IPod chic

The American college campus, once identified by its historical libraries and gothic-style architecture is now being defined by an abundance of Powerbooks, cell phones, iPods and perpetual electronic connectivity that was non-existent just a decade ago. \nWalk anywhere on campus -- to class, to the gym, to Kirkwood Avenue -- and you will see a cluster of students wearing little "ear buds," as iPod aficionados call them, completely detached from the rest of the world. With a push of a button we can now tune out screaming freshman girls, loud buses that appear at every block and the seemingly unavoidable student organizations that solicit your money. \nTo put it simply, the iPod, the most popular MP3 player to date, has become a college student's modern equivalent of a "Do Not Disturb" sign. \nWhile yes, it's exciting that being up-to-date with the latest technology is no longer considered "nerdy" (although Best Buy creatively calls its team of technology experts "The Geek Squad"), what happens when we extend this technological bubble to all facets of our lives? Whether writing thank you notes by e-mail or talking on a cell phone in front of a cashier, we lose a sense of reality and personal connection. Evidence suggests that daily interactions, including talking about the "Coffee of the Day" with the Starbucks barrista or exchanging tidbits of news with the gas station attendant, help us cope with stress and gives us a sense of community.\nBut if iPods and other devices are making us antisocial, they are also the fuel of college life. The Internet has allowed us to e-mail our professors a question about a calculus problem at midnight and get a speedy response the next morning. Group assignments became so much easier with instant messaging. We can check our grades and the amount of money in our bank accounts or even attend an entire class lecture with the click on a button. \nIf you are not part of that 2.3 million who took an online course in 2004, you are likely to have at least taken a course in which some type of online component was used. The latest trend in classroom technology, podcasting, allows students to "attend" a lecture by simply downloading files to his or her iPod.\nAs high-tech as the average IU student seems, the University does not even rank in this year's "Most Unwired College Campuses" list. In fact, considering the No. 1 school, Ball State, has wireless coverage in every food court and green space, Bloomington seems quite outdated. Then there's always the recent podcasting project at Purdue known as "BoilerCast." And who could forget Duke University's free iPod giveaway?\nContrary to popular belief, being "behind" might just be a good thing. While "connectivity" seems to be the watchword of our digital age, the gizmos and gadgets of the wired world may not always be the right solution. While the archaic bright red spiral notebook may seem obsolete, at least we know it will never crash or run out of battery.