Last week I listened to a Discovery Education webinar with Tony Vincent, “I Didn’t Know You Could Do That with IPods.” One of the best things I learned was a great tool for converting YouTube videos into MP4, FLV, AVI, MPG, and other file formats. It was exciting to discover an easy way to be able to use YouTube content in the classroom. YouTube is blocked in my district, so I previously haven’t spent much time exploring and searching, but I have been amazed to see how much good educational content is out there! My math coach and I recently received an iTouch through a grant, and we’re working on finding and creating math content that would be useful to students. I’ve downloaded over 30 videos in a short amount of time. It’s so easy! All you have to do is type in the word kick in front of the word youtube in the video URL.
Example: http://kickyoutube.com/watch/?v=skX6RnnIkuM#VQsQj1Q_CMQ
Here are a couple of my favorite YouTube finds:
Multiplication Tables: Created initially in the computer lab at the juvenile detention center in Portland, Oregon, these catchy, rap-style videos will be very helpful for students needing help learning multiplication facts.
Learning Upgrade: This company offers online courses in reading and math, but they have loaded a few of their professionally done videos to YouTube.
There are a variety of ways to create audio and video files that can be played on iPods or other media players. Here are a few ideas:
Creating podcast content with a Windows computer:
Record a podcast on an iPod and load it into iTunes.
Record a podcast on a laptop in Audacity and export as an MP3.
Create a PowerPoint and convert it with Authorstream.
Create a video using Windows Movie Maker and use a converter such as Jodix or Zamzar.
Use SMART Notebook recorder to record a Notebook lesson and convert the .wmv file to an Mp4.
Creating podcast content with a MacBook:
Create a Keynote Presentation, record narration, and export as an Mp4. (If you do this, add a blank slide at the beginning after you record, but before you export. It’s a quirk, but necessary to get the file to play correctly on the iPod. )
Create a recording in GarageBand and export to iTunes.
Over the past several months, I have become convinced that iPods have an important role to play in the classroom, both as a tool for learning and a tool for sharing learning. Two teachers in my school each have 3 iPods that they are using regularly with their classes. My math coach and I recently received a grant to get an iTouch that will be made available for check out by math teachers. We are in the process of creating some standards-based math content, and I’ve searched extensively for online content. Here’s a short video that is a summary of a presentation I shared with principals and technology integration specialists in my district.
Mrs. Brown, a 4th grade teacher at my school, received a district Mac grant that provided her with a MacBook, 3iPods, an iTalk, 2 MacMinis, and a camera. She has worked hard to integrate the technology in the midst of all the required elements of a language arts classroom. Yes, her students spend time each day with a book actually in hand and also write with a pencil. As a former elementary ELA teacher myself, I think there is great value in “hands on” reading and writing. But as we work with students who are continuously more engaged with the digital world at home, it is imperative that we develop our classrooms into technology-infused environments. Students are able to listen and focus better with an iPod than to listen to a teacher in whole group instruction. I’m not discounting whole group instruction; I’m just saying that we need multiple instructional strategies to meet the needs of diverse learners. Students who blog have the understanding that they are writing for a real audience, which makes their time spent writing more meaningful and authentic. Most students spend lots of time playing video games, so instructional reading games on the computer are a natural fit for them. Mrs. Brown does a great job of creating balance in her classroom and providing a variety of learning experiences for her students!
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