Over 90 million iPod touch/iPhones have been sold.
iPod touch is very similar to the Phone. It lacks the telephone, 3G internet, camera, and a microphone.
The current software version is iPhone 3.2. Version 4.0 is due out this summer with lots of enhancements.
Some people call the iPod touch the iTouch.
Podcasts & iTunes U
All podcasts are free and are found in the iTunes Store.
Narrow your browsing to the Education Category. Fine-tune even further by clicking the K-12 subcategory.
Click Subscribe to download the latest episode and all future episodes.
Click Get Episode to download only that individual episode without subscribing.
Downloaded podcasts are found in the Podcasts section of the iTunes Library.
iTunes U has material from universities and K-12 schools and are essentially podcasts.
Podcasts & iTunes U content Tony shared include: Grammar Girl, What Would Happen If, Last One Picked...First One Picked On, Working Together: Science Teachers & Students with Disabilities, Reading Strategies: Making Connections, Teacher's TV Dyslexia Friendly Classroom, The School Psychology Podcast, Lambton Kent Differentiated Instruction Podcast, Mr. Coley's Studycast, Radio WillowWeb, and Learning in Hand iPods. You can search the iTunes Store for these titles.
Syncing backs up all of the data on iPod touch. You can later restore the iPod from a backup if necessary
Syncing is designed to mirror the iTunes Library from one computer onto an iPod.
Syncing is the main way to get content onto iPod touch. You can set iTunes to sync: audio, video, podcasts, photos, contacts, calendars, email settings, webpage bookmarks, and software applications.
You can change an iPod's sync settings only when it is connected to the computer.
It's suggested that you set everything to automatically sync so that the iPod reflects all changes made int the iTunes library. Download a PDF for these settings.
Audio formats that can be synced to an iPod include mp3, m4a, and wav.
MPEG-4 (mp4) is the only video format that can be synced to an iPod.
Use the free file conversion website Zamzar.com to convert wmv movies to mp4.
Download and convert YouTube videos with KickYouTube. Read about it here.
TeacherTube videos can be downloaded directly from the site. However, they are in .flv format. Use Zamzar to convert to mp4.
Organize audio and video into playlists so that they are grouped on the iPod.
You can select folders of images to sync by click the Photos tab in iTunes.
The images do not have to be photos. They can be any jpg, gif, or png image.
You can choose Save As... in PowerPoint to save a slideshow as a series of images that could be synced to iPods. Read more at Learning in Hand.
Syncing vs. Manually Manage
You can turn off automatic syncing by clicking the Manually Manage box in the Summary tab in iTunes.
When syncing the iTunes Library is mirror on the iPod. When you delete something in iTunes, it is erased from the iPod during the next sync.
When manually managed you must drag and drop files onto the iPod's icon in iTunes. When you delete something in iTunes it is not deleted on the iPod.
Mobile iTunes
The iPod itself has a mini version of iTunes where you can you find and download podcasts.
When in the Podcasts section of the Music app, clicking Get More Episodes launches mobile iTunes and takes you the podcast's details page where you can download more episodes. This is an alternative to syncing to get new episodes on the iPod. Read more at Learning in Hand.
Record You Own Audio
On your computer, use Audacity or Garageband to make the recording.
Export the recording to MP3 or AAC so the iPod can play it.
Drag and drop the audio file into iTunes. The it will be copied onto the iPod during the next sync.
Read lots of more about creating audio for iPods in the 34-page Podcasting Booklet.
Record audio using the Voice Memos app on the iPod. You will need to attach a microphone. Available mics include TuneTalk, Thumbtacks, and earphones with mic.
Settings
You can restrict the use of certain iPod features in the Settings App by clicking Restrictions.
Options include restricting explicit iTunes music, movies, & podcasts, the YouTube & iTunes apps, and installing software from the App Store.
You will be asked to lock down the restrictions using a four-digit passcode. This passcode will be needed to later change any restrictions.
Other settings include Brightness, Wallpaper, and Wi-Fi.
Web Browsing
Safari is iPod touch's web browser.
Safari can access most web pages. However, it does not display Flash content, which can be a significant limitation.
The address and Google search fields are always at the top of the page.
Jump to the top of any page by tapping the time at the top of the screen.
Access bookmarked web pages from the icon at the bottom of the window.
