Voice Recorders for lectures/studying

[DrEaMeRcHiCk]

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I was wondering how most of you study especially for those classes in the big lecture halls. I was planning on recording the lectures next quarter, but it's a bit hard since the room is so big and you'd have to be right next to the proffesor to actually record his/her voice. I have a tape recorder, but the quality isn't that great so I was thinking about getting a digital one. However the employees at Frys electronics told me there isn't a big difference of quality between digital and tape recorders so I'm a bit stuck on what to do.

Any recommendations for recorders or study skills? I know there's some threads on studying, but it would be great to get some hints for those huge lecture courses.

Thanks! And hope everyone had a great holiday.

 

[neonam11]

I was wondering how most of you study especially for those classes in the big lecture halls. I was planning on recording the lectures next quarter, but it's a bit hard since the room is so big and you'd have to be right next to the proffesor to actually record his/her voice. I have a tape recorder, but the quality isn't that great so I was thinking about getting a digital one. However the employees at Frys electronics told me there isn't a big difference of quality between digital and tape recorders so I'm a bit stuck on what to do.

Any recommendations for recorders or study skills? I know there's some threads on studying, but it would be great to get some hints for those huge lecture courses.

Thanks! And hope everyone had a great holiday.

I use to record lectures and type them up, but it was so time consuming. If you wish, you can always place the voice recorder on or near the podium where the professor is lecturing. Most of them don't mind that you have it up so close. The cool thing about digital recorders, at least the pricier ones, is that you get to upload them to your computer and listen to them later thus eliminating the hassel of dealing with tapes. There are also software programs that can translate the voice into type, but I think they are prohibitively expensive, especially if you get the ones geared towards health professionals (DragonSpeak).

Since I no longer record my lectures, I just read ahead and borrow my friends' notes. For me, this is a much more effective way of studying because I tend to focus on the main concepts and not be bogged down by every single word the professor says. If you have upperclassmen as friends, you can borrow their notes to read ahead which will save you a lot of time as well.

 

[flyer]

Don't pharmacy schools provide a service where you can pay a couple hundred dollars and receive typed lecture notes?

My brother went to podiatry school and they had this service. A person would record the lectures and then type it up for students that paid the fee. It may seem expensive, but he said it was well worth the money.

That sucks if pharmacy schools don't have that service because I was planning on it!

 

[Requiem]

Hey, I have a MPIO mp3 player which has a record option, records perfectly.

I tried recording a bit of my bio lecture for a bit, mainly as a joke and it worked out fine - I was in a large lecture hall. It sounded distant, but if you turn the volume up and are in a quiet area you can hear it fine. You could also ask to place it on his/her desk while they lecture if you want.

For me it worked out perfect, I think any recording device would be fine esp. if you just lay it next to them.

Good luck!

 

[dgroulx]

I used a voice recorder in undergrad. I placed in on a table next to the podium with all the other recorders. This professor talked much quicker than anyone could possibly write and anything he said in class could be on a test.

At UF, the teachers post powerpoint slides or word documents before the lecture. The key points are on all of them. We just have to write down the details. The only class that doesn't is med chem, because we need to learn the structures by drawing them and a voice recorder wouldn't help there, anyway.

 

[DrEaMeRcHiCk]

Thanks to everyone for the advice, I'm still looking around for one. If I can find a decently priced one I'll probably get it otherwise I'll wait and see what my lectures are like.

Hope everyone has a great new year! and all those applying to pharm school will start off 2005 on a happy note 🙂

 

[pharmerted]

wow, jesus, maybe i should just buy a video camera before i start pharm school, that way you'd be sure that you got everything!

 

[dgroulx]

wow, jesus, maybe i should just buy a video camera before i start pharm school, that way you'd be sure that you got everything!

All our lectures are video taped and put on Blackboard. This is how the distance students watch the lectures. Those students in Gainesville can watch the lecture live and then use the recordings for review. It really helps a lot if you weren't clear about something.

 

[ultracet]

Don't pharmacy schools provide a service where you can pay a couple hundred dollars and receive typed lecture notes?

My brother went to podiatry school and they had this service. A person would record the lectures and then type it up for students that paid the fee. It may seem expensive, but he said it was well worth the money.

