iPods Episode #2: Downloading Videos

The second episode of the Learning in Hand: iPods podcast has been posted. Episode #2: Downloading Videos is all about getting videos from websites to play on iPods.

Full sized iPods can play movies and videos! If you aren't sure if your iPod can play videos, simply turn on your iPod and go to the Main menu. If Video is listed, probably just below Music and Photos, then your iPod is video-capable. Currently, iPod nanos cannot play video. Their screens are so tiny, it probably wouldn't be enjoyable. And, of course, iPod shuffles don't have screens—not very conducive to viewing video.

You probably know that the iTunes Store would love to sell you music videos, television, shows, and full-length movies for between $1.99 and $14.99. But those are certainly not the only videos you can download, sync to, and play on an iPod. There are free video podcasts available from the iTunes Store as well, but we're not going to cover those in this episode.

We're going to talk about videos that you might already have on your computer that you'd love to put on an iPod for student-viewing. Additionally, you might have several favorites tagged in United Streaming, YouTube, or TeacherTube. Let me tell you about getting these videos ready for viewing on a video-capable iPod.

You need to know that iPods will only play videos that are in the MPEG-4. That means the video will end with the extension .mp4. In fact, iPods are somewhat picky in what kinds of MPEG-4 videos they will play. I'll share ways to get your videos into the iPod specific format. But please don't think that just by renaming a video with the ending .mp4 that that magically turns the video into the right format. Videos have to be transcoded from their original format, which might be .mov, .mpeg, .avi, to MPEG-4. Transcoding takes a lot of processing power, so when a video is being converted, you'll have to wait a while. Listen to all 11 minutes 45 seconds of Episode #2 to learn more. You can read more about videos and iPods here.

Good iPod Ideas

Here are a couple neat ideas for using iPods in schools:

In our media center, we currently have four iPods that are used with students during school. I have purchased full audiobooks for the iPods that students may listen to in the media center.

Also, using garage band, I've put mini "booktalks" on the iPods to give students ideas for books they may want to check out. The booktalks may involve general information about the book and/or reading a short excerpt from the book to entice the students to read the book on their own. This is very helpful as I do not always have time to give every student the personal assistance they need in locating books.

We have set up in iPod center in the media center and students must be trained on the iPods before they can use them. Our plan is to order several more iPods before the end of the year as the project has been very popular!

Mark Twain Elementary
Bettendorf, IA
Beth Campbell

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We just recently got an iPod at the beginning of this school year along with out new textbook series. I have every single CD that I would use in my music classroom loaded onto it. It works better to go shuffle through the playlist instead of loading CD's into the CD player or switching disks.

Janelle Jaworski
Blair Community Schools
K-2 Music Specialist
jjaworski@esu3.org

Thanks to Beth and Janelle for permission to share their quotes. Thanks to Janet Hill from Apple for sharing these ideas on the Nebraska Apple Education mailing list.

New Podcast About iPods in Education

Want to learn more about that iPod you carry around? Want to know how iPods can be used for teaching and learning? Then subscribe to my newest podcast, Learning in Hand: iPods. The podcast features short episodes to help teachers use iPods. Topics to be covered include: downloading video, viewing slide shows, iQuiz, voice recorders, podcasting, classroom management, and more. Hard Disk Mode is Episode #1 of the Learning in Hand: iPods podcast.

Full sized iPods have huge hard drives. Current iPods have hard drives that are between 30 and 80 gigabytes in size; that might be more capacity than the hard drive in your laptop! That's enough space to store over 50 days of audio or 100 hours (4 days) of video. Chances are your collection in iTunes that you sync to your iPod is not nearly that large, leaving you with gobs of unused disk space. You can put extra space on any iPod to good use by enabling disk use. Using your iPod for portable data storage is perfect for accessing files between school and home computers. And it's always a good idea to make extra copies of those documents you've spent hours and hours on. Listen to all 5 minutes 45 seconds of Episode #1 to learn more (and you can look forward to many more episodes of Learning in Hand: iPods).

The Cost of Podcasting

I get many emails that ask about grants for podcasting. My response comes in two parts. First, there aren't many grants specifically for podcasting. If you need funding, consider applying for a more general grant and use podcasting to meet the goals of the grant.

Secondly, podcasting doesn't involve much expense. You really just need a computer. Macs come with GarageBand and Windows users can download the free Audacity software. You can use a computer's built-in microphone, but I suggest purchasing a $25 USB headset (Logitech makes good ones). You'll also need a way to generate an RSS feed and a web server to host the podcast.

A school district may already have a web server. If the server doesn't have podcasting support, both Mac and Windows users can use FeedForAll. It's $40 software where you fill in the blanks and it creates and updates your RSS feed. Or, Mac users can use iWeb that comes free on all new Macs. If you have a server for the episode files but need the RSS feed, you can use a combination of Blogger.com and Feedburner.com. This method is absolutely free and you can read how to do it here.

