Because of modern technology, journalists are able to deliver their stories within minutes by logging onto the Internet and posting their stories to a website or blog. With devices such as the iPod Touch, reporters can also deliver their news in various multimedia formats. For example, the Touch can take images to support news comments or claims and can record voices for interviews. Apple's iPod Touch also has a built-in HD (High-Definition) video camera for journalists that need to take news footage quickly and accurately. Thanks to a backside illumination sensor, the device can also deliver video in both high-light and low-light settings. Once the video has been shot, iPod Touch users can log onto the Internet and upload their reports to readers within minutes. Videos can also be emailed to tutors, shared on YouTube or added to MobileMe. In one specific case in 2009, the University of Missouri made iPods a requirement for journalism students.
Podcasts are audio files published by Apple for iPod users to download to their devices. These podcasts can be official -- published by a company -- or can be user-made and recorded on an iPod device or with a microphone. Many universities encourage students to record lectures with their iPods. According to research conducted by the State University of New York (SUNY), students who download podcast versions of lectures and seminars are more likely to retain the lesson's information. Fredonia psychologist Dani McKinney -- in her paper "iTunes University and the Classroom: Can Podcasts Replace Professors?" -- added that "results indicated that students in the podcast condition who took notes while listening to the podcast scored significantly higher than the lecture condition." The basic understanding is that students can reabsorb information by using a podcast and can listen at their own pace; if there is a moment where the student missed the point, he can go back and listen again.
Many universities provide an iTunes U website, which is a site created for iPod users. According to the official iTunes website, "more than 800 universities have active iTunes U sites. About half of these institutions -- including Stanford, Yale, MIT, Oxford, and UC Berkeley -- distribute their content publicly on the iTunes Store." Essentially, students can download learning and study content to their iPod devices to listen to or read again later. Some of the types of content include lecture audio files, books, films, PDFs, tour videos and audio books. All of these media types can be listened to or watched in between lectures or seminars and offer extra insights to the courses. Subjects that upload their content to iTunes U include Quantum Mechanics at Oxford, Business at Yale, Language at Emory University and French with the Open University.