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mary
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| Posted: May 09 2007 at 7:26am | IP Logged
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we haven't bought one of these yet, but i've been reading blogs about how they are used in hsing. i do love an occasional book on cd. we could not plow through the wheel on the school, but have loved listening to it on tape, so i can certainly see how audio books can really make a story come to life. i hestitate to 'plug my kids in' though, even if it is to good stuff. but, maybe i'm missing out on some great opportunity! so, if you use ipods or mp3 players, would you tell me how that works in your homeschool?
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Celeste
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| Posted: May 09 2007 at 9:41am | IP Logged
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We have an ipod. We mostly use it in the car, wired into the car's speaker system (so we all listen together ) (I bought a $5 tape deck adapter from Best Buy or WalMart or Circuit City; can't remember which.) Very convenient for audiobooks, Suzuki music, rosary in Latin, etc. So much easier than lugging around a cd library!
If you purchase audiobooks, a nice perk is that the player "remembers" where you left off, even if you listen to other selections in between. Books on cd that we upload don't work that way (well, if they do, I don't know how--can someone help?). CDs from the library can be uploaded (we delete them when they're due back at the library). Actually, some libraries have audiobooks online that can be uploaded to non-ipod mp3 players.
When the paternal parent wants to listen to the radio, then the kids get to use the headphones, plugged into a "splitter"--then each child gets one earphone/bud. Not entirely satisfactory, but it works.
Does that make sense? Oh, and I enjoy MY audiobooks, rosary, talks, etc., also!
Great for walks, folding laundry, washing dishes, FLYlady 27 fling boogies . . . . After all, teacher preparation (and happiness) is an important part of homeschooling!
Celeste
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ltjewel
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| Posted: May 11 2007 at 3:59pm | IP Logged
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Books on CD that you upload should work with a bookmark. Can you give me an idea what happens when you try to put a bookmark in the middle of a cd track? The only files that don't bookmark well are the ones in mp3 format. To bookmark these mp3 books, (like ones you record on your own,) you might want to look at the IPod blog by Jimmy Akin. Audible files and other purchased book files are formatted correctly to begin with, and CD's imported into Itunes are put into the iPod in the correct format to bookmark. It seems like Mary has already my blog articles on this topic; if anyone else is interested I have 6 entries in my series titled IPod school. My blog address is http://homeschoolblogger.com/bowofbronze. I set up the categories link correctly now to take you directly to the IPod school series. Also, the hyperlink to Mr. Akin's blog is included in my blog but didn't copy here for some reason. I don't know how to do that here yet. Blessings, Amy B in A
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Celeste
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| Posted: May 13 2007 at 3:33pm | IP Logged
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Ah, bookmarks, of course! I've often wondered what those were for (for real books as well as audiobooks)! Thank you!
Celeste
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teachingmom
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| Posted: May 15 2007 at 12:10am | IP Logged
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We haven't used mp3 players yet for our homeschool. My oldest dd has an inexpensive one that she has used for listening to music. But I recently did some research before buying one for dh to listen to audiobooks during his looong commute via public transportation, and now I'm about to purchase the exact same one for my 10 yo dd's birthday.
Our library system has free downloads of audiobooks from Netlibrary and Overdrive. They do not work with ipods. After all the research and buying one that I had to return because it wouldn't bookmark for audiobooks, we ended up with a Creative Zen V Plus MP3 Player. (Actually, I linked to the cool pink one for dd. Dh got a black one.  )
That particular player does a great job with audiobook downloads and it's very reasonably priced compared to an ipod. I asked the salesman at Bestbuy why the ipods are so much more expensive than other mp3 players with comparable memory. He said it's a namebrand thing. They got the name out there and sort of cornered the market early.
The dd who will be receiving the new mp3 player that works with our library's audio downloads is the type to really enjoy listening to books, so I think she will get a lot of use out of it. And, of course, she'll also put our country music collection that we've downloaded from Walmart.com on it too.
