Jun. 1, 2008 - Turning It Up A Notch! Amy's New Book
Turning It Up A Notch! Amy's New Book
The release of Turning It Up A Notch! Using Audio Files to Enhance Your Homeschool has been delayed slightly. If you would like to get on my mailing list in order to receive my newsletter and an update as soon as this book is available; please e-mail me privately. tikvah73@comcast.net
I just self-published my first e-book, a 22 page book on using audio files in your homeschool; called Turning It Up A Notch!, retailing for only $3.98!
I have been blogging on this subject for over a year; and finally decided to compile all of my information into a book. It was fun doing some research and finding new information to include!
I took the plunge! I plan on updating and expanding this book; but wanted to get courageous and get something out there!
UPDATE (Saturday) -- The clickable links are all fixed! However, now the formatting is not working correctly.
I found this web-site tonight; which has free downloads of children's music. The main page has a "what's new" section; but if you look on the right, you will see the alphabetical index which has many more offerings. Quite a few of these freebies were educational; like the song titled "Mulitply By Two."
Jan. 25, 2008 - IPOD School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- Old Time Radio Archives
iPod School Using Your mp3 Player in Your Homeschool
How very fun! If you like Living Books for the Ears podcast; which I have mentioned in a previous post -- you will love these downloadable files of Old Time Radio shows...
I am not affiliated with this site in any way! (ChristianAudiobook)
It's for real; this web-site is giving away your pick of 10 different audio books during the next few days. One of the options is the excellent recording of Squanto by Focus on the Family!
"Walk with a noted historian as your personal audio guide on fields where decisive, dramatic battles took place. The battlefield podcasts are narrated by NPS historians and recorded on the battlefields. They feature introductions by John Fieseler or Marc Ramsey and the period music of Southern Horizon. They are complemented with detailed maps, so that you can easily follow the action.
You can subscribe (free) either Civil War Travelor.com or through iTunes.
Listen, download, and get the maps
The Cornfield, Antietam
The bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War began when thousands of Union soldiers plunged into D.R. Miller's cornfield. Tour the opening moments of the Battle of Antietam.
The Crater, Petersburg
Explore one of the most dramatic events of the Civil War - the explosion of tons of gunpowder under part of the Confederate line at Petersburg, July 30, 1864.
Pickett's Charge
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The doomed Confederate charge July 3, 1863, at Gettysburg has become one of the most famous events in American military history. Follow in the footsteps of Pickett's men that day.
Cold Harbor (June 1, 1864)
Hanover County, Virginia
The Union attack here June 1, 1864, nearly resulted in a critical breakthrough.
Five Forks Battlefield
Petersburg National Battlefield, Virginia
The Five Forks intersection was critical to the Confederate defense of Petersburg and ultimately Richmond in the spring of 1865. Learn about the decisive battle here on April 1.
Little Round Top
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Little Round Top on the Gettysburg battlefield was the scene of some of the most dramatic moments in American history, July 2, 1863.
Gaines' Mill
Hanover County, Virginia
Fighting here June 27, 1862, resulted in Robert E. Lee's first victory as commander of the Army of Northern Virginia and was a turning point in the Seven Days battles.
Malvern Hill
Henrico County, Virginia
A great walk of the Confederate attack route to the Union guns posted above them July 1, 1862.
Museum of the Confederacy
"The Confederate Years" exhibition
Richmond, Virginia
"The Confederate Years," the signature exhibit at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va., covers the entire Civil War and some of the war's most famous artifacts including Robert E. Lee's camp gear and JEB Stuart's plumed hat."
Be aware of possible mature battle content as I have not had time to screen these thoroughly for younger ages. They sound perfect for High School and College level studies.
I recently received this fascinating e-mail from the Producer of the Classic Tales Podcast; and I thought you might find it as interesting as I did! You can find this podcast by searching in ITunes with the words Classic Tales.
Hello,
My name is B.J. Harrison, the creator/producer of the Classic Tales Podcast. I noticed that you have recently added me to your list of educational friendly podcasts, and I must take a minute to say thank you. One of my main focuses is to make the classics more approachable, and I am so delighted to see these stories reaching kids and adults who otherwise may not have positive exposure to the classics.