If you don't already have access to a server and/or you want to make publishing a breeze, I suggest using a service like Slapcast, LibSyn, or AvMyPodcast. These services charge $5 per month. There are limitations for monthly uploads but they offer an unlimited number of downloads. You should note that once you stop paying the monthly fee your podcast will no longer be available online.

If you encourage students to listen to podcasts on classroom computers or in the lab, you're going to want earphones. If you don't already have them, you can buy 97¢ ear buds at Walmart or you can spend several dollars for nicer headphones.

Those are the basic needs for podcasting. Of course, there are other ways to spend money. While you don't need an iPod to listen to a podcast, it's really nice to have iPods available for students. They can listen to their own podcasts and to those of other students, companies, and organizations. Also, iPods can be used as a portable hard drive, making them useful for transferring audio projects and for backing up files. You may also want to purchase a powered USB hub so you can charge and sync multiple iPods at a time.

While I prefer recording directly into GarageBand or Audacity for on-the-fly editing, there are times when you might want a mobile recorder. You can attach a $50 iTalk Pro to the larger iPods with video. You can also buy digital recorders, like those from Olympus, just be sure you can get the sound file from the recorder into the computer.

If you plan to record more than one student at once, you'll want a mixing board. Mixers combine the audio from multiple sources and allow you to perform certain audio effects. The Alesis MultiMix 8USB works with Mac and Windows computers and it can be yours (or your school's) for about $150. Not wanting to spend that much? You can find mixers at Radio Shack starting at $40. Don't forget the extra microphones to go with the mixer.

Some other things you may wish to purchase include binders and clipboards to keep track of the paperwork and preproduction notes. And while we're on the subject of spending money, it's wise to provide professional development to teachers. There are techniques, strategies, and tips that experienced podcasters like me can share to make podcasting easier, maximize student learning, and produce a high quality product.

If you are itching to apply for a grant specific for podcasting, check out the Olympus/Tool Factory Podcasting Grant. Your school can can win $3,000 worth of hardware and software:

• A site license of Tool Factory Podcasting software (Windows only)
• Three Olympus Digital Voice Recorders
• Three headsets and mics
• A site license of Clip Art Station
• A site license of Worksheet Station
• A site license of Web Page Station
• Tool Factory's Simple Guide to Podcasting (book and CD combo)

Tool Factory's Podcasting software is a complete solution for recording, editing, and publishing podcasts. In fact, there's a screencast you can view to get a feel for the software and you can download a demo. Olympus says the most unique podcasting lesson plans, incorporating student involvement, creativity, and all of the awarded hardware and software will win. There are three deadlines: 6/30/07, 12/30/07, and 4/30/08. You must resubmit after every deadline to reapply. Here is more information and a flyer.

Even if you don't apply for the Olympus/Tool Factory Grant, you can download Tool Factory's free worksheets to help with podcasting:. The worksheets include Topic Flow Chart, Episode Timeline, Sound Effects, Listener Motives, and more.

What have you purchased for podcasting? Please let us know by leaving a comment!

iQuiz for iPod

The iPod firmware is closed so only Apple can offer software and games that run on an iPod. Until now, the games offered from Apple have not been educational. That has changed today with the release of iQuiz. This game has lots of learning possibilities.

You can watch a short video preview of iQuiz in iTunes. You'll see that iQuiz has slick game show graphics and exciting background music for a fun and lively atmosphere. The one drawback I see for classroom use is that the timer cannot be turned off or slowed down. A timer can be distracting and inappropriate for some learners.

Go to iQuizMaker.com to download free software for making your very own true/false and multiple choice quizzes. You can include explanations with your true/false questions. You can set several options, including how many questions a user can answer incorrectly and the graphics theme of the quiz. iQuiz Maker includes an iPod simulator so you can take the quiz on your desktop before syncing to an iPod. Currently the software is Mac only with the Windows version due in May.

iQuizMaker.com has additional quizzes you can download for iQuiz, including Human Anatomy and Cats & Dogs. You can download the Quiz Installer for making the process of getting these on your iPod easier. [To manually install a quiz pack, put the quiz pack folder in the iQuiz folder, which is in the iPod Games folder in your iTunes folder.] Apple has more detailed information for installing and creating quizzes.

Apple's Learning Interchange has a section called Teaching with iPod and iTunes. There are a couple iQuiz examples listed.

iQuiz is compatible only with the fifth-generation iPod (that's the iPod with video) with iPod Software 1.2 or later. These games cannot be played in iTunes, nor are they compatible with other iPod models. Use this page from Apple to identify which iPod model you have.

Currently iQuiz is 99¢ and you can sync it to multiple iPods from one computer. It's a great value and I hope to see more educational software for iPods from Apple.

