Apple's iTunes has become a very popular format for purchasing and listening to music, movies, TV shows, audio books and podcasts. This media can be listened to or watched on iTunes and on an iPod. Apple's iTunes remains a very popular application that is available free for download from Apple's web site and is available for both the Macintosh and Windows platform.

One of the popular media that is available and free from iTunes is podcasts. Podcasts are free audio or video files that are produced by everyday people like you. The podcasts are available on a wide variety of topics. Podcasts are like a prerecorded audio or video program that can be subscribed to like a magazine. By subscribing to a podcast you will receive the latest releases automatically once it is published. 

This lesson will demonstrate how to search for download or subscribe to podcasts.  

Browsing through podcasts
This lesson uses the latest version of iTunes. 

• Launch iTunes
• On the left side you will see a list of library items. Look for the iTunes Store link and click on it once.
• You should be connected to the iTunes music store.
• under the iTunes Store panel on the left you will see a list of categories. One of these categories is Podcasts.
• Click once on Podcasts.
• You should now be in the podcast section of the iTunes store.
• On the left you will see a list of podcast categories and, in the center area, you will see a variety of featured podcasts.
• Click on a podcast to read a description of the podcast and to see a list of available topics. 
• Sample one of the podcasts.
• If you want to download one of the podcasts click on the button next to the episode that reads Get Episode.
• If you want to subscribe to the podcast click on the Subscribe button in the description area.

Downloading Music Files
You will download free sample music from freeplaymusic.com. This music, while free, still belongs to someone else and asks for a generous donation for all the music you plan to download and use. When you use this music in a product the license agreement on the web site states that you must give credit to the web site and the artist. 

• Go to freeplaymusic.com using your favorite web browser.
• On the home page select a CD volume you would like to browse.
• On the CD volume page look through the music selections.
• To sample a music selection look at the songs that appear next to the AAC section.
• The numbers indicate the length of the song in minutes or seconds so click once on the one you prefer.
• A dialogue box will appear asking what you want to do with the file. In Firefox click the OK button to download and open the music file with iTunes.
• The music file will be downloaded and added to the iTunes Music library. The file should begin playing automatically.
• Go back and download more songs if you like.
• If you do not like a song click on it once and press the delete key on your keyboard.

• Open GarageBand on the Mac side of your computer, select "New Podcast Episode".
• Enter a filename by typing your name and a podcast episode title i.e. "yourname_podcastepisodetitle", then click Create. The filename will automatically be stored in Music > GarageBand folde on the Mac hard drive.
• In the GarageBand window, a Podcast Track, two vocal tracks, a Jingles track, and a Radio Sounds track appear.
• Select your appropriate vocal track to record yourself speaking.
• Click the Record button to start the recording, and speak clearly into the headset microphone. Click the record button again to stop recording.
• Click the Rewind button to go back to the beginning of the song.
• Click Play to listen to your recording.

B. Editing the Sound of Your Podcast Episode

The following steps were based from Apple's GarageBand Tutorials.

• Drag the playhead to a position just before the section you want to remove.
• Go to the Edit menu and choose Split to divide the audio track into two regions.
• Drag the playhead to a position just after the section you want to remove.
• Choose Split.
• Click the region that includes the mistake and then press the Delete key.
• Drag the second region back to the first region, so what you recorded before the mistake flows smoothly into what you recorded after it.
  

C. Editing Your Podcast Episode with Artwork and Chapters

• Drag the playhead in the beginning of your vocal track. All artwork can only be placed in the Podcast Track. As you drag and drop pictures from your Photos menu, each artwork will create a chapter in the table that is found below your recording and editing control buttons.
• Open the Media Browser and click the Photos button.
• Drag the picture you want to add to the marker's Artwork box. When listeners hear your podcast, the artwork appears in iTunes or on their iPod screens for the duration of the marker region.
  
• Edit your marker's Artwork by double clicking the picture. You can zoom in or out and move the picture the way you want. Once completed, click Set.
• In the table below, you can add a webpage link to a marked region or chapter. This can be done by typing the URL for the webpage in the URL field for the marker or chapter. When listeners download your podcasts, they can access the links by clicking on the URLs everytime they appear in your podcast episode.

D. Exporting Your Podcast from GarageBand and Uploading Your Podcast to SchoolCenter

• Go to the Share menu and choose Export Podcast to Disk.
• Type a name for your podcast episode, choose a location to save it to, and then click Export. GarageBand saves your podcast episode as an audio file.
• In SchoolCenter, you can upload your podcast to any page. However, if you would like viewers to be able to subscribe to your podcast, you will need to use  the Document Manager page.  For this example, we are going to use the Document Manager Page.
• Click on the Details tab. Put a check in the box in front of "Syndicate this page with RSS."  Click "Done."
• Be sure you are in "Edit Mode." 
• Go to Page Settings and under the General tab, check the box for Enable Podcast Support and click OK.
• On the Document Manager page, click on the "Podcast Settings" tab."
• Write a title, description, Owner Name and Owner email address.
• Under Category, choose "Education."
• Under Sub-Category, Choose "K-12."
• Click Done.
• Click the Category link to create categories for your podcasts. Click Add New and type a category title. It is recommended to include a description with your category to provide viewers with a better understanding of your podcasts/vodcasts. Once completed, click Done.
• Double click the Category folder where you want to upload your podcast.
• Click the Add Document link and a window will appear on your screen. Leave the selection on Standard Mode and click Select Upload Method.
• Click Browse and locate the podcast file you to be uploaded. Click Open. Wait until the file is 100% uploaded, then click Done.
• Rename the file with a user-friendly name and click Done.

