app of the week, ipad

LIFE for iPad – iPad App of the Week

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LIFE for iPad – iPad App of the Week

This is a regular feature of the blog looking at various Apps available. Some of the apps will be useful for those involved in learning technologies, others will be useful in improving the way in which you work, whilst a few will be just plain fun! Some will be free, others will cost a little and one or two will be what some will think is quite expensive.

This week’s App is LIFE for iPad.

LIFE for iPad is a spectacular experience: LIFE’s legendary photo collection at a never-before-seen resolution. Download the free app to explore LIFE’s vast archives, up-to-the-minute news photos, and special features not available anywhere else.

– View high definition (HD) photo galleries featuring this enormous collection of professional, endless fascinating, and historically significant photography.
-Immerse yourself in the map-based LIFE Explorer view that allows you to find photos based on where they were taken.
-“Email”, “Facebook”, and “Twitter” buttons allow you to easily send LIFE photos to friends or post them to your favorite social networks.
– Take millions of high-resolution photos with you everywhere you go.
– Travel through this app by swiping side-to-side or using the interactive filmstrip mode.

Free

I have a few photo galley apps like LIFE on my iPad, it’s a bit like having a coffee table book you can flick through.

There are some really good photographs to be found in the LIFE app and one aspect of the app I do like is the ability to easily share the images with others either through e-mail, Facebook or Twitter.

For example, having found a great image of the Space Shuttle I can send the link to my social network or via e-mail.

The LIFE galleries cover a huge range of subjects, topics and countries.

The only downside is the odd advert which pops up, which I can accept as it is a free app, however it is somewhat discordant when going through a gallery on a delicate subject, such as war, for an advert to pop up about a celebrity magazine!

You do also need an internet connection so remember that too.

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e-Learning Stuff Podcast #077: I resign as mayor!

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GPS Status app - HTC Desire

So why has David Sugden resigned as mayor? Why do people use Foursquare and other geo-services? Is there any benefit to teaching and learning, if so what is it?

With David Sugden and James Clay

This is the seventy seventh e-Learning Stuff Podcast, I resign as mayor!

Download the podcast in mp3 format: I resign as mayor!

Shownotes

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Using the VLE better – RSC SW Turbo TEL

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Yesterday I attended the JISC RSC SW Turbo TEL event in Bristol. In a change to previous conferences that I have attended and delivered at, this one comprised short six minute presentations and an opportunity for delegates to talk about things they wanted to.

I did a few presentations, one though was on using the VLE better, based on my series here on the blog of 100 ways to use a VLE.

I delivered over fifty slides with over fifty ways in which the VLE can be used to support, enhance and enrich learning in just six minutes.

The idea behind the presentation was not about substance, can you really do substance in six minutes; it was about inspiring others to think about how they could work with practitioners (and learners) to use the VLE more effectively to support the learning process. The fifty odd ideas (and the 100 ways articles) are based on how practitioners at my college (and others) are using the VLE now with learners everyday.

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Prezing

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I know a lot of people like and use Prezi, though I created an account back in 2009 or thereabouts, I have not yet managed to create even a single presentation until now.

I am delivering some training this week and wanted to include Prezi, so I thought I ought to create at least one presentation. Having planned the presentation on “paper” well using a Word Processor, I then created the presentation using Prezi.

Using the PSP on Prezi

It was quite simple to create, though I would recommend going through the tutorial. Designing the presentation takes a little more thought than the standard slides you find in Powerpoint or Keynote. But you can add images and video quite easily.

I am still a little unsure of the real benefits of Prezi, in some ways it reminds me of Powerpoint with vomit-inducing transitions. Though I do like the fact that it is possible to see the whole presentation on the screen at once and go to where you want to go in a non-linear fashion. In many ways I think Prezi works better allowing individuals to explore the presentation at their own pace, over showing the presentation to a large group. Of course if you show it first and then allow exploration later, it does work better than Powerpoint in that way.

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…but I’m a technophobe!

