Please note that I’ve only been able to test these on the VGA input on a TV, rather than on a projector. I’m not 100% sure if this affects the findings but I would imagine that the image displayed on the TV through the VGA connection will be similar to that displayed on a VGA projector. In each case I’ve tried setting the resolution of the Apple TV at 1024×768 60Hz which I believe is the native resolution of the iPad. With solution 3 it defaulted to 720p 60Hz.

Solution 1 [FAIL]

Product: HDMI Male to VGA+3RCA Male Gold Plated 1.5m Cable
Price: £4.99

I wasn’t at all convinced that this cable would work: I figured that the HDMI signal from the Apple TV was a digital signal and that a passive cable wouldn’t be able to convert the digital signal to an analog signal. Having tried various options on the Apple TV settings I wasn’t able to get the cable to work at all, so this will be going back to Amazon!

Solution 2 [SUCCESS]

Product: Konig HDMI to VGA Converter Price: £46.00

This active box has an HDMI input and outputs the video to VGA and the audio to twin RCA sockets. It’s a powered box so you’d need to take that on board when planning power sockets at the presentation lectern or wherever your projector is located. The fact that the cables come out both sides of the box mean that it’s a bit of a “messy” solution, but nonetheless it seems to work well. A photo of the output can be seen below:

Note that the image is off-centre. The Apple TV display takes up the full screen, but something seems to happen when the 4×3 image of the iPad comes through AirPlay. I’ve had the same problem with Solution 4 which I used live with a projector at the conferences this week, so there must be some issue which prevents any of these boxes properly aligning the image on the screen.

Solution 3 [SUCCESS]

Product: High Quality HDMI to VGA L/R YPbPr SPDIF Sink Component Optical Audio RCA Video Converter Adapter Monitor Projector HDTV (!!)
Price: £42.25

As you can see from the image, this box is a bit “tidier” than the Konig: all the connections are at the rear. In addition to VGA and 2x RCA outputs, this converter also offers optical audio (SPDIF), although you could take that straight from the Apple TV itself. It also has a component out option (YPbPr) and I’ve included a photo of that output below in addition to the VGA.

The image above is the VGA output. Again, notice a slight misalignment in that the image is not centred on the screen. It’s less pronounced than with the Konig, though.

The image above is using the Component out. It’s a bit crisper, but I suppose component options are less likely on standard projectors in schools. I have seem some schools with wall plates for VGA + audio etc., and some of these have component options, so it’s maybe worth considering.

Solution 4 [SUCCESS]

Products: HP HDMI to VGA Display Adapter and LINDY SPDIF Digital to Analogue Stereo Audio Converter
Price: £52.74 + £39.99 = £92.73

This is the only option I’ve used “in the real world” as it was the only one delivered before my conference last Friday. The HP adapter feels quite substantial – and more of a “professional” product than the converter boxes above. However, there are no screw holes for the VGA cable and it did have a tendency to disconnect, eg. when I lifted up the Apple TV to show how AirPlay was working. Note that the HP adapter does not require external power. The other issue is that the HP adapter is video only, so a secondary solution for the audio has to be found. Since the Apple TV only has digital audio out, I had to get a digital to analogue converter. I went for the Lindy box as you can see in the photo. No complaints with this: I connected an SPDIF cable (not supplied, so a further expense) to the Apple TV and the Lindy box converts this to analogue sound through twin RCAs. There’s also an option to use optical coax instead.

The output of this solution worked well, after playing around a bit with projector settings. It can be seen below – again it’s a bit off-centre.

Conclusions

So which solution seems to be the best? I think probably solution 3 is the least messy and provides the most connectivity options, but I’ve yet to try this in the real world. I’ll probably have the chance to do that this week so I’ll keep you posted on my findings! I hope that you’ve found this useful and please add any solutions you’ve found in the comments!

Seven useful tips for creating enhanced podcasts in GarageBand and Keynote

The first five of these tips are very general and apply to any teacher creating podcasts. The final two tips are a bit more techy and refer specifically to creating artwork in Keynote with a view to adding it to GarageBand to create an enhanced podcast.

