12 Days of iPod touch/iPhone: Palm vs. iPod touch

For years I've touted the wonderfulness of Palm handhelds. My fifth graders and I had a blast earlier in the decade using Palms and the gobs of available freeware. But now, near the end of the decade, I've lost my excitement for Palms in education. Palm hasn't updated its line of PDAs in over three years and has discontinued its educational purchase program. I've always liked that the Palm OS was easy to use and student-friendly, but they just haven't kept up with the times and the Palm Corporation is obviously no longer interested in the education market.

My excitement has transferred from Palm to iPod touch. It's even easier to use than a Palm handheld, especially when it comes to loading it with audio and video. And Palm users will appreciate that syncing actually works every time. Like a Palm handheld, an iPod touch's battery tends to last through a whole school day.

Right now there are currently three times as many applications for Palm as there are for iPod touch and iPhone. That is changing quickly. The Palm OS has been around for over 10 years and PalmGear.com lists 32,000 software applications for Palms. In contrast, Apple only opened up iPod touch and iPhone to software developers in the last year and the iTunes App Store has now surpassed 10,000 applications. I'm guessing that by the end of 2009, there will be more software for iPod touch/iPhone than for Palm. Currently 24% of the iPod touch/iPhone apps are games. Nearly 8% are categorized in Education. About one-fourth of all iPod touch apps are free and about of third of them cost only 99 cents. To me it seems that iPod touch and iPhone applications are cheaper than their Palm counterparts.

Note: Apple's App Store is part of the iTunes Store and can be accessed through iTunes for Windows or Mac or directly on an iPod touch or iPhone. Most all iPod touch and iPhone apps work on either kind of device.

Browsing the web on a Palm is tolerable. But its browser is very outdated. The iPod touch's Safari browser is modern and like all those commercials, allows you to view full-sized web pages. But there are also websites designed just for the iPod touch screen called web apps.

Palm.com continues to list the 128MB Palm TX for $299--the same price it has had for over three years. The 8GB touch retails for $229. The iPod touch offers 64 times the memory for less money.

The iPod touch's big disadvantage over Palms is that there are no attachable keyboards for iPod touch or iPhone. If students are writing more than a few sentences, a real keyboard is necessary. I'm hoping a real keyboard will come out soon. If the iPod touch had an attachable or wireless keyboard option, the choice between Palm and iPod touch would be a no-brainer. If the device is being used for lots of writing, then I suggest looking into a netbook instead of a Palm handheld.

Another disadvantage for iPod touch: since Palm handhelds have been used in classrooms for so many years, you'll find tons of Palm resources, including lesson plans, online. Resources for iPod touch in education are scarce, but that is sure to change. (Have you checked out Learning in Hand's Do So Much with an iPod touch section?)

You can look forward to 11 more days of posts here at Learning in Hand devoted to the iPod touch and iPhone. We'll compare them to netbooks, check out some useful features, and showcase educational software from the App Store. On the 12th day, this blog's gift to you is a video where I'll show you my favorite tips and tricks.

iPod Flash Cards

Lots of teachers have tapped into the power of flash cards on iPods and other mobile devices. That's because students likely have something portable that can display images: cell phones, PSPs, Zunes, and iPods (to name a few). It's easy to make flash cards for these devices because you can use PowerPoint, a tool most everyone is familiar with.

Brent Coley is a teacher at Tovashal Elementary School and he has posted over a dozen flash card sets. His flash cards are perfect for viewing on iPods because he has used a large font. He's also already exported the PowerPoint as a series of JPEG images. You simply download a zip file and unzip it. You'll then have a folder of images you can sync to an iPod. Brent's sets are well done and can serve as great examples for teachers and students who want to make their own flash card sets.

Learning in Hand's iPod section has directions for putting PowerPoint slideshows on iPods. There's also the Gallery of Educational Image Sets where you can download more sets of JPEGs for use on iPods and other devices. If you want more details for using images on iPods, listen to Learning in Hand: iPods #9: Photos Part 1 and #10: Photos Part 2.

Name Game: Handheld Learning 2008

Here's my review of Handheld Learning 2008, which took place in October in London.

When delegates arrived at The Brewery in London for Handheld Learning 2008, they received a traditional conference bag containing the printed program and other paper materials. The bag also contained a Nintendo DS game since many received a DS when they registered. The interesting part wasn’t what was in the bag--it is what was not in it: a name badge.

