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Audio-Video Player With Web Browser Requirement
About the iPod Touch and iPhoneQ. Is the School of Journalism the first school or college to implement such a requirement?A. At least 50 colleges and universities nationwide make use of iPods in their programs. Colleges as diverse as Stanford and Abilene Christian University use the devices similar to the ways the School of Journalism intends to employ them. Q. Why the preference for an Apple iPod Touch? A. There is no device on the market other than the iPod Touch (and the more expensive iPhone) that will provide students with access to all the features the School intends to implement. There are less-capable options as noted in this FAQ. Those options will provide some, but not all, of the desired functions. Q. What are the capabilities of the iPod Touch? A. The iPod Touch is both an audio and video player and offers many benefits. For example, students can review lectures and supplemental course materials recorded in audio format. With a free download, the player allows a journalism student to record an interview with a news source. The device's video function permits students to view course materials, from video supplements to book chapters. It also is a browser that provides portable portable access to the World Wide Web and the many resources that can be found there. It also runs thousands of productivity applications written specially for the device. Q. If a student already has an iPhone, does that fulfill the requirement? A. The iPhone, although more expensive, fulfills the requirement as it will do anything the iPod Touch can do. TigerTech, MU's computer store, is making the iPhone available as an option to fulfill the requirement. However, an iPhone is not required. About Other Audio-Visual DevicesQ. If a student prefers another audio player, such as a Microsoft Zune, is that acceptable?A. The Zune and similar audio players will perform some of the functions the School intends to implement, such as allowing students to review lectures. It also will play video files in standard formats. Most other functions will not be available on the Zune and similar music players. These devices in combination with a laptop meet the minimum requirement, but understand that they are not as capable as the iPod Touch beyond their use as an audio-video player. Q. What if a student chooses a less-expensive iPod such as the iPod Nano. Will that work? A. An iPod Nano or iPod Shuffle will allow a student to play audio files. But most of the other features will be unavailable, including video, Web access and access to the native applications. For that reason, we do not recommend these options. Q. What about other smart phones? A. Other smart phones such as Blackberries will fulfill the minimum requirement and handle most of the desired functions, including Web access. But they will not run the iPod Touch native applications. Q. Can a student view this material on a laptop computer? A. Some of the information is available on a laptop computer. However, the iPod Touch native applications will not work on a laptop, and a student will lose the portability that an audio-visual player offers. Students at other universities doing this prefer being able to review material while walking to class or working out. For that a portable device is needed. About the Learning BenefitsQ. Does this device really help students learn?A. Proper use of the iPod Touch should help students perform better academically. The School is excited about this requirement in part because it can help all students, regardless of learning style. Some studies at other universities show that students retain much more information from classroom activities when they have an opportunity to review it again. Q. Are there other benefits to journalism students having a wireless mobile device? A. Journalism students can benefit from having a wireless mobile device in a number of ways:
A. The iPod Touch allows a student to sync to e-mail, calendars and address books. It also will run thousands of productivity applications only available for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Q. Will the School be programming applications specifically for MU students to use on these devices? A. The School has applications in development that will do an array of things to help incoming freshmen -- and student journalists in particular -- adjust to college in general. These include the locations of classrooms and buildings, access to student services, a response system to assess learning and much more. Not all these applications will be ready for Fall Semester 2009, but similar resource materials in more traditional formats may be downloaded to the device right away. Q. What percentage of MU students already uses iPods? A. No accurate measurement of how many MU students use an iPod is available. However, the campus' computer store managers estimate, based on sales information, that 85 to 90 percent of MU students, including journalism students, have audio players and that at least 85 percent of those are iPods. Not all have the capability of the iPod Touch. Clearly, the Apple iPod is the audio player of choice for MU students. About Financial ConsiderationsQ. Can the cost of this device be counted in a student's financial aid package?A. One reason for requiring the iPod Touch is that it can be counted in a student's financial package. If it is required, the MU Office of Financial Aid can calculate the cost into a student's total need package. So requiring the device as opposed to making it optional helps students with financial need. Obviously, if it were optional that also would limit the School's ability to use the devices for academic purposes. Q. Is that true that Apple may give a rebate coupon for this device when purchases with an Apple laptop? A. For the past three years, Apple has given a rebate coupon for the iPod Touch as part of its back-to-school package for college students who purchase their computers through campus stores such as TigerTech. We hope that happens again, but there is no guarantee that it will. Apple reviews its back-to-school offers annually, and the contents of those offers are usually made public in June. Contact TigerTech for more information. Q. What percentage of incoming journalism majors purchases technology through TigerTech? A. Approximately 70 to 80 percent of incoming journalism students take advantage of the TigerTech bundles, which usually give the best package price available. This special student pricing is available only through campus stores. The TigerTech bundles - both Mac and Windows - typically include desirable extras such as a backpack or carrying case embroidered with "Missouri School of Journalism" and the software needed for introductory journalism classes. Incoming students who already have usable laptops sometimes choose to defer purchase until later in their academic careers. Apple is the platform of choice for our students. Almost all of them choose an Apple MacBook or MacBook Pro, but Dell computers also are available. Q. Does the School of Journalism profit from requiring this technology, and more specifically, does it receive financial incentives to do this from TigerTech, Apple or any other company? A. The School of Journalism does not profit or receive financial incentives from the sale of technology from any source. The School receives the same discounts on computer purchases that are available to other academic institutions when buying computers and peripherals for labs or for faculty and staff. The School's sole motivation in establishing its technology program is to improve student learning by using the best equipment possible, and, to the extent possible, having all students on the same platform. That streamlines the teaching and learning process and makes it much more efficient. Q. Can the iPod Touch purchase be financed over time? A. If the iPod Touch is purchased through TigerTech, it can be financed at low cost over four semesters as part of a student's laptop bundle. It cannot be separately financed through MU. Contact TigerTech for more information. Q. How does the cost of this device compare to the cost of textbooks? A. Many textbooks now cost more than $100 each. The student price of an iPod Touch is about $229, so in general the cost is of the device is about that of two or three textbooks. However, unlike a textbook, which is almost always used for one semester only, an audio-video player such as the iPod Touch can be used for multiple purposes throughout a student's college career and beyond. In addition, the School of Journalism is beginning to make use of digital textbooks when possible because they often are half the price of a printed book.
TigerTech, University Bookstore
http://www.mubookstore.com/Outerweb/tigertech/index.asp |
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| Revised: 19 May 2009. Copyright © 2009 The Curators of the University of Missouri | Contact the J-School | |
