Free Loops for Podcasts

If you're a Windows user, have you tried Sony's free ACID XPress? It's a lot like Apple's GarageBand where you can record your voice and add musical loops. ACIDplanet.com offers an "8pack" of free loops each Friday for ACID XPress. So far, here are the ones I've downloaded over the last dozen weeks: Bon Voyage, Boo Unit, Clean Up, Lambient, Music Theory, Phone Home, Picked Apart, Queep Queep, Rhythmical, Shadow Puppets, Shameless Plug, Skins, and Your Place. The 8packs have fun names--and it's really fun to use the new loops in your podcast!

If you're a Mac user, you too should be downloading the free weekly 8-packs from ACIDplanet.com. Each pack has eight WAV files that can also be used as GarageBand loops. Simply drag a WAV file into your song. Or, drag the folder into your loop browser to add them to your library of loops. In addition, Bitshift Audio is offering 40 MB of free loops for GarageBand. Since these are AIFF files, they can be used in other audio programs, like ACID XPress. If you or your students are tired of the same old loops, I highly recommend these freebies!

Newspaper: Valpo Our City Project

Our City Podcast is in the news! The Northwest Indiana Times published Nothing But 'Net For Valpo Project. The reporter, Elizabeth Holmes, visited Central Elementary School in Valparaiso, Indiana recently. Fourth and second grade students were working with high schoolers to create a podcast for the Our City series of podcasts by kids. The article may be short, but the school has some really big ideas for inter-grade collaboration on podcasts.

The episode for Valparaiso will be available soon (and I can't wait to hear it myself). Subscribe to Our City Podcast in iTunes by clicking here and it will automatically be downloaded to your computer when the show is available.

Remember, you're welcome to create an edition of Our City Podcast with the kids you know. There are plenty of resources to help you along, including a planning guide to help students with segments. Simply send the finished sound file with some information to me and I'll do the publishing. Participating in Our City is a great way to try out podcasting!

Podcasting with First Graders

My school's podcast, Radio WillowWeb, has episodes by learners in grades second through fifth. Our very first show was by second graders. However, we've never produced a podcast with first graders--until now. Here are some things I learned working with these very young students on a podcast:

• We chose the topic of space since students have learned a lot about this topic that they wanted to share with others.
• The scripts were dictated to the classroom teacher. This sped up the process and allowed the teacher and students to discuss the content.
• Practicing their scripts with adults at home over spring break was really helpful for the students.
• When recording break up what the youngsters are to say into small sections. A whole paragraph is too much for most first graders to read fluently and confidently. In fact, some may have problems with one sentence. The beauty of non-linear audio editing software like GarageBand is that you can split clips and piece them together. In fact, one of the students would say just a couple of words at a time and I edited them together. The final product makes it sound like it was one continuous recording.
• A couple of students were not fluent readers. I had the most success with these students when I took their scripts away and had them repeat after me. Again, clips were strung together to make it seem like the segment was said all at once.
• For those that read from a script, I pointed to the words (kind of like karaoke), so they wouldn't speak too quickly or too slowly. I made sure that students paused at commas and periods.
• GarageBand 3 has new voice tracks that reduce background noise that we tried out. We recorded in Willowdale's media center. It's a room full of noise, but I cannot hear the noise the end product.

GarageBand 3's Podcasting Studio has a choice of voice tracks. I chose a Noisy track to reduce the background noise--and it worked well!

Tune into Radio WillowWeb's Willowcast #18 and listen to how well these first graders did. Do we dare podcast with kindergartners next?

Easter Eggs

An Easter egg in a software program is a hidden surprise. Easter eggs are usually activated when a user enters a sequence of commands. Easter eggs could be an animation or other special feature. There are plenty of Easter eggs in the Palm Operating System. Students love revealing these Palm OS 5 Easter eggs (as posted here March 2005):

Guys in Suits:
Start the Giraffe game and place your stylus in the lower right corner. Then press the up button. You'll see a photo of two people in suits!

A Real Easter Egg:
Go into Prefs and select Power. Draw a small circle with your stylus in the lower right corner of the screen (it usually takes a couple tries). A small egg will appear!

Fiery Credits:
With the Easter egg showing, tap Home. Select the Options menu and choose About Applications. Hold the Down button while you tap OK. Repeat the process of choosing About Applications, holding the Down button, and tapping OK two more times. Flaming credits will appear on the third try, but you must keep holding the Down button.

Taxi Cab:
Be sure the Easter egg is showing in the Power preferences. Next, in any application, hold the Down button while drawing a line from the middle of the Graffiti area to the left edge of the screen (between the Home and Menu buttons). A taxi will drive across your screen!

Inchworm:
Go into Prefs and select Power. Using Graffiti, enter a pound sign (#). Wait ten seconds and an inchworm will make its way across your screen!

