June 28, 2006The cost of a high-tech education
When I asked a professor of music whether the cost would be a factor for students, he said he didn't think it would be, especially when compared with how much they already spend on textbooks. But I'm wondering if requiring an iPod for class is an extra financial burden for students. I know many students already have them. But what if they don't have the one that the department highly recommends? |
About this blog
Rhode Island native and Virginia Tech reporter Greg Esposito posts on everyday college life, trends and issues affecting the 35,000-plus students in the New River Valley and beyond.
Tim Thornton, who is old enough to have children attending college, is still taking classes and is still fascinated by colleges, the students who populate them and the bureaucrats who operate them. His reporting beat is Radford University.
West Virginia native Anna Mallory blogs on student life topics at Virginia Tech, Radford University, New River Valley Community College -- and beyond.
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Comments
[June 28, 2006 11:13 AM]
Adam FrazierI think most students who are taking the class that requires an iPod will take the oppertunity as an excuse to finally break down and buy one.
I personally wouldn't consider it a financial burden, because unlike books (which most students seldom even use, much less get their money's worth out of them) the iPod can be used for SO much outside of class.
Also, as far as the "recommended" version goes - I had an iPod mini and then when the 60gb Video came out, I wanted it so I just bought it - and I think if some students have older versions, they would want to fork over the cash to update anyway, not to mention the Nano is acceptable also, and even though it lacks video - it's a "cheaper" alternative to its bigger model.
[June 28, 2006 12:05 PM]
editorThanks for the comment, Adam.
I'm curious how many iterations of the device you've gone through. Are you just on your second?
The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC in New York did a great show on iPods and obsolescence earlier this year. (You can listen to it on the computer or download it to your iPod if you like.)
What do you think of the theory discussed here?
[June 28, 2006 2:06 PM]
Adam FrazierI just finished listening to the obsolescence clip. This is my second iPod, and to be honest the only reason I bought it is because the iPod mini I had could only hold roughly 1000 songs, and at the time I thought, "Well, that's all I'll ever need," but I was so wrong - I felt that the 60gb model (which holds 15,000 songs, 25,000 pictures or 150 hours of video) was an investment and I wouldn't have to buy another one through my 20s so I bought it - and gave the old one (which works perfectly) to my mom.
I like the car analogy the one guy makes - you can't really blame them for improving their designs - it's a relatively new technology that's still getting the kinks worked out of it.
I however, haven't looked into this extension of warranty and stuff - I'm going to definitely look into that because just in case something does go wrong, I'm in good shape.
It's just about taking care of it - because it is a fragile piece of equipment and you've got to invest into it - with hardcases and soft cases to protect it from scratching etc.
Have you heard about the move to transfer NetFlix and DVD purchasing to online downloading? iTunes will probably be offering DVD downloads soon - so I imagine within a few years we'll be doing everything on one of these devices anyway.
[July 5, 2006 1:27 PM]
rightwingprof : →http://www.rightwingnation.comMore and more schools are requiring that students have laptops. When the bleeding hearts at the local paper tried to do an "expose" on this, the students they interviewed said they thought it was a good idea, and they had laptops anyway. How many students don't have ipods?
Welcome to America, the land of no free lunch.
[July 5, 2006 5:25 PM]
editor : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/campuswatchThanks for your comment, rightwingprof.
You bring up a good subject -- the requirement of laptops and other types of electronics for college students.
I wonder if the reason another newspaper would tackle the issue had more to do with a debate of some in academia about whether the laptops would be a distraction in class. That's the concern I've heard from some faculty and administrators.
[July 7, 2006 12:03 PM]
rightwingprof : →http://www.rightwingnation.comThat's a separate topic, of course, from a wired university environment where students must have access to computers in order to do their classwork -- which is the basis for the laptop requirement. Allowing students to bring laptops to class is a different thing.