Day 2 Apple Summer Learning Institute for Administrators - Productivity

This was the first breakout session this morning. I was very disappointed with this session. I use my iPhone as a great productivity tool. There are so many great uses to help busy administrators and Apple blew it. No mention of the To Do apps. Very little mention of syncing calendars wirelessly until I brought it up. Disappointed that Apple focused on their apps or software i.e. iCal for Calendar. No mention of wireless syncing with Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook, again, until I brought it up. No mention of Evernote. Disappointing.

So much could have been done in this session to show administrators how to use the iPod Touch, iPad, or iPhone to simplify their lives.

Using Pandora as an educational tool

One of my duties as assistant principal is supervising the world languages department. The department members and I are always looking for ways to improve classroom instruction. Below is what one of the world language teachers sent to me in an email today:

I'm excited to use Pandora because it's free and I already had a bunch of Latino stations I can use in the classroom.  I can use this to play during a do now or other "down time" where students are entering or exiting or working quietly.  It does have commercials but it seems like there is no interruption for continuous play.

 

Just thought I would share.  Not sure how many other people use music in the classroom, but this certainly makes it easier.  No need to bring the iPod or buy a ton of songs on ITUNEs which I have done already.
I have Pandora on my iPhone and use it from time to time, but I never thought of using it this way in the classroom. Pandora is free and available as a desktop version as well so you do not need an iPhone or iPod Touch to use it.
 
A constant challenge in a world language classroom is for students to hear native speakers speaking the language. A number of the teachers in the department have used songs as a way to meet this need quite effectively. Using Pandora opens up many more possibilities.
 
 
 

What does Seth Godin think about kids using the iPod Touch?

I saw a two-year old kid (in diapers, in a stroller), using an iPod Touch today. Not just looking at it, but browsing menus and interacting. This is a revolution, guys.
Seth's post was about how the Kindle could take on the iPad for ebook reading. He ended his post with the quote above. His quote speaks to the ebook issue but I think it speaks to a larger issue as well. I have seen my own 5-year old use an iPod Touch or iPhone with relative ease. She has been able to move around in apps and discover features all on her own. She is quite deft at using the device. Friends and colleagues have shared similar stories with me about their children or grandchildren doing the same thing.
 
I believe the power of Apple and Steve Jobs is their ability to make using technology simple and fun. Last week I assisted a colleague in purchasing an iPhone. Before the iPhone he used a Blackberry.  You should hear him talk how easy the iPhone is compared to a Blackberry. In a matter of days he was taking pictures and emailing them to people. On the Blackberry he said he could not even figure out how to type a period (his words not mine). He is estatic with his iPhone. Apple should put him in a commercial. Say what you want about Apple, RIM, Goolge, and their competing devices, but millions of people are voting with their pocketbooks and choosing Apple. Their devices are easier to use! If Verizon offered an iPhone, RIM and Android would have serious problems on their hands. The power of the iPod Touch, iPhone, and iPad is their simplicity.
 

Anttenna: Where Twitter meets Craigslist and Geolocation


Below is a blurb cut right from the website of Anttenna.


Think of it as Twitter meeting Craigslist or Classified ads all around location. The application is free and also provides directions between a user’s current location and the nearby items for sale. Versions of the software will be available soon for Android, BlackBerry and other mobile devices. Click here for the iTunes link.

Why Apple does not include Flash on it's mobile devices

Steve Jobs recently wrote this article detailing why Apple does not include "Flash" on it's mobile devices. It is a well written piece. I would like to see Adobe's response to this letter because what Steve Jobs wrote is very convincing. Following are some quotes from the article:

Symantec recently highlighted Flash for having one of the worst security records in 2009. We also know first hand that Flash is the number one reason Macs crash. We have been working with Adobe to fix these problems, but they have persisted for several years now. We don’t want to reduce the reliability and security of our iPhones, iPods and iPads by adding Flash.

In addition, Flash has not performed well on mobile devices. We have routinely asked Adobe to show us Flash performing well on a mobile device, any mobile device, for a few years now. We have never seen it. Adobe publicly said that Flash would ship on a smartphone in early 2009, then the second half of 2009, then the first half of 2010, and now they say the second half of 2010.

We know from painful experience that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. If developers grow dependent on third party development libraries and tools, they can only take advantage of platform enhancements if and when the third party chooses to adopt the new features. We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.

Flash was created during the PC era – for PCs and mice. Flash is a successful business for Adobe, and we can understand why they want to push it beyond PCs. But the mobile era is about low power devices, touch interfaces and open web standards – all areas where Flash falls short.

Follow the link above to read the full article. It is very insightful.

