All posts by James Clay

mobile

A few thoughts on the Sony UX1XN

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I am guessing I had quite high expectations about Sony’s UX1XN. I do like the UMPC format and I also like the Tablet PC edition of Windows XP. So with all the bells and whistles (two cameras, flash hdd, etc) I was really looking forward to getting my hands on it and seeing how it would pan out.

The keyboard is taking some getting use to, it is quite small, and I guess if you use a Treo or similar smartphone you would find it quite familiar. The only other UMPC I have used is the Samsung Q1 and that didn’t have an integral keyboard, but a USB one which you attached and as a result the Q1 was quite bulky (it also had a much larger 7″ screen compared to the 4.5″ UX1 screen). I am suspecting that I may well get a USB (or Bluetooth) keyboard for the UX1 if I am going to do any serious typing on it. What I am missing is the Tablet PC interface, I was under the impression that Tablet PC was an integral part of Vista, but I can’t seem to find the text input that you have under Windows XP (post a comment if you know how I can access it). I quite like using stylus input, but at the moment I don’t seem to be able to do that, however I have only had the UX1 for just over a day so it may just be that I can’t find it yet.

EDIT: I’ve found it! I’ve found the Tablet PC Text input and it works. Excellent. However if I try and use it with the Sony built-in “zoom” function I can blue screen the device, less good.

The camera(s) are also going to get some getting use to. The photographs I tried to take today were very blurred, but I suspect the dark conference room I was in was a large factor in that. The photographs I had taken yesterday were much better.

It is quite nippy though considering the low voltage (hence slow) processor, but I suspect the 1GB of RAM is also helping. One of the issues I had with the Q1 (and the HP TC1100 for that matter) was the lack of RAM. Windows (and Windows Vista especially) needs a lot of RAM.

I do like the form factor and it is a very neat and small laptop. I haven’t had a chance to really try out the battery life (another thing I found that I didn’t like with the Samsung Q1) so it will be interesting to see how that works out in the real world.

Still early days really.

google, jisc, web 2.0

JISC Digitisation Conference Plenary Session Day One

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elephantHaving attended a really interesting session on Shibboleth and Federated Access, I am currently listening to the plenary about the other parallel sessions.

It is proving to be a useful and interesting conference. What is nice is that the presentations and other reports will be available on the conference blog.

Though the content of the conference is on digitisation and e-content, it is interesting how the focus of much of the conference is on web 2.0 and (unsurprisingly) Google. I suspect that this is down to the focus on end users’ needs rather than coming from an institutional approach.

A lot of talk about elephants as well, of which I seemed to have missed somehow the connection.

The plenary has finished and we are now looking at tomorrow.

learning resources

Free, unlimited access to two thousand years of images

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Free, unlimited access to two thousand years of mankind and medicine in pictures made available through Creative Commons Licence

Teachers, students, academics and the public can now download and use images depicting 2,000 years of mankind and medicine for free, thanks this newly launched website from the Wellcome Trust.

There are some really nice images on the website which has many uses for various learning activities. The fact they are freely available makes it great for both practitioners and learners.

Wellcome Images 

blog, conference, jisc

A connected conference

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What is nice about this JISC Conference is the connectivity. There is free wireless access, this means that you can access the websites mentioned in presentations, the conference blog (to read entries on presentations and workshops you missed), e-mail (so less of a pain when you get back to the office), you can blog and micro blog. You can upload photographs to Flickr and view others’ del.icio.us links from the conference.

Of course laptop batteries never last, but at this conference there are power points to plug your laptop in.

There is a conference blog and a conference wiki.

Makes a conference easier to digest and reflect upon.

jisc

JISC Digitisation Conference on e-Content

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Tomorrow (Thursday) I am off to Cardiff to attend the JISC Digitisation Conference on e-Content.

Today saw a major international symposium organised and hosted by JISC to explore national and international policies and strategies around e-content.

I am attending the next two days.

Delegates will be joined on Thursday by around 130 leading figures from education, research, cultural heritage, public broadcasting and industry in the UK and beyond for a further two days for a conference on digitisation which will showcase national and international digitisation initiatives – including JISC’s £22m digitisation programme – and explore the potential for cross-sectoral cooperation in this area.

Should be an interesting conference. I am hoping to blog a few entries over the conference (there is wireless access), however there is also the official blog: JISC Digitisation Blog.

m-learning, mobile

Sony VAIO UX1XN

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Today I should get my Sony VAIO UX1XN. This is an UMPC from Sony which to be honest is a really nice piece of kit.

Sony VAIO UX1

Apart from using it as a Vista PC (this will be my first real experience of Vista) I will be evaluating the usefulness of the device for both staff and learners.

It has a tiny 4.5″ screen (1024×800) and a dinky little keyboard. However it has two cameras, 32GB Flash-based hard drive and has both 802.11a/b/g and Bluetooth.

It will be interesting to see how it performs and how difficult it will be to use with such a small screen, will add further thoughts and experiences later.

learning resources

Using NLN Materials as additional support material

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Use NLN Materials to provide additional support to learners.

  • Use NLN materials in a similar vein to text book or reading list as additional support and resources for students. In my college we are able to provide ready-made-packages of NLN materials and weblinks which are ideal for this purpose.
  • Use NLN materials for differentiation (both less able and more able learners). Are you finding some learners need additional support or further extension, by providing access to extra materials, such as the NLN materials, you can provide a more indvidualised learning programme for your learners.
  • Use NLN materials to provide background for classroom delivery. You can use the NLN materials to provide background reading for a topic in the same way that you could use a chapter of a book, with the advanatage that the use of the materials is tracked and you don’t have to worry about having enough copies in the library.

Of course the NLN materials are just one way in which you can support learners, there are other e-resources and online materials which can provide additional support to learners in a similar way.

blog, blogging, m-learning, mobile, podcast, web 2.0

Do traditional lectures deliver?

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Undergraduates are usually way ahead of their tutors when it comes to IT. But texts, podcasts and Web 2.0 can enhance their learning

iPodConsider the evidence. Students are increasingly digitally literate and techno-savvy. There’s no longer a student stereotype; no one-size-fits-all in terms of age, diversity, disability, financial or family commitments. They live and learn in a 24/7 society, juggling family, work and social commitments. We’re also seeing the rise of students as consumers, and managing the expectations this creates falls firmly to lecturers on the front line. Students demand inspired, interactive teaching. Do traditional lectures deliver?

Read more.