iPad replaces paper, not laptops (from Inside Higher Ed).

http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2010/07/12/golub

This was a good read. In a nutshell:

“The crucial question for academics is: What in our current arsenal will the iPad replace? After using the device, the answer surprised me: the iPad makes a lousy computer replacement, but it does a great job of replacing paper.”

The author Alex Golub also discusses the potential for the iPad and iTunes to revolutionalise access to journal articles that we currently rely on our uni’s library to supply, and make it much easier to just get the articles we want (as opposed to the piles of stuff the publishers bundle in to the subscriptions that we never want to wade through, but have to, to get to the stuff we want.)

digital voice recorder

olympus dvr CC Hickey 08obviously not a ‘new’ technology, but if I had to name the one techi thing that changed life in my corner  it was the nifty usb recorder I started using five years ago…. what it means in practice is that the linguistically vulnerable student seeking advice about their writing (those using English as an additional language, for example) can instantly get a copy of the consultation (no cables, just pull it apart, stick it in their laptop) which they can listen to repeatedly at their own pace, and thereby  learn so much more than from a single exposure which they may or may not well recall when back at their desk trying to put into practice the pearls of linguistic wisdom showered upon them… their feedback assures me this was the best investment for teaching I ever made…

Flip video camera

I’ve borrowed a Flip high-definition camera and am experimenting with it. I took a few short clips on wednesday, then down-loaded them quickly and easily onto iPhoto on my mac at home. From there it was a drag and drop into iMovie.

The Flip has a pop-out USB connection, so the whole device plugs into the computer like a large, shiny silver USB key. And the interface is so easy to use, only 4 buttons, can’t go wrong. I like!

MicroHD Camcorder Experience on the PC

Flipshare experience on a PC
A auto graphic comes up for flipShare, suggesting it be installed. I do so by using the exe to install. Then computer needs a reboot.

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Videos on the camera automatically pop up when application is launched and device is plugged in. Software seems easy to use with some very basic editing tools (movie creator).

Exports simply and easily to Movie Clip format (playable in most media players).

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The program (FlipShare) doesn’t appear to have any editing tools for editing the actual clips. However it does have a ‘Movie’ function, which allows the user to string clips together to make a movie then export, or burn to DVD (with some simple DVD authoring options).

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Creating my own channel.
Add my details… the email it was meant to send me with the details of my channel never arrived.

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But I do like the instant sharing options!

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Brainstorming eLearning tech innovations with John

I ducked over to the Innovation Campus for lunch with John Glynn, head of the Business School. We talked blogs and collaboration spaces for communities of students, mobile applications and competitive advantage, case and role-based learning and e-simulations, alumni blogs and videos, and busted a few subtly racist myths of international student habits.

I feel the spirit of innovation growing on campus, and it’s a great place to be.

How to use the New UOW CISCO phones to set up an audio conference

I’ve had to learn this in the last 24 hours, thought you might be interested to know how it can be done from your office and from the Mountain Room unit. (Thanks Scott for the lesson.) Regards, Sarah

How to Audio conference (2+ participants) from your new CISCO IP phone, using hands-free mode (so you can have more than one person in the conference at your end.)

1. Use the keypad to type in the phone number of the first person you want to dial in to the conference. Press the “dial” button (see 1st photo). It rings them hands-free. Greet your caller and ask them to hold while you dial in extra participants.
2. Press the “more” button on your phone, just under the digital display pad, then press the “Confrn” button – this is short for “Conference” (see 2nd photo).
3. Use the keypad to type in the phone number of the next person – it will then dial them. Greet your next caller and tell them to hold while you add them to the conference. Press the “Confrn” button again to add them to the audio conference. Their phone number will be added below the first in a listing of participants on your digital display.
4. To add additional users repeat steps 2 and 3.

How to Audio conference (2+ participants) from your new CISCO IP phone, without speaker phone (ie you are the only participant in the conference from your end.)

1. Pick up the phone handset. Dial the phone number of the first person you want to dial in to the conference. Greet your caller and ask them to hold while you dial in extra participants.
2. Press the “more” button on your phone, just under the digitial display pad, then press the “Confrn” button – this is short for “Conference” (see 2nd photo).
3. Use the keypad to type in the phone number of the next person – it will then dial them. Greet your next caller and tell them to hold while you add them to the conference. Press the “Confrn” button again to add them to the audio conference. Their phone number will be added below the first in a listing of participants on your digital display.
4. To add additional users repeat steps 2 and 3.

Photo 1
VOIP_phone1

Photo 2
VOIP_phone2

Smart boards are coming soon to a lecture room near you

I like the fact that the board is so big you can use your whole arm to operate the huge scroll-bars and pulldown menus from the projected computer image. It gets you out from behind the lecturn more. You can stay out front and more in touch with your audience until you need to go back to keyboard on lecturn to type any text into a dialogue box or form.

The Ultimate iPhone Dock?

At the moment I don’t have a dock for my iPhone, while it is not essential that I have one, I still want one! I have come across some really geeky ones, sleek ones and multifunctional ones.

I just found this one and had to share it.

This one was made entirely from cutlery which is pretty cool, I found it here.

Last year we tried this one in the office, which was not only a holder but a more functional dock charger, speaker and light. Never again.

The product was faulty, we end up sending it back. When they tested similar models and other units they also found them to be faulty. The speakers buzzed at all volumes of sound and there was some red goo inside the light bulb bracket. Suggestion – try it out before you leave the shop!

So for all the iPhone users which docks do you use? Or what ones have you seen that work well?

Yelling at my car stereo

I recently bought a new car stereo and CD player, and wooed by the blurb on the box, bought one with blutooth capability for hands free mobile phone calls (have iPhone, so that should work) as well as wireless playing songs from my iPhone.

The latter works so well but occasionally freaks me out by switching itself on and playing a random choice of songs all by itself. I don’t know what kind of settings I’ve got on, but I swear, I get in the car and the next thing I know is that John Mayer or Pink or Pantera or my sons incomprehensible Spanish death-metal come blaring out of the car speakers.

But as a hands-free car kit, it’s a dead loss. I can hear my caller brilliantly, but they can barely hear me so I spend the call yelling at my stereo. I’m not even sure that there’s a microphone in the stereo, so them I try yelling at the iPhone (does it use it’s microphone to pick up what I’m saying????? Dunno, the instructions booklet left me none the wiser.)

End result, tire of yelling very quickly and purchase a “real” hands free car-kit. It’s a Contour, and it clips to your sun-visor. It has a microphone on the end of a little swing out boom, so you can point it towards your mouth, and also volume control.

And what really gets me, is although it comes with a charger (obviously runs off a battery), I’ve only had to charge it up once in nearly 6 months!! How come??? I know I may only use it 3 or 4 times a week, but still, pretty amazing battery power.