I haven't written for a while!

Hope you had a great couple of weeks.

Education wise, I won a piece of Chad Criswell's Music Ed Magic give away. The real prize on his site is all the information he is just giving away, so don't feel bad if you missed his contest! http://www.musicedmagic.com/music-in-general.html

Thanks Chad!

I'm down ten pounds since Christmas. There is an app for that called "Lose It!" It's available at the iTunes app store. I like tracking the intake with this app and my iPod enough to make the diet work. Nothing fancy. Just know where you are at calorie-wise for the day before reaching for extra desert.

Odd. This diet thing started with a tech thing too. We were looking ahead to summer vacation. We were looking at a vacation planning web site and thought it would be fun to ride the mules down into the Grand Canyon. I either can't go, need to lose some or need to ride naked to make the weight limits. Naked in the desert sun just doesn't do it for me. Time to cut a few.

Better lose enough to take my camera too!

I will have a second vocal music test on SmartMusic in the near future. Second time seems to go much faster. More on that later.

Time's Top Ten Apps for Back to School. Another List!

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1919378_1919377,00.html

I AM a sucker for lists. Here's one from Time Magazine!

Time has put together a nice list of iPhone Apps for back to school. I would personally make it a top 11 and add "Things" or maybe substitute that app for the homework organizer. Why are these lists always 10 items? Do we blame Letterman?

This list makes the Touch/iPhone look like a powerful and adaptive tool for learning. No surprise, it really is.

Got to wonder though, would a kid be allowed to take out his iPhone (iPod Touch) without risking confiscation? How many schools allow these tools to be used? Can they be connected to the school wireless network? Is there a school wireless network?

Hey Time! Need a writing prompt for an article?

Mobile Me Revisited

I keep trying to figure out why I should keep MobileMe.

Yes, there are free or cheaper work-a-rounds. And I love trying to figure out the cheaper routes, even if they are a little more difficult. But boy, it gets harder to say good-bye to the MobileMe account.

If you use your iPod Touch for a PDA, having MobileMe account makes it easier to keep your calendar, contacts and mail synced. Nice.

Now, there is an iDisk app as well. Step into a friendly wifi hot spot and take a look at what's on your iDisk on your Touch. Nice!!

Oh. And that magic works on your iPhone as well.

But wait! The Google app! Does a bunch of this as well. The advantage of Google is the price...all free.

The MobileMe products do work when you are off the network, however. I am frequently in a place (work) where connecting my Touch to the wifi would be against policy.

Well, happy sorting this one out! It is nice to have choices.

New iPod Touch feature.

I almost missed a big improvement when I upgraded the iPod Touch software to version 3.0.

Spotlight!

I was shuffling my apps around so the ones I use most often are on my Touch's front page. I couldn't help but notice that I must have created another page of apps. There was an extra dot at the bottom of the screen. When I scrolled over to see what app I had left there, a search screen popped up.

I immediately thought that the search was just for keeping those apps findable. I am starting to get a collection that takes up a couple of screens and don't keep my apps in any order, so I could see the usefulness of that.

So, I started typing in the name of an app and was immediately surprised by all the addresses, songs, videos, assorted programs and snippets started showing up. It really does behave like Spotlight on your Mac.

This is going to make my life with my iPod easier. If I can remember anything about what I want to find, Spotlight can help me on my way. What's on your iPod? Much easier to find it now!

If you came here looking for iPod/iPhone App information...

http://bestappever.com/awards/ This site is on the list of ideas that "I wish I thought of that.."

I guess "best ever" applies safely because the app store hasn't been open very long! If you came here looking for iPod/iPhone App information, the Best App Ever Awards may be of interest to you. They took a look at a wide range of apps to get to the winners in a large number of genres, useful business apps to wonderful time killers. I like being able to drill down past the winners to see what else was considered. There are a number of apps reviewed here that will be considered for my Pod soon.

New to me iPod VNC app Jaadu

My teacher iPod tip for you today is Jaadu.

Jaadu is a VNC (Virtual Network Computer) app that allows you to see what is running on your computer's desktop as well as control the computer.  VNC has been around for a while now and there are other computer programs that use it .  So what is the big deal with Jaadu?  It runs on your iPod Touch or iPhone.

There are some obvious uses for Jaadu that jumped to my mind right away.  

Do you know what your kids are really doing on their computer?  Here is an unobtrusive way to peek over their shoulder.

