In higher education, the classroom remains one of the most important venues for learning. Students may be presented with information for the first time in a lecture, or the information in a lecture or discussion may amplify upon readings done outside of the class.



Perhaps the most common method by which students record classroom information is by writing down the key points in outline format. This has traditionally been done via pen and paper, but technology offers some other options. A growing number of students make use of laptop computers to take notes in class. This may be a viable option for many people, but the cost, size, and weight of these devices may outweigh their benefits for some students. Rather than a using a full-blown-computer, a student might try one of the following approaches.

Portable Keyboard and PDA


Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s) typically run either a Palm or Microsoft Pocket PC operating system. Many people use these devices exclusively for their robust contact and calendar functionality. The addition of a Portable Keyboard to these PDA’s allows users to bypass the relatively slow stylus form of input in favor of a traditional “QWERTY” keyboard (though alternate layouts are available as well). These keyboards use either a physical connection (usually through pins on the bottom of the PDA) or a wireless connection (infrared or Bluetooth). I regularly use a keyboard with my PalmOS PDA. Once unfolded, it closely mimics the key feel and size of a laptop computer.

Street cost: $50-$100 for the keyboard, depending on model

Review: Stowaway Bluetooth Keyboard at Geekzone
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=2903

  • Small size and weight compared to a laptop
  • Some keyboards lack a numbers row
  • Keys may be too close together in some models
  • Still somewhat costly, especially if user does not already have a PDA
  • Not very easy to incorporate freehand drawings or graphs

 

Word Processing Devices


(image borrowed from The Gadgeteer Web site)

Other manufacturers have tried another approach to text entry – a dedicated device for word processing. These units typically have a small screen, but relatively powerful word processing applications built-in. Their keyboards are full-sized and allow text to be entered rapidly. They typically feature very long battery life and are built to be durable.

  • Lighter than a laptop
  • Cheaper than a laptop
  • Fairly expensive for functionality provided
  • Screen not particularly impressive

Review: Alphasmart Dana at The Gadgeteer
http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/alphasmart-dana-review.html

Street Cost: $379

 

Other Gadget Options: Some full-featured PDA’s have small integrated keyboards underneath the screen which allow for text entry. These keyboards are perfectly adequate for entry of small amounts of text, but would be of questionable utility for capturing an entire lecture. TabletPC

 

 


The use of recording devices to capture the audio from lectures is hardly new. Professors have made recordings of their lectures for many years, using a variety of recording media. Voice inflection and emphasis can provide the student with more information than even the most complete and accurate transcription of a lecture.

Digital Voice Recorders


Digital voice recorders are very small devices which use solid-state memory to store recordings. Their technology is similar to that of digital answering machines, in that they both use audio compression to minimize the amount of memory used to save the recordings. Other than the buttons used to operate the device, there are no moving parts to wear out. The most full-featured models offer an interface to transfer files from the recorder to your home PC. This brings a whole new dimension to the records, allowing them to be archived, edited, and in some cases, transcribed using voice recognition software.

  • Small and lightweight
  • Portable
  • No easy way to permanently save recordings, unless you spend more for a device with a computer interface.
  • Can be very expensive, depending on the number of bells and whistles.
  • Recording quality can be poor, depending on compression settings.

Review: Olympus DM-20 at Computing on Demand
http://www.computingondemand.com/reviews/multimedia-OlympusDM-20/page1.shtml
Street Price: $40 - $300 based on feature set


iPod Voice Recorder Accessories


(modified image from iPod Lounge)

The popularity of the iPod has created a sizeable market niche for accessory makers. One such accessory is a voice recorder add-on for the iPod. Two companies currently make them – Griffin Technology and Belkin. Both products plug into the top of the iPod and interface with the built-in iPod software to allow for easy recording. The hard-drive storage of the iPod allows for hours of voice to be recorded and played back at will.

  • Very small – adds little bulk to iPod
  • Recording quality only suitable for voice, not music

Street Price: $30-$50

Review: Griffin Technology iTalk at iPodlounge
http://www.ipodlounge.com/reviews_more.php?id=3664_0_6_0_M


Other Gadget Options: Some PDA’s have built-in recording functionality, though the microphone may be optimized for near-field recording. Students with laptops may wish to simply add a decent microphone to enable recording.

 


Some visual content in a lecture may be difficult to record in a faithful way. Courses like microeconomics or geometry make extensive use of graphs illustrate theory. Effective instruction of art history requires visual materials to illustrate stylistic differences between artists. Countless other examples can be found on the typical college campus.

Digital Cameras

By using a digital camera to record visual data, much more detail and context is preserved. It would be inappropriate in most situations to use a flash in class, so the camera needs to have good low-light capabilities. As with film cameras, non-flash photography requires a steady hand in order to avoid blurring.

  • Makes a faithful visual record of a moment in class
  • Can be distracting to others in class
  • You can’t use it if you don’t bring it… For some classes which seldom use visual means of conveying information, the student will most likely not bring the camera to class.
  • Requires quick reactions – some of this information will only be on the screen for a minute or two. Unless the student is prepared, he or she won’t be able to use the camera in time.

Street Price: Incredible variation in price based on resolution, optics and features.

Review: Canon PowerShot A95 at Digital Photography Review
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona95/


PDA with Camera Functionality

 

Perhaps a more practical application for digital photography in the classroom is found in the use of a PDA with a built-in camera, such as the PalmOne Zire 72. Many people with PDA’s carry them at all times, which would ensure that the camera functionality was always available. While the cameras which accompany PDA’s provide nowhere near the quality of standalone digital cameras, they may be perfectly adequate for occasional classroom use.

  • More likely to be available in classroom than stand-alone digital camera
  • Image quality is mediocre

Street Price: $275-$300 for PalmOne Zire 72

Review: Zire 72 at Brighthand
http://www.brighthand.com/article/palmOne_Zire_72_Review


Other Gadget Options: A number of mobile phones offer digital camera functionality. The ubiquitous nature of mobile phones among college students today may make this a possibility for many people. The quality of images captured by telephones can be poor – in many cases worse than that of PDA’s. The other downside with this approach is that many owners of camera phones lack a computer interface (typically a computer cable or a Bluetooth connection) which would allow them to use the images outside of the mobile phone realm.