Archive for October, 2009
Riding the Wave
Oct 12th
A Google Wave invite hit my inbox last night. Of course, I immediately jumped in to see what I could find, learn and do – particularly given the negative hype surrounding it since the public invites began. Several impressions or thoughts…
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Loading ...iPhone Classroom Integration Cases
Oct 10th
Having been asked to experiment with an iPhone to identify how it may be used by would-be and current teachers and faculty in certification or faculty development programs, there’s two primary integration cases for iPhones or iPods. I’ve not yet encountered explicit mention of the two use cases in research or news literature. The distinguishing issue is, of course, “Who in the classroom has access to or ownership of a device?” The question of integration should be answered very differently if only faculty are assured of access to the device versus 1:1 programs in which the institution makes the devices available to each learner. More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Magic of the iPhone & Education
Oct 9th
Having toyed with an iPhone, finally, for a little over 3 days, I’ve learned a few things which I did not quite realize before – realizations I believe required the day-to-day presence of an iPhone ;-)
First, despite my very high expectations for the device, the iPhone has still exceeded my expectations. Of course, that’s all about the apps.
Second, for me, the magic of the iPhone is the extent to which it shortcuts access to web-based data. Rather than having to, from a laptop or any other device, open a browser, navigate to a URL, manage the login process, open a data source or page, the iPhone gets you to the point of opening the data source or page in one step: opening the app. Certainly, there’s more complex features available from a desktop, but the iPhone simplifies the process of accessing and submitting data via the web.
Finally, I also didn’t fully realize the extent to which the iPhone can be an all-in-one media content creation device for educational purposes: recording images, audio and video. I was aware of the features before; however, the general ease of use of the device is still impressive and exceeds my expectations.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Complaints About Google Wave?
Oct 8th
I’m still waiting on my Google Wave invite, although I do have reason to believe one is “in the mail.” In the interim, it seems Wave is on an accelerated hype cycle – already finding itself in a trough of anti-hype and complaints regarding the usability and productive utility of the application.
Several colleagues have commented that it seems like “Wave is a bust.” My response has been that I’ll reserve judgment until after I see it for myself, of course. One concern I have is that some of the anti-hype “seems” to be over-anti-hyped and, worse yet in some instances, inaccurate based on what I’ve seen of Wave through earlier demo videos. For example, eWeek published a presentation, Top 10 Complaints About Google Wave. The eWeek article makes little to no contribution to news or the scope of “reviews” regarding Google Wave. Those ten complaints and my brief, immediate thoughts: More >
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Finally . . . an iPhone
Oct 5th
But, it’s not mine to keep . . . yet ;-) It’s part of a demo program; the explicit purpose of the demo is to identify specific curricular possibilities for an undergraduate educational technology course, an alternative teacher certification program, and an educational technology faculty development program. I hope to blog regularly – near daily if I can maintain that pace – over the next month to document what I’m doing and considering with the iPhone.
First up. Which apps am I downloading? Why? More >
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