Windows Mobile handhelds don't seem to have these kinds of Easter eggs. However, take a look at the Egg Heaven 2000 site. It's the place that catalogs Easter eggs in handhelds, Windows, Macintosh, DVDs, games, and more.

After finding surprises in their handhelds (or elsewhere), try asking students what Easter eggs they would leave for others if they created a computer program. How would someone find the egg? What would it show?

Although it's not a hidden surprise, you may also be interested in Easter Eggs 2002. It is a Palm puzzle game where you try to change all of the eggs on the screen to the same color. Enjoy!

Exponents & PowerPlay

An exponent is a number placed to the upper right of a base number. It shows the number of times the base number is multiplied by itself. Sometimes, instead of placing the exponent to the upper right, a ^ is used to indicate the exponent. Here are some examples:

• 3^2 = 3 x 3 = 9
• 5^4 = 5 x 5 x 5 x 5 = 625
• 8^6 = 8 x 8 x 8 x 8 x 8 x 8 = 262,144

Scientific calculators have an x^y button for calculating exponents. Also, a fun Google trick is to enter "8^6" in the search box. Google will do the calculations for you and display "8^6 = 262 144.". In fact, you can use Google to calculate all sorts of things.

To practice exponents, you may want to have students complete this quiz for Quizzler (Palm or Windows Mobile). It quizzes students over exponents and bases up to 10 in multiple choice format. Here's the text of the quiz in case you'd like to make changes.

Now I'd like to tell you about new handheld software for exponents! PowerPlay is a Palm game that gets students working with bases and exponents. Students guess missing bases or exponents in equations. They score fewer points the closer their guesses are to the actual numbers that complete each equation. After 10 rounds, students are given a final score. Lower scores are better. The top five scores are recorded on the Leader Board for each level of play. Students can choose to fill in bases or exponents. There are Easy and Hard levels for the two forms of game play, making a total of four different games. Unlike the Quizzler quiz, PowerPlay is more than drill and skill. PowerPlay is a game that gives students some number sense. As they play, learners get a sense about the surprisingly fast growth numbers show when an exponent is applied.

Easy games use bases between 2 and 8, and 10. Easy games use exponents between 1 and 6. Hard games use bases between 4 and 12. Hard games uses exponents between 5 and 12.

PowerPlay is yet another collaboration with Brian Schau. It has similarities with Simplify and Angles and is freeware. PowerPlay is probably most appropriate for students in grades 4 or 5 and above. Thanks Brian!

Soft Reset #12: Q & A

Soft Reset Show #12 features a Skype conference call with Tony, Mike, and a graduate class in Lexington, South Carolina. Educators in the class pose great questions for Tony and Mike to respond to. Also, find out who bought all of Palm's remaining Zire 72s. Be sure to listen for Mike to learn a new handheld term: silo.

Show Notes:

• Tony's Tip: Download software from PalmGear.com or PocketGear.com.. Click "Advanced Search" to search for freeware. Also, remind yourself about great software, write it in your teacher's manual so you'll remember to use it next year.
• Mike's Tip: Use Google to look for software by including "Palm" or "Windows Mobile" in your search, but be specific. Also, Mike explains what he does with software after he downloads it.
• learninginhand's Palm and Windows Mobile software categories.
• Quizzler and Making Quizzler Quizzes Handout.
• eBook Studio & Dropairs Pair Board Maker.
• K12 Handhelds' Integrating Handhelds Into the Writing Curriculum.
• The French Pod Class podcast.
• Program to draw and write with: theQuickie!.
• eBooks by fourth graders in Missouri.
• Use of handhelds with second graders.
• Practice math facts with MathAce.
• Sketchy.
• Palm TX.and a discussion about its WiFi companionability.
• DB - free database application and HanDBase
• Handy Shopper.
• Probeware: Pasco, Vernier, ImagiProbe, OnSet Data Logging, and Hobo Data Loggers.
• Purchase thicker stylus/pens.
• Activities for 4 year olds: Beret Applications & Count (quit by entering q8 in Graffiti).
• Handheld usage agreements.
• Download Skype--it's free for Mac and Windows.
• SillySentences for Palm.
• Visit Soft Reset's Discussion Forum to discuss the show!
• Leave a voicemail for us to play on the show! 206-333-1942
• Email Tony and Mike at softresetpodcast@gmail.com.

Enjoy the show! Click an icon below to listen or subscribe.

March Forum Digest

March has come and gone but the messages left on the learninginhand's Discussion Forums are still around for your reading pleasure. Here is your monthly recap of some of the conversations.

