Digital audio players

The digital audio player or MP3 device is described on http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/mp3-player.htm with details about how MP3 sound file format is created and you can even look inside a device and see the workings.

There are two types of MP3 players – one with a hard -drive and the other with a solid-state Flash memory. The hard drive player usually has a very large memory capacity and can stores 1000s pf music tracks or many hours of voice recording. The Flash memory player has less memory storage and quite often has an integrated USB connector or needs a USB cable to connect to a computer.

An MP3 is the name of a type of sound file. A sound recording can become a very large sound file so by converting into MP3 format it shrinks the amount of data to a fraction of the original size. You can record the sound files using your computer and a microphone and then transfer the files to an MP3 player, mobile phone or PDA.

The guides 'How to record sound' and ' Audacity tutorial' will help you get started with recording sound files using a computer.

 

Alternatively use the device to capture the sounds directly. Many digital audio players can operate voice recording and have an integral microphone to capture voices close by. Some devices have external microphone facilities, which is preferable if you wish to record a larger group of voices. This diagram shows the end of an MSI MP3 player and the external microphone jackpoint.

If you’re looking for a built-in or Flash memory MP3 player this Flash Memory table shows you some of the available devices and their attributes, including those that have voice recording facilities. The Hard-drive MP3 player table shows a list of those devices incorporating a drive similar to that of of a computer however quite considerably smaller.

Ipods have been considered as ideal handheld devices to view images, listen to sound recordings and to view video clips. The multimedia functionality as well as the personal information management functions (PIM) make it an ideal device to engage a variety of learners' styles of learning. IPods In Practice offers examples of use.

How can I use a digital audio player for teaching and learning?

Quicklinks

Technical Tips

• Synchronisation

• Internet Connection

• Bluetooth

• Keyboards

• Projection

• PDAs

• Smartphones

• Digital audio players

• Podcasts

• Software

• Cameras and Images

Other sections

In Practice

Examples and ideas showing practical ways to use the different devices in the classroom and out and about

Choose the Right Device

What to look for when buying the devices, reviews and suggestions

FAQs for Organisations

Issues and questions that organisations experience

Making it Accessible

Ways to use the technology accessibly

The Future

The changing world of handheld devices

Glossary

An a-z glossary of mobile technology terms