Trouble shooting from a distance?  Much easier.  No more trying to figure out what people are looking at.

Can't play something in Flash?  Let your computer translate for your iPod.

Can't get your ten year old off the computer?  Take over and shut it down.  (Ok, that one is a little  harsh, but who wants to do all their blogging late at night?)

Want to use your iPod as a controller for your next slideshow?  There is a built-in interface for that.

There is also software (on the computer side) that will allow you to do all this from anywhere you can connect your iPod to the internet.  I haven't tried that yet.  All my uses have been on local networks.  I know kids have to attend class...maybe, my next lecture will be delivered with me at the local coffee house.    

Connecting your computer with your iPod is pretty straight-forward with easy to follow directions on their website.  Look for Jaadu at the App Store.  I think you will find it useful!

 

New iPods or Want to buy a slightly used iPod Touch?

Apple Insider had an interesting review of a "new" iPod feature found on the latest generation of iPod Touches-- Audio input. I thought the killer feature was going to be long battery life! iPods have been able to record in the past, this just makes recording a little easier. For the band director without an iPhone, this may be the way to get the tuner features that are possible on an iPhone, after a visit to the App store. I want to give it a try. Anyone want to buy a slightly used iPod Touch? Another use for audio in would be for some VOIP company to write an app to use your iPod as an access point for your VOIP phone. Wow! This is yet another way to ditch the landline. I'm sure glad I don't own a telephone company. For those of us never a few feet from a wireless network, there may be a reason to dump the cell phone as well. Whoever heard of ditching the cell phone? Ditching the landline for the cell, sure. But the cell for VOIP? Anyone want to buy a slightly used iPod Touch? Other features include speakers and volume control. The speakers may be handy for those times you want to share whats on the pod. Probably better for short songs or videos. Think cozy, if you are going to share a feature length movie! I think the touch screen was handy enough for the volume control. We'll see after I give it a try. Anyone want to buy a slightly used iPod Touch? Anyone?

Music Teacher Alert-- IPod Touch and Remote

I usually put my recordings for class on my laptop to study and playback in class. It is very handy to use iTunes to organize my class. Play this one off of CD 1 and then it is time for that one off of CD 12. This is a giant pain in the neck if you have to shuffle the media around. Import it and you are good. Find a couple of cords to run the laptop through the stereo. With middle schoolers, it is a VERY good idea to wander around and listen while they sing. You would be surprised how much the quality of work goes up when you are right there. But now the computer is over there and you are here. How do you pause? (or start over, skip, turn it up/down?) I suppose I could get one of those FM transmitters and put the library on my iPod and work that way. But then I would be eating up capacity on my iPod. If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, there is a new controller program called Remote. Remote is free from Apple on the iTunes store. Load it on your favorite iTouch/Phone and set up a wireless network on your laptop and the two will team up to give you power over your music. Was it hard to set up? Not really. I did have to turn off the proxies on the computer side. The computer wouldn't find the iPod until I did. I know, I know. Turning off security. Please don't call my network guy, Tom, to tattle. With my set-up, If I am using the computer in my classroom, it isn't attached to the network (or the web.) I don't believe that I am lowering security that much for the rest of the school. I better check that one out. I am enjoying my new remote. The batteries made it through the whole day. Maybe I should order up another iPod for back-up. For sure another charger so I can juice it up a little at lunch. Hmmm, can't wait for that first payday.

iPhone Apps

There is a lot of buzz about the iPhone release today.  There is a lot of talk about the improvements and the new pricing.

I was most excited about the App Store that is opening at the same time on iTunes.  Developers are now able to write software for the iPhone (and iPod Touch) and publish their work at iTunes.  Some of these apps are free and some are low cost.

A quick look at iTunes this morning turned up an app that music teachers may be interested in.  Guitar Toolkit looks like something that music teachers could use.  A lot.  Ever wish you had a tuner in your pocket?  I probably wouldn't use it for the alternate guitar tunings, but just hearing a A=440 that is actually in tune would be helpful no matter what ensemble I am working with.  This might be worth a closer look.

(Quick Edit-- I went back to the store and after playing around a little more. I found a NUMBER of other apps that may be a help to music teachers.  Happy shopping.)

Guitar Toolkit must need the microphone from the phone, so I suppose my iPod won't run it.  I wonder if the IRS will let me deduct my iPhone bill?