Seeing as how your organization is Christian oriented and family based, I also want to let you know personally, that I will not include stories that are explicit in nature. I have 9 and 7 year old boys, myself. And I will not produce anything that I would feel uncomfortable, if they should hear it. Indeed, they are my greatest audience. Even my 7 year old likes the “Cask of Amontillado”, and often quotes it, in his way. I have worked in TV and film for about 10 years now, and, I feel, have consistently steered clear of those projects which would be unwholesome in nature. I rejoice in producing good productions from classic authors to a media savvy audience. It’s so good, as you know, to be involved in a project that really makes a difference.
Good luck with your endeavors. If you have a story request, please feel free to drop me a line.
B.J. Harrison
Creator/Producer
The Classic Tales Podcast
Jul. 14, 2007 - iPod School -- Mommy School! Convention MP3's for Your Enjoyment
Homeschool Convention Recordings as Downloadable MP3 Files!
Best Christian Conferences Online is a great web-site where you can download MP3 files for the sessions from your local Homeschool Convention, or a Homeschool Convention from the other side of the country! I went to four different Homeschool Convention lists, and collected just the sessions I would want to attend. The cost comes out to about $3 each! For me, this is much better then paying for a complete Convention with many MP3's I have no interest in!
MP3 files can be used on your iPod, your MP3 player, or directly on your computer. They can also be burned to cd for use in a cd player.
What an exciting way to have a conference at home; without the crowds, the babysitter woes, and the cost of admission!
Jul. 13, 2007 - IPODŽ School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- More Great Podcasts
IPOD® School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool More Great Podcasts
National Geographic Video Shorts -- This is a video podcast which appears on first download to have content appropriate for all ages; but given the content of some National Geographic magazines these days; each video's content should be screened.
and
The Classic Tales Podcast -- This is more for older children and adults and includes works by Thomas Harding, Nathanial Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe etc.
Jul. 7, 2007 - Free Audio File of Founding Documents!
Free Audio File of Founding Documents!
I found out about this free file at Learnoutloud today while perusing the HigherUpAndFurtherIn Blog I linked in another entry and on the sidebar under Mother Culture.
LearnOutLoud.com is proud to present this audio collection entitled The Founding Documents of the United States of America. Starting with Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" speech which helped to spark the American Revolution, and ending with the First Inaugural Address of President George Washington, these documents represent key points in the founding of the U.S. government. Each document featured here also includes a brief introduction which summarizes the context and significance of the document in American history.
Here are the documents featured in the order of their historical progression:
Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" Speech
The United States Declaration of Independence
The Articles of Confederation
The Virginia Plan
The Constitution of the United States
Federalist Paper No. 51
United States Bill of Rights
Subsequent U.S. Constitutional Ammendments
First Inaugural Address of President George Washington
You can also sign up for their e-mail for a daily free audio file!
Jul. 5, 2007 - iPODŽ School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool - File Conversion
iPod School -- Using Your mp3 Player in Your Homeschool
File Conversion
"I have a small capacity mp3 player (Creative Zen V). I wanted to load my Prima Latina CD onto it, and was having trouble, because the files are not audio files (.wda extensions, I think). After a little searching, I found a FREE downloadable program that converts CD files to various audio formats. It worked very well, and I didn't even read the directions on how to use the program; it was a friendly interface. You can go to http://www.nch.com.au/switch/index.html and download their Switch program, which has a fully functional "Rip" program that is really all you need for this type of situation. I put my CD in the drive, and converted them to .mp3 files, which saved a TON of space on my Zen, so that I could load up with other podcasts and such. I'm not at all a computer or audiofile, and it was super easy to use." Alane (Thank you Alane )
Note: If you are using an iPod and not a Creative Zen, many files can be converted within iTunes. For example, Windows Media Audio (WMA) files are not directly supported by iPod players. iTunes can be used to convert WMA files into a compatible file format that can be used in the iPod. Using Switch (program linked above) will allow you to translate almost any file into a file iTunes can convert for your iPod.
