Edgalaxy – Where Education and Tech Meet has a great post on alternatives to using YouTube in school.
“Unfortunately after a couple of years of Youtube access at school it appears it has finally left us. It is clearly the best video sharing site on the web but if you can’t access it it here is not a great deal you can do about it. So I have trawled the web to try and find the best video content on the web that most schools should be able to access.
Vimeo - Is really the only contender to Youtube’s crown. Good quality, fast and loads of content. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the news and entertainment content of the major networks that youtube offers.
TVGalaxy – TV Galaxy is not so much a tube but it is probably the best connected sitefor all major television networks from the US, Canada, UK and Australia. It is packed with great documentaries news and regular television shows.
TeacherTube - It used to be great but now suffers from a sad amount of over advertising and neglect of it’s content. It needs some TLC but still has some worthwhile videos.
Archive.org – Massive amounts of documentaries, old TV shows and useful content. Unfortuanately you have to physically download it at this stage – no streaming.
Other than that a TV tuner card for a classroom PC will cost about $30 and is dead simple to use and of course you can aways beg and plead”
Hmmm……..I wonder about the NEW Apple TV thing.
Recently ranked in the top 10 iPad apps. Kinda like MobileMe for Google Calendar, but less expensive. MobileMe is $99.00 a year.I use MobileMe, but also use BusyMac for syncing my iCal and Google Cal so I can post of my website.
Supports full editing as well as viewing of shared Google calendars. So if you are a Google Calendar user, you might just love this app, even if it does cost $6.99. http://pocketinformant.com/products_info.php?p_id=pocketinformant_iphone
“Pocket Informant® is an integrated calendaring and GTD®-based tasks solution for the iPad. Our purpose is to fuse together best-of-class calendaring with best-of-class tasks into one great solution.”
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-informant-hd-calendar/id380732176?mt=8#
http://teachwithyouripad.wikispaces.com/
Now that you have bought your iPad, what are the questions you need to ask?
1. What is an iPAD?
2. Will the iPAD replace my laptop?
3. How can I load software on the iPAD?
4. How do I teach with it?
This wiki is an amazing find, lots of good resources, questions, answers and ideas. Check it out at: http://teachwithyouripad.wikispaces.com/
- Audio Apps
- Best Apps for tasks
- Creating App Pages
- Data Collection apps
- Drawing Apps
- Foreign Language Apps
- Grade 3-5 Apps
- Grade 6-8 Apps
- Grade 9-12 Apps
- Grade College Apps
- Grade K-2 Apps
- Grade Lifelong Learning Apps
- Group Collaboration using iPADs
- Image Manipulation Apps
- iPad Accessories
- iPad Apps
- iPAD Apps Review 1-I
- iPAD Apps Review J-P
- iPAD Apps Review Q-Z
- iPAD Friendly Web Page
- iPAD Student Work Station
- iPhone configuration utility
- Language Arts Apps
- Math Apps
- Office Apps
- Other iPAD websites to check out
- Out of the Package
- Playing Review Games
- PollDaddy Survey
- Projection Apps
- Science Apps
- Social Studies Apps
- Special Education Apps
- Technology Education Apps
- Text Apps
- Usng Audience Response with the iPAD
- Video Apps
I have had an iPad since May and this semester (fall 2010) I have a class of pre-service teachers that I was Santa Claus and gave them all an iPad. Boy, was that a fun day in class and a huge surprise for them. Anyway, WE (my student and I) are doing lots of exploring and using of our iPads. We are on the lookout for articles, blog posts and anything we can find about iPad and using them as a teacher, as a student and in the classroom with kids. Today in Ed Galaxy: Where Education and Technology Meet, Kevin Cummins has an interesting post 5 Apps that will make you a more productive teacher. I agree with Kevin when he says there is no shortage of apps and like Keven we are all wondering if it might just replace our laptops in the classroom. What do you think?
Kevin recommends the following apps and to read his full post, CLICK HERE
Numbers for iPad: wow, first on Kevin’s list, but would not be first for me. I don’t even use Numbers or even Excel on my laptop, just not a spreadsheet person, in fact, I run kicking & screaming when somebody wants me to use spreadsheets. But, I also know I am not normal! I am sure I just need to get over it!
