Monthly Archives: September 2009

Sep 11 2009

links for 2009-09-10

Sep 10 2009

Didn’t see this one coming…

…but I like it.  In my list of things that I hoped to see in version 9 of iTunes, I never thought about iPod Touch / iPhone management.  But, upon exploring, I realize that someone was thinking about what was necessary. I didn’t imagine these enhancements so it’s always nice to be blind sided.

In my case, I’m an application hog.  I just love browsing the app store looking for something new to download and put on my machine.  Over time, it does add up.

In the new iTunes, there’s actually a management utility that makes keeping yourself organized handy and from the desktop itself.  Normally, if the mood hits, I’m organizing and arranging applications to screens by hand.  There’s something strangely attractive about the shaking icons.  No more…I can arrange and sync applications right from iTunes.

I’m guessing that I’m not the only one with this problem.  Better controls and arrangements and just what to sync are now a feature of iTunes.

Synchronizing my iPod also solve a problem for me.  For the longest time, there was an indication that there was one application that needed updating.  I couldn’t find it.  I tried synching through iTunes and through the App Store and it was still there.  I had actually given up because I just couldn’t find the bad actor.  After installing this version, I was able to identify the application and, with the help of the explicity update button, the deed was done.

Looking around, it’s interesting to notice a tab devoted to iTunes U for those who take their learning seriously.  For me, this was an underused option in the past.  Now that it’s in my face, I may get serious about it.

There will be more revelations, I’m sure, as time progresses.  I’m liking what I see so far.

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Sep 10 2009

links for 2009-09-09

Sep 9 2009

What I’d Like

Things are gearing up at Apple for another show highlighting the latest from the big computer company.  At 1pm, the latest tantalizing offerings will be on display.  If you’ve been following things online, there are lots of speculations about what and who will be the focus of the show.  We’ll see later on today.  Will 09/09/09 be a life style changing event?

Lots of folks are guessing.  According to the NYTimes, it’s going to be all about the music.  Lots of information flying around about the Beatles and a relationship there.  This could be good.  Interestingly, the promo includes a song title from the Rolling Stones.

Interestingly, Snow Leopard was released in advance of the show so perhaps the folks that think that it’s an underwhelming upgrade could be right.

I’m reading a great deal about new iPods.  So, perhaps my iPod Touch will be obsolete come tomorrow.  Lots of conspiracy theories are flying on Twitter indicating a price cut on current models.  An 8GB model for $199.  Sigh.  Supposedly leaks have indicated that new cases with room for a camera have been made.

There’s a couple of things that I’d really like to see though.

First, how about Bluetooth earphones?  This company gave us white earphones and you see them everywhere.  It was brilliance in marketing and you see them everywhere.  It inspirated competitors to come up with better products.  Wear a pair of these and you’ll see what I mean.  But, the cables still get in the way when jogging or biking.

The thing that I’m most excited about is the hint that iTunes 9 will be shown.  iTunes is the lifeline between you, your computer, your portable device and Apple.  I’ve never found the interface all that intuitive and like the web it just gets bigger and bigger.  There is a portion of the store that I’d really think I would use but haven’t.  That area is the TV and movies section.  There’s lots there that I’d like to use on a regular basis.  Why am I not?  Simply, it’s the size of these things.

I suspect that I’m like most people and work daily to keep my hard drive at 20% free so that my OS has some head room.  My iPod Touch needs some maintenance to satisfy my lust for new applications and a refresh of music to go periodically.  There just isn’t the amount of room that would allow me to become a digital movie collector.  I could probably budget hard drive space for one movie at a time.  The option to rent is intriguing but a good movie needs to be played over and over.

What would really appeal to me is to have iTunes with a cloud component.  Let me buy my favourite movie but give me the rights to it to download it on demand for play on my computer or iPod.  I’m just not into carrying around a TB drive in my computer case, but I’d be more than willing to get into this area of entertainment if it was just up in the cloud somewhere so that I could snag it before going on a car trip or on an airplane.

