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Duke Posts Vintage Commercials on iTunes U

Danny Estrada — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:48:06 -0500

You can now download vintage commercials that probably had your parents, driving their parents insane asking for some sugar-coated cereal or new kung-fu grip toy. The spoiled brats!

Duke Universtiy is now making it easier for you, and your parents, to take a trip down memory lane. Possibly with less begging and whining.

Duke University is posting more than 1,500 historical TV commercials from the Hartman Center for Sales, Advertising & Marketing History to iTunes U in a collection called AdViews. The current 1,200 commercials currently available are from the 1950's and 1960's.

Former Procter & Gamble marketing exec, and visiting professor at Duke, George Grody mentions:

I was looking at some of the commercials that are now being digitized at Duke, and they almost provide a history of U.S. culture...You can see how the roles of women have changed over the years, the role of the family has changed; African-Americans in advertising in the late ’60s, where they weren’t so present in the early ’60s.

So if you are looking for some quick, FREE, and entertaining blasts from your, or your parent's, past, it can all be found on iTunes U thanks to Duke University. We aren't sure about you, but we all have a huge hanker'n for some Sugar Crisp... Oh man that bear is one smooth operator.

Via TheLoop

What I Learned At iTunes U

Susie Ochs — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 04:46:00 -0600

Download free educational content from top colleges and universities, and cram both knowledge and earbuds into your head.

February is Black History Month, plus American History Month, Native American Heritage Month, and National Boost-Your-Self-Esteem Month. It’s also cold outside and unofficial Cabin Fever Month. So I set out to stave off boredom while increasing my brainpower and boosting my self-esteem at the same time—while using my Mac, since that’s my job. Time to dive into iTunes U and see what I can learn.

iTunes U launched in 2007 to allow schools in the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom to make digital content available to their students—and the public at large. There’s even a Beyond Campus area with multimedia materials from sources like PBS, American Public Media, Smithsonian Global Sound, and the Museum of Modern Art. The amount of tracks you can download (individually, as a series, or even as a podcast-like subscription) is staggering, but as with actual college classes—if I can even remember those—some are more educational than others. Still, everything’s free, unlike actual college, so it’s more than worth your time to check it out, look around, and see what nuggets of knowledge you can uncover. Here’s what I learned in my semester (OK, OK, more like a week or two) at iTunes U.

1. I Am Irrational! But it’s OK, we are all...predictably, it would turn out. While my irrationality might not surprise those who know me (somewhere my husband is nodding without knowing why), I still found it fascinating when I listened to the Predictably Irrational series by Dan Ariely, a professor of behavioral economics at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. These short videos (which are photo slide shows with narration by the professor) highlight points made in Ariely’s book, Predictably Irrational. Each topic provided tons of food for thought—it was easy to see how this could generate great discussions in a business class. But business types aren’t the only ones interested in why people make the choices they make—that could be useful to anyone.

2. I Need to Get to New York More Often. Not just the Big Apple, either—Washington, D.C., too. This was made quite clear while perusing the Beyond Campus section (linked off the main iTunes U page in the iTunes Store). I watched a video on the Tomb of Perneb, housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was cool for its behind-the-scenes tidbits and backstory but can’t compare to the majesty of seeing such a work in person. The 92nd Street Y offers talks by noted authors such as Anthony Bourdain, Michael Pollan, and the late Kurt Vonnegut Jr., and those videos were just as good as being there. More educational selections from the MoMA, the New York Public Library, and even the Smithsonian not only made me wish I were closer to those East Coast institutions, but also reminded me to pay closer attention to these kinds of live lectures, readings, and concerts in my own city.

3. Content for Kids Doesn’t Need to Be Dumbed Down. iTunes U has programs aimed at the K-12 set as well as those pizza-crazed college slackers. I absolutely loved the guitar and drum lessons posted by Little Kids Rock, and I’m pretty sure you will too, no matter how long it’s been since you drank juice from a box. You can even download PDFs that go with each lesson, plus a full activity book and videos of kids rocking out. The Cassiopeia Project, featuring free videos that explain tricky science concepts in easily understandable language, is similarly excellent. And Arizona State University’s Ask a Biologist audio series is aimed at kids in high school and younger, but oops, I learned a lot about bees, microbes, and pandas anyway.

