Using Your iPod Backwards

The most common use for an iPod is, of course, to play music. However, there's another great classroom application that, in effect, uses it backwards. Hidden inside the iPod is all of the circuitry necessary to make CD-quality recordings. The only item you need to make it work is a microphone. Unfortunately, Apple hasn't provided a standard microphone input jack, so you'll have to buy a device that does it all for you. You have several choices: Griffin's iTalk Pro Voice Recorder, Belkin's TuneTalk Stereo, and XtremeMac's MicroMemo Digital Voice Recorder. Each sells for under $50 from Amazon.com. Each has advantages and disadvantages. Each lets you record high-fidelity audio (16-bit at 44kHz) using either a built-in microphone or by plugging in external microphones. One common disadvantage is their limited compatibility. All three work with the fifth-generation iPod videos, and the Griffin is also compatible with the 2GB iPod Nano. If you have something else, you're out of luck. I've used the TuneTalk with excellent results, but everything I describe below would work as well with the other two models.

So why would you need a $50 microphone attached to a $300 iPod when you can use use the built-in microphone that's found in many laptops for free? As in many situations, size matters. In this case smaller is better. The iPod/microphone combination is compact enough to fit in a pocket. You can pull it out for an interview or to record a concert. Here's one an example of how I've used it. I was recently traveling for several days in a remote area of Venezuela. I wanted to make a podcast of the trip, so I recorded one of the crew on our boat singing and playing as we traveled upriver. Then I caught the sounds of the night insects before we went to bed. The next day I carried it along as we schlepped through the jungle and gave a running commentary of the sights and sounds along the way. Not exactly NPR, but with a bit of editing I had a serviceable record of the trip. (You can listen to it on my podcast. Search Pojman Podcasts on iTunes and download "A Trip to Amazonas.")

It's amazing that even when the folks at Apple include a hidden feature, they design it with their usual elegance and ease of use. The audio recording feature of the iPod is no exception. You can start, stop, pause, save, and delete your recordings with the iPod click-wheel. When you connect the iPod to your computer, iTunes automatically copies the recordings to your music library and creates a playlist for you. From there you can open them in your preferred sound-editing software. I use SoundStudio, but Audacity is also good (and free). Don't expect quite the same quality that you'd get from a professional digital recorder, however. In really quiet moments I can hear the hard disk in the iPod starting and stopping, but generally, the quality is excellent. Anyway, unless you're teaching an audio recording class, the iPod will be more than adequate.

There are many educational uses for this type of setup. Many schools are now buying iPods to load audio and video for use in the classroom or for students to access outside of school, and you've probably got quite a few students in your classes who have their own iPods. Buy a couple of these devices and you've got a mini-recording studio. Students can create podcasts while out on school field trips. They can record student musical selections. I've had students interview new members of the faculty for our school's podcast. Oral history projects become easy.

Of course, there's nothing here that requires an iPod. One could accomplish these types of recordings with any number of other hand-held recorders. However, the analog (tape) models require that the recording be converted to digital before they can be edited and uploaded. That adds complexity and makes the process messier. Most hand-held voice memo recorders have a lower sound quality than what the iPod is capable of. That's not always a problem, but it's certainly not an asset either. Anyway, I usually carry my iPod when I travel, with one small additional plug-in device I've got a high-quality recorder too.

Remember it's not the technology per se that's important, it's how easily it helps you achieve your educational objective. So if using another device works for you, use that rather than waiting for the iPod microphone. The point is to turn your students loose on a recording project and see what they can come up with.

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