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King Edward I - Torbay Express - 30th August 2009

One of the issues with embedding technology into teaching and learning is the resistance to the embedding by practitioners.

Many factors are discussed for the reasons, from fear of technology, to a lack of time. These discussions fail to recognise that there are many practitioners for whom embedding technology is something they can do in the same time as everyone else. Can time really be the issue, isn’t it much more about priorities than a lack of time?

As for the fear, I am sure there are some real technophobes out there, those for whom technology is a really scary thing that needs to be feared (like dragons) and should never be used. These people probably don’t have a television, a microwave, nor a phone (let alone a mobile phone). These true technophobes do exist I am sure, but as a proportion of practitioners in education, they must be a very small minority, less than 1% for sure and probably a lot less.

So what of the others? Those that say they are fearful of technology?

Well I suspect that these use technology on a day to day basis and probably don’t actually consider it technology. I recall one practitioner been quite proud of the fact that she was a technophobe, however when questioned further she not only used the internet, but used IM and Skype on a regular basis to talk to her daughter in Australia! What is apparent talking to many practitioners who don’t see the need or feel they can use technology for learning, in their day to day life use technology all the time for their own needs and in their non-work life.

One issue that appears to be a barrier is that these practitioners have issues in transferring skills they have built up in their day to day life to using these skills to support teaching and importantly learning.

The same can be said with learners and a recognition that learners who use technology all the time, don’t necessarily know how to use technology to support their learning.

So how do we get teachers who use technology on a daily basis to be able to transfer their skills into the effective use of technology in the classroom?

That is a question that may take a little longer to answer.

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The importance of dull technology

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Who needs a computer when a typewriter will do!

Over the years I have gained a reputation at my college (and out and about) of talking about shiny stuff. I even called a mobile learning project Shiny as a result.

Though one thing that came out of a recent conversation with some extremely clever and bright people at a JISC symposium was the importance of dull technology. Dull as in not shiny rather than, dull as in boring.

For those of us involved in extreme e-learning or technology enhanced learning, we sometimes focus on the innovative, the exciting, the new, the shiny stuff. Well it’s where we want to be isn’t it, cutting edge and all that? We want to be using iPads, Android Tablets, the latest and best Web 2.0 tools and services. We get so excited at times that we even do projects and research on them, before writing it up, putting the stuff on a shelf and moving to the next new shiny thing.

I don’t think that there is too much wrong with that, some people do need to be at the cutting edge, they do need to be the blue skies thinkers, the people who innovate and create new ways of learning, inspired by changes in technologies and thinking.

As a result it can be very easy to forget the dull, the stuff we were using last year, two years ago or five years ago. We can even be dismissive of these dull technologies, pointing out how old they are, how useless they are “now” and that they are dead!

The main reason why dull technologies are important is that the majority of practitioners within an institution will not be at the cutting edge, will not be using all technologies innovatively. This means when planning training and staff development it is vital that dull technologies are included and allowed for. Just because we are bored with something doesn’t mean that someone else in your organisation will find it exciting and just the thing to solve the particular problem they are facing.

Photo source.

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100 ways to use a VLE – #32 Calendar of Events

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On many courses there are often many events taking place, from exams, deadlines, guest speakers, field trips. So how do you let learners when all these events are? How do you provide them with updates when things change? How will they access the list or calendar of events?

There are various ways of providing a calendar of events to learners, from paper to an Outlook calendar. Many VLEs such as Moodle do have a calendar function and this can be used to provide learners with a calendar.

The reason for using the VLE is that if this is the place where learners are going to get course information, download resources, converse in forums, etc… then it’s the ideal location to keep learners updated with what’s happening and when. It can be easily updated when those inevitable changes happen.

it’s useful if the calendar on the VLE can be exported, for example Moodle can export its calendar as an ics file. This ics file can then be imported into other calendars such as on a mobile phone, or a calendar app on their computer. This way learners can take the event calendar with them or access it with their other calendars.

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