Take A Note!
by Gary Woods

When I went to school if you were sitting in the back of the room during a lecture not taking notes you were probably on the first step to Academic Suspension. But with the advent of downloadable data an alternative to lugging a tape recorder to class or trying to scribble down every word a professor says has arrived on the scene.

The service is called iTunes U and with the help of Apple Computers that person in the back of the room could now be intently listening to the lecture with the full knowledge that they can get the notes right after class.

iTunes U is a free, hosted service for colleges and universities that provides easy access to educational content, including lectures and interviews 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service allows instructors to post and change content themselves, and students can upload content to share with teachers and staff.

The users can post educational audio and video, interviews, audio books and more online, using an interface based on the iTunes Music Store. Currently the service is the only content distribution system that offers one-click support for transferring content to iPod, ensuring that students and others wishing to access information to go can do so quickly and easily.

Schools that are currently participating in the program include Duke University, Brown University, Stanford University, the University Of Michigan School Of Dentistry, the University of Missouri, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. No UCSB????

If you have any suggestions or questions for me please drop me a note at garyandlaury@santabarbaraproperties.com or see my column on the Internet at http://www.santabarbaraproperties.com or call me at (805) 729-0910