1. Always start your podcast with the title and episode number or date. Remember that your learners may not have an mp3 player with a screen, so they’d rather hear the podcast title than a lengthy jingle before they know they’re listening to the right episode! A clear, announcement, eg. “French Verbs Revision Podcast, episode 3″ before any music or jingle will help your podcast sound more professional.
2. Think more “late night radio voice” than “teacher voice”. As teachers we’re used to addressing a whole class using our “teacher voices”. However, it’s likely that your learners will be listening to the podcast on headphones or earbuds, so you need to change your voice accordingly.
3. Teach one learner, not a whole class. The listening experience will be improved if you imagine one learner rather than teaching to a whole class. If you can’t think of one learner, think of explaining a concept to a son, daughter, niece or nephew! This will change the quality of your voice and your intonation.
4. Short and sweet and often is best. It’s often best thinking of a podcast as a review of one piece of learning which you have perhaps covered in class. If a podcast lasts five minutes and covers one concept or topic in an interesting way, ideally with an example or two, then it’s more likely that you’ll engage your learners and that they will listen – and perhaps even listen again!
5. Silence is golden. Leave thinking time for your learners. Ask them questions, give them thinking time and then work through the answers with them.
6. Try to use a square image for your artwork. You can create square slides in Keynote by going to the Document tab in the Inspector and choosing “custom slide size” from the drop-down menu. An appropriate slide size is 600×600 pixels. GarageBand is set to use square slides by default, so if you’ve made your artwork square this will work well.
7. Think carefully about font sizes. If you’re using text on screen, think carefully about the font size you use: your learners will probably be viewing the podcast on a small screen so don’t use small fonts, and keep the words on screen to a minimum. It’s better to have two or three words in 96 point text than a full sentence in 18 point text!

Since 2005 I’ve been part of a community of educationalists from around the world who are recognised for “doing amazing things with Apple technology”. I first became an Apple Distinguished Educator while I was working on the Partners in Excellence languages and technology project where we were using film-making, animation, music production and podcasting to motivate language learners in three education authorities in the west of Scotland. Since then I’ve worked with colleagues from all over the world on various events, conferences and training sessions, and of course I continue to use Apple technology every day producing content for Radio Lingua language courses and in my educational workshops with Radio Lingua Schools.

The closing date for applications to become an ADE in the “Class of 2011″ is fast approaching. If you’re an educator who uses Apple technologies in an innovative way, consider applying to become an ADE. The application process involves completing a form and then creating a two-minute video about your story in which you need to show Apple how you’re “integrating Apple technology into your learning environment in meaningful ways”. According to the official application documents, the profile of an ADE is:

• a “digital” educator actively engaged in a modern learning environment
• an inspired user of core Apple technologies personally and professionally
• uses and integrates a full range of mobile devices for teaching, learning and creative expression
• an early adopter of promising emerging technologies, pedagogical models and digital content
• actively shares best practices by authoring authentic content, delivering professional presentations, or conducting and publishing research
• a full-time professional employee in a public or private school, local education authority, college, university or non-profit agency/organisation.

The deadline for applications is February 15th at 11:59pm GMT, so you still have a couple of weeks to complete your application if you’re interested. Find out more about ADEs here and start your application process by clicking the link below!

ADE Class of 2011 Application

First of all, I run the Radio Lingua Network of language-learning podcasts, and our educational branch is called Radio Lingua Schools. On our Radio Lingua Schools website you can read about all the digital creativity workshops we run, working in the field of languages in primary and secondary schools up and down the country.

Introductory Discussion

I spoke about Twitter – sign up for your own Twitter account at http://twitter.com and you can then start following me – @markpentleton – and all the other MFL Twitterati I mentioned via Joe Dale’s MFL Twitterers group.

I also mentioned Wallwisher where you can “build a wall” and have your students post their homework as graffiti on the wall. You can read more about Simon Howell’s use of Wallwisher within MFL and there are more details of Helena Butterfield’s work here.

Another technology we had a brief look at was Voicethread which is a tool for talking about and sharing images, documents and videos. Jo Rhys-Jones has discussed various ways of using Voicethread in primary MFL here.

Fiona Joyce has created a wiki for MFL teachers using Storybird and Lisa Stevens has some examples on her site, including video versions of the Storybird stories she has created.

I suggested that using Google Maps, and specifically Street View is an excellent way of bringing the foreign culture into the classroom. It’s worth using http://maps.google.fr rather than the English language version, so that the interface is also in French. Google Maps and Street View are particularly useful for talking about the town, working with prepositions (eg. next to, opposite, etc.) and for practising giving directions. In addition, using “real” shops and services, street signs and even adverts and notices can bring added authenticity to a lesson.

Creating content

I showed examples of animations and film-making projects. Useful software links include:

• Kudlian’s I Can Animate
• Boinx iStop Motion
• Windows Moviemaker
• Audacity
• GarageBand

The two podcast hosting services I mentioned were Podomatic and Libsyn.