In his closing speech, conference organizer Graham Brown-Martin said that there were no name tags because everyone was important. Without name indicators, delegates would have to introduce each other, and it didn’t matter where they were from or what connection they had to mobile learning.

Out of the three Handheld Learning conferences I’ve been to, this one was the most interactive. Maybe that was because name badges were absent. Another reason the conference was so interactive was because of those Nintendo DSs. With so many delegates toting the gaming handheld, it was easy to fire up the built-in Pictochat. During sessions delegates shared text and pictures with others DS users in the room. It was fun to look around the room and try to figure out who was who from the Pictochat.

It’s unfortunate that there was no way to log the conversations and frivolity that took place in the DS Pictochat. Luckily, there was a way to archive the 140-characters-or-less updates that were posted online to Twitter. Twitter user GillClough noted, “Lively backchannel going on using DS pictochat. Shame we can't capture it.”

Many of the Twitter conversations can be found by clicking the archives on Handheld Learning’s page: http://twitter.com/hhl. The Twitter posts certainly showed variety. Delegates posted humorous musings, serious thoughts, fun ideas, and a few frustrations.

User johnwilkie voiced a problem many at Handheld Learning had. He wrote about keeping his devices charged. He wrote, “found an extremely rare 13A socket... juicing up the MacBook. Now I need a USB cable for my iPhone...” Having a powered learning tool is important, particularly because johnwilkie also wrote this quote he heard from Professor Stephen Heppell: “Every device turned off is a child turned off.”

Quotes and thoughts were a popular thing to share via Twitter. kathtrinder posted, “We have more work to do on assessment than we do on curriculum. Astute final comment from putnam.” jont posted, “Nice to hear people trying things and accepting they may fail.” I wrote “‘Viral Learning’... Infect a few students and it will spread to the others.”

Twitter user xlearn simply shared, “Hungry...” Every delegate I met was always hungry for learning, so I’m betting her purpose was to inform us she was craving food (which, for the record, Handheld Learning 2008’s lunch was full of delicious choices. At the two previous Handheld Learning conferences, l usually left lunch still hungry. Not this year).

Twitter was used to post links to resources. GianninaRossini posted each time she blogged live from a conference session. This was a great way to get others to her blog and interact in real time. I posted a link as reminder to delegates that they can search for Twitter posts from the conference using http://search.twitter.com. I also shared a link to the class site of the Learner’s Y Factor winners. The site, http://is.gd/46Hn, is an excellent example of using handheld devices to publish to the Web and to facilitate collaboration and cooperation.

Besides sharing links, delegates shared feedback on presentations. I used Twitter to tell jamesclay, “Great visuals in your Pecha Kucha slide shows!” Admittedly, my favorite Twitter message of the whole conference was from LordLangley. After the conclusion of the conference, he wrote, “Sitting in St. Pancras Station drinking organic beer whilst feeling chuffed that he met Tony Vincent.” After I looked up the meaning of chuffed, his message made my day.

Like always, Handheld Learning had fantastic prizes. They were of course saved for the very end. Unfortunately, jamesclay wasn’t present for the prize drawings. He explained on Twitter, “Alas I am missing the end of hhl08 as I misread the end of the programme and had to catch the 16.30 train. No prizes for me then!”

A favorite occurrence was to the meet in person someone I followed on Twitter. Some people actually looked like their avatars and others did not. Without name badges, it was more of a chore to figure out who was who--but so rewarding as I met lots of people by asking.

Names of delegates wasn’t the only thing to figure out. Conference speakers made several references to what they have figured “Handheld Learning” to mean. I noted on Twitter that one speaker says that teachers “hold students’ hands” and guide their learning using technology. And like Handheld Learning 2006 and Handheld Learning 2007, delegates have suggested alternative names for the conference. This is what I wrote on Twitter while in a session about netbooks: “Handheld Learning could be renamed Hand-Over Learning because teachers become facilitators.” The speaker said this quote as she was explaining how teachers should be guiding learning and inspiring their students to take ownership of their learning.

