Who knew iPods could come in handy for more than listening to music and watching movies?

Apple?s Web site now offers podcasts for students to review lectures, notes, or other information provided by professors. More than half of the nation?s top 500 schools use iTunes U, according to www.apple.com.

University of Dayton School of Law student Abbegail Hempfling is among college students cracking open her iPod playlist to review her lectures.

She can do it by downloading lectures from iTunes U, a free service at Apple?s commercial iTunes store.

Hempfling, who owns an iPod Shuffle also plans to listen to podcasts on her computer.

?I could use them in the car or gym,? Hempfling said in a recent press release. ?Then, I?d listen to them again to take notes.?

Hempfling also said it?s nice to rewind parts for which she needs clarification.

Students are not the only ones benefiting from the iTunes U podcasts. Any school can open all or part of its site to the public, according to Apple. Parents can listen to what their children are learning in class. High school students can get a sneak preview of a particular subject or potential professor?s teaching style. Anyone with a particular interest will find something of use on the Web site.

?I am not podcasting my entire class. I have 10 five- to seven-minute podcasts planned for the semester,? law professor Sheila Miller said in a recent press release. ?I review important concepts or expand on things not fully covered in class. I hope a student who did not get something in class will listen to the podcast and understand it more.?

Miller started podcasting her class when she noticed how many students regularly used iPods before and after class. She saw it as another way to reach the millennial generation.

David Wright, UD?s director of curriculum innovation and e-learning, thinks this new way for students to learn beyond the classroom has great potential.

?Students like having a choice as to how to learn and podcasting offers course content for busy students on the move,? Wright said in a recent press release. ?This is a maturing approach. We will grow this slowly and eventually add more content.?

Wright says podcasting lectures allows for more face-to-face discussion in the classroom. Another benefit is that students in different disciplines such as law and business can listen to one lecture about a common topic such as intellectual property.