Free Poetry Resources for You to See

K12 Handhelds has made available several poetry curriculum resources for Palm handhelds, Pocket PCs, and desktop/laptop computers.

You can download Types of Poetry and Poetry Anthology eBooks. The eBooks are in Mobipocket format and have lots of examples with linked vocabulary words. Mobipocket is a cross-platform eBook reader and you can download it for free. Windows users can even download the free Mobilpocket Creator for making your own cross-platform eBooks. [There are not versions of Mobipocket for Mac and Linux computers--but you can use a Mac to install Mobipocket to a Palm handheld.]

Also available from K12 Handhelds is a Poetry Scavenger Hunt in Microsoft Word format. You can use Palm's Documents To Go or a Pocket PC's Word Mobile to view and complete the scavenger hunt.

Another freebie is a 10-question Poetry Types Quiz in Quizzler format. Quizzler is available for Palm handhelds, Pocket PCs, Macintosh, and Windows.

K12 Handhelds also points to additional resources teachers might use, including two great poetry podcasts. The podcasts are from Houghton Mifflin and School Library Journal.

Finally, K12 Handhelds offers a one-page PDF called Poetry Classroom Activities that gives simple and advanced ideas for using these resources. Activities include comparing poems, creating a poetry blog, and highlighting metaphors, similes, and other literary devices in Mobilpocket.

Thanks K12 Handhelds for making these resources freely available!

Note: Recall my tip in Soft Reset #19... If you are trying to download a file and only weird text shows up in your browser's screen, click your browser's Back button. Then right-click (Mac users can Control-click) and choose "Download Linked File" or "Save Link As..." from the context menu. The file is saved to the desktop. If the file is saved with a .txt extension, click the file name and remove the .txt. Then the downloaded file should have the correct icon and function properly.

Handheld Learning 2007

Handheld Learning 2007 will take place October 10-12 in London. You might remember my blog posts: Handheld Learning UK. - Day One and Day Two. I also wrote Handheld Learning 2006 - Review for the Handheld Learning community website. The conference organizers are keen to have as many non-UK participants as possible this years. Click here for more information about this great learning and networking opportunity. Also, check out the flyer by clicking the image below.

Mid-Atlantic Conference Annoucement

Registration is now open for the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Handheld & Emerging Technology Conference held on the campus of Salisbury University on July 25-26, 2007. This year’s conference has expanded into two full days of hands-on workshops and concurrent sessions that will include a full slate of handheld specific topics as well as other emerging technology. We are excited to have some of the brightest and best handheld and emerging technology personnel presenting at this year’s event. On hand will be Tony Vincent of Learning in Hand, Karen Fasimpaur of K12 Handhelds, and Mike Curtis of Mobile Technovations and other experience presenters.

The conference will include hands-on and concurrent sessions in the following topics (and more):

• Podcasting
• VideoPodcasting
• Radio for Kids
• eBooks
• Handheld specific sessions for both Palms and Windows Mobile
• Blogging
• MovieMaker
• Free software for Palms and Pocket PCs
• Mobile Video
• Google Earth
• Web 2.0
• iPods in the Classroom
• Multimedia Resources to Support Differentiate Instruction
• Digital Story Telling
• Wikis

The cost for the conference is $90.00 for both days or choose a day for $50.00. Breakfast, lunch and beverages are included in the price of the conference.

For more information and to register please visit the following website: www.seaford.k12.de.us/mahc

We look forward to seeing you as the Mid-Atlantic Handheld & Emerging Technology Conference celebrates its’ third year of helping educators integrate handheld technologies!

A Slightly Different Take on "Roving Reporter"

I often speak about the Rover Reporter activity from my fifth grade classroom. One student each day was assigned to be the reporter. That student took photos and wrote an article about the day on his or her handheld. I would publish the photos and article the very next day on The Daily Planet web page. Read more about this activity in an article I wrote and at Education World.

Samiekay Hartney, a fifth grade teacher from Granite Falls, Washington, recently wrote me:

I took your blogging and podcasting classes at the NCCE conference. I used your Daily Planet idea to get the kids excited to personalize our blog. Instead we came up with a class mascot who has a digital camera, flash drive and extra batteries in a backpack he travels in. He is currently visiting the kids’ homes having a blast. I feel this is strengthening the kids’ voice and style in their writing. The audience is loving it too. I went with this idea instead of yours to help the kids realize how easy it is to transfer files from home to school. I am also using our blog to excite the kids to respond to ordinary classroom questions in various subjects. I am trying to align the questions to our state assessment. Thank you for your ideas and teachings. It inspired me. I think the kids are very excited about our blog.