Speculation is also flying about whether Steve Jobs will be there.  I hope so.  It will be great to see this visionary front and centre again.

So, who knows what we’ll see today?  It’s always interesting to speculate and see.

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Sep 9 2009

links for 2009-09-08

Sep 8 2009

September 2009 GEC Computers in the Classroom

Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year. It was a cool summer and we missed out on much of the hot, sweltering weather. I never thought that I’d miss it but I did. It’s also unique having two days of school before Labour Day, but here we are.

In the Program Department, things have changed as well. With the retirement of Dr. Lynn, we have a new Superintendent in Dr. Clara Howitt. Dr. Howitt returns to the responsibility of Curriculum and Program and she’s wished well with this huge portfolio.

It was with a mixture of sadness and happiness that Ann Dresser left us as well for retirement. I wish her and Mike Lilley, her successor all the best.

As you return to your classroom, you’ll notice some changes in technology. Older computers have been retired and brand new shiny and faster ones are in their place. We all wish that we could have replaced more but we do need to function within our financial reality and the direction set by Technology Council.

There will be some really exciting opportunities as the school year proceeds. Faster internet connections, better school connectivity and increased access to wireless networking should result in increased potential in the classroom. Additional SMARTBoard purchases adds increased availability of this technology.

On the networks, in addition to our standard favourites, there are new titles licensed by the Ministry of Education.

Comic Life – Comic Life expands what can be done with digital photos. With a comprehensive set of features, Comic Life provides numerous ways to liven up holiday snaps, tell a story, and create how-to guides.

Adobe Premiere Elements 7- Get started quickly with all your video clips at your fingertips and a variety of new automated options for transforming them into polished movies. Create polished movies with no effort using creative techniques from Hollywood directors.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 – Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 7.0 software combines power and simplicity so you can do more with your photos. Instantly fix flaws or adjust color and lighting with new advanced controls.

Mathville 1 – This popular web-based primary mathematics program had its licensed extended. The application is also available for students to access from home so make sure to share the login and password.

CDX Automotive Resource Kit Plus – Five Windows content DVDs of CDX Automotive Resource Kit Plus (2008). This is a huge collection of resources that make teaching certificate-level automotive technicians faster and more effective.

Plus, there’s another title that hasn’t been announced publically yet as having a provincial license. However, Colin James at Parkview and Aaron St. Louis from Hugh Beaton did some testing of the product for OSAPAC and so have a head start on the rest of us.

There are worlds of opportunity for Greater Essex County students this year. Support for curriculum implementation through your CIESC (Computers in Education School Contact) and myself is always available. Check out BookIT as well for on-going professional development sessions.

All the best for a successful year.

You can read the complete newsletter at:  http://www.gecdsb.on.ca/d&g/sep09/

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Sep 8 2009

links for 2009-09-07

Sep 7 2009

Where Collaboration Goes to Die

Over the weekend, I was looking to enhance and expand my knowledge on a particular topic and my searching lead me to a wiki created to share the resource.  Great, I thought.  I’ve got some content to offer already and I’d be happy to exchange it and help grow the wiki.

But, I couldn’t.  The wiki was “locked’.

What the heck?

I’m starting to run into more of this in the research that I’m doing recently.  I recall a comment that went by earlier this summer “PDFs are where ideas go to die”.  PDF is a format that basically sends the message that the topic is done, over, kaput, finished, and the author has had the last say.

A locked wiki sends the same, or even harsher, message.  At least when you know that you’re going to look at a PDF document, you know what you’re getting.  By definition, a wiki is a collaboration space where the topic or resource gets better because of the collaboration of others.  When I go to visit a wiki that’s publically available, it is with the expectation that I’m going to be the benefactor of the collective knowledge of many folks.

But, what about people defacing or providing inaccurate content?  The power of the wiki is its ability to let the owner or management team know when something has changed.  Another powerful feature is the ability to roll back the wiki to a previous version should something go awry.

If you’re interested in locking down content, why not pretty it up and turn it into a webpage?  There are plenty of free places to post static content if price is an issue.  If you’re going to use a wiki, I would encourage all to exploit the power of the wiki.  It only takes a couple of clicks…here’s what it looks like at my PBWiki settings.

If you’re using a wiki publically, you’re at the edge of something very powerful.  Invite the world to make your efforts better.  Don’t let collaboration die at your place!
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Sep 7 2009

links for 2009-09-06

Sep 6 2009

An Interesting Mix – Now with More Technology than Ever

One of our favourite Labour Day Weekend activities is to spend a day at the Harrow Fair and this year was no exception.  I had blogged earlier about supporting those in the agricultural industry as they celebrate all that they do.  So, true to my word, we headed east to the village of Harrow to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells.

You pack money to go to these events as you’ll find food and activities there that are unique to these sorts of event.  One thing I didn’t pack was my Blackberry or a camera.  I just wanted to enjoy the event as it was originally intended.  Perhaps I was adversely affected after having read this article.

So, we got there and began our wander around.  If you’ve never been to an agricultural fair, you really need to go and appreciate all that is on display.  We really enjoy going through the exhibition areas were local people vie for honours in the best peach pie, photography, quilting, colourful apple displays, or floral arrangement categories.  Folks take these seriously.  While there are people that enter in every category, it’s amazing to see the variety of names and locations from the exhibitors.

The next stop is the display of animals.  I found an interesting sign over the Holstein display indicating that there are only 13 dairy farm owners in Essex County.  I’ve got to dig into that.  I find that fact amazing.  Then, it’s on to poultry and birds.  Chickens and pigeons, right?  Hah!  There’s a huge area of the hall devoted to the display that is stacked 3-4 layers in places.  I get the annual story of my wife’s raising of Banty hens in her days on the farm.  Aw, you never get tired of hearing that story.

We were fortunate enough to be there during the swine auction.  Here beats the heart of the agricultural community.  You have the best to offer being auctioned, farmers talking details about what you’re seeing, 4H members with canes directing the animal around the ring for all to see, and the verbal skill of the auctioneer.  While we were ring-side, we saw one go for $2.12 and donated to the local food bank.

Then, it’s off to the midway to watch kids take rides on equipment that has most assuredly been around for quite a number of years.  Kids, big and small, hop on trains and strawberry cups and ferris wheels for a two minute bit of excitement.  No Whack-A-Mole this year, but there was a Whack-A-Mouse.  Copyright infringement?

Finally, it’s off to the “deep-fried” section.  Funnel cakes, French fries, Deep fried perch, pogo sticks, and more are hits with everyone there.  I wonder if they will jog off those extra calories on the way home?

Amidst this trip to enjoy traditional values, I felt out of place without my technology.  The photography exhibit had entries that were digitally enhanced; at the swine ring pictures were being taken of exhibitor and exhibit with cell phones, people were strolling down the midway texting to others (maybe even at another part of the fair?); there were hand washing sanitizers everywhere near the livestock area; the new equipment featured the latest in high tech functionality and hybrid energy consumption; and kids were walking around with the new implementation of using their mp3 devices – one ear bud in and the other out.

Even the vendors retailing the magnetic bracelets had high technology research reports about how effective their devices are in curing an ever increasing list of maladies.

Sadly, Bossy Bingo was cancelled.  It wasn’t for health reasons; it had to do with something with the Gaming Commission.  Do cows cheat?  Are they getting on the technology bandwagon and using GPS to navigate the grid?

Finally, there’s the grandstand for the musical event.  Bleachers and seats?  Hah!  How about bales of straw and bring your own lawn chair?

Where else can you get all this enjoyment for an admission price of seven bucks?  The local fair, where else?  Visit one before it makes the next list of things killed by the internet. As for the Harrow Fair, this is its 155th year.  I’m guessing that they’ll take on the internet and continue to embrace the technology to the benefit of us all.

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