It doesn't go both ways though... Most Files purchased from iTunes cannot be converted into non-Apple formats because they have Digital Rights Management encoded. iTunes recently introduced files free of Digital Rights Management, and those files can be used on any mp3 player. This is good news for those of us using two different types of mp3 player. (I have officially purchased my first "non-iPod" mp3 player -- my cell phone!) Watch carefully when downloading music purchases from iTunes if you want to be able to use it on both forms of mp3 player.
This web-site gives away one free Christian audio book per month! I have downloaded two books so far. They really are free, and you do have to go through the checkout process and enter the coupon code -- but you do not ever have to enter financial information. Sign up for the monthly newsletter to get reminders and coupon codes for each monthly giveaway.
Jun. 6, 2007 - iPodŽ School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- Scripture Memory
IPod® School
Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool
Scripture Memory Songs
Over the years, the subject of Scripture Memory through Music has come up over and over on the loops I am on. It just works! Therefore, I am always on the lookout for Scripture set to music. Now, with iPod School; Scripture Memory with music becomes even easier. I have already mentioned adding one or two verses to your current drill play list every week. I will list and review here the resources I know about; and if you know of any other great resources please leave a review in the comments!
Sing The Word-- Musical recordings by Harrow family, who happen to live near where we lived in NY. Each recording gets better and better! The first two recordings are of lower quality and lesser musicianship. But, the thing is, the Scripture verses and tunes still stick! Good Seeds -- Musical recordings by various artists, these recordings are more "popular" and upbeat in style. All Scriptures are NIV. Topics include Couage, Faith, Praise, and Purpose. Hide Em In Your Heartby Steve Green. Volume 1 and Volume 2 The most professionally done Scripture memory songs available! Not quite as hip as Good Seeds though.
AwanaScripture memory music for the popular weekly Children's program. Children singing, and not as high quality as the others but definitely memorable. Cubbies for Preschool Age. Skipper, Hiker, and Climber, for Early Elementary, Truth And Training for Upper Elementary.
Jun. 4, 2007 - iPodŽ School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- COOP Rescue
IPod® School
Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool
Enhance your Homeschool COOP Teaching
Have you thought using your iPod to enhance the learning experience at your local homeschool coop? When I lived in NY, I was a member of a wonderful coop where each of us took turns teaching one of three various subjects (Art, PE, and Elective). I love teaching, so I never felt that part was a burden. Sometimes, coming up with a way to keep the attention of 15 five to seven year olds was not easy though. I don't know how many times I went in to teach art using Arts Atelier Attack and could not get the video player to work! I was always having to go get the teenage boys to come switch the cables around. Now, I can use my iPod!
Video iPods can plug easily into any (newer) t.v. with an inexpensive A.V. cable from MAC. ($19). Now, you can load a video onto your iPod and plug it in at your coop. No extra dvd to carry, no knowledge of the church's cable concoction required.
Surprise! Video iPods can be used to launch slide shows on any t.v., computer screen or video projector... What fun! Now you can show those cool art prints on the big screen. No more passing around postcard versions! Applications of slide show learning at coop are endless!
At our COOP, we tried to make the elective hour a subject none of us got around to teaching at home. So, how many of you actually teach music appreciation? I have a Music Performance Bachelor's Degree, I understand the value of music for our brains and hearts, yet I struggle to cover this subject adequately. iPod School to the rescue! iPods of any size and color can be hooked up into a stereo system for group learning. In college, one of my professors liked to play "drop the needle" on our tests. He still called it Drop the Needle even though record players were obsolete even back then . Basically, that meant he tested our recognition of the selected range of music (usually 4 hours of music!) by randomly selecting music which we had to identify by name, composer, and date. Yikes! Use your iPod to help your music students recognize basic composers and works of music. Drop the Needle goes really high tech with iPod School, and using only one piece from a total of 10 famous composers will bring this down to the elementary level.
Teaching Latin at your coop? Start each class with iPod vocabulary drill!
Need to keep 15 five to seven year olds quiet as they straggle in one by two; or while you wait for parents to pick them up? Play an audio cd. Short selections such as Jim Weiss.
Puppet Show productions are less threatening beginning experience in public speaking. Use your audiobook recordings to let children experiment with puppets.
Working in the two year old room? iPod school rocks with this age. Don't cart your Wiggles DVDs or Cedarmont Kids CD's to the nursery, just plug in your iPod.