Tie everything you do to your learning vision

Some interesting thoughts from the writer of the uLearning Blog. Follow the link to read the full post. Most enlightening was the writer's response to the growing proliferation of iPod Touches and iPhones in classrooms:

And what should an educator’s response be? Possibly you’re already in the middle of deploying one of these options – and if so, my biggest suggestion is – reflect. While our sector has stood still for so long, the current rush might make us forget our usual values of tying everything we do to our learning vision first. So reflect first, then on how these devices can enhance learning – don’t make learning fit to them.

It is refreshing to have an educator say that we need to reflect first and tie everything we do to our learning vision. So often in schools we run after the latest educational technology fad. In education we need more sustained deep reflection before embarking on any technology initiatives. Do small pilots to test a hypothesis and find critical stress points.

I also like the writer's comment that we should not make learning fit the device. I am not a big proponent of electronic whiteboards or Smartboards. I feel these devices are an example of trying to make learning fit the device. We spent years trying to get teachers away from the front of the classroom controlling everything and now we anchor them to the front of the room using an electronic whiteboard. Backwards innovation.

Rate, review, and categorize books, and even create a virtual book club, all from your mobile handheld

Good Reads is social media center or reading club. Below is a snippet from the Good Reads website:

Have you ever wanted a better way to:
Get great book recommendations from people you know.
Keep track of what you've read and what you'd like to read.
Form a book club, answer book trivia, collect your favorite quotes.

Good Reads recently added an iPhone app. Using the app you can search for books and categorize them into virtual bookshelves. You can also keep track of the books you have read, are currently reading, and the ones you would like to read in the future. You can rate and review books and even start a virtual book club. All of these features are available using the iPhone app or directly from the website.

Are any teachers out there using Good Reads in the classroom? It sounds like it would be another great way to foster an interest in reading amongst our students.

iPhone app helps autistic children communicate

The screen shot above is from an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad app that assists non-verbal people to communicate using pictures. The app is Called Grace. People can use the app to build sentences using a series of pictures. The app was developed by a mother from Ireland who has two autistic children. Her name is Lisa Domican and she writes about her experiences on her blog called Hammiesblog. The video below is of Lisa explaining the development of the app.
 
 
 

The iPad - Heavier than I expected

I finally made my way over to Best Buy to play around with the iPad. My very first impression was that it was heavier than I expected. I don't know what I was expecting, but right away it felt heavy to hold in one hand. It was also kind of slippery in my hand. If I were to purchase an iPad I definitely would be buying a case for it.

On the positive side I really like how the calendar app worked. One of the primary things I do on my iPhone is use the calendar app. The calendar app on the iPad is larger and offers some additional views. I have been using an electronic calendar for over 10 years so this would be a useful feature for me.

The mail app looked good but there was no email account on this iPad so I could not get the real feel for how the app worked. I played Flight Control and it is very nice on the iPad. This is one of the few games I play on my iPhone and it is well done on the iPad. 

Overall the iPad was very much like I expected, except for the weight. It really is a large iPod Touch or iPhone. I think the ease of use and simplicity of design makes the iPad a great device for someone from an older generation that wants to get emails with pictures of their grandkids. Or maybe they just want to read the news or watch a movie. 

Original Historical Documents and Speeches in the Palm of your Hand


MultiEducator, INC. has created the American Dream app for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Below is a blurb from their website describing the app.

FEATURING 480 DOCUMENTS, INCLUDING: 90 Supreme Court Decisions, all the US Presidential Inaugural Addresses, the Constitution and dozens of key laws, first-hand accounts and speeches (with 18 Audio Recordings) make this an incredible compilation of primary source documents in American History. Each document entry includes an explanation of the significance of the court decision, law, or key points of a speech. MultiEducator, Inc. has applied its 20 years of experience writing Multimedia History and to the iPhone and iPod Touch. Documents can be accessed chronologically, or often by groups. You can search for a document and save recent or favorites. All of the documents can be e-mailed and thus shared.

Follow the links above to go to the companies website or to the iTunes link. Below is a screenshot from the application.


Handheld Mobile Computing at the Museum


The NY Times is reporting that the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is handing out iPod Touches loaded with pictures, interviews, and video to its visitors.

Below are some quotes from the article:

Like almost every major art museum in the country, according to communications officers here and in other cities, the San Francisco institution is using mobile multimedia devices — iPods, iPhones, BlackBerrys and other smartphones — to tell the stories of its exhibits in new ways.

“Essentially, we’ve liberated the audio tour,” said Peter Samis, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art’s associate curator of interpretation. “We’ve developed five hours of content, made it extremely portable and easy to use, and devoted it to rediscovering aspects of our collection and its history. This is not about techno-fetishism. It’s about focusing on artworks in meaningful sound and video.”