What a great idea! Assuming each child has a computer at home (Internet not necessary for this project), the flash drive can store the document for the teacher to access at school. The flash drive could also hold free word processing software if needed. Extra batteries are an important little detail that Samiekay did not overlook. Jump on over to the C7 Chatterbugs blog to read Mrs. Hartner's fifth graders' blog and to see lots of photos of Jo-Jo, the class mascot. Also note the comments for each post. Isn't web publishing grand??!

2007 Sketchy Animation Contest

GoKnow, the company that makes the Sketchy animation software for Palm handhelds and Pocket PCs (45-day free trial), has announced its fourth annual Sketchy Contest:

Do you use Sketchy in the classroom? Do you know a budding artist that uses Sketchy to convey educational concepts? We're announcing our 4th Annual Sketchy contest, and we hope you will participate. In past years we have received hundreds of Sketchys from all over the world. This year's contest will be even bigger and better!

Last year, as well as subject area categories, we introduced the new "Teacher" category for all you teachers to get in on the fun and we're glad to have it back! Prizes you ask? 1st place finishers will receive a special 1 GB iPod Shuffle. Digital Cameras are on hand for all 2nd place finishers, and 3rd place secures a new addition to our prizes: the Pocket Mind Reader! Numerous honorable mention certificates will be provided for those who have their Sketchys posted on the Web.

Please visit http://www.goknow.com/sketchycontest to view the official flyer and rules. You can also view previous winning Sketchy animations.

Please direct any questions to sketchycontest@goknow.com.
The deadline to submit entries is May 25th, 2007.

Thanks for your interest in Sketchy, and happy animating!
The GoKnow Sketchy Contest Team

Our City Podcast: Interactive Map

Our City Podcast has a new feature: an interactive map. I used the new My Maps feature of Google Maps. The map has a marker for each episode of Our City Podcast. Click a marker and information about that podcast episode is displayed. Click the link inside the info bubble and you are taken to the episode's show notes where you can listen. Each time the podcast is updated, I'll also update the map. Recent episodes are indicated by a red marker. Notice you can zoom in and out using the controls on the left. You can also click the drag your mouse to move the map. Pretty cool, huh?

As you can see on the map, there are several episodes from Illinois, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania (probably because of the podcasting workshops and conference sessions I've conducted in those locations). I'd love to receive episodes from more states and more countries! Many resources are provided to help you create the recording. You can subscribe in iTunes by clicking here.

For those interested in making their own maps: You can start your own by clicking Google Map's My Maps tab. A free Google account is required.

Update: Embedding the map into this blog and into the Our City page worked for Firefox and Safari users. However, Internet Explorer users could not access either page. I removed the embedded maps until I can figure out how to get it to work in all browsers. [Embedding the map into a webpage is not the simplest of tasks. I used these instructions to help me embed the Our City Podcast map.]

An iPod for Every Michigan Student?

Michigan lawmakers are proposing $38 million dollars that would provide iPods or MP3 players for all of the state's public school students to use as learning tools (reported April 6, 2007 in the Detroit Free Press). The Michigan Technology News reports:

Rep. Matt Gillard (D-Alpena) said the state needs to redesign its education environment and instead of kids checking their iPods at the door they should be incorporated in the learning process. He said using more individualized learning programs and doing more professional development for teachers is part of that plan.

With a $1 billion state deficit, many taxpayers are not happy with the proposal. The editorial, An iPod for every kid? Are They !#$!ing Idiots?, in The Detroit News demonstrates an unwillingness to fund such a project. The writer says purchasing iPods for students would be "wasting money on early Christmas presents for Michigan kids."

While iPods are certainly useful in education, are they the best learning tool for the money? How about Palm or Pocket PC computers with keyboards? They can play MP3s and run thousands of different programs, access the Internet, and cost about the same as some iPods. Michigan's proposal doesn't specifically say it would use iPods. Other MP3 players have more features, but they don't sync as effortlessly as iPods + iTunes. The new Sansa Connect MP3 player has built-in Wi-Fi and can be used to surf the Mobile Web--something you can't do on an iPod. What is nice about iPods is that they are easy to operate and won't take much technical expertise to incorporate into classrooms.

Details of the Michigan proposal are scarce so it's unknown what device or exactly which students would get them. The details probably don't matter as it seems unlikely the proposal will pass. But, it is refreshing to hear when lawmakers are considering providing students with new learning tools and teachers with professional development.

Update: The Detroit Free Press did not accurately report what was proposed. Anne Campbell adds some important information in her comment to this post:

Appropriates $38,000,000 for 21st Century Learning Environments. DOE shall work with districts, intermediate districts, business and industry leaders and innovative education organizations to create a statewide initiative with new learning environments to create academic content and knowledge in digital forms. Funds shall be used to provide professional development, create a statewide content repository, coordinate efforts with other programs, and assist districts in obtaining innovative content creation and distribution tools.