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Phone into Audioboo

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Last week I blogged about Audioboo a recording website.

Well it’s a service I first saw demonstrated at the All Together Now event at Channel 4. To put it simply it is an App (iTunes Store Link) on your iPhone that allows you to record an audio recording, add your location, a picture and upload the lot to a website.

I did mention in that post that there was a beta service which you could phone into using any phone (so you wouldn’t need an iPhone)

Well the Audioboo people are also looking at how they can make the service device agnostic and they have a prototype phone service now in beta. You can phone in your Audioboos via 0203 393 6430.

I did comment that

Now at this point in time you can not collate these phoned in recordings (as you can with Gabcast) but I am sure at some point that this will be possible…

Well less than a week later Audioboo have mentioned on Twitter

You can now link to your audioboo account from any phone. More detail tomorrow but the API seems to work.

Well tomorrow we will see how this enhancement will work.

This means that you will be able to phone into Audioboo and it will record you and convert it into an audio file with RSS.

A really good Gabcast replacement if you ask me. The fact that there is an iPhone app which allows you to add pictures and geo-data is just a bonus.

I forgot to mention that in my last blog post on Audioboo, is that with the iPhone App you can add a picture and geo-data to your audio recording which allows you to add not just a visual reference but the location data as well. This has some real  potential for learning activities.

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Overall Audioboo is getting better and better, why not try it yourself.

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A vision of FE in 2020

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This is a vision of FE in 2020.

Stuart Edards of DIUS has said

Sion Simon, Minister for FE, has stated his ambition to see further education recognised nationally and internationally for its commitment to technology. We have now put together some simple statements on where things could be heading towards 2020 and how that compares with evidence of where the sector is overall at the moment. These build on discussions that we and our partners have had with experts within and outside the sector, with employers and with learners. They cover five main areas:

  • content and digital resources
  • blogosphere, social media, web 2
  • provider and workforce capability
  • learner experience
  • employers

So what is your vision for FE in 2020?

iphone

Audioboo.fm

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On this blog before I have mentioned the audio creation tool Gabcast before, however since they started to charge for their service, I know that a lot of people have been trying to find a free alternative. Now generally I don’t have a problem paying for software or services if they get the job done or make my life easier.

I have gone Pro with my Flickr account so that I can upload lots of photographs and not be limited to the 200 images of the free account. I have upgraded my Remember the Milk account so I can use it on my iPod touch (and now on my new iPhone). I have paid for the extra storage on this WordPress Blog so I can upload video and audio (which is well worth the $20 per year it costs). Though like others I like free software, when I need something for a particular job I don’t mind paying for good software. VisualHub made video conversion easier (now reborn as it happens as the free Video Monkey). When I needed good audio tools, I went with Wire Tap Anywhere and Wire Tap Studio which met my podcasting needs on the Mac. So I actually had no qualms about paying $10 for 100 minutes on Gabcast.

However I can’t expect everyone to do that, especially practitioners and teachers who may not want to spend lots of dollars money on minutes for Gabcast. It’s one thing for me to spend $10 for events and workshops, but if I used Gabcast for my weekly podcast I would be spending about $40 per month!

So what is this Audioboo.fm that is the title of this blog post then?

audioboo1

Well it’s a service I first saw demonstrated at the All Together Now event at Channel 4. To put it simply it is an App (iTunes Store Link) on your iPhone that allows you to record an audio recording, add your location, a picture and upload the lot to a website.

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As well as viewing the “boos” on the website they are also accessible via the Audioboo App.

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As you have an account on the website (not essential but recommended) your recordings are kept together and also have an RSS feed as well.

This is the test recording I made using the App on the iPhone.

Yes I can hear you saying that this is no Gabcast replacement, firstly you need an iPhone and most people won’t have one of those.

Well the Audioboo people are also looking at how they can make the service device agnostic and they have a prototype phone service now in beta. You can phone in your Audioboos via 0203 393 6430. This is a recording that I made using this number on my Nokia N73 (though of course you can use a BT line if you so wish).

