IOWA CITY - The University of Iowa is pushing professors to use more technology in the classroom. One professor is leading the pack.

Ipods are like macaroni and cheese, beer and ramen noodles: staples for today's college students to survive. Now the University of Iowa is taking the Ipod and turning it from entertainment center to supplemental material. And Professor Michael Lomax is one of the first to jump on board. His class deals with sports history. But Professor Lomax loves today's technology. It is little surprise he is one of the first professors pod-casting his lectures. He said, “I'm trying to use the technology as a ways to supplementing what i am already doing in the classroom."

Jupiter Research reports about a fourth of 18- to 24-year-olds own an mp3 player of some kind. The university wants to tap into those buds in students' ears. Kyle Gassiott works with information technology services at the University of Iowa. He said he helped Professor Lomax upload his lecture onto a computer so students can download it from I-Tunes. Gassiott said, “He's definitely a success story for our pod-casting initiative."

Lomax started pod-casting last semester. It gave him a chance to work out the bugs. One of his biggest problems was remembering to turn on his microphone. Lomax said, “I done several lectures like that and realized 40 minutes into the lecture I didn't have my microphone on."

Lomax plans to ask for feedback at the end of the semester. He does not know which of his students plug in to his pod-cast, or how it helps. Many students say they have not used it. But Andrew Kinning has. He said, “You download the pod-cast and listen to that and it helps you out with classes you missed or refresh your mind on material."

Professor Lomax said, “This is essentially going to be the wave of the future."

The students might not catch on until finals, but the future of learning is in Lomax’s class today.

With Professor Lomax's lectures online, some students might be tempted to skip class and listen later. The professor says he counts attendance. Do not go to class and you cannot get an 'A'.

Email Steve Nicoles at Steve.Nicoles@kcrg.com