When I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, back in December, I saw they gave out handheld devices to use throughout the museum. At the time I remember thinking why don't they just make that information available for my iPhone so I could use that instead. You had to pay to use the handheld devices at the Met. If they made the information available for free for my iPhone it would have been cutting into their profits I assume.

Diabetes Management via your Smartphone


via iLounge

A team at Toronto’s University Health Network Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, in partnership with The Hospital for Sick Children and Saint Elizabeth Health Care, has released a new iPhone application designed to simplify diabetes management. Designed initially as a self-management system for adolescents with Type I Diabetes, Bant allows iPhone and iPod touch users to track their blood glucose levels and self-manage their condition. Users can store their recorded data to their Google Health account and share their experience with the diabetes community via Twitter.

The growth in mobile computing increases the demand for content to fit on the small screen

In this article, Education Week tackles the growing problem of finding relevant and rigorous content to use in the classroom with mobile handheld devices. Below are some quotes from the article.

In the push for mobile learning as a way to utilize tools that students are adept at using and are enthusiastic about, the quest for creating and finding high-quality content is proving a challenge. But as more schools decide to incorporate portable technologies into the school day, demand is growing for curricula developed with a three-inch display window in mind.

The Florida Virtual School officials are trying to get beyond such simple uses. They have enlisted a team of experts to develop mobile software, in partnership with a commercial provider, that incorporates video, interactive and social-networking features, and Web resources adapted for the devices.

In St. Marys, Ohio, a 2,150-student district that issues mobile phones to elementary students, teachers have put together an online forum for sharing curriculum ideas and resources with members. Teachers there have also organized show-and-tell sessions to demonstrate how they work with cellphones in the classroom.

Apple's App Store has fueled the growth in apps for the iPod Touch and the iPhone. Many of these applications are specifically for the education market. As the use of mobile devices grows in schools the success of the App Store will spill over into other markets. There has already be significant growth in Google's Android market. It will be exciting to see the applications that arise over the next few years for mobile devices.

Smartphone traffic up 193% in one year - is your school prepared?

This article on Brainstorm Tech blog states that AdMob is reporting that smartphone traffic is up 193% since this time last year. The iPhone's share of that traffic has grown from 35% to 48%. Below is the graphic from the Brainstorm Tech website.
 
Admob also reports what particular smartphone operating system (OS) people are using to access the web. The iPhone again is the leader, growing from 33% a year ago to a current 50%. The other big mover was the Android OS growing from 2% to 24%. The pie chart is below.
 
 
This information is important because it underscores the fact that smartphone adoption is increasing at a rapid pace and it will impact the education market. People like Internet access to be easy and accessible from anywhere.

Phantom of the Opera, Pizza, and the iPhone

Last Saturday my wife and I traveled to NYC to see the Phantom of the Opera. Here are some of the ways we used our iPhones to assist us on the trip.

Prior to leaving I located parking garages near the Majestic Theater and emailed the directions from Google Maps to my iPhone. This way I would have the link on my phone and I would only need to touch it in the email and the directions would open up in the map application. 

I used the camera on my iPhone to take some pictures of the theater and email them to family and friends. 

After the play I used Yelp and Siri to read reviews on restaurants in the area. This was useful because it was raining very hard in the city and we wanted to limit our time walking around trying to find a good place to eat. We settled on John's Pizzeria. They make delicious thin crust pizza. It is located directly across the street from the Majestic Theater. 

While at dinner one of our daughters called us to tell us that the power had gone off at home. On our way out of the city our other daughter texted us from her iPod Touch, using Textfree Unlimited, to tell us that power had been restored. 

On our way home we had to take the first exit out of the Lincoln Tunnel to get gas. We found a gas station right away but the attendant gave us bad directions to get back the NJ Turpike. We got lost. I used the iPhone's map application to find directions home. It worked beautifully. I was very thankful for the iPhone at that moment.

Throughout the day we checked our email, read the news while waiting, and I checked my Google Reader and Twitter feeds. Is the iPhone needed for a trip to NYC, no, but it sure made the trip easier, allowed us to share the experience with others, and got us out of a jam. 

There's no app for that, so this student created one

Cory Dobson recently created an iPhone app for his West Virginia high school. The app can be used to check schedules, grades, school closures, Google Maps, and other school related tasks for Capital High School in Charleston, West Virginia. The app is called iCHS and is available via iTunes.

The high school changed their cell phone policy this year and allows students to use cell phones in class as long as the teacher has a valid instructional reason to do so. You can read the full Education Week article by clicking here.

The Education Week article mentions at least five other schools who are using their own iPhone applications.