Whether a delegate’s name, avatar, or screen name is one others were familiar with or not, each person at the conference had incredible ideas and thoughts about education. I’m glad that delegates who were not scheduled to speak in a formal session had opportunities to talk in front of groups. The Pecha Kucha game where anyone could speak for exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds was a highlight for me. I liked the brevity of the presentations. I liked even more that the session was informal and as the three-hour session progressed, more delegates decided to participate and give a presentation.

Participation is how learning occurs. We often talk of how learning is not passive. Handheld Learning’s delegates weren’t called attendees because they were expected to do more than simply attend; they were expected to participate. They were called delegates since their function in the conference was active. Asking people their names, discussing issues in Pictochat, posting to Twitter, and making presentations were some of the ways that delegates were active participants. My problem with the conference: not enough coffee and power outlets to keep delegates and their technology active all day long.

You can view dozens of the presentations from Handheld Learning 2008 on the conference's Video and the Presentations pages.

Flip Video Camera

Teachers have been flipping over the Flip video camera. I've had one for months and really enjoy it. What's so special about this camera? First, the camcorder stores video in its internal memory. That means there are no tapes to rewind, record over, or lose. Secondly, the camera couldn't be easier to use. It only has a few button because it only has a few features. In fact, the Flip video camera seems like a Fisher-Price product because it is so simple. Another awesome thing for classrooms is that the camera requires no cables or cords. You don't need to worry about a power adapter because it uses 2 AA batteries (I recommend getting 4 rechargeable AA batteries so that one pair can be in the camera and the other can be charging). No computer cable is needed because a USB plug is hidden on the side of the camera that flips out when you need it.

Because the video is stored in flash memory, there is no tape to rewind when importing into the computer. The Flip comes with software loaded on it to help you download the video from the camera. You need special software because the camera records in its own DivX MPEG-4 format. As a Mac user, I've installed the free Perian component for QuickTime. This allows my computer to play the movie file in QuickTime, iTunes, and other programs. I can use the video in iMovie HD, but the new iMovie 8 won't recognize the video format.

The Flip does not have a microphone jack. While its built-in mic is pretty good, users need to make sure that if they are capturing someone talking, that person needs to be very close to the camera. We've all seen many teacher and student-produced movies where you barely hear what is being said. To get around this, I would move the camera far back to get a silent establishing shot. Then I'd reposition the camera to get a tight shot so that the camera is close to the person while he or she speaks.

I took my Flip camera to Omaha's Zoo. Here's a clip of fish in a massive aquarium. I zoom in at the end and you can see the image becomes blotchy when zoomed because it is a digital (not optical) zoom. The video is 640 x 480 pixels large. I converted the video format from the Flip's .avi format to an equivalent .mp4. Otherwise, those you without the Flip software or Perian wouldn't be able to see it. Here's the same video uploaded to YouTube. You'll notice the original is larger in size and higher quality than what YouTube displays. Just for fun, here's another video from the zoo's Desert Dome. And here's the YouTube version. Like most cameras, you'll notice that the Flip records much better in sunlight than in semi-darkness.

The Flip currently comes in three different models. The model that records up to 30 minutes of video is $130. $150 will get you a camera that records up to 60 minutes. For $30 more you can get a sleeker 60 minute model.

The Flip is not the only small, cheap, tapeless video camera around. There's the RCA Small Wonder, Creative Vado, and Kodak Zi6. These cameras are very similarly priced to the Flip and have similar features. All include only a 2x digital zoom.

Why have a handy, easy-to-use camera in the classroom? Besides making videos of educational skits, the Flip camera could be used to document field trips and science experiments. It could be used to record interviews and class discussions. The videos could be uploaded to sites like TeacherTube or as a video podcast. Here are a few TeacherTube videos about or made with a Flip video camera: Reflection on Flip Project, Instructions for Using Flip Video Cameras (Windows), and Chinese Greetings.

Email Subscriptions

One of the great things about blogs is that you can subscribe to them. Instead of visiting the blog page to check for new posts, many use a feed reader like Google Reader or Bloglines. However, if you don't check your feed reader regularly, it does not help you to keep up on the blogs you are subscribed to.

Some blogs offer subscriptions by email since email is something that people regularly check. I'm happy to say that Learning in Hand is now one of those blogs. Simply complete an Email Subscription Request. On days when there are new posts to this blog, you will receive an email with any new updates. Don't worry, if there aren't new posts, you won't be emailed, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

If you have your own blog there are a variety of ways to enable email subscriptions. I use the free Feedburner service.

