One-iPad-per-child schools are growing in number, in the quest for a digital alternative to the backpack full of textbooks. The new iTunes U app reveals a new emphasis on ‘courses’ of digital texts created by instructors. Combine these with the desire for mobile-ready learning materials, and we may have a perfect storm guaranteed to capsize traditional learning materials. In addition to providing a chance for audience discussion about these trends, this presentation covered iTunes U basics; showed how to make an iPad-ready iBook; and offered tips on making mobile-ready learning materials for non-Apple devices as well.

1. iBooks, iTunes U,
and the learning materials revolution
Terese Bird
Learning Technologist & SCORE Research Fellow
University of Leicester
JISC East Midlands RSC e-fair, Nottingham, 21 June 2012
www.le.ac.uk

2. SPIDER Project www.le.ac.uk/spider
www.le.ac.uk

3. What will we talk about?
• iTunes U FAQs
• Ebook trends
• How to make an ebook
for different devices
Photo courtesy of
womensnet_gallery, Flickr

4. iTunes U: free learning since 2007

9. iTunes U how to: mp3, mp4, pdf, epub

12. iTunes U v YouTube
YouTube iTunes U
Ease to publish Easy Not so easy
Ease to grab Easy-ish Easy
Ease to adapt Not so easy Not so easy
CC Catered for but hidden Catered for and ?
Formats Video Audio, video, epub, pdf
Academic quality Mixed, diluted Very Good
Internet connection Required at the time Not required at the time
Software Any browser Free iTunes software
Time limit 10 – 15 minutes* None
Restrictions Banned in China, others None
Restrictions in UK Schools don’t like Some unis don’t like
Mobile-ready Smartphones, tablets All including non-smart
iPods, best on Apple
Ads Irritating ads No ads

13. How universities make use of iTunes U
• Both current learning and marketing
• “It’s the great learning material that brings the
registrations.” (Bean, 2011)
• Research vignettes
• Library and resources
• Usually both iTunes U and YouTube

14. Download numbers Nov 2011 (Bird, 2012)

15. International reach
3 June 2008 – 2 January 2012

16. International reach – opinions on Sina Weibo

17. Trends
Magrid Associates (2012)

18. Trends
Magrid Associates (2012)

19. Trends
Magrid Associates (2012)

20. Trends

21. Trends – Apple is dropping prices
• One-third of US high school students own iPhone
(price drop on iPhone 3Gs) (Slivka, 2012)
• iPad2 for £329
• In our Spring 2012 survey, 34% of students owned a
tablet computer (same percentage as iPhones), up
from 29% in Fall 2011 and 22% last Spring. Of those
tablet owners, 70% owned iPads, 19% owned
Android tablets, and 11% owned Kindle Fires. 53% of
iPad owners also owned an iPhone, demonstrating
the halo effect of entry devices like the iPhone.

22. iPads in learning
• Over 600
American school
districts are using
iPads
(StaffWriters,
2012)
• Many UK
university iPad
pilots
• Leicester
iPads(Iman, 2012)

23. Now iTunes U has ‘Courses’
• Course: A series of educational lectures, lessons,
interviews, and so on, in a particular subject. Courses
consist of info (including an overview, outline, and
instructor profile), posts (including assignments), and
materials (for example, audio and video items).
Instructors can create and prepare content for a course
by recording lectures, developing assignments, creating
videos and podcasts, uploading keynote presentations or
other documents and handouts, and much more. (Apple,
2012)

24. Now iTunes U has ‘Courses’

25. Now iTunes U has ‘Courses’

26. How to make Courses
• Need to be in iTunes U
• Apple’s own instructions
‘iTunes U Course
Manager’ (Apple, 2012)
• Cedar’s School of
Excellence tutorials on
iTunes U are excellent
(Speirs, 2012)

27. eBooks for all devices!
• Calibre – free, open-
source, cross-platform
• mobi – Kindle
• epub – everything else
• iPads read epub!
• There’s always pdf
but…

28. eBooks for all devices!
• How-to video on YouTube and iTunes U, view on
http://www.le.ac.uk/duckling
• Instructions at: http://tinyurl.com/calibreinstruc
• Findings from DUCKLING project – JISC-funded

29. Should we just ignore Apple, iPads &
iTunes U?
• Must keep them in sight
• iPad2 discount – affordable?
• Apple playing a long game
(Hill, 2012)
• iPad is number 1 tablet in
education, no one else is
doing anything like iTunes U

30. Try epub,
consider iTunes U
• www.le.ac.uk/
manufacturingpasts
as example of trying
all formats

31. Thank you!
Apple. (2012). Using iTunes U Public Site Manager: Glossary. Using iTunes U Public Site Manager. Retrieved June 19, 2012, from
http://sitemanager.itunes.apple.com/help/Glossary/chapter_998_section_1.html
Hill, P. (2012). Apple is Playing the Long Game with iBooks 2 and iTunesU App | e-Literatee-Literate. eLiterate Website. Retrieved
June 20, 2012, from http://mfeldstein.com/apple-is-playing-the-long-game-with-ibooks2-and-itunesu-app/
Iman, F. (2012). University of Leicester takes learning into the heart of conflict zones — University of Leicester. University of
Leicester website. Retrieved June 19, 2012, from http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2012/march/university-
of-leicester-takes-learning-into-the-heart-of-conflict-zones
Magrid Associates, F. N. (2012). A Portrait of Today’s Tablet User Wave II. Retrieved from
http://onlinepubs.ehclients.com/images/pdf/MMF-OPA_--_Portrait_of_Tablet_User-Wave_2_--_Jun12_(Public).pdf
Slivka, E. (2012). One-Third of U.S. High School Students Now Own an iPhone - Mac Rumors. MacRumors website. Retrieved June
20, 2012, from http://www.macrumors.com/2012/04/03/one-third-of-u-s-high-school-students-now-own-an-iphone/
Speirs, F. (2012). Creating iTunes U Courses - Download Free Content from Cedars School of Excellence on iTunes. Cedars School
of Excellence iTunes U site. Retrieved June 20, 2012, from http://itunes.apple.com/gb/course/creating-itunes-u-
courses/id535005672
staff writers for Online Universities.com site. (2012). 18 enlightening ipad experiments in education online universities. Online
»
Universities.com website. Retrieved June 19, 2012, from http://www.onlineuniversities.com/18-enlightening-ipad-
experiments-in-education