uLearning Blog » natural digital interfaces

iPad: three intriguing early apps for the classroom

jnxyz — Sat, 29 May 2010 08:38:27 +0000

If a major technology company like Apple can launch a new mobile device and only 1 month later find itself selling more of them than it does of its desktops and laptops, and when a recent survey showed that more kids owned mobile phones than books, I’d say perhaps the move to a world of ubiquitous computing is getting closer.

The reality of this move (the coalface as teachers like to say), is the emergence of tablet devices, and as I’m currently testing one, please be prepared for a few posts around what I find.

My investigations of the iPad from the perspective of how it can enhance my teaching (as opposed to how it might be used by students) have led to me playing with three intriguing types of apps that I thought others may be interested in, two of which have the common feature of working via the video out cable of the iPad:

1. ‘Whiteboard’ type apps that allow you to draw on the screen but have the results shared up on a big screen. This brings all kinds of collaborative planning/ visual definition applications to mind as I think about classroom use. Some of these apps even allow audio to be recorded while the session is going on – brilliant for students who need to review what occurred. I’m testing JotBook and PaperDesk in this category (both have free lite versions).

2. Apps that get around the ‘must be implemented by individual apps’ limitation of the iPad video out by combining multiple functions. Basically, they allow you to show all kinds of file types, from powerpoint/ keynote, PDFs, Word, images – and even web pages via built in browsers – all from within the one app. As a teacher, I can imagine this allowing me to load all the files I need into the app via iTunes sync (or later via email if I’ve forgotten something), choose during the lesson/ workshop what I want to show, and during the session, switch to the web if need be as I need to also. The app I’m using is Big! Browser.

3. Note taking/ audio recorders – that do pretty much what the Livescribe Smartpen does – records audio while you take notes and allows you replay the audio by tapping on sections of your notes so you hear what was being said at the time the text was written. SoundPaper seems to be the best one in this category at present if you can see the potential for rich, searchable meeting notes for yourself, or automated podcasts of each lesson for students to review.

More to come…

SMART Table now available – but what’s it for?

jnxyz — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 10:27:28 +0000

Below (via Engadget) is some of the details of the SMART Table – the first multi-touch table of its kind available for education. While its obviously not a mobile technology, it does herald a further move towards natural digital interfaces pioneered by interactive whiteboards, the Nintendo Wii, and iPhone that are part of what we can expect from near-future ubiquitous technology.

My question to Education 2.0 practitioners is this – what’s this for? Of course I think I know, but the danger with every new tech is that it will be used simply to do ‘old things in new ways’, rather than new things. Cost is probably prohibitive for most schools at this stage, but don’t let that stop you thinking of ideas now! I remember when a laptop cost $3000+ …

SMART Table now available in North America and UK

via Engadget by Darren Murph on 2/11/09

We heard that the SMART Table would be ready for playtime in Spring of 2009, and here she is, a few months early. The kid-friendly multitouch table is now available for purchase in North America and the United Kingdom, and as expected, it’s being marketed towards educational institutions looking for new and exciting ways to help kids learn. The 230i (the only model currently offered) weighs in at 150 pounds and features an XGA DLP projector, integrated speakers, an inbuilt digital camera to track touches and multitouch capabilities courtesy of DViT (Digital Vision Touch) technology. We’re still not told just how much resellers will be charging, but we’ll stick to the “at least seven or eight grand” figure we heard when toying with one last October. Demo vid is after the break.

Continue reading SMART Table now available in North America and UK

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Digital mindmapping tools: my choices for connected visual organisers/presenting

jnxyz — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 05:08:30 +0000

I’ve had loads of fun lately I must admit just trying out mindmapping/ visual organiser software. So much so that I’ve started incorportating them into my workflows both at school and home/study, and have even written a 2000 word article describing my journey. While its under review for possible publication old-printed-style, I wanted to at least post my conclusions/choices here. That way you can cut right to the chase and start downloading!

