Students who received an iPhone or iPod touch in Fall 2008 will be eligible to exchange them for the newest models this fall as part of ACU’s first mobile device replacement.

According to the Team 55 technology support blog, students who received their first mobile device in the Fall 2008 semester and have registered as a full-time student for Fall 2010 can receive the next generation iPhone or iPod touch. Students must return their first device, and the student’s payments must be up-to-date with ACU and AT&T.

The distribution date was set for the beginning of April, but in anticipation of the new iPhone and iPod touch releases this summer, it has been postponed until the fall. This will allow the university to provide students with the latest models of the devices.

Daniel Hixon, sophomore finance and accounting major from Dallas, said he plans on trading his old iPhone for the new model in the fall.

“I’m actually quite excited about it and am hoping to find a more efficient product with the new advancements in technology,” Hixon said.

According to an ACU news release, in Fall 2008, ACU became the first university in the country to distribute these devices to an incoming freshman class as part of a mobile learning program. Many students who received the iPhone or iPod touch saw right away the advantages of having these devices.

“The devices have helped; they don’t distract me in class, and they make it much easier to facilitate meetings and conversations with professors and students,” Hixon said.

Students are not the only members of the ACU community to benefit from this technological integration. Members of the faculty have used the device to create new methods of communication and teaching.

Dr. Steven Moore, assistant professor of English, said the mobile initiative has put ACU on the map in terms of bringing technology into the classroom.

“I’ve enjoyed how these mobile devices have enhanced our classrooms and personally have challenged me to be more innovative in the classroom,” Moore said.

Students like Amanda Goodall, sophomore communications major from North Richland Hills, are looking for an even closer merging of technology and classroom.

“It would be cool to see more incorporation with the release of these new devices in the classroom and in our academic work,” Goodall said.

Luke Ramsey, sophomore English major from Colorado Springs, Colo., said he will be exchanging his iPod touch for the updated version and hopes to use it more in a scholastic setting.

“The majority of the classes I’m in do not utilize the device the way I expected,” Ramsey said. “I’m hoping this new device will provide even more ways to connect academically.”