• Derek introduces himself and tells us about students in his class becoming Roving Reporters.
• Marc is looking for a way to evaluate his school's Palm program. If you know of any surveys or questionnaires that might help him, please reply to his topic.
• Tony links to The 1-to-1 Stories Project blog post titled "Teaching Technology Quickly."
• Tony tells about the results of a survey about communication. Only 5% of communication was by pen and paper of those who took the survey between the ages of 15 and 24.
• Brian inquires about sources that sell bulk refurbished handhelds. Glenn asks if refurbished is really the way he wants to go.
• Wendy wants to know about any good keyboarding programs for Palm handhelds. It turns out there's not a lot out there that give keyboarding instruction, but there are plenty of ways you could use a handheld and keyboard for typing practice.
• Brian and Ian let us know about a few Windows Mobile programs that aren't already listed in learninginhand's Pocket PC software section.
• Tony shares information about AudioBay, software for creating and publishing podcasts directly from your handheld. Read how Ian gave it a try and listen to his sample podcast.
• Wendy writes about how amazed she is at how much students learn when creating a podcast.
• Wendy seeks some opinions about the impact of audio podcasting versus video podcasting. Tony chimes in with his opinion.
• Brian starts a discussion about schools blocking podcasts.
• Tony shares photos of Engadget's birthday cake contest.
• Forum members continue to add their opinions on what they want to hear as future topics on the Soft Reset podcast.
• Kevin wants to know about recording Skype conversations. Tony and Mike use Skype to record Soft Reset and Tony shares how they do it.
• Tony started a topic about favorite handheld games to go along with Soft Reset #11: Great Games. So far, no one has given a shout out to their favorite one.
• The forums have their own RSS feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/forums. I use this feed to subscribe through Bloglines.

Each month a forum contributor is randomly selected to receive a pair of learninginhand stylus-pens. March's winner is Brian Smith Congratulations!

Poll: Palm or Windows Mobile?

Which handheld operating system do you use? Please answer Palm if you use any device that uses the Palm Operating System like a Palm TX, Tungsten, Treo, or Dana. Please answer Windows Mobile if you use a Pocket PC handheld like an iPaq or Axim. If you're like me and use both operating systems, go ahead and answer Both. If you don't use a handheld, choose None. Be sure to click the Vote button to register your response. I look forward to the results--I'm really interested in what readers of this blog use.

By the way, I'm using Blogpoll for the voting. It's one of many free online survey services. Of course, you might notice the "view results" page of the poll is splattered with text ads but at least it is free. I see Blogpoll as a great way to add interactivity to a school and class website.

FETC Virtual Handouts: Handheld Computing

The Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC) was March 22-24 in Orlando, Florida. Although I was not in attendance, there are many resources on the Web from the conference. First, a few bloggers have written about the conference. You can visit their blog posts through Technorati that are tagged FETC2006 or do a Technorati search for FETC. Secondly, conference-goers have uploaded photos to Flickr and tagged them FETC2006. There are a few pages worth of photographs to view. Finally, the FETC website has Virtual Handouts from presentations that provided handout material. I've gone through the handouts that have to do with handheld computing:

Integrating Handhelds Across the Curriculum
Ines Schmook, Michelle Phillips, and Kelly Jordan presented motivating techniques to use handhelds in math, reading, language arts, spelling, writing, and science that they use at Spring Lake Elementary. They have made available a brochure about their use of handhelds. A brochure is a great idea to share your vision of computing with staff, parents, and the community. Also, they have a handout in Word with teacher resource books, useful websites, their usage agreement.

A Beginner's Guide to a Handheld Classroom
Barb Preziosi, Patricia Donovan, and Rhonda Drum presented practical advice based on their experiences with handheld computers at Sebastia Elementary School. Barb's fourth grade class webpage has many photos of students using handhelds. She has also posted some Excel files she referred to in the FETC presentation, including a Handheld Error Log, a summary of the errors Barb's fourth graders experienced, and a Synch Log. Barb has been blogging about her use of handhelds with students since September 2004 in her Handheld Reality Year 1 blog. Be sure to read her recent posts FETC 2006 Our First Day and FETC 2006 in Orlando, FL.

504 Meets PDA: Helping Students Become Organized, Productive and Successful Citizens
Anthony Cooley, a technology specialist for the Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resource System, presented a case study about using a handheld with Blake, a gifted high school student who has Dysgraphia. Blake did not qualify for special education services. But, since he's a student with a physical or mental impairment, he is eligible for accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. One of Blake's accommodations was the use of a Palm Tungsten T3 and keyboard. He was able to make "incredible gains in productivity, note-taking, and organizational skills" with his handheld and keyboard. Anthony has put together an informative handout of his presentation. Anthony also has an FETC Followup blog for his presentation. He poses questions to the conference session audience. Unfortunately, as of this writing, no one has added comments to the blog. Of course, if you have something to offer or a question for Anthony, I suggest posting a comment on his FETC Followup blog.

