Digital Recorder

ALT · Dec 27, 2006

You should ask permission since in some states it's a crime to record someone without them knowing it. To be honest I recorded lectures this year and I never went back and listened to them. It's hard to find a recorder that doesn't pick up a lot of background noise, and that was enough to make me not want to listen to them again. I have an Olympus and I paid about 75 bucks for it.

The best advice I have is to pay attention and take really good notes. That will do you more good than the recorder.

wkucu1 · Dec 27, 2006

i didn't have one myself, but a lot of people do use them. what they do is download them to cd and listen while they drive. i did a copy of one for a few lectures (shock/burns) and that helped me out.

but, like the last person said, they are not necessary. just pay attention and take good notes!!!

g

sitesonRN · Dec 27, 2006

i asked for and got the sony icd-sx46vtp for christmas. i have not used it (or figured it out for that matter) yet, but i did a lot of research and talked with several students and i feel i made a great choice. my main concern was how it would do in a large lecture hall and this one had good feed back. it is pricey, $200.00 but i felt it was worth it.

i am attaching the info on this one...good luck!

sony 128mb digital voice recorder (icd-sx46vtp)

128mb digital recorder: record and transfer to your pc with high-speed usb connectivity. it also features stlp recording play and lp recording modes.

mp3 playback: enjoy listening to your mp3 files via this recorder.

voice to print: the dragon naturallyspeaking™ preferred voice to print software enables you to convert your recorded files into text.

recording time: up to 47 hours and 35 minutes in lp mode. up to 11 hours and 15 minutes in stlp mode.

digital pitch control: this feature allows recordings to be heard at slower than normal speeds without distortion when transcribing or editing, or faster than normal to move quickly to a desired portion. enjoy digital voice up®, which increases the volume of the person speaking when recorded at a distance from the unit.

stylish design: this recorder is only ½" thick and can easily fit anywhere. the record and pause controls are conveniently located on the side of the unit for easy operation.

power: 2 aaa batteries (batteries included).

Dabuggy · Dec 27, 2006

I use a recorder, and take notes also. It has helped a lot of students in my class. They place the recorder on the instructors desk and this eliminates a lot of background noise. I drive between 8-10 hrs a week and listen to the lectures. I also listen to them while looking over my notes, adding things I missed. But some classes they have not helped me in. Like patho, was no help. What I did do was use the CD that came with the book, and put that information on the recorder. That did help. Once on a recorder you can walk, drive or listen to it when you don't have time to read. I always listened to my notes the morning before class and that helped.

Dabuggy

wkucu1 · Dec 27, 2006

sitesonrn:

i would place the recorder on the desk where the teacher is lecturing. that is what they do in my class. that will reduce the background noise!!!

g

sitesonRN · Dec 27, 2006

wkucu1

thanks for the tip!

WDWpixieRN, RN · Dec 27, 2006

You should ask permission since in some states it's a crime to record someone without them knowing it. To be honest I recorded lectures this year and I never went back and listened to them. It's hard to find a recorder that doesn't pick up a lot of background noise, and that was enough to make me not want to listen to them again. I have an Olympus and I paid about 75 bucks for it.
The best advice I have is to pay attention and take really good notes. That will do you more good than the recorder.

I also have an Olympus that works well when it's placed near the instructor lecturing....

That being said, I also didn't manage to re-listen to anything...my commute's too short to do much good and I'm more visual anyway...got more out of my lecture notes and the text....the CD's that come with the texts have been very helpful as was the website from the publisher....also, NEVER underestimate going through the questions as the end of each chapter!! I found after a few quizzes that some questions had been taken directly from that location!! But only in the beginning of the semester!!

*LadyJane* · Dec 17, 2008

I really like being able to listen to the lecture again while doing something brainless around the house that must be done, like cooking, cleaning, laundry, or exercising. I use an Olympus DVR, I bought mine on overstock.com and got a good deal. Check them out...also, don't expect to record your lectures on "Long play" for maximum recording time on your unit. You won't be happy with the sound quality. Look at recording times possible using medium quality to be able to select the unit that suits your needs best.

Jane:)

nolongeributhe09 · Jan 23, 2009

I got a digital recorder which was around $35. It did not work well. Then I returned it and bought a $75 one. it worked much better. To re-listen the lectures help me understand the contents and actually save a lot time to study. Plus I found some exam questions are from the lectures. You will not regret to buy a more expensive one!!!

Good luck!:heartbeat

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Jan 23, 2009

I have the olympus. I asked permission to use it during class. Like some posters said, different instructors have different policies. One instructor allowed me to record her lecture, and another instructor did not allow me to record her lecture. However, most of the time the lectures are too long, and sometimes we get off topic, so I find it most helpful to record my powerpoints on my own. I listed to my recordings while driving, working out, sleeping, and doing other senseless things.

I'm a visual learner as well, however this has helped me alot. It less time than making a ton of flash cards, that'll I barely use anyway.

Good luck c- nursing school.

shelbias · Jan 23, 2009

I agree, recording lectures is very helpful when you need to study later on. Did that with my 4G iPod using iTalk during my Anatomy days and it worked fabulously! Plus, it works well even if I just set the Pod on my desk (but I usually sit in the front row).

If you have an iPhone 3G or a 2G iPod Touch, there is a free app that you can download off the App Store. It's called iTalk Recorder, and it is by Griffin Technology (who made the original iTalk peripheral for the older iPod Classics). I've tried it and it works just as great! :up: