Category Archives: General

Finding the right app

Posted on by

Here are some sites/ apps that will help you find the best apps for your us in your personal life and in the classroom.

Discovr Apps – you write an app that you liek or a idea – mindmapping etc and then you get a diagram that floats and you click on the sub topics and drill down until you find the one you like. Available from the app store.

Appsfire deals – this is the app version of the hot deals we sign onto through email. It lists “hot deals for the say ” ie the ones that a free for the day. You can download apps for free try them out and see how you go. Have been told that when you update them – this is also free. One way of trying out apps without cost. They are not all education of course. Available on the App store

Appitic Website – want to find educational ipad apps that are listed either via blooms taxonomy, NETS students standards, themes etc GO to this gem of a site. http://www.appitic.com/

Scooptit – Recommended ipad apps curated site giving you ipads apps…

 

Who’s watching WHO

Posted on by

Came across a firefox plugin on the weekend that is a bit scary. An plug in is a little app that joins with your browser in this case Firefox and does things – easy way to tag photos for sites like flickr, record information, click and search etc. In this case Collusion is a plug in that tracks who is following your activity on the web.

We know that when we search for Turkey and flights on the web – suddenly you get adds in facebook or your searches. Many times this is great – I like that it sometimes know what I want. Sharing information when you know it is being given then that is okay – the background bots can  suggest books, movies for me . BUT come Behavioural tracking.

Watch this 6 minute TED talks which will give you some insight. NOT that we can really do much about it – but make you think about what information you are giving away either voluntarily or involuntarily.

My collusion map after about 2 hours on net looked like this…and I only went to about 1/3 of these sites. ( blue ones I went to – others – no idea they were tracking me)

Collusion mapping

 

off to the Master Class conference

Posted on by

This conference looks really exciting. Looking forward to finding out about ibooks. Is this the way of the future.

No need to cut down trees for the papaer. We can constantly update new information with the ibook.

Do we need editors? Do we need publishers?

Are we transitioning to a time when the individual can publish their ideas, thoughts and theories and receive acknowledgement for it?

The use of ibooks will revolutionise education in the 21st C.  easy to access,  immediate access and updated constantly

Conference Day 2

Posted on by

hugely disappointing opening keynote from James Dalziel of Macquarie Uni on sharing elearning ideas. The content itself is valid and certainly from it I will remember the thought that if we wait until the tension between school operating networks and the latest innovations in education dies down, we will be waiting forever. However it was basically a long winded Uni lecture backed up with basic black and White PowerPoint. This from an internationally recognised innovator in eLearning.

Today I will do a workshop on GarageBand and Sibelius 7(both tools operated by our own music department), I’ll also take part in hands on sessions about iPads and iPods. I’m most looking forward to a student panel working with a roomful of educators to enlighten us as to what they feel is best practice. I can’t wait.

As a side thought – I’m here on a conference to look at innovative learning. On the way into the lecture theatre I passed three classrooms. Each one had boys sitting silently behind a desk typing notes onto a laptop. The teacher a the front was writing on a whiteboard with his back to the class whilst talking. I realise this was just a tiny snapshot of classroom practice but it certainly gave me something to think about.

One week out

Posted on by

So…we’re one week out from the QLD conference – three days discussing ICT in education with a cohort of people who will probably all know more about this than I do. I’m spending this week (when I’m not doing exams and reports) trying to distil my educational philosophy down to a few unshakeable core beliefs that I can hold on to in the deluge of new information that will come my way. So……here goes.