May. 28, 2007 - IPODŽ School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- Music Downloads
iPod School Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool
I realize I talked about how to use music with your mp3 player and school; but haven't addressed where to find music on the web. Several sites sponsor free downloads. Others are pay per download sites.
This site is really a catalog site linking you to free music downloads at tons of other places. I just downloaded 10 piano solos and a trumpet solo for free (no strings attached) in just a few minutes of hunting through classicalcat. Some of the "sponsor" sites request registration or donations before you can download; so you may have to hunt a little to find "no strings attached" stuff that you want. I found this mostly with the piano and organ recordings sponsored by the piano society. 2800 Free mp3 downloads of classical music.
This site is linked to from classicalcat; but a quick perusal will find additional free selections in jazz, christian music, children's music, and more. Use the left hand column to find the genre you want. Choose the download mp3 file option to open the music in Itunes.
You can listen to tons of files at this site and can listen to five per day for free; but in order to download mp3's you need to pay the yearly membership fee of $25. With that subscription -- you get 1000 downloads per month for an entire year! That is cheap and the collection is much larger then the free stuff :). This site is preparing a pay per download feature which may limit the Subscription downloads; so I will be watching to see how thing work out
May. 18, 2007 - IPod School -- Using Your mp3 Player in Your Homeschool... Cool Resource
iPod School
Using Your mp3 Player in Your Homeschool
http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory and
http://www.learnoutloud.com
This resource which I recently found; from which you can find tons of podcasts for all ages, free audio files of famous speeches, lectures by authors and public speakers, audiobooks, tons of audio stuff perfect for iPod School! Most of what I have found so far leans towards the Junior High/High School ages. Check it out!
Apr. 24, 2007 - IPodŽ School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- Book Lists
IPod School
Using Your Mp3 Player in Your Homeschool
Amy's Audio Book List
Certainly not a complete list; this is more like a list of books I know are available because we have listened to them! Some of these books are available at your local library, some are at audible.com, and some can only be purchased from the various other sources referenced previously. Some of these books we really loved. Most of them we really enjoyed them. A few, like The Bronze Bow from audible were not read very well. I plan to add reviews of both books and readers a few at a time. One rule of thumb is to always give a new book 3-4 chapters to accept the reader and get into the book. PreK/K Complete Works of Beatrix Potter*
Where the Wild Things Are*
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle*
NIRV Kids Adventure Bible OT and NT*
The House at Pooh Corner*
Winnie The Pooh*
When We Were Very Young and Now We are Six*
Paddington Bear
The Adventures of Doctor Dolittle*
Uncle Wiggly's Storybook (Jim Weiss)
Good Night (Jim Weiss)
Elementary The Saturdays (and all books in The Melendy Quartet)*
The Railway Children by Edith Nesbit* Because of Winn Dixie (read by Cherry Jones)
Justin Morgan Had A Horse*
The Princess and the Goblin*
Ginger Pye (Eleanor Estes)
The Moffats (Eleanor Estes)
Story of the World by Susan Weiss Bauer (Jim Weiss OR Barbara Johnson)
Black Stallion
Misty of Chincoteague
Black Beauty*
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulaine*
My Friend Flicka*
Peter Pan*
The Railway Children*
The Young Carthiginian by GA Henty*
The Cat of Bubastes by GA Henty*
The Swiss Family Robinson*
The Story of Music*
The Listener’s Bible*
The School Story by Andrew Clements*
Walking the Bible*
The Cricket in Times Square read by Rene Aberjenois*
Paddle to The Sea by Holling C Holliing*
Sarah Plain and Tall *
The Goblin and the Princess by George MacDonald*
Famous Composers*
Room One by Andrew Clements*
The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements*
Complete Little House series (read by Cherry Jones, amazing)
Frindle by Andrew Clements
Lunch Money by Andrew Clements
A Week in the Woods by Andrew Clements
The Boy Who Saved Baseball by John H Ritter
Just So Stories (Rudyard Kipling)
Heidi
The Little Princess
Our Island Story
Anne of Green Gables
Henry Huggins (complete series by Beverly Cleary)
Ralph S Mouse (Beverly Cleary)
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Stuart Little
The Trumpet of the Swan
Charlotte's Web
Beric the Briton (Jim Weiss)
Chronicles of Narnia (Focus on the Family Radio Theater, amazing!)
