Help & Advice Will be Most Appreciated! Dictaphone Recommendations...

Gracie10_2

Hello Everyone!

I really will love your advice on where I can buy a cheap (£20-£30) dictaphone! I need it for recording lectures at Uni. So, I guess max recording time per day is 8 hours. Are there devices which can be charged via a USB connection or plugged into the main socket (a bit like a mobile (ie free from batteries-helps the environment and a student pocket!))? And ideally so that the material can be transferred onto a computer and USB stick so I can listen to it without it being on the recording device.

Really looking forward to hearing from you - and thank you for reading this post ))))

The_One_Who

First of all, you will need to ensure you get your lecturer's permission before recording lectures. Some will be fine with it, some won't. Secondly, unless you really need one, I wouldn't bother. Transcribing, even on a basic level, can take ages. You will probably start out with the best of intentions, but soon give up.

Sony or Olympus are the most common I think, have a look online or in Argos or somewhere and see if any suit your needs.

Gracie10_2

thanks so much for your help! I've nearly finished the first year and have another 3 to go; having spoken to a final year student, their recommendation is invest in one (helpful for revision) They own an olympus one but it's around £50 and I will like to purchase one at around £20-£30.

melancholly

http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500002701&langId=-1&searchTerms=DIGITAL+VOICE+RECORDER

i also don't think it's worth recording the lectures and going over them - i think the time would be better spent reading the relevant book chapters and recommended reading after the lecture, but if you want one, search for 'digital voice recorders'. argos have one for £25 and i'm sure if you shopped around online you could get something at £20.

Gracie10_2

that's true!! thanks for your help and time to respond! Hmmm, i'm unsure whether to purchase one now! ...

pipscot

Gracie10 wrote: »

that's true!! thanks for your help and time to respond! Hmmm, i'm unsure whether to purchase one now! ...

It can depend on the subject you're taking really (and how interested you are going to be in listening to the same lecture over again...!)

Quite a few people used them on the course I was taking particularly for difficult lectures such as biochemistry where it may be helpful to listen again to the lecturer comments while looking at the notes to help clarify difficult concepts. I'm not sure how helpful it would be for more arts/social sciences subjects where a lot of reading around the subject is required?

They are definitely not a replacement for taking your own notes though.

Gracie10_2

It's heavy science including much biochem!!! Which one do you recommend? And yes, I love taking notes(!) it aids in my understanding of the material

atypical

There's one here for £18 with good reviews:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-ICD-BX112-Digital-voice-recorder/dp/B004SO876S/

You might want to just try using the voice recorder on your phone first. Whenever I've done it (rarely) I've never had any issues - even sitting in the middle of a lecture theatre.

Gracie10_2

lovely! thanks for the link one review says it's missing the USB connection though...

I have a nokia 6330 so i'm not sure it'll record well :-/ but will definitely test it out.. ... Also, I'm not sure the lecturer will like the idea of have a mobile in front of them and also in case it goes off or interferes with their audio connection...

pipscot

A usb connection would probably be good so you can download lectures onto a PC for storage and for listening. Some lecturers would probably prefer to be asked before you record a lecture (depending on your uni) but I've never known of a lecturer refusing!

atypical

I saw this too for less than £14 with USB, telephone cable and attachable mic for "covert spy recording". But it's eBay and unbranded:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/580Hr-Digital-STEREO-Voice-Recorder-2GB-Mp3-Dictaphone-/270743028696

pipscot wrote: »

but I've never known of a lecturer refusing!

The only few times I've seen it happen is when the lecturer is talking about something controversial e.g. animal testing.