Duke to Give iPods to Incoming Freshman

[sushi]

In followup to a Page 2 rumor that Duke University would be offering iPods to their incoming freshman, CBS Marketwatch provides confirmation of this report.

According to the news site:

This is fantastic.

Hope other schools follow!

Sushi

 

[ValiumLolliPoP]

thanks for the clarifications. (of course, those "funds" came from somewhere too.)

anyway, i guess i still don't see the merit of the "experiment." i just don't see much evidence that iPod is the best solution because i don't see the "problem" to begin with.

don't get me wrong, it's great promotion for apple and, to a lesser degree, duke. i won't dispute that. maybe i'm just old fashioned when it comes to educational policies.

You keep bringing up the fact that you can solve "problems" with other devices other than iPods. However, was there a problem using smoke signals to communicate to others? Was the desktop computer not enough? Who needed a laptop? We did just fine without todays technology. The truth is, times change, technology gets better and smaller and faster. The iPod is small enough to hold a huge mass of information and it's trendy as well. It's not a "gimmick" it's just times changing and Duke adapting. The customized music store is a great tie-in to a students life. It's actually appealing to the students, it makes it fun. It also gets the students more involved and allows students to be more knowledgeable about their school. For example, instead of all having a huge stack of papers as your information and not reading it, (i.e. handbook and other crap) you have it all on your iPod and you can get info on the itunes music store.

These funds are not derived from tuition costs. The school has benefactors and Alumni and other private funding as well i'm sure. Also, with Napster trying to strike deals with schools it's only smart for Apple to see colleges as a lucrative market. This is an experiment to branch out for Apple's market and for Duke to tune up their technology prowess.

 

[jxyama]

You keep bringing up the fact that you can solve "problems" with other devices other than iPods. However, was there a problem using smoke signals to communicate to others? Was the desktop computer not enough? Who needed a laptop? We did just fine without todays technology. The truth is, times change, technology gets better and smaller and faster.

you aren't reading my posts correctly. my main point wasn't that devices other than iPod can solve "problems." my main point was that i don't see the "problem" which is best solved by iPod. it's like gadgets advertised on TV - as seen on TV stuff - the biggest reason most of them look stupid is that the "problem" they address (such as making pancakes) are trivial and aren't real "problems" that need solving. do you see my point now? it's stupid to introduce a "solution" when there's no clear "problem" to be solved.

let me just say that an iPod is a portable audio player/file storage device. to compare it to the introduction of computers and laptops into education is off target. learning to use computers and laptops is almost a necessity to obtain a job in the real world. learning to use an iPod is not. (and likely never will be - it's a recreational device... not a productivity tool.) i would feel cheated if i went to a university these days and wasn't required to learn to handle computers for various tasks but i wouldn't if i wasn't taught how to use an iPod.

this is good news for apple. i will not deny that. great exposure and potential to put another device into education - apple's traditional strength. that doesn't mean i, even as a fan of apple, can't question its effectiveness or potential for success.

i'm old fashioned when it comes to educational policies and techniques. i still firmly believe that hard and repetitive work is the way to learn, not flashy "gimmicks." that's why i'm skeptical.

 

[caseyD]

I'll be going to Cornell next year, and I read on yahoo that they've made a deal with Napster.

Lame.

But I don't know what exactly the deal was. It seemed to be Napster talked to Cornell and was all like,

"Hey, Cornell, your kids can use Napster."

And Cornell goes,

"K."

I'll be using Acquisition. I mean iTunes.

Screw Napster.

 

[JoePike]

The incoming frosh have to be just pumped about this.....except those who just got an iPod as a graduation present. What a great idea Duke has here. I wonder what that proprietary software bundle will be. Any Dukies on here, let us know when you get your pod!

 

[wdlove]

I certainly hope that this deal between Apple and Duke will be very successful. This sounds like a great deal.

As mentioned by macfan86, Berklee is very much into the Mac. They were very prominent at MacWorld Boston.

 

[krimson]

ABC's world news tonight just ended their broadcast with a story on this. They interviewed alot of people off the street. Most of them said they couldnt' live without their iPod's.

 

[Rantipole]

what worries me is how many schools will see this as a good idea, but realize they can do the same with the extremely less expensive other MP3 players on the market for a LOT less money.

Hmm, let's say you're Emory University. You think Duke's ideas make sense. Are you really going to give away cheap knock-offs, thereby making your school look "cheap" in comparison to Duke?

Not likely.

 

[MontgomeryBurns]

i'm old fashioned when it comes to educational policies and techniques. i still firmly believe that hard and repetitive work is the way to learn, not flashy "gimmicks." that's why i'm skeptical.

Or you're insanely jealous that all those darn kids are getting free ipods just for enrolling in school.



Keeping in mind the fact that a good number of Duke's incoming freshman probably already have ipods, which were probably free to them anyway (by way of daddy's wallet).

 

[jadam]

i'm not bitter. i just find premises behind these things so silly. instead of spending money to jazz things up superficially under the pretense of "better education," why not spend the money in a more worthwhile, but less flashier, way? duke is a top-notch university with a tuition to match. instead of supplying 1,500+ students with $200 iPods, why not award 30 $10,000 scholarships for the economically disadvantaged? why not give 300 $1,000 discounts to be used to purchase laptops by the disadvantaged?

if it's to be a test program, why go the entire campus? why not test with "honors" program first? how about with "music" majors first?

besides, if you have a laptop, what can an iPod do that any decent laptop cannot? will there be docking station at lecture halls so you can grab your lecture there? will you really be using an iPod to listen to lectures while strolling around the campus?

students rejoicing at the prospect of getting an iPod aren't excited because it will give them a way to listen to lectures. they are mostly excited because they managed to obtain the latest, hippest gadget without nagging their parents.

if i was a parent paying for duke education, i'd ask that duke do this on their own and not tack on the money on the tuition. if i was strugging to pay for my own way through duke, i'd be pissed to see some of my hard earned tuition money being spent on gadgets.

You should also try to remember that the majority of students going to duke have excellent grades, and therefore almost ALL recieved grants/scholarships for college, so an extra $300 which they probally wont pay isnt that bad... Plus the economically disadvantage??!? At Duke?!? They get Full scholarships... how less economically disadvantaged can they get? And all the other students tend to be uper class and have the money to spend to get an ipod.

 

[yellow]

All I got my freshman year at Duke (1990) was a plastic cup and a pigbook. Will the pigbook be on the iPod now?

 

[jared_kipe]

I wish University of Washington would do that.

 

[kaylie_kipe]

If Only...

I would love a free iPod. I would really contimplate attending Duke next year if it wasn't for the fact that I would never get accepted. But if the University of Washington did that I would be oh so grateful to them.

 

[Roger1]

Hmmm. Free ipod worth $300, or $300 worth of text books. Which one would I need more, and which one would be more useful to me??

 

[iMeowbot]

instead of supplying 1,500+ students with $200 iPods, why not award 30 $10,000 scholarships for the economically disadvantaged?

Why can't they do both? Duke already separates admissions from ability to pay and covers students who can't afford it.

 

[Burns]

Seems a fantastic idea! I'm a medical student and using the iPod & griffin recorder would make revision so much easier for understanding any complicated lecture notes. Sadly due to the nature of many of my lectures i doubt i'll be allowed to record them for legal reasons...damn technicalities.