For further information on making podcasts and using the apps mentioned, see these previous posts:

• Making use of free educational content for mobile devices
• Effective language-learning through creative technologies

You may also be interested in our Creative Classroom series of tutorials and screencasts from CrunchEd Productions.

iPod Touch Project for Gateshead Schools

Peter has asked me to remind you that if you want to be part of the MFL iPod Touch project then please email him at p.haywood [at] hgclc.org.

Background

I run the Radio Lingua Network (website | iTunes link) of language-learning podcasts, and our education branch website can be found at radiolinguaschools.com.

iTunes

iTunes is a tool which allows you to organise your digital content: music, audio files, movies, tv shows, podcasts and much more. It can be downloaded free from the Apple website and is available for both Mac and PC. It comes bundled on all Macs and on many HP and Dell PCs. Anyone who has an iPod, iPhone or iPad must have iTunes, so there are millions of copies of iTunes worldwide, and many of your students will be very familiar with iTunes.

iTunes Store – Podcasts

In addition to allowing you to organise your own content, iTunes lets you access content from around the web, and around the world. Click on the iTunes Store link in the left hand menu of iTunes to access music, movies, tv shows, etc. This content is available for purchase, but the iTunes Store also offers three main areas of free content which are of huge interest to educators:

• iTunes Podcasts
• iTunes U
• the App Store

Examples of podcasts used are:

• Coffee Break French
• News Time Spanish
• Mr Allsop’s GCSE History Podcast

iTunes U

While the range of materials available within the iTunes Podcasts area can be daunting and at times difficult to filter, iTunes U provides an area of content categorised by subject and organised by institution which has already gone through a quality assurance process. Examples quoted include:

• Open University Exploring Sports
• Birmingham City University
• MOMA
• HTMi: How to open a white wine

iPod Touch / iPhone apps

Time does not allow for a thorough demonstration of iPod Touch and iPhone apps. However, the following apps were mentioned:

• Dress up and make up (£1.19)
• Make a Martian (free)
• Decibel Meter (£1.19)
• Coastermate / XSensor (free)
• iRevise (£1.19)
• iStudiez Pro (£1.79)

iPad apps

I discussed various ways of using the iPad bundled apps in the classroom. Links for third party apps and content I mentioned can be found below:

• Walk Talk and Learn French podcast
• iWork for iPad (Apple website)
• Pages – Word processing (£5.99)
• Keynote – Presentations (£5.99)
• Numbers – Spreadsheets (£5.99)
• Omnigraffle – planning, mindmapping (£29.99)
• National Geographic Atlas (£1.19)
• The Guardian Eyewitness Photos (free)
• TypeDrawing – (£1.79)
• Pianist Pro - (£5.99)
• Korg iElectribe – (£5.99)
• forScore – (£2.99)
• Vuvuzela – (free)

Other resources

The Creative Classroom – a series of video podcasts produced by Apple Distinguished Educators including episodes on creating content for mobile devices.

iPad in Education – a new website created by ADE Ian Wilson looking at using the iPad in classrooms.

iPods in Essa Academy – Times online article about Abdul Chohan’s introduction of 1:1 iPods in his school.

Mobl21.com – Create mobile learning content quickly and easily, and serve it on your students’ devices

It appears to allow you to create learning content including audio, video and interaction with objects. If you’re a student reading a ‘textbook’ created through Inkling you can share the notes you’ve made on your textbook with others learning the same content at that time – a social network for learning. It also appears to allow you to sync your learning content across all your devices. Teachers can see who has completed the reading assignment and the aspects of the lessons which students are finding difficult.

Arguably much of this could be found within an average VLE, but the difference is that Inkling makes this content entirely mobile and accessible on iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad. Looks very interesting, and understandably early days, but I want to know more! Follow @inkling on Twitter or find out more on their site.

In many ways it’s really just a huge iPod Touch with lots more screen real estate. All existing iPhone apps already work on the device, and Safari looks great (though still no flash…)

We’ve expected the new device to have some kind of eBook reader, and the iBooks app provides this. It looks like a really well-designed eBook reader, with adjustable fonts and font size, although it’s not using the e-ink format used by the Kindle and other devices. E-ink is apparently easier on the eye than a traditional screen – more like reading an actual book, I guess. Unlike Amazon/Kindle, iBooks will use the ePub format which is an open format, theoretically allowing anyone to publish an iBook. More on that in a moment.

