All posts by James Clay

blog, blogging, google, twitter

Google buys out Jaiku

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Those of you who follow me online (or just plain bump into me online) or have read this
blog before will know that I am a fan of micro-blogging and specifically Jaiku.

So I read with interest today that Google has bought out Jaiku.

Exciting news: Google has bought Jaiku today. What does that mean? First and foremost, we’re of course continuing to support our existing users. So fear not: your Jaiku phone, the Web site, IM, SMS, and API will continue to work normally.

Interesting that Google went for Jaiku and not Twitter. Twitter has certainly had a lot more press than Jaiku, maybe it was a price thing, maybe it wasn’t.

What is also interesting is that Google already own a similar service, Dodgeball!

I do feel that micro-blogging has real educational potential, if not for learning, certainly for administration or even marketing.

Alas one of the side effects of this purchase is that…

That said, new user sign-ups have been limited for the time being.

But…

Existing users will still be able to invite their friends 

So if you know me and have been thinking about joining Jaiku, fear not, want an invite let me know.

learning technologies

This is the age of the train….

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I wish I was back in 1976…

Sometimes I wish I was Sam in Life on Mars, stranded back in 1976, well I know it was 1973, but what’s three years between friends?

Why?

The High Speed Train is now over thirty years old, introduced in 1976, they have been travelling at 125mph across the UK for over three decades (except when I am in a hurry and then there are speed restrictions which means we crawl along at a walking pace).

High Speed Train

First Great Western, now I know on this blog I have thrown a lot at First Great Western, and when I say throw I mean in words via this blog and not literally throw physically at the train as that wouldn’t be very nice (and is probably illegal as well) and is something I wouldn’t do and you shouldn’t either, no matter how many times you find the train going nowhere or really slowly. So where was I, ah yes, so I have whinged and moaned about First Great Western a fair bit, but compared to some other train operators, naming no names, cough Virgin Trains, cough, First Great Western travel for me has on the whole been pretty good. Being a typical consumer, I write when I have something to complain about, not when everything is going well.

Continue reading This is the age of the train…. →

apple

University students using Macs more

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It would appear that the market share of Apple Macs amongst University students is on the rise (well in the US anyway).

According to Macrumors, 40% of Princeton’s students and staff are using Macs compared to 10% just four years ago.

The Princeton University newspaper reports that Princeton’s Mac marketshare has been rising dramatically, with 40 percent of students and faculty currently using a Mac as their personal computer. This number is up from only 10% of Mac users on campus only 4 years ago. And this number could still be growing. This year, the University’s Student Computer Initiative reportedly sold more Macs than PC’s, with 60 percent of students choosing a Mac, up from 45 percent just last year. Students were offered a choice of Dell, IBM and Apple computers.

To be honest this doesn’t surprise me, when you consider that the new Intel Macs can now all run Windows (either through Parallels or Boot Camp for example) then you can get a Mac and still use Windows when you need to.

I do wonder though if this growth is reflected over here in the UK.

In the UK I have noticed at e-learning events with a predominantly HE prescence, I have seen many more Macs then I use to, I can recall when I was the only person with a Mac.

At FE dominated events, there are fewer (if any) Macs about.

So are you using a Mac?

news

eMentors – students teaching teachers

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I see the BBC have a report on what Oaklands College are doing with eMentors.

A college is harnessing the power of students’ technical knowledge to teach their lecturers a thing or two about information technology. The college has appointed 35 “eMentors” to help staff with everything from laptops to interactive whiteboards. The scheme works on the premise that students are more technically adept.

Quite an interesting and innovative approach to getting staff to get familiar with the technology.

blog, blogging, twitter

Eight ways to use Twitter (or Jaiku)

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Earlier, back in July, I blogged about Web Worker Daily which had a nice article on how Facebook could be used to support your work. Well they’ve just published another excellent article on how you can use Twitter in the workplace.

For those of you who still wonder whether it’s anything more than inane stream-of-consciousness, consider these ways in which Twitter can help you professionally.

Though I do have a Twitter account, I much prefer using Jaiku which is a similar micro-blogging site, and all eight ways can also be used with Jaiku. Jaiku also allows you to add RSS feeds which makes it even more useful and you can create channels which will make it very easy to add micro-blogging to an event or a conference.

I can be found on both Jaiku and Twitter, why not give it a try.

mobile

Share your wifi

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The BBC are reporting on how BT Broadband customers will be able to share their broadband connection to others to create a free shared wifi network across the UK.

The UK’s wireless net credentials have been boosted with the launch of a wi-fi sharing community by BT. BT has backed a global wireless sharing service called Fon, billing it as the “world’s largest wi-fi community”.

This means that it will be much easier (and cheaper) to access wireless internet when and where you want to.

In a cafe with a wireless laptop

What makes this interesting to me, apart from the obvious impact this will have on mobile learning is the following comment.

Joining the BT Fon scheme is free of charge and community members will also have free access to existing BT hotspots in its Openzone network.

This is one good reason for joining the BT Fon network as I suspect at the moment there are more BT Openzone wireless hotspots then Fon spots.

Photo source.

learning technologies

A snapshot of Second Life

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Eduserv have published a report on how Second Life is been used in Higher and Further Education.

As part of their range of Second Life activities, the Eduserv Foundation hired me to do a series of “snapshot” reports, looking at the take-up of SL within the UK Higher and Further Education sector. The update of the first report, containing some new examples of how and where Second Life is being used in UK Higher and Further Education, can be downloaded from the Eduserv Foundation website.

You can download the report here.

learning resources

Engaging Interactions

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If you are developing e-learning materials or learning objects it can be nice to add an interaction.

B J Schone has written a very nice ebook on twenty five different engaging interactions.

I hate boring eLearning courses. I get frustrated when I’m not intellectually engaged in a course and when I feel like I’m wasting my time. I know many learners feel this way, too. As an eLearning developer, I’ve had good luck using engaging learning interactions in my courses. These interactions break up the monotony and improve the learning experience for the end-user. After covering new material in a course, a learning interaction (or from here on, simply an interaction) gives the learner a chance to actually do something and (gasp!) apply their knowledge!

This covers a lot of different ways in which learners can interact with a subject (through e-learning) and therefore enhance the learning process.

news

UCAS Form “Cheating”

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The BBC are reporting that students are using content “lifted” from the web for their online UCAS forms.

Sixth form students are being warned not to cheat on their university application forms by copying material from the internet.

The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service has written to every UK school saying doing so could affect students’ chances of winning a place.

Ucas is to use plagiarism detection technology to scrutinise the half a million forms seeking entry in 2008.

Maybe it’s time to move away from a written statement on a form for applications.

The web may have made it easier, but when I filled in an UCAS form (some time ago now) I know people who were given extra guidance and help filling it in over and beyond what you would expect and that was never considered “cheating”.

Copying and pasting is cheating, there is no doubt, using the web to help fill in the form is fine, but who tells the sixth former filling in the form what is okay and what isn’t?