University of Missouri School of Journalism: iPhone Required!
TUAW’s reporting that Brian Brooks, Dean of University of Missouri’s Journalism School is requiring that students have an iPhone or iPod touch. Why? So they can keep digital recordings of their lectures handy and listen to them more than once. Seems — shock and disbelief — repetition enhances learning.
Required is a key word, since it allows students to include the iPhone cost for their financial aid. They won’t insist students have one, however, or — apparently — give detention to anyone who shows up with a Zune instead…
Hey, maybe they should just record every lecture as a podcast and put it up on iTunes U? : )
May 11th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Ummm…… lol.
This is why college is expensive
May 11th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Yea, I’m glad I finished 2 years ago. The price is sky rocketing every year when I look. I saw some places want to start the same type of thing requiring the kindle 2 for students. One good thing was Apple used to give $100 student discounts on iPods in addition to computers and software.
Having my iPhone would have been nice at school with WiFi all over campus and I carried around my iPod and cell phone anyway. The main problem is there was no way I could afford the iPhone while in school and my parents weren’t going to pay for such an expensive cell phone plan. I wonder if the finacial aid statements will allow them too include the service cost as well as the price of just the iPhone. Or there is always the iPod Touch.
May 11th, 2009 at 11:21 am
When I was at Mizzou, my emphasis was photojournalism and graphics desk management. I needed a 400mm lens to shoot football. I got a letter from the head of the photo program stating I needed that lens (and a $300 box of Kodachrome Professional – though that wasn’t for football) to complete my studies. So I got an increase in the financial aid for which I was eligible. People already have cellular plans, so this is not a big increase in expenses.
This is not a new practice to require items for financial aid reasons by any stretch of the imagination. We did that the three years I was there in the graduate program. Of course back in the late-80s, I was able to do the three years for $12,000 – and that included food and rent. Admittedly, I freelanced for UPI and several local magazines for two of those years to help pay the bills. I’d hate to think how much it costs now!
May 11th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
Couldn’t you just turn the mic on in your laptop and go with that when in class? Hell, wish my teacher would do this though….subsidizing a new itouch? Hell yes!
May 11th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
http://www.freemacking.com/iphone.html For a tutorial on how you can get your free iPhone. Click Link
May 12th, 2009 at 1:23 am
this is pretty stupid. lecturers speak through a mic it should just be recorded. i go to uni in australia and all my lectures are recorded and downloadable as soon as they are over.
May 19th, 2009 at 6:36 am
Great site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking your feeds also, Thanks.
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Nice Post. I am a computer engineer and I am working in a consulting management firm. Video conferencing equipments are highly preferred in our office as we have frequent meetings with our clients and personnel in other locations. I will be looking forward for more updates.