The iBooks shelf GUI flips over to reveal the iBookstore where you can browse books iTunes-style and add them to your library with a click. Jobs demonstrated this in the keynote, mentioning that “books can include images, audio and video, whatever the author wants”. This is perfect for educational content and I’m sure that the publishing world is already very interested in the idea of being able to include multimedia within books.

Five of the six major publishing houses in the US are already signed up and producing content for iBooks: Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Harper-Collins, Macmillan and Hachette. Interestingly McGraw-Hill wasn’t mentioned, despite the slip-up by Terry McGraw on Monday. However, will independent publishers be able to create iBooks and add them to the iBookstore? This is the key question for independent content producers like us. The details are still fairly patchy on iBooks and the iBookstore, but if Apple allowed a 70/30 rev share for iBooks as they’ve done with apps, and made it possible for independent authors to submit their self-published books, this would be revolutionary! Could Apple just go that step further and give us ePub export from Pages and a button to submit to the iBookstore?

It’s difficult to define exactly whether there is a precedent for this: it doesn’t appear to be particularly easy to self-publish music or audio into the iTunes store. Indeed, when we looked at getting our language courses into the audiobooks section of iTunes, we were directed to Audible. That meant poor audio quality for listeners and not a particularly interesting rev share model for us. There is obviously a precedent with the App store, and many publishers are jumping on the app bandwagon (we’re getting there, but we want to do it right!) Is there a need for a verification process for iBooks the same way app publishers have to wait for their apps to be approved? I’m not sure. I guess things will become clearer as time goes on, but I don’t see any reason why independents couldn’t be publishing their content straight to the iBookstore.

From an educational point of view, there are of course many possibilities for using devices like these in the classroom. The price point in the UK has yet to be confirmed, but the base model in the US is $499, possibly making it a realistic option for classrooms. There are already a number of projects where class sets of iPod Touches are being bought. I wonder, given the choice of 30 iPod Touches or 15 iPads, which would teachers go for?

The UK details for release and pricing will hopefully be confirmed in the next day or so. The one really frustrating thing is that the wifi version will apparently be released first and the 3G version will come a month later. I guess I’d prefer the 3G one but doubt I’ll be able to wait a month! Maybe the wifi one would tether to my iPhone through bluetooth?

What’s it missing? Well there are the obvious things like Flash and the fact that it’s not a widescreen device (I don’t really understand that one actually, given the new iMacs). There is also the fact that there’s no GPS and no USB ports. The dock connector is ok but it’s a bit restrictive, although I’m delighted to see that there’s a video out dock connector – will this work on the iPhone too? That would be very useful! However, if this device is really to be useful in the hands of creative learners, where is the iPad version of Apple’s creative suite of iLife apps? Yes we can manipulate our photos, but where is the camera? We can import our photos via an SD-card reader accessory, but where is the built-in SD slot? Where is the video camera and the iPad version of iMovie? We can record audio on it with the mic or external connectors, so where is GarageBand for iPad? Perhaps these are yet to come on iPad v2, or perhaps a new breed of accessories will allow us to connect cameras to the iPad and edit our movies on new apps. I suppose something also has to differentiate the device from the MacBooks.

But I don’t want to complain just yet! Whether it’s just enjoying the experience of browsing the web from the sofa or watching a (4×3 or letterbox!) movie on a flight, or using it as a glorified picture frame or eBook reader, or creating apps for the device and self-publishing iBooks, this device provides fantastic opportunities, and I’m looking forward to getting one in my hands!

Links for this presentation

(Please note that many of these links are iTunes links, so you should have iTunes installed in order for them to work. Download iTunes here.

Coffee Break Spanish
Mr Allsop’s GCSE History Revision
Sinclair Mackenzie’s Higher Fizzics podcasts
iTunes U: MoMA Visual Descriptions
iTunes U: Stanford
iTunes U: Learning and Teaching Scotland
iTunes U: Arizona IDEAL eLearning Platform
App store: Dress up and makeup
App store: Make a martian
App store: Decibel meter
App store: Coaster mate

• create audio in Garageband
• export aif of voice only
• use Levelator to process voice audio
• bring aif from Levelator output back into Garageband
• send to iTunes as aac
• create mp3 from aac in iTunes

I tried this at different bitrates, removing the Levelator from the process, and re-recording new files, but nothing seemed to work. It seemed that there was something wrong with the way the server was processing the audio.

After about 8 hours of trying to solve the problem, I suddenly remembered that when setting up a new membership plugin I needed to transfer something to my server using ASCII ftp rather than binary, so I set things back to ‘automatic’ in Transmit and suddenly everything is working again! I hope this is of use to someone out there who has a similar problem!