Now at this point in time you can not collate these phoned in recordings (as you can with Gabcast) but I am sure at some point that this will be possible (either via your phone number or channel numbers and passwords). I suspect there may also be a web client as well which could be useful too.

So it is early days, but I think Audioboo has a lot of potential.

jisc, twitter

Using Twitter

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I enjoyed reading Frances Bell’s recent blog post on how people use Twitter.

She discusses the community of Twitter and the reasons why she follows certain people.

…follow if interesting friend already known to me else read the profile, follow personal link, read the last few tweets, follow if interesting!

Made me think about why I follow people, so I decided to reflect on the last ten people I followed and tried to remember the reasons why I followed them.

Helen Beetham – I have known Helen for many years through the work she has done for the JISC, and we even presented an online session together at the JISC Online Conference in 2007. I recently found (through someone else I follow) that she was on Twitter and decided to follow her.

Duncan Greenhill – was the 500th person to follow me, so I followed him back. I don’t automatically follow everyone who follows me, but will look at what they tweet before clicking the follow button. More recently I have been more reserved in following people who follow me, as I follow quite a few people now, 234 at the time of writing and like to be in control of my Twitter stream. The number of people is irrelevant it’s much more about how often they tweet that impacts on my Twitter stream.

Doug Belshaw – I found his tweets interesting, and “discovered” him via Josie Fraser in this tweet. In his stream he mentioned the Macheist deal which I had just purchased so I decided to reply and follow.

David Kernohan – is a JISC programme manager and was interested in what he had to say and was doing.

Neil Williams – was found via Steph Gray in this tweet. Neil was asking the following question:

What web 2.0 apps have you paid for and why? I’m writing a short blog post about it, and will blog the results.

I replied as follows:

Paid for Flickr, RTM (for iPhone), WordPress (for video), Gabcast.

Neil later blogged about paying for Web 2.0 apps. This follow demonstrates how what people do outside Twitter is important to my decision if I follow or not follow them.

Danny Nicholson – I followed as he replied direct to one of my Twitpics. I believe he was already following me, but as he had started a conversation, I decided to follow him. This is quite a key decision for me if I am to follow someone, do they want to talk and discuss.

John Cook – is someone I have worked with in the past and enjoy talking to at conferences about e-learning and stuff. When I found out he was on Twitter and following me,  I chose to follow him back.

Chuggington – Chuggington is a children’s TV series about trains, I mentioned it in a tweet, as a result Chuggington started to follow me. I followed them back as they are tweeting news about the programme and I know my son would be interested in what’s new.

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John Kirriemuir – Shri Footring amongst others were often in conversation with John so he got followed just because of their recommendation.

Ron Mitchell – I usually micro-blog with Ron on Jaiku, but with the ongoing issues on there, as soon as I noticed that he was following me on Twitter I followed him back.

There are many reasons that I follow people on Twitter, why do you follow people on Twitter?

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Podcast Break

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Apologies, for a variety of reasons I have been unable to record a podcast this week, so no new e-Learning Stuff Podcast this week. There may not be one next week (as it is Easter).

I am always looking for contributors to the podcast.

I usually use Skype, but can now take contributions by (normal) phone, so you don’t need Skype and I can call you on your phone.

Leave a message for me in the comments, contact me on Twitter or e-mail me.

video

Sanyo CA9 Video Camera

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Our new cameras arrived, after a bit of a delay, our Sanyo CA9 video cameras are now in the hands of our learners and staff.

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With a conventional digital camera or camcorder, many users are understandably reluctant to film or shoot in the rain or other wet environments, for the obvious fear of causing water damage to the camera. The VPC-CA9, however, has earned the highest possible IEC 60529 waterproof rating—IPX8—allowing users to capture high-definition (1280 x 720-pixel) 30 fps footage without worrying about the effects of water or snow. The VPC-CA9 is operable down to a water depth of 1.5 meters (5 feet).

We wanted a camera which could be used outside, up mountains, in the countryside, on sports fields, in workshops and in classrooms.

It takes MP4 video and JPG still images, which are saved to an SD card.