New Pocket PC Freeware

Like I said in my last post, there hasn't been much to report in the world of PDAs as manufactures place their emphasis on smartphones instead. Although there's not much new hardware, software continues to be developed for handhelds. Here are some recently released applications (mostly games) for Pocket PCs running Windows Mobile:

• Arikone - Game where you connect the numbers with a line that cannot cross itself.
• Color Lines - Classic game where you place five like-colored balls in a row to make them disappear and score points.
• Delicious Plug In - Quickly bookmark and tag sites for Delcious.com from inside of Internet Explorer Mobile.
• CapSure - Take photos of what's on the handheld's screen. Great for make how-to slideshows and handouts.
• Dice - Simple random number generator 1-6.
• Loan Assist - See how interest rates affect the cost of a loan. Note: Works on WM 3 and might not work on other versions.
• Miner - A version of Minesweeper for Windows Mobile.
• Music Trainer - Improve musical score reading and accuracy. Read more about the application.
• MyEnglishFAQ - Quick reference for the English language, including commonly confused words and irregular verbs.
• Pocket Uno - Pocket PC version of the card game.
• Shift - Puzzle game where you move tiles around a board.
• Skinz Sudoku - Friendly-looking Sudoku number game.
• Sale Calculator - Figures the final price for percentage-off sales. Students could easily make their own calculator using Excel Mobile.
• SimpTimer - Display up to six timers on the screen at once.
• Skype - Free voice calls using Wi-Fi.
• Taiyoukei - Database for information about the solar system. Includes images.
• TildeTech Hangman - Simple Hangman game. You can make your own dictionaries of words.
• Vexed - Puzzle game where you move tiles to make them disappear. Try to make the goal in as few moves as possible. This is one of my favorite puzzle games!
• WM Screenshot - Another free screenshot program.
• Word Seeker - Game of concentration with nine words that need to be matched. Words that match can be the same word, a synonym, antonym, or homonym.
• And if you want to run lots more free software, buy StyleTap to run most all Palm programs, including the ones I mentioned in my previous post.

New Palm Freeware

There really hasn't been much new to report in the world of Palm handhelds. Palm has been focusing on smartphones and hasn't released a new PDA since 2005. While we aren't seeing new hardware, software continues to be developed for the Palm OS. I thought I'd share some of the newer Palm freeware applications:

• AtroInfo - Plots the planets, sun, moon, and stars in the night sky. Note: Huge 15MB file. You'll want to install this on an SD card.
• Bombel - Virtual bubble wrap for you to pop. Not that educational, I know, but a great stress reliever.
• Dolch Sight Words - Simple program to quiz students over sight words. If a student says the word correctly, tap OK. If incorrect or slow, tap Again and the word will appear again later in the session.
• InflationMaster - With all of the recent talk about inflation, this application is handy for comparing dollars in different years. It has been updated for 2008.
• JazzyDraw - Advanced drawing program that lets you save your work to an SD card.
• Jury - Silly application that lets you tap one of two buttons. One button plays applause sounds and the other is for boos. Teachers might like to use this when asking the class true and false questions.
• Latin Endings Program - For all you Latin teachers out there--here's a database of declension and verb endings. (I took four years of Latin in high school and we had a song and/or dance for Latin words endings, but a reference like this would have been super handy.)
• Outcast - Puzzle game where you tidy up the screen by moving pieces into a minimum number of groups.
• Tangram - Solve tangram puzzles by moving the pieces to match the silhouette.
• Word Maniac - Word game where you build words from the letters displayed on the screen.
• World Population Clock - Display an estimate of the current global human population or select a date to see that date's population.
• Want more about Palm freeware? Check out Chris Cuppett's book Handheld Applications for the Classroom and the sequel, More Handheld Applications for the Classroom. The books offer ideas and lessons for using Palm freeware. A CD-ROM is included so you don't even have to hunt for the software online.

Unfortunately websites for freeware suffer from link rot--that means that the hyperlinks may not work because the original page or file has been moved or deleted. If you find link rot, do a Google search for the exact name of the application. You may need to add extra keywords like Palm, download, or freeware.

iPods Episode #14: Voice Recording

Learning in Hand: iPods Episode #14: Voice Recording is available and is all about using iPods to record audio.