The Hiding Place (Focus on the Family Radio Theater)
The Luke Reports (Focus on the Family Radio Theater)
Older Children/Adults
Mossflower*
Mattimeo*
Redwall*
The High King by Lloyd Alexander*
Taran Wonderer by Lloyd Alexander*
The Bronze Bow*
The Witch of Blackbird Pond*
Lincoln’s Letters*
The Black Cauldron by Lloyd Alexander*
The Castle of Lyr by Lloyd Alexander*
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander*
America the Last Best Hope by William Bennett*
John Adams*
1776*
I Robot*
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements*
Three Musketeers* Parents Raising Your Spirited Child*
Boundaries for Kids*
A Fractured Mind (My Life with Multiple Personality Disorder)
*Books marked with an asterisk are ones we purchased from Audible.com. If you plan to join Audible.com; please consider entering my name for referring you, just type jewel73 into the text box that appears when you click on the View Past Referral Entries link in My Account section.. Thank you. In addition, some of the books that can be purchased from Audible I do not recommend, so be sure to read the reviews in my Audio Book Review category.
Apr. 19, 2007 - IPodŽ School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- FAQ
IPod® School
Using Your Mp3 Player in Your Homeschool
IPod® Frequently Asked Questions
I thought that Ipod® and equivalents were designed to be used with earphones. I was relieved to read that you can use them with speakers. Do you have to own a laptop to do that? Oh Great Question! No you do not need a computer, this is a direct connection in to the speakers You can use almost any speaker set that is portable; you just need a $10 cable. For a while in the house, we would hook the IPOD® up to old computer speakers that we weren’t using. Now we generally run it through our stereo system. You can play things directly off your computer if you please; and while that doesn't help you use your IPOD®, you can go ahead and start using podcasts until you purchase an IPOD®.
What do you need to play an IPod® in your car? In fact, you can use your IPod® with a number of different things In you car, depending on your car stereo system. You can use one of those old tapes with the wire coming out that goes into your IPOD®s headphone jack. They are called car audio cassette adaptors. The tape thing goes into your cassette player. These work great, you just start the tape player and turn your IPOD® on. MAC sells a version of this; but you should be able to use the generic one for about $20 at Best Buy or somewhere like that. We used our old generic one. Also, you can get an FM Transmitter. This is a little machine that when plugged into your IPOD® translates the music over FM radio waves at the call letters of your choice. So you find an empty radio number, (as in one that doesn’t receive static,) and use that. These come in a variety of forms; and brands. I like the one that also charges my IPOD® at the same time. Mine was about $80, without the charger part they are $60. I used the cassete player option until my old van’s cassette player died, then switched to the FM radio transmitter. These work much better now then they did when my husband and I tried them on our old CD player in the early 90’s.
Apr. 17, 2007 - IPod School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- Finding Audiobooks
IPod School
Using Your Mp3 Player in Your Homeschool
Where Can I get Audiobooks?
Audiobooks are fantastic tools in your homeschool. You know reading aloud is important; but sometimes health and life stop us from reading as much as we want to. Sometimes listening is possible, when reading aloud is not -- like in the car. This morning my children sat around the kitchen table working phonics and math and handwriting and I did breakfast cleanup and other cleaniing while we listened to The Wheel on the School Meindert DeJong. We were all completely caught up in the story, and listened for two hours straight while getting our work done! That is helpful...
A limited number of audiobooks are available for free -- legitimately -- from internet downloads. Of course, an even greater number is available for cost. In addition, audiobooks on cd can be purchased from a number of places and downloaded into your computer and then onto your IPOD.
How do I get FREE Audiobooks?
Librivox -- Volunteers read books, poems, and political speeches and these recordings are available on the web-site or through podcasts. All of Aesop's Fables are available, as well as Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, and many children's books. More books are being added all the time. Books must be in the public domain to be available here. Volunteer to read, and even more books will become available! Here is a link to search by specific genre, including children's literature: Genre Search
AudioBooksForFree.com -- This site has many children's authors as well, however this site is not a volunteer site for readers; they make money by offering higher download quality for a fee. I chose to download my files in the best available FREE format.