I’ve grouped my findings under ‘for students’, ‘for educators’, and ‘for advanced users’. Enjoy:

I aim in this section to overview what I concluded was best for use in my school, using these handles:

• Free, or at least has a free ‘lite’ version

• Easy to access, use and install – conditions that are vital for time poor, technician-starved teachers

• A good import/export capability – after all the point was to share maps

For Students – while today’s students undoubtedly could master any of the software I encountered, the one I ultimately settled on for working with them was the simplest. Bubbl.us (also its web address) was suggested by a discussion list colleague. It creates basic but good-looking maps, allows links and attachments, but best of all, is available anywhere there is a net connection (works exclusively online) and requires no registration or setup – teachers can just send students to the webpage and off they go. Students can get on with learning. Your maps can even be embedded into other websites. (Please note that bubbl.us does have a quick email signup to enable a few more advanced features if you so wish).

For Teachers – using digital visual organisers for your own planning and teaching probably requires software that will work when offline also – so for this category the one I chose was the free version of Xmind. Still fully-featured (it was a paid version until recently), it really jumped ahead of the others I was considering due to the fact that it works on PCs and Macs, AND has a special version for running exclusively from USB flash drives. I’ve now gone on to use this with our Head of Curriculum and Admin team to demonstrate what’s possible – and they were impressed, not just with the flash-looking end product, but with how powerful it could be for giving presentations to staff.

For advanced Users: That covers software for students, and for teachers/administrators who are new to digital mind mapping. However, beyond these tools there are some even more capable options that also plug into the possibilities of Web2.0 and the power of online/offline syncing. In this category, recommended for ‘power users’, or just any user that can count on regular internet connections and doesn’t mind registering for the (free) service – my choice was ‘Mindomo’. This was one that had been suggested through my learning network and I immediately found it very impressive. Not only was its import/export and graphical options very well presented, but it has a stunning ability work offline (using the Adobe ‘Air’ plug-in) while allowing you to use its extra sharing and collaboration features when you are online. Kind of like a combination of bubbl.us and Xmind actually!

PocketPhonics an example of the opportunities a natural digital interface provides

jnxyz — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 11:30:17 +0000

Education apps for literacy in the lower primary school age bracket have been thin on the ground since the app store opened. However, a new program called PocketPhonics has just been released that looks set to appeal to just this market. I know of several teachers in my state of Queensland and across Australia who are experimenting with iPod Touch’s in the primary school arena – and this app takes a great drill and practice method to learning phonics and letter-sounds.

More than this though, it harnesses the devices visual, audio and even motion-sensing abilities to engage students. It doesn’t hurt that research has proven that such a multiple learning-styles approach (visual, auditory and kinesthetic) is one of the key ways to increase early success with phonics. This app is definately showcasing just what advantages a natural digital interface (in this case multi-touch and shaking to erase) can bring to education, while at the same time making learning phonics mobile. There is even a lite version you so you can try it out.

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Look out, Microsoft Surface – the iTable might just trump you in every way

jnxyz — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 05:22:03 +0000

Seems like the natural digital interface possibilites of multi-touch, first championed for mass-consumption by the iPhone, and more recently touted as a feature of Windows 7, is spreading to other manufacturers as well. Here’s an example from the recent CES tech conference: (via crunchgear)

Who would have thought that one of the coolest things we’ve seen at CES would be hidden in a 10×10 booth at the very back of the South Hall? Like a diamond in the rough, there sat the PQ Labs iTablet.

They’ve essentially taken the idea behind the Microsoft Surface and have done it better in every way. It’s cheaper, it’s gorgeous, and perhaps most notably, it’s not a hulking monster.

Two of the most notable features of the Surface are its multitouch capabilities and the availability of a development SDK, both of which PQ Labs has matched (or, in the case of the SDK, plan to match soon). The number of fingers detected by the multitouch sensor is limited only by the individual software designer’s desire – the hardware itself supports as many simultaneous prods as you can throw at it.

READ THE REST HERE:

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/01/10/look-out-microsoft-surface-the-itable-might-just-trump-you-in-every-way/

Posted via email from Jonathan’s posterous