noticed wearing headphones during his final exam and it turned out he’d recorded himself speaking the answers to likely exam questions.