Should be fun and allow us to use video for assessment and on mobile devices much more easily than the traditional DV tape camcorders we have used in the past. Also the sheer number of them will remove many of the barriers to using video that happens when you have to “book” a camera, or share a small number of cameras amongst a large number of students.

I will post some images and video later.

Post first appeared on Shiny.

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Sony Camcorder with GPS

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hdr-tg5vI am really starting to see some of the real educational possibilities of GPS and location based learning. One of the key features of using images in location based learning is the ability to add geo-data the images and video taken by a camera.

Sony have announced a new HD Camcorder with GPS capabilities.

Perfect for travelers, this camcorder features a built-in GPS receiver that automatically adjusts your camcorder’s clock to the proper time zone and lets you view your current location on the LCD map display, as well as “tag” your shooting locations. You can view your tagged videos and pictures via the Map Index function or after you’ve downloaded them to your PC.

As with any HD camera, the technical specifications are pretty good.

Capture all the action on your next trip with this ultra-portable, titanium-bodied Handycam® camcorder. It features Full HD 1920 x 1080 video recording, 4MP still shots.

Sony have also moved to solid state media as well.

Record to 16GB embedded flash memory or choose instead to record to removable Memory Stick PRO Duo™ media

Overall an interesting camera, but does GPS add the value for what is still an expensive camera.

sony

Engineerlingly Small

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One of the nice things about my job and working on the MoLeNET programme is the fact that I can try out new pieces of equipment and wonder about their impact on our learners and learning.

I have written (and spoken) about the new breed of micro-laptops that surfaced last year starting wirth the Asus EeePC. Since then the number and type of micro-laptops have blossomed. So much so that the original 7″ Asus EeePC is now no longer available. Asus have improved upon their original concept and others have copied them. The Asus 901 for example has the same form factor as the first model, but now has a 8.9″ screen which does make a difference in how usable it is.

One micro-laptop which I did like was the HP 2133 which came with the bigger 8.9″ screen and importantly a 90% size keyboard. Though I liked the Asus EeePC the keybvoard was rather too small for me and I know others found it difficult to type large amounts of text on it. The HP 2133 was well suited to those who found the smaller micro-laptops too much of a microscopic size. However no point in recommending the HP 2133 as HP have decided to withdraw that model. Their replacement, the HP 2140 has a similar form factor to the 2133, included the nice keyboard, but now has a10.1″ screen. You have to ask is it a micro-laptop or is really no longer that form factor and more a subnotebook now?

One factor common to both of these was the linux operating system used instead of Windows. The Xandros on the Asus is very easy and simple to use, whilst the Suse Desktop OS used on the HP 2133 allowed more flexibiloity in installing software, not impossible on the Asus, just easier.

More recently I have been using a totallt different type of micro-laptop, the Sony VAIO P Series. In many ways this couldn’t be more different. It runs WIndows Vista. It has an 8″ (20.3cm) widescreen screen with a 1600×768 screen resolution. One aspect I do like about it is that it has a Apple’esque nearly full size keyboard which works for typiing for me. This blog entry for example was written on it.

Engineerlingly Small

As well as wireless and Bluetooth it also supports HDSPA. remove the battery insert your 3G SIM card and using a simple application, adjust the setrtings use the VAIO with a 3G connection without having to worry about plugging in a dongle or tethering to a phone as a modem.

It also looks like Sony have been listening to their customers and as well as a Memory Stick slot the VAIO also has a SD card slot. Considering how much use I now make of SD cards with cameras, mp3 recorders and sharing files, the SD card slot is very welcome.

The one thing which everyone comments on is the size and weight, it weighs very little and is only 24.5 by 12 cm.

Such a small device has to make compromises and the screen resolution and size means that some people may have difficulty with the Vista interface.

Battery life is pretty good and you can purchase an extended battery which will last twice as long. I am currently getting about 2 hours out of the standard battery.

So why wouldn’t everyone get one?

Well the price of course!

The VAIO UX1XN UMPC which came out in 2007 cost nerly £2000. The TX series of micro-laptops from Sony cost about £1400.

The P series is about £850 though you can spend more and get the model with the SSD drive. So for the price of one P series you could get three Auss EeePCs.

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