Tag: fetc2006

Videos About Podcasting

So you want to learn more about podcasting? Here are some useful online videos:

Podcasting 101 - At The Whiteboard - ZDNet
While this short video doesn't show you how to podcast, it is a quick primer on how podcasting works. Watch David Berlind use a whiteboard and markers to illustrate how podcasting is similar to TiVo. A transcript of the video is available.
Published February 2006

Using RSS - At The Whiteboard - ZDNet
RSS is the technology behind the ability to subscribe to podcasts and blogs. Veronica Combs uses a whiteboard and markers to explain how RSS works. You can read the transcript if she goes too fast for you.
Published February 2006

Apple Video Series - Part I: An Introduction to Podcasting
This video for educators gives you the basics of creating a podcast using Apple's GarageBand 3's Podcast Studio. The video shows how to create an audio podcast, a podcast with chapters, and an enhanced podcast with artwork. Whether you've podcasted before or not, this is a great way to learn about the process and about the features of GarageBand 3.
Published February 12, 2006 - Only Available until May 1, 2006

Apple Video Series - Part II: Meeting Standards with Podcasting
Join in on an iChat conversation between an Apple employee and Jeanne Halderson. Jeanne is a seventh grade teacher at Longfellow Middle School in La Crosse, Wisconsin. She discusses the results she's seen from facilitating her school's Coulee Kids Podcast. This video gives great reasons and examples why podcasting is a powerful instructional tool.
Published March 3, 2006 - Only Available until May 30, 2006

Apple Video Series - Part III: An Administrator's View on Podcasting
Dr. Tim Tyson, principal of Mabry Middle School in Marietta, Georgia, participates in an iChat interview. Tim shares examples of how podcasting had become a powerful tool for showcasing student work and for communicating with families. He's an amazing administrator and his school would be a spectacular place to teach and learn. After all, Mabry's slogan is "Making Learning Irresistible for Over 25 Years."
Published March 8, 2006 - Only Available until April 30, 2006

Systm -Podcasting
If you're not an Apple user or prefer to use Audacity (free for Mac, Windows, & Linux) for recording, check out this video, part of the Systm video series about technology. You'll learn about equipment needs, recording techniques, and publishing.
Published December 11, 2005

Palm Education Solutions CD

Each year the Palm company publishes the Palm Education Solutions CD. Palm says, "On this CD, you will find many programs and resources that can help you and your students use Palm devices to expand and enrich the teaching and learning experience." You can locate almost everything on the 2006 Education Solutions CD somewhere on the Web (but it nice to have all of these resources in one place). Here are some of the highlights of this CD-ROM:

• Education Quick Guides for curriculum areas and Palm hardware.
• Handheld Educator pamphlets with information and lessons for handheld computing.
• Graffiti 2 Alphabet Tips.
• 7 page essay about the reasons for using handhelds in education.
• Information about the Palm Education Purchase Program.
• Education Snapshots and Success Stories.
• Extensive database of hardware and software solutions (sorted by category or company name).

There are dozens of free trial software titles on the CD like TextTwist, Inspiration, Size It Up, and applications from Robert Jen. Unfortunately, the CD contains very few free applications; its focus is clearly commercial software.

Click here to request up to 10 copies of the 2006 Palm Educational Solutions CD free of charge.

10 Minute Goal

There are plenty of flash card applications for handhelds like Quizzler (Palm & Windows Mobile), MathAce (Palm), and LcmGcf (Palm),

I've written before about ways to use flashcard software in fun ways:

• Time students to see how many problems they can do in five minutes.
• See if students can reach a score of 50 out of 50. (That means that if a student misses a problem, he or she must reset the score and try again.)
• Have students play with a partner by taking turns answering questions on the same handheld.
• Using two handhelds, students race against a partner to see who can get the highest score in five minutes.

Last week I used another technique to motivate students that I learned from a fellow Willowdale teacher. A class of 24 second graders and I decided that in 10 minutes, everyone should try to complete 100 subtraction problems. We multiplied 100 by 24. 2,400 subtraction problems in 10 minutes was our goal. We put the settings into MathAce and I set my CFB Timer. The timer beeped 10 minutes later. I invited each student to show me his or her score. I recorded the number of correct problems into my handheld's calculator. After adding in the last student's score and a drum roll, I was proud to announce that the class completed 3,204 subtraction problems! The second graders exceeded their goal and were rewarded with time to play their choice of games: Coconut Fern or Memorix. A class of 23 third graders did a similar activity the next school day. The goal was 2,300 multiplication problems in 10 minutes. They barely met their goal, beating it by 13 problems, but were still rewarded with time to play their choice of games. Next time we'll increase the goals and see how students do. I bet they'll be motivated to practice their math facts between now and then!