“My iPod Can’t Even Do That”
A combined review of the 8101 by a tech administrator and a student.
Everyone at our school knows that we love technology and all sorts of devices. So when Dr. Merle Marsh, an administrator at our school who is, like us, attracted to digital goodies, received a Califone MP3 player/recorder, she gave it to us saying, “Try it out and let me know what you think.” She never gives us instructions on how to use things because she wants us to figure them out. This is what we thought.
We both agreed that that the Califone player/recorder would be fun to use in class and that more teachers should use MP3 players in their classes. Think of what they could put on it to help their students learn! The kids would have a great time using them to record, too!
The Califone player is built sturdily, so it won’t break with normal classroom use, even after dropping it. (Yes, we did the dropping test because kids won’t always be careful.) It’s ergonomically made and is fairly easy to hold in your hand.
As for ease of use-just put the USB cable that’s included into a computer, and you are ready to load whatever audio files you want on it. While it’s connected to the computer, it’s charging as well.
The product has pretty good storage space with 512 MB and room for an SD card to add even more storage capacity.
Volume Limit is an especially nice feature for little kids because they can’t blast out their eardrums. Teachers and parents will like this, although teenagers won’t. Our parents thought it was an excellent feature.
Another great thing about this MP3 player is the fact that it records voice and other audio. In our tests, it performed exceptionally well considering how small it is. The sound quality was very good.
We liked the two headphone jacks, which are great for sharing what’s on the player, while not sharing headphones. This feature is probably one teachers can put to use if they don’t have enough players for everyone.
The MP3 player/recorder has a Battery Save feature that lets you set to “Turn Off” after a certain amount of time. And speaking of the battery-this gadget has an AMAZING battery life. It lasted us weeks without being charged.
We think little kids could easily use it because it has big buttons, so that there is no confusion about what button should be pressed. There is a large OFF button.
To tell you how easy this is to use, Jordan, who is in Grade 3, was given it to try. We didn’t give him any instructions or advanced training. He didn’t have any trouble and liked it very much. Jordan said, “It is very easy to use, and I could figure it out with no problem. My favorite feature is the recorder part. My iPod can’t even do that.”
The Breakdown
Design 3.5 out of 5 stars
Sound Quality 4 out of 5 stars
Durability 5 out of 5 stars
Features 3.5 out of 5 stars
Classroom Usability 4.5 out of 5 stars
Ease of Use 3.5 out of 5 stars
Battery Life 5 out of 5 stars
Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The Real Deal
This MP3 player is a very good pick for the classroom. It is durable, and you can record voice, and the teacher can put audio activities on it. We would recommend this to any school and also to parents. It would make a great gift for children. -Think durability, usefulness, and sound control!
Jordan Welch, Grade 3, aided in this review, originally posted on Power To Learn on October 29, 2008.