E. Submitting Your RSS Feed to iTunes

• Go to your SchoolCenter website and click on the RSS feed of your podcast page.
• Copy the URL address of your podcast's RSS feed.
• Go to iTunes and select the Podcast category.
• In the Podcast category, find "Submit a Podcast" link.
• Click the link and paste the URL address of your RSS feed.
• Click submit and complete the category and other required fields being asked by iTunes.
• You will be notified via email for the approval and posting of your podcasts in iTunes.
  

To check if your headset device is at its best volume, kindly perform the following easy steps:

1. Click on the blue apple just like when you are about to shut down your computer, and click on System Preferences. 

2. As the System Preferences window opens, click on Sound which is found under Hardware.

3. When the Sound window opens, go to the Output tab. Make sure that your headset device is attached properly to your computer or laptop. Look for the headset device in the box and click it. For the example figure below, the "Unknown USB Audio Device" had been selected.

Key Numbers:  Atomic Learning provides great video support for the applications that are available to YISD employees.  To view one of the videos, follow these steps:

1. Log into Atomic Learning at www.atomiclearning.com.
   
2. In the search box, type the Key Number of the video you would like to view.
3. Click "Go."
4. The video will open in a new window and begin to play!
   

Use the following key numbers in Atomic Learning for great video support for GarageBand.

• #20637 - Working with the jingles track
  
• #20638 - Finding jingles with the loop browser
• #20639 - Selecting jingles for a podcast
• #20640 - Placing jingles within the timeline
• #20641 - Enhancing the podcast with jingles
• #20642 - Working with stingers
• #20643 - Using sound effect
• #20644 - Adding radio sounds to a podcast

• #20645 - Checking sound levels
  
• #20646 - Adjusting sound input preferences in GarageBand
• #20647 - Mono and stereo microphones
• #20648 - Working with ducking controls
• #20649 - Setting the primary and secondary tracks
• #20650 - Fine tuning for clarity
• #20651 - Customizing the ducking settings

F. Graphics and Photo Resources

• #20630 - Using graphics in the podcast
• #20631 - Using album art
• #20632 - Creating albm art in a graphics application
• #20633 - Creating album art from Microsoft Word
• #20634 - Exporting ablum art from Microsoft Word
• #20635 - Editing ablum art in iTunes
• #20636 - Editing album art and I3 tags in iTunes

• #20654 - About enhanced podcasts
• #20655 - Adding chapters to a podcast
• #20656 - Adding images to the chapters
• #20657 - Adding chapter names
• #20658 - Adding hyperlinks to chapters
• #20659 - Exporting an enhanced podcasts in iTunes
• #20660 - Using enhanced podcast features in iTunes
  

• #20671 - Exploring vodcasting
  
• #20672 - Considering bandwidth
• #20673 - Creating a new vodcast in iMovie HD
• #20674 - Importing and editing video in iMovie HD
• #20675 - Adding podcast chapter makers in iMovie HD
• #20678 - Exporting directly to GarageBand
  
• #20679 - Enhancing video podcasts in GarageBand

Reading This month, our children will be focusing on TEK 4.12: Recognizing and analyzing plot, setting and problem resolution.  This first week, our class is focusing on setting.  Setting is usually defined as where and when a story takes place.  But in 4th grade, they will not only identify the time and place of a story, but will be expected to explain and understand how it contributes to the meaning of the story. For example, if a story takes place in a forested area, the reader would need to be able to explain how the story is affected by the forest and how (and if) it might change if the story took place in a different environment. Once the students have learned about setting this week, look for questions about setting in their homework center next week. 

Language Arts Language Arts is divided into two main components: editing and composition.  This week and for the next couple of weeks in editing, we will be focusing on TEK 4.16, capitalization, punctuation and penmanship.  In particular this week, the use of commas.  There are nine times when commas are used in the English language.  1.)  To separate items in a list, 2.) to separate city and state, 3.) to separate date and year, 4.) after the salutation of a letter, 5.) the closing of a letter, 6.) to separate two complete sentences connected by a conjunction, 7.) to separate a quote from the rest of the sentence, 8.) after directly addressing a specific person in a sentence, and 9.) when using an appositive (Mrs. Rubert, a teacher at Desertaire Elementary, had very high standards for her children).

Spelling skill for this week:  "i before e except after c" and "ei" making the long a sound.  Words:  receipt, believe, conceit, siege, neighbor, reign.

  In composition, we are studying TEK 4.15C, using language to describe (figurative language).  In particular this week, we are learning about similes.  When a person uses a simile, they compare two unlike things using the words "like" or "as".  For example, your child might be described as being "as sweet as honey".  During this week and into next week, our children will be exploring the effectiveness of the similes they choose.  Our children learn not to "force" similes into their work, but to have them flow smoothly into the language where it contributes to the overall meaning they are trying to convey.

Math  This week, we have been studying number concepts, TEK 4.1, using place value to read, write, compare and order whole numbers through the millions place.  In particular this week, our children will be expected to place 7 digit whole numbers into ascending and descending order.  Our children will be given a list of four numbers that they will have to put in order, greatest to least and vice versa using a place value chart. 

Science TEK 4.1A, demonstrating safe practices during field and laboratory investigations is our focus for this week.  We will begin by identifying scientific tools, such as graduated cylinders, goggles, thermometers, etc. and how to safely handle them.  Ask your child for their list of tools (a page with pictures of tools and their use), or see the "You gotta have this" section of this web page for an uploaded version that you can keep for yourself.