Where can I buy downloadabe audiobooks?
Audible -- Books can be purchased instantly or through a subscription. Credits can also be earned from referrals. Audible is pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. You can purchase any amount at once, or sign up for one of their monthly subscriptions. The subscription we have is $22 something per month, and I get 2 audio credits. One book is generally 1 audio credit. So, that’s two audiobooks per month for $11 apeice. Occasionally a book will be more than 1 credit — like the NIRV Bible.
Once I have paid for them, they move into My Library. Then, I can download them to a certain number of computers and they stay in My Library forever. When I crashed my computer last month; I e-mailed Audible because the new files I tried to download didn’t recognize my partially new computer. They reset my account to remove the “old” computer and were really fast. I e-mailed at night and by morning it was fixed.
To pick out what I am getting for my subscription credits; I browsed the books and added all the books I wanted to My Next Listen. I then prioritized them; and now the top two books download automatically each month unless I go in and use the credit to get something not in My Next Listen before the end of the month. (Like this month, I decided I wanted Boundaries for Kids; and I wanted it NOW lol. So I went ahead and used one of my April credits to get it. It wasn’t in My Next Listen.) You can also choose to pay for 12 or 24 credits all at once for the subscription rate; and then download the books as you please.
If you'd like to, enter my name for referring you, just type jewel73 into the text box that appears when you click on the View Past Referral Entries link in My Account section.
Homeschool Estore also has a selection of audio recordings available for download. I am currently listening to A Fractured Mind, My Life with Multiple Personality Disorder which is fascinating. I can't wait to purchase Lad: A Dog; and I enjoy Jim Hodges material.
Where might I want to purchase CD copies?
Vision Forum has several books on CD not available through download and hard to find elsewhere. We really love the Elsie Dinsmore series.
Greathall Productions is Jim Weiss's site and he is a wonderful storyteller. Some libraries carry them. We prefer to purchase them. Amazonis also a great place to buy CD's like Little House on the Prairie, which is not available through Audible.com yet.
Focus on the Family Radio Theater records Absolutely Amazing dramatized productions of classic books like Chronicles of Narnia, The Hiding Place, Anne of Green Gables, The Luke Reports, A Christmas Carol. We love them all. These are abridged versions; but they are abridged in an amazing way to make them perfect for dramatization without detracting from the brilliance of the work.
Renting Audiobooks Simply AudiobooksThis is a CD rental service, which works like Netflicks. You get so many selections at a time depending upon how much you pay per month (from 11.95/14.95 for 1 selection, all the way to 36.95/39.95 for 4 selections). So the only limit to how much you can listen to is the time it takes you to listen, send it back, and receive your new one. The lower price is for an annual payment.
Apr. 16, 2007 - IPodŽ School -- Using your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- IPod Specific Ideas
IPod® School
Using Your Mp3 player in your homeschool
The Amazing Versatility of an IPod® IPods are wonderful! I cannot imagine homeschooling without mine anymore. If you can only get one np3 player I highly recommend saving for an IPod. Here are some of the creative ways you can use your
IPod.
Using Playlists
IPod's and Itunes work together seamlessly to create and use playlists. At first glance, using playlists seemed boring to me. So what, I'm gonna put all my Christmas music on a playlist and then at Christmas I put that playlist on my iPod and after Christmas I take it off-- big deal. Sure it makes changing seasonal music on my iPod easy -- what else can I use a playlist for?
1. Current Drill Playlist: Need your kids to memorize Latin or Spanish Vocabulary, Awana verses, Poetry, a Classical Music piece, Geography songs, music for choir, maybe even a chapter of Story of the World audio? Add all the individual cd tracks you want drilled to a playlist, and title it Current Drill. (for example, two Awana verses, 15 vocabulary words, 2 classical music peices you want the children to have familiarity with, etc.) You can change the current drill playlist each week, upload it to your IPOD, and use that for the first 15 -30 minutes every day in the car. This idea came to me from my friend Debra and I love it!