GoodReader for iPad: “access your documents including pdf files, MS office documents, iWork, html files, hi res photos, up to 1 gig in size and even audio and video straight from your school or home network in seconds via wireless or USB cable.“ I have installed, but have not used it yet, so no opinion, do you have an opinion?
DropBox for iPad: Dropbox is software that syncs your files online and across your computers. Put your files into your Dropbox on one computer, and they’ll be instantly available on any of your other computers that you’ve installed Dropbox on (Windows, Mac, and Linux too!) Because a copy of your files are stored on Dropbox’s secure servers, you can also access them from any computer or mobile device using the Dropbox website. HINT: read the instructions and watch the tutorial video, it is save you time in the long run. Again, I have installed, but have only used a little.
Omnifocus all in one organization tool for iPad but is one of the more expensive iPad apps at $37.99. OmniFocus for iPad combines the in-depth task management functionality of a desktop app with the advanced mobile experience of the iPad. With flexible viewing options, location-aware task lists, and on-the-fly task entry with voice notes and image attachments, OmniFocus for iPad is the trusted system you need for managing everything in your busy life. Wow, 37.99, I have to come up some really compleeling reasons to need it to fork over that much money.
Pogo Sketch: OK, I like this idea, I bought one of these for my iPhone to make typing text messages easier, but I kept loosing them. But since I got my iPad, I kept thinking I would like a stylus of some type. I also noticed in the Sunday Flyer for Best Buy, that they have a Tagus Stylus for iPad. And of course, there are others, here is a link to the BoxWave site with a variety of different brands, features and prices for iPad Stylus. I think a stylus is in my very near future. And with the Stylus, WritePad looks to be a good handwriting app.
Evernote: I have written about this before and I have to admit that I still have not given it a good try. But Kevin feels it is is a must have app.
By the end of this week (hopefully Friday), there will be a post about the top apps my class has landed on, I hope you will be back to learn what these future teachers have to say.
Click on Comments and tell us what your favorite apps for education or personally are so far.
iOS 4.1 will be available sometime this week for iPhone & iPod touch
Apple just introduced iOS 4.1. Steve Jobs discussed a bunch of fixes and new features, including: (so run your software updates!)
- various bug fixes for Proximity, Bluetooth and iPhone 3G
- High Dynamic Range photos
- HD video upload over Wi-Fi
- TV show rentals
- Game Center
The High Dynamic Range photos is basically three separate images so that it c an gather midranges, shadows and highlights more effectively. As a former journalism and phototography teacher, I love this idea.
iOS 4.2 for iPad
The iPadis getting its own (i)OS update.
- wireless printing for iOS on your iPad
- AirPlay to stream video and audio over Wi-Fi from your iPad
- add apps to folders, just like iPhone, as well as multitasking
The update will be available in November, and it’s free for iPad users.
Steve Jobs announced an update to the Apple TV. The new stuff for Apple TV includes:
- new matte black color
- 1/4 of the size
- added HDMI and digital audio outputs
- NO internal storage—only rentals from the iTunes Store
- day-of-release HD movies rent for $4.99; HD TV shows rent for $.99
- $99 price tag
- includes the remote
Of course, I am not sure what the “old stuff” was on the original Apple TV since I didn’t have one. Jobs said that people “don’t want to manage storage… they just want to watch movies and TV shows.” And that whatever hardware we have has to be “silent, cool and small.” I more or less agree! I hate to admit it, I am into the “cool factor.”
I currently pay for some premium channels with my cable subscription, and only watch them now & then. If I really think about it, likely a waste of my money, I am wondering if it would be cheaper to just have basic cable and an Apple TV. It is important to note that my 82 year old parents live with me, so, I do need basic cable for Mom & Dad. Maybe I could cut my cable bill in half with just having basic cable, buy Apple TV for me in my room and do the pay as I go thing when I wnat to!! That is something to think about. I have training my folks to use their cell and just eliminated my land line! So we are moving forward. I even have my dad reading the USA Today on my iPad!