A popular student and teacher use of iPods is voice recording. While you can use a computer for recording, it’s handy to have a portable recording device for lectures, class discussions, announcements, interviews, and notes. In this episode, I share two really cool examples of voice recording. One example is "Word of the Week" from Sean Porter's fourth graders and their podcast, Club 4Cast.

Additionally, I share how to do the recording on iPods with click wheels. To record, you're going to need a microphone attachment, but the software is already installed on all iPod nanos and classics. Listen for tips for indicating where the recording needs to be edited and for importing the audio. Also listen for how the newest generation of iPods record differently from older ones.

Tune in for all 13 minutes of Episode #14 for just about everything you need to know about iPod voice recording.

And as a special request: If you enjoy this podcast, please click here and leave a rating and comment in iTunes. Thank you!

What's new with the nano?

Apple has updated the iPod nano for the fourth time. The new "4th generation" iPod nano has more similarities than differences from the 3rd generation iPod it is replacing. The most noticeable difference is that the screen is taller and skinnier. However, the screen is the same one from the 3rd generation nano, only turned 90 degrees.

Apple doubled the storage capacity at the same price points as the previous nano. That means for $150 you can now get an 8GB nano. For most everyone, that's plenty of memory. Eight gigabytes will hold hours of video and days of audio. Like all iPods with click wheels, you can enable disk use for transporting, storing, and backing up computer files to that 8GB of memory.

There are two new accessibility features added to the new nano. First, in the settings menu, users can increase the font size from Standard to Large. The Large settings appears to be about 150% larger. However, only the menu font is changed. The text displayed while playing audio and Notes fonts are not affected by this setting. That's a shame because the font used for Notes is quite small. Another accessibility feature allows listeners to hear the names of menus, settings, titles, podcast episodes, and almost everything that appears in the menus. Unfortunately, the Spoken Menus option will not speak anything in the Notes section. That would have been way cool. (By the way, if you ever do want spoken text on your iPod, check out SpokenText.)

The nano knows which way it is being held and will sometimes change what's on the screen to match how you're holding the it. That's because Apple added an accelerometer to iPod nano. But it only works in certain functions like playing videos, browsing audio, and viewing photos. Some games require that you hold the nano sideways in order to play. And speaking of games, I'm really sad that the iQuiz game no longer comes preinstalled on the 4th generation nano. While you can purchase iQuiz for 99 cents, it will not run on the 4th generation nano. I really hope iQuiz is updated to work on the new nano because it is a great quizzing game and makes the iPod a more useful study tool.

The new nano supports recording with an external microphone. It can use microphones that connect to the headphone jack (like the microphones that come with iPhones). It can also record using external microphones that connect to the dock connector like the Belkin TuneTalk. The Voice Recorder function is updated and Apple added the ability to add chapters while recording. This is super handy when recordings are long. Another change is that the iPod no longer records in the WAV format. Now it uses Apple Lossless format. While it is similar to WAV, it is not nearly as compatible. You might have to use iTunes to convert recordings to more compatible formats like WAV or MP3 if you're importing into other programs like Audacity. Apple software like GarageBand can certainly use the Apple Lossless format with no problems.

Other than the lack of iQuiz, I really like the new nano. In fact, I would recommend the 8GB nano over the 120GB iPod classic. The only major differences are the storage capacity and screen size. The classic has a slightly larger screen, though that screen has the same resolution as the nano's. Unless you need to carry around an enormous number of videos or need lots of space for disk use, the nano is going to meet your needs for $100 less than the classic.

iPodject

Josh Mika is working on the iPodject at Beebe Elementary School in Illinois. Besides having a cool name, there are other cool things from the project. There's a website, blog, and wiki. These resources are all about using iPod classics in classrooms.

The wiki has a page devoted to listing schools that are using iPods. The list can be a good thing to show school administrators that your idea to bring iPods into the classroom isn't a crazy one.

The wiki also has several videos about iPods. Josh recently made his own iPods in Education presentation video. The video gives a thorough introduction to what iPod classics can do. I like the point made at the end: Would you like to learn, purchase, carry, move, and store a television, CD player, tape recorder, CDs, documents, and file folders or a single iPod.