4. Black History Should Get Way, Way More Than a Month. I was thrilled to find so much on iTunes U that could fall under the umbrella of black history: Moving readings by Alice Walker at Emory University; rousing African music and dance at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival 1997; a whole class from Stanford University (videotaped lectures, plus the syllabus) on African-American History: The Modern Freedom Struggle; engaging videos about Ghana’s traditional textiles by the Open University; lectures and sermons from Fuller Theological Seminary’s African-American Church Studies department; and even Barack Obama’s excellent speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which is part of Say It Plain: Great African-American Oratory from American RadioWorks. Search for that last series and you can hear Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1968 “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech whenever you like—play it this January 19 in Dr. King’s honor.

5. You Can’t Get Healthy by Listening to a Podcast. Well, duh, but I found lots of health-related content that could nudge anyone in the right direction. The University of Michigan’s MiFitness series has audio exercise programs for walking, stretching, running, and so on. UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center offers audio tracks for meditating. Emory University’s Mini Medical School series features faculty MDs offering insight on health issues like allergies, back pain, and heart disease. If you don’t find your particular concern addressed, check out the University of Michigan’s Ask the Podcast Doctor series, which is just what it sounds like (submit questions at askthepodcastdoctor.org). I picked up some awesome back stretches to use before and after snowboarding, and the truth about knuckle-cracking.

6. Highlighting All the Cool Stuff in iTunes U Is Impossible. Well, maybe it’s possible, but it would take way, way more words than I have for this article. Fire up the iTunes Store, click iTunes U, and poke around for some free knowledge.

iTunes Gets Political

Carol Pinchefsky — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:28:00 -0600

There are two major candidates for the 2008 presidential election, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. Many voters already know if they’re leaning left or right, but some are still on the fence, bringing confusion and chaos to pollsters nationwide.

Fortunately, the iTunes Store can help even the most indecisive Americans form opinions, by providing a wealth of information about the candidates and the issues that comprise Election 2008.

Better yet, you can download this information to your iPod or iPhone for easy access, so when a supporter of the opposite party slanders your presidential hopeful, you’ll have a more intelligent comeback than, “You’re just plain wrong.” And on Election Day, you’ll be able to put your best foot forward… toward the voting booth.

Here’s a look at the four sections of the Election 2008 page:

ON THE CANDIDATES

To the left (of course), iTunes displays Obama’s official video podcast, audio editions of his books (narrated by the man himself), speeches from the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and his presidential election biography, courtesy of A&E TV. The official video podcast is a combinational of polished and documentary-style videography and includes his speeches, an interview with his sister. All of it equates to one big infomercial, but after watching a few of these video podcasts, you really do walk away with a sense of who Obama really is.

McCain has less personal information available on iTunes, only audio editions of his co-written memoirs--one on himself and one on his family (he narrated the latter). There’s also a biography of Sarah Palin, as well as video highlights and speeches from the 2008 Republican National Convention, plus McCain's A&E biography.

DEBATES

You can watch the debates courtesy of CBS or listen to them on C-SPAN. But C-SPAN follows up those podcasts with campaign events from Obama and McCain, plus lectures from Independent candidate Ralph Nader.

Just as important, CNN is giving away episodes of Anderson Cooper 360 Daily, which is a treat. Watch the news anchor as he watches the candidates.

PUNDITRY

The punditry section is a showcase of political insight, from podcasts of the NPR show, It’s All Politics; books with a political theme (like Fleeced by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann); and political apps (like Campaign).

Best of all, iTunes tosses in a little levity to give a reason to laugh your way to the voting booth. The Daily Show and Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update (but not, alas, the infamous Tina-Fey-as-Sarah-Palin segments) show the world that politics really is a laughing matter.

Also recommended is Political Lunch, a tasty snack for those who like their political information on average in six-minute chunks.

ITUNES U

iTunes U, which has impressed us in the past with its length and breadth of knowledge, falls a little short here. The panels and discussions are presented in a dry manner. Even though the information is interesting (for example, in a University of California lecture, you hear just how “undocumented migrants” benefit America), it’s hard to rally enthusiasm for monotone lectures with topics like, “Diversity in the Public Sphere: Producing and Reproducing Power, and Performance in Dominant Culture.”

There’s one notable exception. Link TV’s What Change Looks Like has some engaging broadcasts: journalist Amy Goodman describes the circumstances of her arrest during the Republican National Convention. And the former president of the Log Cabin Republicans Abner Mason discusses the issue of gay marriage.

Although the average person might not care to look “Deeper into McCain’s Economics.” if you’re fascinated with the study of politics, there’s no better place to be than the iTunes U section.

iTunes K-12 Section Has Some Growing Up to Do

Carol Pinchefsky — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:49:20 -0500

We love Apple and all things Apple related, we really do. But even we admit that when iTunes U was released over one year ago, it had some fairly dull content.