You can subscribe to Netflix streaming for $8.99 a month on the new Apple TV, and stream from MobileMe, YouTube and Flickr. That all sounds good, but Flickr? That would mean I should take better advantage of my Pro-Flickr account. MobileMe, no doubt I do not take full advantage of my $99 a year price tag (which is pretty steep) and I looked into streaming Netflix a while back, and there was not much there I cared about watching, has it really improved that much?
AirPlay, replaces AirTunes, which I have also never used. AirPlay allows streaming from a device to Apple TV—for example, from your iPad to your new Apple TV. Jobs demonstrated this by streaming a movie from his iPad to an Apple TV using Wi-Fi. Hmm, this sounds interesting, still not sure it is something I would really take much of advantage of yet. Boy I am full of “yets.” Maybe an Apple TV really is in my future.
When Apple TV is available in October, ABC and Fox will offer their HD shows for rental at the 99 cents. RENTAL, what the heck? Altough I would just pay for what I watch. Can I subscribe to a series? Will it be cheaper if you buy the season rather than 99 cents per show? 99 cents each could get pretty expensive for a full season of your favorite show!! That scares me just a bit. Although, I do love the no commercial thing!!
And what about all the other networks, I like ABC & Fox, but come on, I want all of them? I don’t think pre-ordering is in the cards for me, although it is only $99.00. But it seems that I have to pay for everything I watch. I just can’t wrap my brain around it. Kinda think it might equal out to lots more money than cable in the long run, might just be me and my poor math skills.
It doesn’t appear as though I could eliminate cable completely just yet, and when I do want to watch TV, I just want to watch TV, not have to plan for it!! So, the jury is still out on Apple TV for me at least. I think maybe I must be living in a different world when it comes to TV entertainment than Steve Jobs! Maybe there is more FREE stuff out there that I can stream and I just don’t know about it.
Clearly, I better do more research before I make up my mind. How about you, what are your feeling about AppleTV?, Where do you stand? Please comment!
More Information
http://www.apple.com/appletv/specs.html
Purchase Apple TV: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv
Apple September 2010 Music Event-The All New Apple TV Media Streamer
The principal of a Pennsylvania middle school is proposing a two-year pilot program that would have six teachers and about 120 students using iPad tablet computers in the classroom. “With the iPad, our students would be able to jump on at any point to do a quick search or even use apps pertinent to what they are learning,” Principal David Muench said, adding that the devices could also cut classroom-material costs. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10245/1084330-55.stm#ixzz0yOwxhb4C
Inkling is a FREE platform for interactive textbooks, built from the ground up for iPad. It turns paper-based textbooks books into engaging, interactive learning experiences while staying compatible with the print book for classroom use.
Inkling is a completely new way to learn. It includes:
* The flexibility to purchase by the chapter or by the book
* Shared Notes that make it easy to collaborate with friends in realtime
* Integrated interactive media in every textbook title, such as movies, 3-D objects, and guided tours
* A simple and powerful user interface that makes it easy to study
* Interactive quizzes that help you immediately gauge your level of understanding
* An intuitive search engine that predicts your search as you type
And while it’s entirely new, it also keeps the things you love about the print book:
* All the content of the print edition, and a lot more
* Page numbers you can jump to directly
* Digital media you’d otherwise get online with a “code,” integrated directly
Inkling is a powerful replacement for traditional textbooks.
Download FREE on iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/inkling/id379351586?mt=8#
Visit the inkling website for more details: http://www.inkling.com/
Wow!!!! I am so excited, my daughter lived in New York City a year ago, so I was lucky enough to spend time wandering around in the MoMa multiple times that year when I went to visit. MoMa just released a free App for Apple’s mobile devices like the ipad and iPhone and iPod Touch. You can see the museum’s enormous collection of modern art, along with other interesting museum content. There is a calendar of events that includes exhibitions and film schedules. The mobile tours part is what you use when you actually visit the museum. The Info screen provides museum hours, admission, a floor plan, and much more.
Of course being at the museum in person is always the better, but the Art category of the app is pretty darn good. The catalog of the museum’s collection gives information and high quality images of every piece to ever pass through the MoMA’s doors. Art can be searched by artist, collection, and exhibition. It also has a comprehensive “Art Terms” section. The only downside to the app is that due to its small size, it relies on a Wi-Fi or 3G connection to load the majority of its content.
