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.

Next: The Philosopher's Stone of Software

How the iPod Changed My Life

To say that the iPod changed my life is both hyperbole and true. Hyperbole in the sense that my life is essentially the same as it was before I got my first iPod (that was four iPods ago). And true because Apple's elegant music player has dramatically altered how I think about audio and video content. And it has offered some interesting opportunities in the classroom which is why I'm writing about it in TeachingTech.

My interest in recorded music goes back at least to my high school days. I now have a collection of 900 CDs. Back in 1999 or so I purchased one of the then-popular Diamond Rio MP3 players. I think it had 64 MB of storage. I remember at the time thinking how remarkable it was to carry around several CDs worth of music in my shirt pocket. I also remember around that time reading that a music player with more than a gigabyte of storage was in the works somewhere in the world. What would that mean? I did a rough calculation. I would be able to carry the equivalent of nearly 20 CDs in my shirt pocket.

Fast forward to today. I can now put my entire CD collection on an iPod, plus videos, still photographs, audio books, and podcasts. I carry all of those around with me and access them in various combinations daily. And I still have room for more. It's not the capacity of the iPod that makes it important, however. What Apple has done is more than just create a big container. It has created a new way of thinking about audio and video content. It's now compact, portable, instantly accessible. Apple has now sold more than 2 billion songs on it's online store. One billion of those in the last year. Obviously someone out there likes the idea buying music online. Now they're selling audio books, TV shows, and full-length movies. There are thousands of free podcast episodes. For me part of the fun is the sheer enjoyment of reading about a new release, listening to all of those thirty-second clips on the iTunes Store, choosing the album, watching it download, copying it to my iPod, and then walking off with some music that I didn't even know existed ten minutes ago.

What does any of this have to do with education? Well, just as Apple, iTunes, and the iPod changed the way we try, buy, and listen to music, they also changed how we can use audio files. Apple didn't invent the podcast (If you're unfamiliar with the term, there is a good article on Wikipedia here.), but it wasn't until Apple began listing podcasts in the iTunes Store that they really took off. All of the sudden, many people realized that they could create an audio file, upload to some server somewhere, create the feed, and post that to iTunes. And anyone in the world could search iTunes, subscribe, and download it for free. We all became instant radio stations.

Here's an example of good podcast project that I've used: Students conduct an interview of some person (a teacher, parent, or friend). The project would follow these steps (I've listed software that I've used, but there are many other possibilities):

• Students listen to some podcast episodes (there are many free ones listed on iTunes).
• Class discusses what makes a good interview and podcast.
  
• Students decide on a subject for the interview.
• Students write interview questions and a script.
• Student practice recording their own voices and performing simple edits. Audacity is a great, free recording and editing program that runs on Windows, Macs, and Linux. Get it here. Students can learn the basics in a few minutes. Mac users can get great results with Apple's GarageBand. It comes free with all Macs as part of the iLife software suite.
• Classes discusses some technical issues such as file size, file format (e.g. MP3, AAC, WAV), podcast feed, microphone.
  
• Students schedule a time for the interview.
• Students record the interview using Audacity and a laptop or desktop computer.
  
• Students edit the audio file to clean up errors, equalize volume, add intro and outro using Audacity.
  
• Students convert the audio file to MP3 or AAC format using iTunes. iTunes has various options for mono, stereo, and bandwidth that allows good control of file size.
• Students upload the audio files to a web server. I use our school's website.
• Students create the feed for iTunes. This is actually the most technically complicated part, but Apple has good instructions here. A Google search will also give you plenty of answers.
• Students subscribe to your podcast through iTunes and download to a computer and/or iPod.
  
• Now anyone can search the iTunes Store, and your podcast will show up in the directory. Try a search for the ones I've done at my school. Search the iTunes Store for "CIC Podcasts".
  

There are many alternatives and variations to all of this. All accessible to students and teachers with very little technical background. Some example. Students can write and record a radio play. They can record musical performances. Students can recite stories and/or poems that they have written. There are even more possibilities. Include photos and chapters in a podcast episode. Go another step and try a video podcast.

These are great learning opportunities for students and teachers that go beyond the technological aspect. What I particularly like is that the technology isn't so overpowering that only the real geek teachers and students get it. After a bit of practice the technology fades into the background, and you can stay focused on the content.

So the iPod changed my life as a teacher, and it can change yours too. Enjoy.

Next: Social bookmarking in the classroom