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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ltjewel
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| Posted: May 15 2007 at 7:49am | IP Logged
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I don't own a Creative Zen player myself; but I have talked to several people who actually own both and there are significant differences. For one thing, iPod has unlimited bookmarks. The last time I checked the Creative Zen had a limit of 5 bookmarks. Each person has to decide for themselves if that is worth the extra money. You can read reviews and product comparisons at cnet.com; but I respectfully disagree with the Best Buy salesman who thinks that the iPod has no other advantage besides brand name recognition. Blessings to all, Amy B in VA
http://homeschoolblogger.com/bowofbronze
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teachingmom
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| Posted: May 15 2007 at 10:11am | IP Logged
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ltjewel wrote:
| I don't own a Creative Zen player myself; but I have talked to several people who actually own both and there are significant differences. For one thing, iPod has unlimited bookmarks. The last time I checked the Creative Zen had a limit of 5 bookmarks. |
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I just wanted to clarify for those using this thread to help in buying decisions that the Creative Zen V Plus has 10 bookmarks. That is plenty for our needs. We don't tend to have tons of books going at the same time -- and audiobooks are the reason I wanted to make sure the mp3 player had bookmarking capability. I understand the everyone will have their different recommendations based on her personal requirements though.
Blessings!
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~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Karen T
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| Posted: June 09 2007 at 10:38pm | IP Logged
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I have a Creative Zen (basic, no video) that is about 2 yrs old now and still going just as well as when I bought it. I chose it b/c I download a lot of audiobooks from our library, and they are not compatible with Ipods, only mp3 players.
Ds14 bought an Ipod and had to replace the battery after a year (you can get a battery kit at Microcenter much cheaper than through Apple) but then the hard drive died after another 6 mos. Luckily, there is a big market on eBay for used Ipods even if they aren't working (I guess lots of people buy them, fix them and resell them). But he just bought a new Creative Zen with video so that he won't be limited to Itunes for downloading music and videos.
Just our experience.
Karen T
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extremeknitter
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| Posted: June 10 2007 at 3:26pm | IP Logged
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We are an Apple/Mac family and own lots of iPods and Macs. I download from all kinds of places and just import it into iTunes, so that has never been a problem. We've also never had a battery or hard drive problem with any of our units (we have 7) and some are several years old. I don't know anything about the Creative Zen (so I have nothing bad to say about them or anything) and I admit an Apple-friendly bias, but some of us here love having more than 10 bookmarks ~ with others 10 would be plenty.
about the mp3 thing:
Quote:
"I heard that the iPod only plays Apple's file format, but what about my 15,000+ songs in MP3 format?"
- Mathieu P.
If you're thinking of purchasing an iPod and are worried about whether or not it's compatible with your music library, fear not. Apple's FairPlay® DRM is only used on downloads from the iTunes Music Store® and both iTunes and the iPod can handle MP3 files without having to convert them.
Integrate seamlessly with iTunes.
To transfer your music files to the iPod, all you have to do is import the folders that hold your MP3s. It might take several minutes as it builds your music database, but it is a one-time procedure. |
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the rest of the article is HERE
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blessings and peace,
~knitter
mom to 6 terrific kids (ages 21 down to 1) and 10 little saints
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NavyMom
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| Posted: June 30 2009 at 3:20pm | IP Logged
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Does anyone know of an online source to up;oad audio books to an IPOD?
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Karen T
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| Posted: July 06 2009 at 5:25pm | IP Logged
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Do you mean someplace to buy audiobooks that would be compatible with an iPod? Itunes has audiobooks at their site; Audible is compatible with iPods, and most libraries now have access to either Overdrive or Netlibrary, which have tons of books for free. Overdrive now has many books that will work with iPods and Macs and I'm sure there will be more and more to come. I am not sure about NetLibrary; my current library doesn't subscribe to them (and I have a Windows-based mp3 player anyway).
Also librivox.org has lots of classics recorded that are in the public domain.
And finally, you can rip CDs of any audiobooks you own yourself, using iTunes (I like iTunes for that even though it's not directly compatible with my player, b/c it will join the tracks into one file). I do with library audiobooks also, and then just delete them when I'm done.
hth,
Karen T
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Kristie 4
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| Posted: July 06 2009 at 11:15pm | IP Logged
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Our library system is now Ipod compatible- might want to check out your system...
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Kristie in Canada
Mom to 3 boys and one spunky princess!!
A Walk in the Woods
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NavyMom
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| Posted: July 07 2009 at 7:53am | IP Logged
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My library uses overdrive! Now I just have to figure it out...
Thanks, Karen, for all your ideas!
Getting ready for another move and lots of travel so we are going to be in the car a lot...
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: ipods & mp3 players