That sucks if pharmacy schools don't have that service because I was planning on it!

no
not all pharmacy schools offer this service.
in a couple of classes as a class we decided we wanted note takers. these people would take notes and type them out and either email them or hand them out. they charged a fee and made quite a profit.
however... its not in all classes and they are your classmates and thier notes may be worse than your own.


you can try to record the lectures (i would use what you already have and not buy new) for a few days and see if it helps you and if you have the time to review over the tapes and study.
keep in mind that just because you review the tapes doesn't mean you have necessarly studied or studied enough for the test. (of course it all depends on you)

i have recorded roughly 2 lectures total. it just didn't do me any good. i have borrowed friends' notes and as a poster said previously, most professors use powerpoint and you can get ahold of thier slides.

good luck

 

[jemc2000]

In many of my prereq classes I tape recorded all the lectures.... unfortunately I never really had the time to listen to them, too busy reviewing powerpoint notes or book notes. So as previously mentioned, use something you have or at least fairly inexpensive and see if you will actually use it.

 

[twester]

I've always wondered about recording lectures. I've had success, so far, just paying close attention and writing my notes as detailed as possible. Actively participating in lectures is key for me.

For me, a good strategy has been to attend lecture and take good notes. And I don't ignore the textbook, even if the instructor does. I try to search out detail from the text and I take notes from there as well. If time allows, I outline chapters (but as the science gets more involved, that gets more difficult). Any notes you take, from any source are a great study resource.

Self-tests (from the end of the chapter and from the websites of textbooks) are invaluable for me. I take them the night before the exam, after I've completely studied all the material. Test taking is a bit of an art and arts require practice, I find.

Study skills are individual. It's not an exact science. But I do know some people that really benefit from recording lecture. I might give it a try when school starts up again.

Troy

 

[Lexian]

I've always wondered about recording lectures. I've had success, so far, just paying close attention and writing my notes as detailed as possible. Actively participating in lectures is key for me.

For me, a good strategy has been to attend lecture and take good notes. And I don't ignore the textbook, even if the instructor does. I try to search out detail from the text and I take notes from there as well. If time allows, I outline chapters (but as the science gets more involved, that gets more difficult). Any notes you take, from any source are a great study resource.

Self-tests (from the end of the chapter and from the websites of textbooks) are invaluable for me. I take them the night before the exam, after I've completely studied all the material. Test taking is a bit of an art and arts require practice, I find.

I tried recording lectures but it wasn't helping me very much. The time you use re-listening to your recordings I felt was better spent just going over the material in my notes and in the book. I agree with the poster that I quoted, as I tend to use the same strategies he spoke of. I found that outlining really gives me a good overview, especially if I've fallen behind in studying and I'm playing catch up, because new material in large amounts can be overwhelming.

 

[DrEaMeRcHiCk]

Thanks everyone for the advice! I'll agree with most of you and instead of buying another recorder i'll just use my tape recorder for the first couple of lectures. As for having the time to listen to them, i'm pretty sure I have time since it takes me about 15-20mins to walk from my dorm to class, depending on how early it is in the morning 😉

Thanks everyone, I'll save my money and work with what I have.

 

[ethyl]

I just got an Olympus DS-330 for Christmas specifically for recording lectures. The thing is tiny and the quality is excellant. My plans are to record my lectures, upload them to my computer, burn them to CD and listen to them in my car on my commutes to and from school (45 min each way). This way I'm not wasting any valuable study time at home.

 

[dgroulx]

I just got an Olympus DS-330 for Christmas specifically for recording lectures. The thing is tiny and the quality is excellant. My plans are to record my lectures, upload them to my computer, burn them to CD and listen to them in my car on my commutes to and from school (45 min each way). This way I'm not wasting any valuable study time at home.

That's the same model that I have. It works great.

