Varying the Speed of the Digital Age
3rd in a series about new hardware technology for audio players
As a manufacturer serving the education market, Califone, like members of other industries, delivers items which address the unique needs of its audience. In our case that of course, means developing audio visual products for teachers and students. Consider multimedia players as a case and point. Most PreK-6th grade classrooms have a boombox, some of which may have been made for general consumer use. Are they just as good as products made for use in education? While the two may share some common features, there are others which stand unique as testimonial to the challenges of teaching.
As has been discussed earlier, Digital technology is becoming more and more a part of the educational world with digital files, both voice and music, being recorded and player for and by classroom students. While some media players and even portable speakers have also incorporated digital media recording or playback, the Music Maker™ USB is the first to offer a variable speed playback function for digital files. Just as with the Performer Plus™ does with cassette files, the Music Maker USB allows students to slow down the speed of the music so that they feel comfortable when learning new dance routines that they find themselves struggling with.
The Music Maker USB offers variable speed playback on digital audio files.
Another beneficial aspect of the variable speed feature is that students who are learning a brand-new language can adjust the speed to meet their individual learning pace. The same can be said for special education students who need a learning environment that is customized at whatever rate they are able to grasp the curriculum they are being taught. The ability to alter the speed of the audio from a media player can improve students’ aptitudes and confidence for a successful future.
Read the next article in the series, or the second article, or go back and read the first.