Boy this could really be useful to an art teacher (which is was at one point)!! Here is the link to the MoMa main website too: http://www.moma.org/
You can download the app here
The whole discussion of reading digitally or on paper in a “real” books certainly a hot topic these days. A week or so ago Small Dog Electronic did a survey asking the question–”Do you prefer to read digital or paper books? The results are below. Kind of interesting. The nice part is all the apps are available for the iPad. So I guess it makes everybody happy!! For my vote, #1 is iBooks- or at least for novels and such. My other #1 for other kinds of reading, I love Flipboard- it is just amazing. Both are FREE which even makes it better. Don’t you just love FREE!
10. Nook
Barnes & Noble’s reader features the largest library of digital publication available on any platform. Similar to the Kindle app, the Nook app allows syncing between all Apple iOS devices including Macs. Though the library of over 1 million titles is impressive, the Nook experience just doesn’t quite compare to iBooks and Kindle. Free
9. Classics
Classics was one of the first e-readers to land in the App store and has been claimed by many to be the inspiration behind iBooks. As its name implies, Classics is a collection of literary masterpieces ranging from Pride & Prejudice to Treasure Island. In total the app features about 25 books several of which include illustrations. $2.99
8. STARSS
Depending on how you feel about Star Trek, STARSS may be the coolest or dorkiest RSS reader ever. Featuring an excellent recreation of the LCARS graphical user interface this app make the news of today feel like the news of tomorrow. $2.99
7. Goodreader
If you’ve got momentous PDF files to view on the go, GoodReader is your app. With users reporting fine performance with file sizes up to 1GB, this app can tackle nearly any file you toss at it. Featuring additional support for MS Office and iWork documents, web archives, TXT, and media files, this app is a must have for referencing documents on the go. Plus, it’s a steal! $0.99
6. Instapaper
The folks behind Instapaper realize that when you’re at work you should be working. This app is incredibly useful if you’ve ever stumbled upon (get it?) something you’d like to read but just don’t have the time to. The app allows you to effortlessly save long news articles or blog posts (like this one) for reading later on when you’re off the clock. $4.99
5. Flipboard
Less e-reader, and more social magazine, Flipboard is a simple and free way to navigate news, photos, and social media updates. Its elegant layout is both appealing and intuitive, and its ability to bring a range of content together into one app is awesome! Free
4. Alice for the iPad
Though a standalone app as opposed to an e-reader, Alice for iPad is nonetheless a ground breaking re-interpretation of the digital reading experience. Featuring animated scenes that take full advantage of the iPad’s multitouch and accelerometer technology, this reinterpretation of the Lewis Carroll classic is truly a trip! $8.99
3. Stanza
Stanza is a free and easy way to catalog existing ebooks you may have. Perhaps its greatest strength is its diversity in terms of compatible formats. Stanza supports ePub, eReader, PDF, Comic Book Archive, and DjVu format books. Though it lacks the large library of downloadable titles in Apple and Amazon’s apps, it still maintains over 50,000 titles for purchase and over 50,000 free classic works through Project Gutenberg. Free
2. iBooks
Apple’s 1st party reader is among the newest to the e-reader scene, and comes in at a close second place. Though it features a slightly more elegant interface, and supports the more open ePub book format, it does have a few faults. The built in iBookstore has a noticeably smaller selection than Amazon’s app, and although the ePub format is less proprietary than Amazon’s, iBooks is an Apple exclusive. While Kindle for iPad plays nicely across a range of devices, iBooks aren’t even Mac compatible meaning you must own an “iDevice” to read them. Free
1. Kindle for iPad/iPhone
The Kindle app combines the elegant interface and usability of Apple’s iBooks and adds Amazon’s mammoth library of over 630,000 titles. Kindle books can sync between Apple’s mobile devices, Kindle devices, Macs, PCs, and mobile phones including the Blackberry and Android. Free
While e-books are exploding in a host of genres, e-textbooks are falling behind. Inkling, a startup begun by a former Apple employee, is one of several new companies that are adapting textbooks for the iPad. The key, these companies say, is creating interactive texts that eschew big blocks of black-and-white text in favor of color pages and video that make the most of touch-screen technology.