 

[endlesslove]

to ethyl and dgroulx who have the Olympus Ds-330 digital recorder, I was wondering what operating system you guys are using your recorder with? For some reason, my Windows XP won't recognize my software =( Thinking that I'm just computer-******ed (b/c I am 😀 ), I tried to get a computer expect (my boyfriend 🙂) to do it for me, but even he couldn't get it (and he's really smart). Why oh why does technology always always always fail on me? =( I figured it'd be nicer to get some "customer service" via some fellow pharmacy students than dealing with those grouchy employees in the customer service department. Thanks! 🙂

 

[kwakster928]

I record my lectures in some classes like pharmacology, medcinal chemistry where the subject allows some detailed information. i have iRiver mp3 player which has a recording options. it has capacity of 1G which holds about 120 hours of recording at 32kb/s 32khz/s. i dont go home and listen the whole thing again that's just waste of time. what i do is i pay attention and write down times (what it is displaced in the recorder) on my lecture notes. so if i am not sure about something or i dont happen to dont understand a certain part, i just fastforward to that section on my computer and listen, plus my handwriting tend to get really sloppy when i am wrting down fast, so if i can't understand what my handwriting says, i also again go back to the time i wrote down and listen to the parts of the lecture. listening and writing down everything that professor saying is in my opinion huge waste or time and plently stupid.

 

[Asor]

That's the same model that I have. It works great.

Ethyl and dgroulx, I too have the Olympus DS-330 and I agree with you. It is the best. I go to class, record the lecture and jot down as much as I can during class. I then go home dowload the lecture onto my computer and listen to it. As I'm doing this, I fill in the parts of notes that I've missed in class. It works great. Highly recommend purchasing this recorder. 😉

 

[bananaface]

Is it just me or are the gunners the ones who use tape recorders?

 

[Glycerin]

I just found the recorder that you all are talking about on Amazon.com for $98 and some change. Most everywhere else I have seen, they are ~$150. Is there a cheaper place to purchase one? If not, I guess I'll buy the Amazon.com one.

 

[dgroulx]

I just found the recorder that you all are talking about on Amazon.com for $98 and some change. Most everywhere else I have seen, they are ~$150. Is there a cheaper place to purchase one? If not, I guess I'll buy the Amazon.com one.

I don't use mine anymore. It is sitting on a shelf. I'll sell it to you for $50, if you drive out to my campus to pick it up. Just give me a day to find the CD with the software.

 

[Glycerin]

I don't use mine anymore. It is sitting on a shelf. I'll sell it to you for $50, if you drive out to my campus to pick it up. Just give me a day to find the CD with the software.

Sweet! What days are you on campus?

 

[dgroulx]

Sweet! What days are you on campus?

I just found the CD and the manual. The software works for Windows or Mac. Here's when I'll be on campus this week:

Mon - 3pm until 5pm. I sometimes just hang out for an hour rather than fight rush hour.

Tue - My class is at 7pm, but I finish working at Morton Plant at 3pm and drive over early.

Wed - Pharmacology exam at 7pm. I'm usually done by 7:30

Thu - Class is from 3pm until 5pm. Again, I sometimes hang out.

Fri - I get to stay home and watch the lectures for the week.

Let me know what day/time works for you and I'll bring the recorder.

 

[Glycerin]

I just found the CD and the manual. The software works for Windows or Mac. Here's when I'll be on campus this week:

Mon - 3pm until 5pm. I sometimes just hang out for an hour rather than fight rush hour.

Tue - My class is at 7pm, but I finish working at Morton Plant at 3pm and drive over early.

Wed - Pharmacology exam at 7pm. I'm usually done by 7:30

Thu - Class is from 3pm until 5pm. Again, I sometimes hang out.

Fri - I get to stay home and watch the lectures for the week.

Let me know what day/time works for you and I'll bring the recorder.

My class at USF Tampa is over at 3:15pm on Thursday, and with traffic, it could take me close to 5pm before I could get to UF's campus. So, will 5pm-ish on Thursday work? And what type of payment do you prefer?

 

[kwakster928]

My class at USF Tampa is over at 3:15pm on Thursday, and with traffic, it could take me close to 5pm before I could get to UF's campus. So, will 5pm-ish on Thursday work? And what type of payment do you prefer?

what the heck? i didn't even had a chance to bid on that stuff. i want a legitamate e-bidding on that recorder right now!

 

[Glycerin]

what the heck? i didn't even had a chance to bid on that stuff. i want a legitamate e-bidding on that recorder right now!