Soon it evolved into video and audio presentations that were as entertaining as they were edifying. Unfortunately, the new version of iTunes U for younger students, iTunes K-12, has content that’s a little less than sparkling. In fact, many of the podcasts presented here are centered on teaching rather than learning.

Although educators may learn a great deal from iTunes K-12, students may find themselves surfing away to the other sections of iTunes. Really, why would they listen to a podcast about education and technology when they could watch a Nas video?

That said, there are some real gems here for a variety of ages. iTunes K-12 has the potential to be as varied and as iTunes U proper. Like the students themselves, iTunes K-12 just needs a bit of time and effort to mature.

Here’s a look at some student-friendly K-12 podcasts that are also interesting to adults:

Arizona’s IDEAL e-Learning Platform
In one “Ask a Biologist” podcast, Dr. Biology starts with a quiz: identify the animal by the sound it makes. Which animal made the sound of bullfrog-like grunting? The answer was a good springboard for a look at nature’s more lively characters. With titles like “Wickedly Cool Plants” and “Ant Math,” this show appeals to a wide audience. Also, the “Conexiones” series is a terrific show for children in “under-served” communities. The podcast “Mi Vida, Nuestra Vida” is an attention-arresting look at the issue of immigration in Arizona.

Florida Center for Instructional Technology
What a find! The “History” series has video podcasts of Thomas Edison’s short documentaries from the late 1800s/early 1900s. There is no sound to accompany the jerky black-and-white films, not even a tinny piano. But that really doesn’t matter when you’re seeing “Roosevelt’s Rough Riders” and watching the pages of history come to life.

Maine Department of Education
“Humanities by Demand” has content for young children, such as stories read aloud. “Owl Babies” and “Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear” are sweet little tales told with soothing voices. “AP4ALL” demonstrates problems for students learning AP calculus. And “Rural Voices Radio” lets listeners hear essays read by young students, some of them truly evocative of life in Maine.

Michigan’s MI Learning
The “Free Is Good” series is a pleasant surprise: it’s a resource for teachers looking to provide free content to their students (“Music in the Classroom” recommends SkyFM for free music). We had no idea Michigan was forward-thinking like that.

New Jersey’s East Orange School District
“Language Arts Literacy Podcast Project” is a cute series for younger students. In “Autobiographies,” students sweetly share their lives. (“When I get older, I want to be an artist, doctor, and a singer.”) One third-grade class interviews each other about “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” These children are proof that learning can be engaging and fun.

New Jersey’s Hunterdon Central Regional High School
A surprising Health/Phys.Ed video series, “Wellness Presentations,” students learn from health care professionals about eating disorders and how to prevent them. Considering that early intervention may help prevent this growing problem, this video podcast deserves all the praise we can give it. There are only two podcasts in the “Social Studies” series, which is a crying shame. These podcasts reconstruct a 1930s radio show, which discusses “current” events. In one, the presenters chat to special guest star, Eleanor Roosevelt (however, in an anachronism, they referred to the first lady as “Ms.”). The radio show even includes old jingles. We smiled throughout the entire program.

New Jersey’s Montclair Public Schools
This school system has a large amount of student-produced podcasts, many of them so comprehensive that students all over the world will be tempted to crib the information they provide. “Suffrage” is a brief slideshow presentation about the history of the 19th Amendment, which was very well-done. “Girls--Self Image” video podcast teaches girls that they can all be beautiful. Amusingly, “Smoking,” a video podcast about the dangers of the evil weed, is narrated by a boy so innocent he doesn’t know how to pronounce “impotence.”

New Jersey’s Perth Amboy’s Public Schools
“Elementary Games” is a podcast for kindergartners and the adults that love to play games with them. Teacher Ivelis Sanfilippo demonstrates creative ways to get her charges to learn. While hanging laundry.

Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Middle School
At first, “Elementary School Showcase” looked like a typical compilation of school reviews and reports. And then we saw “No More Pencils.” In this video podcast, kindergarten students rock out to Alice’s Cooper’s “School’s Out.” Yup. Air guitar and all. There goes all of my preconceptions about kindgergarten out the window. “FCTV @ the Movies” gets a nod for their presentation, but children, haven’t you heard of spoiler warnings?