2. Classical Music Playlists: Want to do a month long study on one specific composer? Create a playlist with all the music you own from that composer and upload it to your IPOD. How about a month long study on a specific time period comparing composers -- upload one peice from each main composer in that time period into your playlist. Want to compare two specific composers from two different time periods; or even two specific pieces? Upload those into your playlist and compare away. The applications for Music Appreciation are endless.
3. Poetry Playlist: Celebrate Poetry month (April) by reading your favorite poems into a voice recorder or your computer microphone and create a poetry playlist. You can also purchase pre-recorded poetry if you please :)
4. Time Period Playlist: Let's say you are studying the Knights and Castle's era. Put your Jim Weiss recording, your audiobook recording of A Door In the Wall, your Story of the World or Mystery of History chapters for that era, some music from that era, and perhaps even some poetry from that era into one playlist.
Using Bookmarks
Simply click on the pause button within any book and you have an automatic bookmark! Go listen to something else on your IPOD, and come back later. You can now pick up where you left off. You can create unlimited bookmarks on your iPod at once, and when you sync up with Itunes, the bookmarks are synced too! If you have books in mp3 format (like if you record your own for instance) you will want to read this blog by Jimmy Akin. Audible files and other purchased book files are formatted correctly to begin with.
Using Video on iPod®
I have a friend who records TaeKwondo moves as done by the instructor, and then plays them back over and over on her iPOD. It's small and portable, making it perfect to take Math U See, Magic School Bus, or Prima Latina on the road for days filled with Dr.s Appts, necessary errands, and even visits to Grandma.
Finding Specific Songs Fast
During Christmas, I like to play all the various versions of a Christmas carol at once for my children. We then talk about the various styles, which ones we like, which ones we don't like, and why. Sometimes my girls dance, sometimes we sing along, and sometimes we sit quietly to worship. We have our carols scheduled for the entire month. On my iPod, I just check the songs list, which is alphabetized. I can quickly find all the versions of Silent Night because they are all grouped together. The only exception would be medleys that include Silent Night with other songs. I can find these quickly in Itunes just by typing Silent Night into the search field. Then it is easy to locate on my IPOD with the correct title.
Individual Learning for Older Children
Older children who can be trusted with the volume dial and ear plugs can listen privately to their very own Current Drill list and other schoolwork while they complete chores, ride bikes, have quiet time in a room full of younger siblings, etc.
*Please remember that these ideas are specific to the iPod. I don't own another kind of mp3 player. I do plan eventually purchase a player that can play the Digital Rights management files from our library service called Overdrive. That is the only reason I can imagine for purchasing any other audioplayer. I love my iPod; and I don't see myself checking out lots of audiobooks that I can only keep for 3 weeks anyway.
Apr. 15, 2007 - IPodŽ School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- Podcasts Work
IPod® School
Using Your Mp3 Player in Your Homeschool
What are Podcasts and why do I want them, and where can I find them?
Podcast: An audio or video file published to the internet using a method called podcasting; and made available by a free or paid subscription, usually offered for free from the publisher.
Free is the operative word here. free audiobooks, free audio short stories, free Adventures in Odyssey, free Spanish lessons, free daily BIble readings, free Financial advice from a millionaire, free Family advice, free President's weekly radio address, free Homeschool helps, free and inspiring sermons. All these things are free audio recordings available to enhance your homeschool
In order to use podcasts, you will first need to download Itunes to your pc or mac. With Itunes installed, you can click on Itunes Store (about halfway down the lefthand column of Itunes). The absolute easiest way to find a podcast is to know the name of the podcast you want, and just type it into the search box in the top right. Of course, if you are new to podcasting you probably don't know the names of all the podcasts you want! If you want to browse, click on Podcasts, which is about halfway down on the lefthand column within the store. Then you can use the search box to find specific content (like a list of all Spanish podcasts for isntance...) Most podcasters publish to the Itunes store, and some also publish the podcast from their web-site. Once you subscribe to a podcast in Itunes, you can download back issues of the podcast, and every time you open Itunes, it will automatically search for and download updates.
If you are looking for specifically Christian content, you can start at Oneplace and see many of the available Christian podcasts by clicking on the Podcast line on the lefthand column.
Now the list of our favorites.
Living Books for the Ears -- Short, engaging stories about people in history recorded in old radio broadcast format.