Sure, if you can be at her campus on Thursday.

You lack the skillz to swiftly make this type of transaction. Pwn3d!

 

[bananaface]

I have recieved an anonymous request to move this thread to FS&A. 😛

 

[Glycerin]

I have recieved an anonymous request to move this thread to FS&A. 😛

Way to go, Kwakster!

 

[endlesslove]

Ethyl and dgroulx, I too have the Olympus DS-330 and I agree with you. It is the best. I go to class, record the lecture and jot down as much as I can during class. I then go home dowload the lecture onto my computer and listen to it. As I'm doing this, I fill in the parts of notes that I've missed in class. It works great. Highly recommend purchasing this recorder. 😉

hey Asor, what operating system are you using? for some reason, my windows XP doesn't like my Olympus DS-330 so I can't upload any of my files onto my comp =( I bought it 'cuz several people in this forum recommended it and never really had any trouble with it...it's always me and my bad luck with technology =/

 

[dgroulx]

hey Asor, what operating system are you using? for some reason, my windows XP doesn't like my Olympus DS-330 so I can't upload any of my files onto my comp =( I bought it 'cuz several people in this forum recommended it and never really had any trouble with it...it's always me and my bad luck with technology =/

XP sucks. Get a Mac.

 

[Glycerin]

XP sucks. Get a Mac.

Heh. On that subject, will the Olympus work with Windows XP? That's the operating system I use.

 

[endlesslove]

XP sucks. Get a Mac.

a mac?! never! everything on a mac is the opposite of microsoft windows! if only those pretty apple ibooks could also work with microsoft windows, life would be swell. such pretty pretty ibooks 😉

to ANY owners of Olympus DS-330, did you get this recorder to upload your lectures onto your Windows XP operating system?!?!? 🙁

 

[endlesslove]

Heh. On that subject, will the Olympus work with Windows XP? That's the operating system I use.

FutureRXGal, so far I haven't gotten my Olympus DS-330 to work on my Windows XP =( I'm oh so very sad 🙁

 

[dgroulx]

FutureRXGal, so far I haven't gotten my Olympus DS-330 to work on my Windows XP =( I'm oh so very sad 🙁

It says that it works with XP professional edition, not XP home edition. Microsoft always makes a crap version of its software that they get royalties for with it pre-installed on the computer you buy. Then they make more money when you have to buy it again to get the version that works. What a scam.

 

[Asor]

hey Asor, what operating system are you using? for some reason, my windows XP doesn't like my Olympus DS-330 so I can't upload any of my files onto my comp =( I bought it 'cuz several people in this forum recommended it and never really had any trouble with it...it's always me and my bad luck with technology =/

Hi endlesslove,

I have no clue why you can't upload your files. I'm using Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition version 5.1. My recommendation is that you call the technical assistance and support number that the Olympus people put out. The hotline number in the US and Canada is 1-888-553-4448 or you can email them at [email protected] CAll them now, and get it figured out. There shouldn't be any reason why it isn't working.

let me know what you find out. I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get it resolved.
Asor

 

[Asor]

It says that it works with XP professional edition, not XP home edition. Microsoft always makes a crap version of its software that they get royalties for with it pre-installed on the computer you buy. Then they make more money when you have to buy it again to get the version that works. What a scam.

Hi dgroulx,

the recorder does work with the home edition (that's actually what I have). It will work on Microsoft Windows 98/98SE/Me/2000 Professional/NT Workstation 4.0 with SP4 or later/ XP Professional & Home Edition. 😀

 

[crossurfingers]

I have a digital recorder and it works great. I think you'll be fine as long as you have a USB attachment for your computer. Mine only cost $60 and it can record about 2.5 hrs on high quality, 8 on low quality. It comes in really handy for those days where you just can't concentrate. The program it came with lets me speed it up when I listen to it so it doesn't take as long (some teachers talk really slow).

 

[Smilescali]

I love my recorder and I listen to my lectures while I am driving and working out at the gym. People think I am crazy, but I guess that is what I am listening to for "enjoyment". Ahh the life of a mother and a student that is trying to get into pharmacy school!