Dictaphone/ iTalk

Hey, I think I made a thread ages ago about buying a dictaphone for uni. So i'm looking at them all now and I saw iTalk which clips to the bottom of your ipod. Are lecturer's ok with this kinda thing or should I get a normal one? Any recommendations? :smile:

Reply 1

Ali07

I don't think the lecturer will have problems, but I'm not sure you will be able to record it in good enough quality. Could be wrong though... Do you know someone who has used it as a dictaphone?

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Reply 2

giraffehaveabath

If you ask then you'd probably be allowed to put it up at the front. Why though? Won't it just encourage you to not pay attention? Nothing wrong with making notes in the lecture. You could argue that it'll allow you to not miss a single word, but lecture's aren't about recording every single utterance made by the person doing the teaching, they're about ensuring that you understand what's going on. Far better to make a few relevant notes and ask to have anything that you don't understand clarified, to ensure that you get what's going on than to sit in your room replaying a recording over and over.

Reply 3

La Trampa

the recordings aren't really that clear because people all around you will be chattering. i tried it and it was just pointless. i might try again but i doubt it'll be any better.

Reply 4

hereistheguy

oh so I don't need one? eep sorry I was under the impression that people just got them and you needed them! maybe i dreamt that :s-smilie:

No i'd definately make notes I wasnt planning to just sit and ignore the whole thing lol I just thought they were used! :biggrin:

Reply 5

La Trampa

no you don't need them. most people listen and take notes. every utterance made by the lecture isn't useful. and there are lecture notes in most lectures and they are also made available online. some lecturers are just difficult and don't give you notes so you are forced to listen!

Reply 6

hereistheguy

lol okies cool :smile:

will cross that off the list of things to buy! :smile:

thanks

Reply 7

Lewisy-boy

trust me you don't need one - lectures aren't enough anyway, they're to give you the basics and the reading gives you the real deal. it's not like at school where what the teacher syas will give you an A****.

Reply 8

sssh

One of my friends tried to use a dictaphone to record lectures at the start of the first term. It seemed like a really clever idea, but turned out to be useless when you couldn't distinguish the lecturer's voice above coughing and shuffling of paper.

It depends what subject you're doing as to how useful the lecture notes are. From my experience, I can tell you that English give you sheets occasionally with quotes on, but mostly you have nothing but your own notes. Philosophy give you headings and notes in the same order as their powerpoint presentation, then put the presentations online. One of my lecturers even started recording podcasts of his lectures and posting them on the portal, which was really helpful. Hopefully this will catch on, though apparently the English department doesn't want to do it because of copyrights of their lecturers (this is what I've heard, I have no idea if it's true or what it really means).