Reach the full story at The Wall Street Journal (8/19)
A Massachusetts school district is using educational software and iPad tablet computers to help at-risk students make up school credits and stay on track for graduation. Students can complete a learning module on a district-owned iPad — and attend a weekly meeting with a teacher or mentor — instead of attending a traditional summer-school course. “We want to see if this interface is more engaging,” one school’s principal said. North Adams Transcript (Mass.)
To read the full story, CLICK HERE
From Mac|Life Magazine, by Florence Ion
After that last huge update, we switched to Safari as our default browser, and we have to say that we’re really impressed. For one, the browser’s speed and streamlined user interface made surfing the web a whole different experience for us. And all of the new Safari updates, including the Reader, HTML5 support and extensions sold us on switching to Safari permanently.
To read the full story, CLICK HERE
I haven’t kicked Firefox to the curb yet and I have to admit I have not given Chrome a good try, but these extensions do sound intriguing. Guess, I should give Safari a better try now.
Click here for the presentation on iPads in the classroom.
Or here it is as a PDF: 20_Interesting_Ways_to_use_an_iPad_in_the_Cla
If you have an iPad or are thinking about getting an iPad or just wondering about how you could use an iPad in your classroom, check out Tom Barrett’s presentation, it is full of ideas and resources about apps. Some are free apps, some are not, but all are thought provoking and I am sure will give you ideas.
For the first time, I have an honors section of my tech class this fall, and all 6 students will have an iPad checked out to them to use all semester. The plan it to evaluate how we can use the iPad in the classroom as well as how to use it personally and productively. I figure I will know quite a bit by December!!
I subscribe via email to Tom’s blog, so I read it regularly. In the post I opened in it this morning, Tom basically has a open invitation for sharing. See below and Thanks Tom for sharing these amazing resources. I don’t usually post the entire article from someone blog, but Tom’s warranted his complete message to be shared.
by Tom Barrett, EDTE.CH|Inspire, Connect, Engage, Create
Interesting Ways
The Interesting Ways to Use series has been really successful. I measure their success in how useful they are to teachers and other educators in helping with professional development.
They have been a great example of crowdsourcing good quality classroom ideas and it has been great fun connecting with all of the people who have taken time to add an idea. It is remarkable what can be achieved and created together if you give people the right way to do it. Thanks for all the help so far.
It all began with One Idea, One Slide and One Image as a premise for the IWB presentation and that has always remained. I hope we can all continue to create them – let me know if you have any other ideas for a presentation.
I wanted to keep the family together in one place and give you one page to see them all, as so many of you have requested. Don’t forget that if you want to contribute an idea just let me know and I will give you access to share your thoughts.
Interesting Ways to…
- Get to Know Your New Class
- Use a Learning Platform in the Classroom
- Support Spelling in the Classroom
- Teach Reading Comprehension in the Classroom
- Use Web Conferencing in the Classroom
- Make Your Classroom a Sparkly Place to Learn
- Use Audio in Your Classroom
- Use Wallwisher in the Classroom
- Support Writing in the Classroom
- Use Google Wave in the Classroom (although Google has announced WAVE is on thew way out)
- Use an iPod Touch in the Classroom
- Nintendo Wii in the Classroom
- Use a Wiki in the Classroom
- Use a Visualizer in the Classroom
- Use Twitter in the Classroom
- Use Wordle in the Classroom
- Use Your Pocket Video Camera in the Classroom
- Use Google Docs in the Classroom
- Use Google Earth in the Classroom
- Use a Nintendo DS in the Classroom
- Use Search Engines in the Classroom
- Use Your Interactive Whiteboard in the Classroom
- Prezi in the Classroom
- Use Voicethread in the Classroom
- Use the iPad in the Classroom
- Use Google Search in the Classroom
- Use Google Maps in the Classroom
Shares of Microsoft (MSFT) dropped nearly 2.5% in the opening hour of trading Wednesday thanks in part to a downgrade by Global Equities Research’s Trip Chowdhry that included this bulletpoint:
70% of incoming University freshman students are coming with Macs, which is up ~10% – 15% y-y. Microsoft is failing to connect with the new generation of users
Sounds good for Apple (AAPL), right?