Utah Electronic High School
Forget French, Spanish, or Italian. Students lucky enough to live in Utah and participate in this online school get classes in “Navajo Language.” Freakin’ Navajo! There are only two podcasts, which are disappointingly brief. Perhaps if enough people download them, it could convince the school system to make more content available to the rest of us unlucky non-Native fools. Also frustrating were the “Utah WWII Veteran Lectures” which gives you a fascinating slice of history straight from the source—but with middling sound quality. So we can’t say if there any stories about WWII vets who codetalked in Navajo.

New Jersey’s Liberty Science Center
The “Eat or Be Eaten” series describes some of nature’s more clever animals who want to make you their lunch. For example, in “Leaf Fish,” we learn that a fish appears like a harmless looking leaf, but when hungry, will devour a smaller fish in one mouthful. And it’s always hungry. Fascinating for both children and adults.

Pennsylvania State University
“Forensic Science” is a video podcast found in Penn State’s K-12 Resources section, aimed at those with a fascination for crime. Although the video features the kind of two-camera roundtable discussion you get on public television, the information the speakers present is intelligent fun. For example, one scientist discusses the criminal who was ID’d for previous offenses from the fingerprint on the finger that got shot off when he robbed a McDonald’s.

iTunes U, Quality Edutainment

Carol Pinchefsky — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:23:46 -0500

When people reminisce about their college days, they look back with misty-eyed fondness on the flowing beer and promiscuity. But few get nostalgic for the lectures. So when iTunes U first opened its virtual doors on May 30, 2007, and presented the public with lectures and class notes, we marveled at the range of knowledge presented by some of the world’s finest minds, free of charge--and promptly ignored it.

But in the thirteen months since iTunes U has been available, the content has expanded considerably. (Over 60 accredited universities and colleges, 25 institutions, and several public radio channels have put content online.) Initially, iTunes U only provided the public with lectures, language lessons, and campus tours. Now, if offers music and dance performances, poetry readings, and a wealth of audio and video content that is as entertaining as it is informative.

A good way to dig through the site is by looking through the list “Find Education Providers” in the bottom left corner of iTunes U, which divides content between “Universities and Colleges” and “Beyond Campus.” The Beyond Campus section proves that learning doesn’t necessarily end after college, with offerings from museums, like the Indianapolis Museum of Art, and other learning centers, such as New York’s famed 92nd St. Y.

Plus, professors and scholars now have a chance to flex their intellectual muscle in a more public forum than just the classroom. For example, universities such as George Mason University present lecture series’ given by its professors on topics of interest to them. Now, thanks to Dr. Lynn Gerber of GMU, we can all learn to “Foil Fatigue.”

After only a minute of browsing, you’ll see there is much more to iTunes U than Chemistry 101. Here are some highlights:

General Categories:

BUSINESS
American Public Media
“Green Rush: Eco Business” discusses, in bite-sized chunks (all but one podcast is less than five minutes), some of the issues in green business, from the amount of recycled paper in Starbucks coffee cups (10%) to how the use of corn as ethanol fuel is effecting our economy (the price of corn and meat will likely skyrocket).

Duke University
“The Research Advantage” is a video podcast of current research done at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business. Clear graphics show the differences between “optimism” and “extreme optimism” (and why “extreme optimism” isn’t necessarily a good thing). One study applies analysis to the decision of when a working woman should have a child.

ENGINEERING
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Engineering Ethics” teaches listeners there’s more to engineering than math and science. Dr. Taft Broome invokes Arthur Schopenhauer, Joseph Campbell, and George Bernard Shaw to give weight to his arguments that ethics are an important part of an engineer’s work. A thoughtful look at real-world problems.

FINE ARTS
Smithsonian Institution
Simply titled “Videos,” the Smithsonian Institution's Global Sound videocast offers traditional performances from around the world. Viewers get to see the importance of breath control in an “Inuit throat-singing demonstration” and how performance is more important than technique in “On what makes a good mariachi.”

Swinburne University of Technology
“Student Work” shows us what film students can do on a small budget and loads of imagination. Highlights include The Game, where we see the makings of a superstar action director, and Dominant Consciousness which uses cavemen to demonstrate dating choices. “Student Work” will blow away those of us who remember shooting student films on Super 8mm cameras.

HEALTH & MEDICINE
University of Michigan
Medical question? Just “Ask the Podcast Doctor.” Dr. David Stutz, along with his colleagues at the University of Michigan, answers health and medical questions submitted by the audience. Questions range from “Is cracking your knuckles bad for you?” to “Are mammograms necessary?” to “How will my boyfriend’s case of herpes effect me?” (The last question is probably the most important.)