Activated Storytelling -- A wide variety of stories like The Swan Maiden recorded by 3 actors who travel the country presenting these stories at schools.
StoryNory -- Delightful Children's stories as told to Bertie the frog by his friend and narrator!
Paws N Tales -- Insight for Living publishes this series for children -- The Esther Musical is fantastic.
Adventures In Odyssey
Coffee Break Spanish
Runt the Brave --An amazing retelling of the story of David in the style of the popular Redwall series.
Around the World with Answers In Genesis' Ken Ham -- short clips about creationism.
Audiobooks with Annie --- We just finished listening to her recording Anne of Green Gables, she is currently recording Pride and Prejudice.
Kara's Free Audiobooks -- We loved her recording of Heidi!
Reading Rocket Interviews -- Author interviews, very fun!
President's Weekly Radio Address
Truth for Life audio -- Allistair Begg, truly phenomonal preaching.
Let My People Think -- Ravi Zaccarias, apologetics at its best.
Dave Ramsey -- Christian Financial Advice -- Outstanding and Inspiring!
This is just a small sampling of the podcasts available, and leans toward the elementary level because that is where we are. Have fun hunting for podcasts that will help you!
Apr. 14, 2007 - IPodŽ School -- Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool -- Introduction
IPod® SCHOOL
Using Your mp3 Player in your Homeschool
Why would I use my IPod®?
While I do not think anything should replace cuddling on Mommy's lap with a book, and we do plenty of that, I also think wasting necessary time in the car is really sad. My children and I spend our hours in the car each week laughing and crying together over the sorrows of Anne spelled with an E, thrilling in the triumphs of Beric the Briton and basking in the joys of Winnie the Pooh -- all while we drive to Doctor's appointments, the grocery, chess club, and the library.
The first time my daughter ever identified so deeply with a character in a book that she felt empathy -- enough to cry -- was at the end of listening to The Cricket In Times Square masterfully read by Rene Auberjonois. I just cannot read that well! Sometimes, we even stay in the car because we are so caught up in a story. More often then not, we take the IPod® into the house and draw pictures at the table while we finish listening and while I fix supper or sometimes we all clean together while we listen! I also think IPod®s can help ease our Mommy load just a bit; and helping a homeschool Mommy have an extra pair of hands, or an extra voice is a good thing!
We love IPod® school! IPod® school can be done anywhere your mp3 player works. And, no it doesn't have to be an iPod. I just love mine; and that's what we have so that's what we call it. It just doesn't sound as good to say ZenCreative school either.
IPods® are great for memory work, foreign language, living books, music appreciation, music history, history, science, Bible -- basically any subject you can find on audio. With a simple voice recorder, you can easily create your own audio files! A video iPod® can even be used to playback Taekwondo moves over and over.
IPods® are great in the car, through the home stereo in the school room or family room, using portable speakers anywhere you need to listen, or for older children using headphones to concentrate. You can take your iPod® anywhere! No more lugging CD's to Grandma's. Audiobooks in the car -- when children are already sitting still, and having nothing "better" to do -- work like magic to increase the attention span.
IPod®s can be used with audiobooks (borrowed or purchased), music cds, podcasts of books, stories or radio shows, and movies.
IPods® can be used during breakfast, (no more eating and reading at the same time!), at lunch, (you get the idea...), on the way to Dr's appointments, while you clean together, on the way to Soccer practice or AWANA, even right before bed in the hallway so that everyone can listen at once. All those wasted hours in the car will be wasted no more! Have a great time finding more creative ways to use your mp3 player in your homeschool.
The bottom line is; We try not to insist on parent-led learning or gravitate toward child-led learning. We try instead to focus on God-led learning and ask for His input and perspective on every aspect of our home school. That way, when others fuss about what Dan and I are doing and make me second guess our decisions -- I can go back to our decision process and find God's fingerprints, reminding me that this is His way.
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. Basically, that meant he tested our recognition of the selected range of music (usually 4 hours of music!) by randomly selecting music which we had to identify by name, composer, and date. Yikes! Use your iPod to help your music students recognize basic composers and works of music. Drop the Needle goes really high tech with iPod School, and using only one piece from a total of 10 famous composers will bring this down to the elementary level. 
