Advice requested on using iPhone as tool in the classroom.

[Steven Jackson]

Hi,

I'm a teacher in a British school. Next week I will be showing various film clips to the kids in preparation for a piece of coursework. I've done this several times before, but the DVD juggling becomes tiresome and wastes a lot of time, especially when you have to wait for all the menus/logos before you can select the appropriate chapter.

Anyway, I've been toying with the possibility of using MacTheRipper and HandBrake to rip the sections of the movies I need, put them in a playlist, and play them off the iPhone. Should work, right?

For extra kudos, however (I have one particular lesson next week in which I will be observed), I would like to punctuate the clips with static screens (like Powerpoint or Keynote slides) that contain the learning objectives, etc. Is there a way to do this?

Alternatively, can I import the film clips into Keynote, make the whole presentation, then get this on the iPhone -- perhaps by exporting as a Quicktime movie? If I do this, what format would Keynote require the film clips to be in?

As you can see, I've got an idea in my mind, but really don't know how to realise it. Any suggestions would be appreciated...

(Alternatively, should I just forget the phone and make a custom DVD in iDVD -- is this possible/easier?)

Steve

 

[motomullet]

I would say that if you rip the movies, then convert to a quicktime format. Then you should be able to import them into iMovie and add in a black text screen anywhere you desire. You could also do the text in keynote, exported as a quicktime clip, then add those to the films in iMovie. Then export the entire piece to the iPhone.

 

[Steven Jackson]

Thanks for the suggestion. If I decide to go down this route, what settings would I need to use in Handbrake. Also, does iMovie have a specific option for exporting for iPhone?

Steve.

 

[dacreativeguy]

Is the iphone even necessary to do this? It sounds like you are going to prepare the whole presentation on a computer so why not just plug the projector into that?

I'd be careful about breaking copyrights, ripping DVDs, and repurposing content for non-personal use. This is a litigation-happy world and you never know when a student who has a lawyer or (worse) media executive for a parent is going to rat you out. You can't sing happy birthday in schools anymore and I've heard stories of colleges that restrict the screenings of movies for fear of breaking fair use laws.

 

[Steven Jackson]

Unfortunately, I have an iMac, not a laptop. Hence the idea to use the phone. It's also a bit of a hassle connecting a laptop to a projector, especially when the pupils are waiting and restless.

As for getting into trouble, I'll dump the presentation after I use it and deny everything Fair points, though.

Steve