Clemson University

Dr. Katherine L. Cason gives terrific advice in her “Nutrition, Diet and Health” podcast, such as walking three miles to work off the calories in a caramel apple and choosing foods with more nutrients over foods with empty calories. We feel healthier just from browsing titles like “Focus on Fruits” and “Vary Your Veggies.”

HISTORY
Open University
This British university’s “Exploring History: Medieval to Modern 1400-1900” is filmed like a BBC documentary: gorgeous, with no details spared. The short films about Beauchamp and Jacques Couer show us that history is not about facts and figures but about people (and their fabulous castles).

HUMANITIES
Carnegie Mellon University
“College of Humanities and Social Sciences” describes to listeners fashion faux pas in “How not to dress for a job interview” and explains why men, more than women, tend to support war in “Emotion & decision making.” This very interesting podcast has just six tracks—not nearly enough.

LANGUAGE
Concordia Seminary
This school--for the students who do attend college for the lectures and not for the booze--gives extremely thorough lessons in Hebrew and Greek, which is dandy if you want to parse the testaments in two of their original languages. Biblical completists, be warned: there are no classes in Aramaic.

LITERATURE
Vanderbilt University
You heard it here: VU has a class on World of Warcraft. In “Worlds of Warcraft,” we learn about the inspirations behind the fantastically popular MMORPG, like the Arthurian legends and epics like the Iliad (which why this podcast is filed under “Literature” and not “Humanities”). We listened, jaws dangling, to professors discuss in-game marriages and characters falling in love. A must for WoW players.

MATHEMATICS
New Jersey Institute of Technology
For those who find math a bit too…math-y, “Tech of Baseball” analyzes who is going to win the 2008 World Series. Dr. Bruce Bukiet calculates why you should not bet on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Rock Valley College
For those who want just a bit of mathiness, “Beginning Algebra” is a terrific refresher course for people who haven’t used math except to multiply A dinner recipe. One actually experiences nostalgia for high school when Diane Koenig dishes out words like “factoring,” “binomial,” and “common denominator.”

SCIENCE
Arizona State University
Chock full of smart facts, the School of Life Sciences' “Science Studio” is a podcast that interviews scientists about their work. Dr. Kevin McGraw describes the amount of information conveyed to animals by color. In “History of Fire,” author Stephen Pyne talks about the elemental process of fire, one link in a long chain that creates a healthy ecosystem.

New Mexico State University
“Heat Up Your Life,” a video podcast that tangentially belongs in the Science section of iTunes U, would probably live more comfortably on the Food Network. Follow Dave DeWitt--the Pope of Peppers--on his specific quest for the chili shrine and his general exploration of all things pepper-based.

SOCIAL SCIENCE
American RadioWorks
“Locked Up: Prison in America,” is unflinching in its description of what works and fails in prison life. This podcast touches on rehabilitation and recidivism, gang activity, cruel and unusual punishment, and transitioning back into the population. Pardon the pun, but it arrests your attention.

SOCIETY
East Tennessee State University
According to the iTunes description, “Burke on Mayberry” contemplates “the cultural relevance, morals, and ‘just plain fun’ embodied by The Andy Griffith Show.” Dr. Kevin L. Burke is an encyclopedia of Andy Griffith minutia. That this podcast hails from Tennessee surprises no one.

Seattle Pacific University
“More Lectures” gives listeners a broad selection of presentations. Highlights include explorations of the works of fantasy authors J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. There’s even a lecture dedicated to their friendship.

TEACHING & EDUCATION
University of Western Australia
The Study Smarter series is perfect for both students and others who are learning a new field. Here, professors gives advice on “How to take notes during lectures” and our favorite (which came in handy when writing this very article) “How to avoid procrastination.”

A selection of Beyond Campus podcasts:

The Asia Society
In this Arts & Culture series, Ang Lee discusses the anger he felt when he first read the story that became his 2007 hit, Lust, Caution. Children learn to blend two styles of dance that, at first glance, don’t easily mix: Balinese traditional dance and hip-hop.

US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Although the archive of the Holocaust Museum emphasizes the atrocities committed during WWII, the podcasts also covers current events, like the Darfur Genocide and the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The most chilling podcast on iTunes, “Negotiating with Killers,” helps listeners decide when and when not to negotiate.

American Theatre Wing
Fans of the theater will be delighted with the “Acting” podcast, which talks to professionals about their work—one director explains why comedy is difficult when performed repeatedly—and even gives clips of performances. (Warning: each video podcast loads slowly. Second warning: spelling “theatre” the English way when you’re not English is waaaay pretentious.)