According to The Register it is looking more and more likely that the iPhone will be announced at the end of September and will be available on O2 but will still be EDGE only and not be able to use O2’s 3G network. EDGE is faster than GPRS but a lot lot slower than 3G.
All posts by James Clay
Podcasting Guide
A very useful guide on listening, creating and distributing podcasts (with an emphasis on educational podcasts).
Check out the guide.
100 ways to use a VLE – #3 Having an online discussion
Discussion is a really useful way of enhancing learning, whether it be a formalised classroom discussion or seminar, or an informal discussion arising from a presentation or a video.
How do you ensure that all learners contribute to the discussion?
How many though consider the needs of different learners and learning styles when facilitating discussion? Some learners are reflective and they need to time to think and reflect on the discussion
Online discussion using a forum on the VLE is one option that facilitates discussion in a way which allows reflective (and quieter) learners to contribute.
It is not an either or situation, it’s not about having just online discussions in the same way as it is not just about having all face to face discussions, it’s much more about allowing a range of discussion using different mediums to reflect the different needs and learning styles of different learners.
So how do you go about it?
The Tutor sets a question, for example:
2002 saw the first full year of the Euro.
Read the following article from the BBC News pages and each member of the group to contribute to a discussion entitled The Euro works with John to summarise by the 17th
Bob
Each of the students from the group would be expected to contribute to the discussion, with one of the members of the group posting a summary.
Facilitating such a discussion requires similar skills that you would find in the classroom, praising and bringing in quieter members of the group.
that’s a good point Charlie, what do you think Claire
You could also have an online discussion in order to provide evidence for Communication Key Skills.
Online discussions are not difficult, but do require (in the same way that a face to face discussion does) some planning and facilitation. It also helps if you try out a discussion as a user first.
Two Millionth Wikipedia Article
Mashable is reporting that Wikipedia has reached two million articles.
Wikipedia has hit a record 2 million articles for its user-regulated online encyclopedia. On Monday, the English Wikipedia’s two millionth article was “El Hormiguero,” detailing the Spanish TV show of the same name. After its launch six years ago, I think we can all attest to the establishment of Wikipedia, its example of effective crowd wisdom, and its lasting power as a long tail entity.
There are concerns in the academic community over relying on articles from Wikipedia, and therefore any lecturer or learner using such sources is advised to also consult and confirm sources, say using an online published reference in addition such as Britannica Online. Jimmy Wales (founder of Wikipedia) has also recommended this approach (in a podcast interview).
Sixty Years of “Charley says” and all that – now online
If you are of a certain age you may recall various public information films starring such people as Kevin Keegan, Jimmy Saville, the Green Cross Code Man, Charley and the Grim Reaper!
The National Archives has now put sixty years of public information films online.
For the first time on The National Archives’ website you can view complete public information films from 1945 -2006. Joining with the Central Office of Information (COI) to celebrate their 60th Anniversary, we have featured a selection some of the most memorable and influential COI public information films that cover some fasinating events from Britain’s post-war history.
Continue reading Sixty Years of “Charley says” and all that – now online
Apple Back to School Promo
Apple have launched their “Back to School” promotion in the UK.
University just isn’t the same without a Mac and an iPod. They make the tough stuff like reports, presentations and research a little easier. And the fun stuff like music, photography and movies a lot more fun. So whether you’re a new or returning student, a lecturer or a member of staff, you can kick off the school year in style. Buy a qualifying Mac before October 30th, 2007, and get an iPod nano via mail-in rebate.
This is the new fat nano which can play video.
Find out more.
Facebook is costing “businesses dear”
BBC is reporting on a report on Facebook.
Workers who spend time on sites such as Facebook could be costing firms over £130m a day, a study has calculated. According to employment law firm Peninsula, 233 million hours are lost every month as a result of employees “wasting time” on social networking.
Doing anything socially costs time (which in business terms means money). However a happy employee is often more productive than a miserable one.
In terms of learning institutions, should we be banning Facebook? We create physical social areas in our learning institutions, we have a cafe and a refectory for example, why not allow students to interact socially online? There is a hit on bandwidth and access to computers, true, but is that the only thing we need to take into account.
Is using Facebook (and other social networking sites) a problem that needs to be dealt with and “banned” or is it something that the majority of users use sensibly and get a lot from?
iPod touch
In a session at ALT-C I mentioned (and blogged)…
…about the rumours of new OS X based iPods, these may be wireless and may have browser capability. We should know by about 7pm tonight.
Well by 7pm we did know. I checked out the details via my phone at the conference dinner.
Apple did announce a new iPod with a touch interface (aka the iPhone) which will be available worldwide and will be wireless, have a browser and run a version of OS X.
Whether I get one, different story, £200 is a lot of money for a touch interface. I already have devices which can play music and video and portable wifi capability as well.
Having said that , it would be nice to have one, then again do I wait until the iPhone is available in the UK and get the phone element as well?
Decisions, decisions.
Whatever I decide one of the key things to remember is that our learners will by buying this iPod, they will be buying other iPods, other mp3 players, new phones, etc…. and we need to think about how they can utilise those devices to support their learning.
Didn’t take much…
Just a follow up to my previous post.
As you can see from the following photograph that it doesn’t take much, seems like they used a screwdriver to get in!
Still lots of hassle dealing with insurance companies. More annoyance more than anything else. I was lucky that I didn’t lose any data (all backed up).
Another annoyance has been changing passwords. Though I am sure that the thieves are not really that interested in my Flickr photographs and my Facebook profile, I’d rather be safe than sorry. I didn’t use the laptop for personal financial stuff so there is virtually no risk there.
Following the comments on the previous post on having a whip-round, which really touched me, I have setup Paypal to allow this to happen. Thanks in advance, much appreciated.
Great conference, unpleasant aftermath…
I really enjoyed ALT-C this year, however as I was leaving the conference I found that my car had been broken into, my work laptop had been stolen, as well as a digital SLR camera and my funky bluetooth printer which had gone down so well in my workshop.
The thieves had done their best and as a result my passenger door was so damaged that I couldn’t secure the car and had to drive all the way home. I was suppose to be only going as far as Birmingham for a JISC Collections workshop tomorrow.
I am insured, but with excesses I am going to be somewhat out of pocket as a result. I have also paid for a hotel room I can’t use and couldn’t cancel.
I am trying to not to let this get me down, it is more annoying more than anything else.
Great conference, for me though it ended on somewhat a sour note.