--- Forwarded Message from "Thea Rusthoven" <[log in to unmask]> --- >From: "Thea Rusthoven" <[log in to unmask]> >To: "Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum" <[log in to unmask]> >References: <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: Re: #7586.7 iPods instead of audio consoles (!) >Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2004 10:28:10 -0700 Is one of the reasons you don't use iPods more extensively is that they cannot properly replace the microphone/headset in the traditional set-up? Do students need the microphone in order to hear themselves properly? If not, why not just go with individual i-pods? --and they could speak loudly somewhere in private. Also, iPods would not work for a text like French in Action which has CDs which may only be used in a lab. Thea van Til Rusthoven, Ph.D. Redeemer University College Ancaster, Ontario, Canada ----- Original Message ----- From: "LLTI-Editor" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 11:58 AM Subject: Re: #7586.7 iPods instead of audio consoles (!) > As to theft: we make students sign a contract that spells out that the college > will bill them at market value for the lost iPod. > > As to the iPod filling station: We use an older G4 tower ( a slow one!) that > contains MP3 versions of all of our .mov files from the streaming audio server. > The organization of the files represents more or less the organization of the > streaming server, i.e. a hierarchy of language/textbook, chapter, exercise > number, etc. The files are visible in an iTunes interface with the playlists. We > take an iPod and synchronize it to a particular language or a particular > textbook. All this is done within iTunes. > > As to usage: usage has not been as high as expected for reasons stated before. > Most of our users request iPods for athletic trips, weekend trips, etc. A > minority checks iPods out for a ouple of weeks at a time - these are often users > who do not have highspeed internet connection and live off campus. > > There is also another aspect to usage here and that is the fact that language > courses here are very intensive in quarter terms and faculty sticks as much as > possible to a very tight syllabus. So the iPods go to the unexpected, like the > business school student who wants to brush up on Chinese or the medical student > who wants to brush up on Spanish. > > Otmar Foelsche >