Styluses for iPhone and iPod touch

When I first saw that companies were selling styluses for iPhone and iPod touch, I laughed. After all, these tiny computers are designed to be used with a finger, not a stick. But, as I download more and more drawing applications, I'm finding I don't draw very well with my finger. I actually want a stylus for my iPod. The problem is that a regular stylus does not work on the iPod touch's screen--a special kind of stylus is required. I found three styluses that could be used and ordered one. I wasn't incredibly happy with it, so I ordered the other two.

I made a video (TeacherTube / YouTube) in which I share my thoughts on the three styluses I purchased. Not only because I think the information might be helpful, but because I wanted to experiment with making videos about iPod touch. I used ScreenFlow to simultaneously record my iPod touch and me. Then the software allowed me to integrate the video and add graphics. Despite the few times I misspoke, I'm pretty pleased with the final product. I'm hoping to make videos like this one about some of my favorite educational applications for iPod touch.

Stylus ordering info: Soft-Touch Stylus, Japanese Touch Pen Stylus, and Pogo iPhone Stylus.

Site Reorganization and Additions

Learning in Hand began in 2001 as part of my fifth grade classroom website as a way to share what my students and I were doing with Palm handhelds. In 2004, Learning in Hand became its own website and added information about Pocket PCs. Learning in Hand's focus on student-centered technology continued through the years by adding resources for podcasting and iPods. At long last I've taken the time to reorganize the site so it is easier to browse for the information you're interested in.

The site's main pages are now Blog, Podcasts, PDAs, iPods, Netbooks, Mobile Web, About, and Search.

Podcasts contains a link to Learning in Hand's popular Podcasting section. It also links to the three podcasts hosted here at learninginhand.com: Learning in Hand: iPods, Our City Podcast, and Soft Reset.

PDAs is the section all about Palm handhelds and Pocket PCs. I've always been against calling handhelds PDAs (an initialism for Personal Digital Assistants). But, I needed a word to describe handhelds that run Palm or Windows Mobile and are not phones. I couldn't just use the word "handheld" because nowadays that term encompasses so many different kinds of devices. PDAs seems to be the best way to describe these so that's what the section is labeled. The PDAs section contains links to Palm and Pocket PC/Windows Mobile software, lesson plans, classroom management advice, eBooks, and lots more.

The iPods portion of Learning in Hand has great information for users of iPods with Click Wheels. Most iPod users who visit can find things they never knew an iPod could do. In particular, the Gallery of Educational Image Sets has some cool educational photos sets to load on students' iPods. A brand new addition to Learning in Hand is Do So Much with an iPod touch. I'm finding the iPod touch (the iPod that's just like an iPhone--minus the the phone functions, camera, microphone, and speaker). iPod touch users can surf the web using the iPod's Safari browser. There are also web sites that are designed for the iPhone/iPod touch screen called Web Apps. Then, there are also real software applications that can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store. Of course, an iPod touch is an iPod, so it plays audio and video and displays photos. Furthermore, this new section shares loads of tips and tricks for using an iPod touch.

Another new section is Netbooks and it discusses tiny, affordable computers. These computers don't have much memory or storage space, but that's ok. They can connect to the Web through Wi-Fi and access thousands of web applications. To help teachers out, the page has a list of web applications that I've recently bookmarked. You can see all of the ones I've bookmarked here. I suspect the Netbooks pages will be updated quite a bit in the coming year as they become more and more popular.

The Mobile Web section is all about using the Internet on devices with small screens, like mobile phones, PDAs, and iPod touch. There are sample sites, advice for finding mobile sites, tips for use in a classroom, and information about creating your own mobile site.

Clicking About will bring up information about me, along with links to my other websites and Twitter page. This is also the page where you can email me and where you can check out my Presentation and Speaking Information.

Search uses Google to search Learning in Hand and is a good way to find something when you're not sure which section it is in. If after searching you can't find something you know is on the site, email me and I'd be happy to point you in the right direction. Note that during the reorganization I did not change any URLs, so all pages you have bookmarked are still there. Also note that the discussion forums have been removed as they were very rarely used. One more note: clicking the site's name or logo at the top of each page will take you to Learning in Hand's home page.

While I was busy reorganizing and adding content, I also gave the site a little facelift. I hope you like the changes!