It also sounds too good to be true, given that only five years ago Apple’s share of the campus laptop market had dwindled to the low teens. Chowdhry’s note said his estimate was based on a survey of incoming freshman at five universities, but it didn’t say which universities or how many students he had talked to.
To Read the full story, CLICK HERE
PocketMac RingtoneStudio… Just drag any movie or unprotected music file onto PocketMac RingtoneStudio and it does all the rest. It’s the first tool to allow you to easily create ringtones from practically any multimedia file — from QuickTime movies to unprotected music files of all types.
What’s even better, there’s no crazy iPhone hacking required. Your iPhone doesn’t even have to be connected when you’re creating your ringtones.
- If the movie or song is less than 30 seconds in length, PocketMac RingtoneStudio converts it automatically into the proper ringtone format.
- If it’s longer than 30 seconds, PocketMac RingtoneStudio will open up a preview window so that you can select the exact 30 second clip you’d like.
- PocketMac RingtoneStudio will place your completed ringtones into iTunes’ “Ringtones” folder.
- The next time you connect your iPhone, your ringtones will be automatically synched.
It’s that simple!
On August 12th only, bargain price of $10.95
Regular price $19.95
Rick Rees, and Apple Professional Development trainer recently conducted a workshop in Tupelo. The teachers that he worked with were introduced to iLife & iWork and would you believe they started school this week, first week of August. Braden Bishop, one of the workshop participants contacted Rick to share his iMovie that he made to introduce himself to his students.
This is the scenario:
Braden connected some big desktop speakers with a subwoofer to his computer and had everything set to go. After his new high school students came in to his Economics class on the first day of school, he shut the door, didn’t say a word, turned out the lights, and turned the video on. He said “they were kinda floored.” and that “three of my six periods stood up and clapped…and DIDN’T EVEN know me!”
Thanks Rick for sharing Braden’s project, it is simply amazing. What a creative way to use iMovie too! Check out Braden’s work. When you watch it you’ll know why his students were excited. What a great way to start the year. Although, starting school the first of August, oh my!!
Magic Trackpad
The new Magic Trackpad is the first Multi-Touch trackpad designed to work with your Mac desktop computer. It uses the same Multi-Touch technology you love on the MacBook Pro. And it supports a full set of gestures, giving you a whole new way to control and interact with what’s on your screen. Swiping through pages online feels just like flipping through pages in a book or magazine. And inertial scrolling makes moving up and down a page more natural than ever. Magic Trackpad connects to your Mac via Bluetooth wireless technology. Use it in place of a mouse or in conjunction with one.
More to touch, more to love.
Your fingers will fall for the Magic Trackpad. It’s made with smooth, wear-resistant glass that feels great to the touch. And it’s nearly 80 percent larger than the built-in trackpad on the MacBook Pro, giving you plenty of room to perform gestures. Because the entire surface of Magic Trackpad is a button, you can click on objects just as you would using a traditional mouse. And Magic Trackpad sits at the same height and angle as the Apple Wireless Keyboard, so you can go from trackpad to keyboard in one seamless motion.
Bluetooth technology.
Magic Trackpad connects to your Mac via Bluetooth wireless technology. Use it in conjunction with the Apple Wireless Keyboard for a cable-free, uncluttered workspace. And if you feel like venturing away from your desk, Magic Trackpad maintains a reliable and secure connection up to 33 feet away from your Mac.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC380?mco=MTg1ODA3NDY#overview
Students at eight Victorian Government schools including those battling illness at the Royal Children’s Hospital won’t have to wait long to get their hands on Apple’s latest gadget – the iPad – thanks to a groundbreaking trial. Visiting the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in Southbank today, Premier John Brumby announced an Australian-first trial of iPads in Victorian schools.
Mr Brumby said the Victorian Government would distribute more than 500 iPads, each worth $629, to eight schools so students can continue to learn with the latest technology.
“Education is the top priority of this Government and our Australian-first trial of iPads in schools will ensure our students remain one step ahead when it comes to emerging technology,” Mr Brumby said.
To read the full story, CLICK HERE
Guess I will need to hook up with these folks too for my ipaod pilot in my class at Kansas State University.
