After careful consideration, and the fact I was able to find a discounted model, I opted for the Olympus VN-480PC. For the moment, my iPod envy will continue unabated. Actually my iPod desires have been superceeded by Microsoft’s Origami. If it delivers it may well be the tablet PC solution I’ve been looking for.
As for the Olympus, so far so good — I’ve figured out how to record and erase. One thing that does bug me is how flimsy it feels. From the pictures I assumed it would have a metal bodycasing. It’s just gray plastic. Oh well. Tomorrow I’ll attempt to record a test podcast to see how it goes. After that there will be no stopping me.
In other news, it’s less than a week till classes begin. RIT is quiet as this is an “off” week for them. It’s still odd to walk these halls. A very uncanny feeling, in the Freudian sense — the unfamiliar familiar.
Tomorrow’s entry should be interesting. I’m planning on critiquing an essay on Blogjects — objects that blog. While the concept put forward raises interesting questions, the essay itself is poorly conceived and is on really shaky social theoretical ground. So tune in tomorrow for a Chicago style beatdown. For those really interested, here’s a copy of the essay:
- Why Things Matter – Julian Bleecker
If you’re going to be using this to record classes you might want to experiment with different microphones. Maybe get one of those “tie clip” microphones so that your podcasts will sound good. Too bad you can’t do a video recording and setup some remote learning goodness. Go to class in your boxers and inline skates from your dorm room? :) Hey, at least then the students on the $20,000 vacation won’t be distracting you with their “I’m not listening to you because I’m playing World of Warcraft right now!” looks.
It might also be cool to go back and “chapter” a class after it’s been recorded so listeners can find and relisten to sections they’re interested in.
After you’re done you should gather data and find out if people used the tech or found it helpful.