Education of an iPod

As was announced a few weeks ago, my alma mater Duke University has taken a radical step in education and technology policy and given every single incoming student an iPod. While many appear to be using them for music, this Duke Chronicle Online article reveals some pretty interesting educational and behavioral uses as well:

On the other hand, her roommate, Chrissy Devore, has used her iPod to record everything from Sunday’s a capella jam and Saturday’s Hoof ‘n’ Horn freshman cabaret to course lectures and Chapel Dean William Willimon’s last series of sermons at Duke. She even managed to capture a little piece of President Richard Brodhead at the dessert reception he hosted Monday night.

“Hi. This is Richard Brodhead saying hello to Chrissy Devore. You seem to be the most advanced user of the iPod in your entire class, so I’m full of admiration. Have a great time at Duke,” the president quipped with his characteristic joviality.

For those who have applied their iPods to academic purposes, recording and schedule storage seem to have become the most useful features. “I might not use it that often without the recorder,” freshman Regina Liu confessed. Currently she uses her new iPod to record her lecture classes, citing good sound quality. The five pages of notes she may glean from a second listen supplement the notes she takes in class. “[This class is] a lot of opinions and points of view, [so] I don’t get to jot down everything in class,” she added.

Comments

[Pauly D]

Man! Must be nice!

What's next? Free computers!? Segways!!