Access History in the Bookmarks to to back to a previously viewed page without typing in the address.
Click the icon the bottom-right corner to switch between web browser windows. The number on the icon tells you how many windows are currently open. You can open a new browser window by choosing New Page.
Safari cannot have more than 8 windows open at a time. Close windows by click the icon in the bottom-right corner and then tapping the red Xs.
Add the current page to your bookmarks by click the + at the bottom of the window.
Organize bookmarks by clicking the Bookmarks icon and clicking Edit. This is where you can rearrange or delete bookmarks and folders. Tap the New Folder button to create folders.
Add an icon that opens the website you're viewing by tapping the + and then tapping Add to Home Screen.
Web Apps
Web apps are websites that are specifically designed for the mobile Safari web browser.
Apple lists hundreds of web apps in their directory. However, you'll notice a lack of an Education category. But, you can find some really useful web apps in other categories, particularly in the Calculate and Productivity sections.
Zoho.com offers productivity and collaborative apps on it's site. It has an associated web app atmobile.zoho.com. Registration is free but does require an email address.
One way to give students accounts without each having their own email address is to use Gmail's alias feature. Simple assign each student a number or code associated with the teacher's Gmail account. Here's how it works: You can receive messages sent to your.username+any.alias@gmail.com. For example, messages sent to teacher75+alex@gmail.com are delivered to teacher75@gmail.com.
iPod touch lacks a word processor. Text can be typed into the Notes app.
Double-tap Space for a period, space, and capitalization of the next word.
Type "im" and "cant" and let iPod touch autocorrect to "I'm" and "can't".
Move the cursor by tapping, holding, and dragging.
To copy, tap and hold the text. Let go when the Magnifier appears. Tap Select and highlight the text you want to copy.
To paste, tap to place your cursor where you want to paste. Tap and hold until the Magnifier appears. Tap paste.
To get what is typed in Notes on your desktop, email needs to be set up on the iPod. Tapping the email icon at the bottom of a note places that text in the body of a new email message.
If students don't have email, you can set up a free Gmail account. Input those settings for email so that contents of Notes can be emailed to the teacher.
Add the teacher's email address to the Contacts app so that it auto fills the complete address.
Email
Email is one of the primary ways to get information off of an iPod touch.
It is helpful to set up an email for the device.
Gmail offers free email that is easy to set up on an iPod. Set up an account on your computer before setting it up on your iPod.
When you first launch Mail on the iPod, you can set up a Gmail account.
Video
iPod touch will only play video in the MPEG-4 (.mp4 or .m4v) format.
iTunes can convert most media to MPEG-4. Copy the media into iTunes and then click Make iPod version from the Advanced Menu.
Software applications (known as "apps") can be downloaded from one of two places: the Applications section in the iTunes Store in the in App Store app on iPod touch.
Teachers should download apps in iTunes on the computer to which students sync. This way the app is copied to all iPods that are then synced to that computer.
Reorder the icons on the iPod's Home screen by tapping and holding one of the icons. The icons wiggle and now you can drag them around the screen. Drag to the edge of the screen to put the icon on the next or previous pages.
Place the four most-used apps in the dock at the bottom of the screen so they can be accessed no matter which Home screen you are on.
Pressing the Home button take you to the first page of apps.
You can also use iTunes to organize your Home Screens. Read how.
Troubleshooting
First, try turning off the iPod by holding down the Sleep button and then sliding to power off. Turn the iPod back on by holding down the sleep button.
Delete any apps that seem to be causing you problems and reinstall them.
If that doesn't fix the problem, you can Restore the iPod from a backup by attaching the iPod and launching iTunes. Click the iPod under Devices. Click the Summary tab. Click the Restore button.
The biggest drains on a battery are Wi-Fi and screen brightness. Also, batteries permanently loose capacity when exposed to extreme hot and cold temperatures so be sure to take notice where they are stored.
Like the examples above, there are many times when you might want an image of your iPod's screen. Screenshots are helpful on websites, in slideshows, and in printed documents.
To take a screenshot on an iPod touch, hold down the Home button while quickly pressing the Sleep button on the top of the iPod. The screen flashes and an image is saved into the Saved Photos album in Photos.
You can sync the iPod to get the screenshots from the album or you can view the image and tap the Email Photo button.
