• There seems to be no ability to multi-task. I would not be able to read a book and listen to music
• This seems like a machine for consumption of material, not creating material. There are very limited inputs (no camera, no microphone, no USB expansion for keyboard, memory card readers, etc).

There are a number of other features I would like to see added in future models (GPS and the ability to manage in a school setting) before I think that they will be ready for K-12 education.  At this point, the iPad is a continuation of the iPod Touch, iPhone line of development. There is nothing transformative in this first generation announcement. It will be interesting to see what ships in March. I would get one, only if my iPod crashes and I need a new one.

But I do not think that I am the target market. The target market, I believe, is 18 – 25 year olds who have grown up with the resurgence of Apple Computer. Slap a white Apple sticker on a bag of crap and have Steve Jobs introduce it while wearing the trademark black turtleneck and jeans, and you have a buzz worthy product for this market of students who have grown up lusting after iPods during their youth, iPhones while in high school, and MacBooks. The target for this device is students who want/need:

• eBook readers – including potentially the textbook market. This would be a huge seller, especially if one could purchase books by chapter and it does give the ability to add multi-media. Especially if one could highlight and annotate their own passages, which would make it better than Amazon’s Kindle, Barnes and Noble’s Nook, or Sony’s eReader.
• A Media watching devices – more and more young adults are consuming their media (television and movies) via their computer. By connecting this device to Hulu or getting the ability to download from Netflix on Demand will enable them to be able to consume their material. The one problem is that the current configuration only has a 4:3 aspect ratio and not the 16:9 ratio of the new HD systems, but this may be corrected in future revisions.
• Newspaper and Magazine delivery – this industry is dying and the ability to connect in new ways, using a model similar to the Sporting News or what they were showing with the New York Times. This may save the industry
• Gaming systems – one of the interesting demos during the presentation and largest markets for the iPhone/iTouch is gaming. This presents the opportunity to create a Wii like handheld gaming console (that allows you to listen to music, read books, watch TV) with its compass and multi-touch screen.

Apple has made mistakes in the past. In 1998, Apple released the eMate 300, a tablet netbook, which failed since it was introduced too son. (see my post, What’s the Buzz – http://vvrotny.org/2010/01/26/whats-the-buzz-tell-me-whats-happening-pt-1/). Elegant ideas do not always translate into commercial success. The iPad is really a version of Alan Kay’s DynaBook, first shared in 1968 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynabook).  The Dynabook did have its roots in the theories of progressive educators Seymour Papert and Jean Piaget. The iPad is the first realization of Kay’s concepts.

What we have to remember is that first generation products are only the beginning. The original Macintosh was labeled a mere toy. It was limited in the memory that it had and did not have the ability to add a hard drive or easily add memory. It wasn’t until a year later when Aldus PageMaker and the LaserPrinter were released that this product began to demonstrate what it was capable of.

The original iPods were limited in their functionality. As the product matured and new iterations were developed, it added color and the ability to play video. 3rd Party vendors began to make items, including a microphone that allowed your iPod to not only play, but also record mp3s, sparking a podcasting boom. It shrank and now includes a video camera in its Nano line and has introduced its iTouch cousin, which now has the ability to run apps. When introduced, no one thought that playing video and capturing where possible, this was a music player.

When the original iPhone was released, it had a limited set of application available. Real development didn’t occur until Apple allowed to develop new apps via distribution in an App Store and release of the programming specifications one year later, Since, the focus and buzz around the iPhone is now centered around the creative teams who are creating new uses and functionality for the systems.

So this now leaves us back with the iPad. It is a first generation product which has been announced and not released. Given Apple’s current trend, it will grow and develop in the scope of its capabilities. There will be several developments which are not anticipated or foreseen at this point in time. Where it will go remains to be seen. The future does look optimistic.

And were does that leave me. Pre-announcement, I was hoping that the device would have more tablet computer like functionality. I was all set to run out and get one ASAP. Now that I have seen this, I am leaning toward getting the entry level, device for testing and potential development of apps. It will not replace my iPod or computer, but I want to test it out.

This is the third year that I will not be able to physically attend. During the first year, I was unable to attend primarily due to my obligations to my family. We were just coming out of dealing with a major medical crisis that I did not anticipate. Last year and this year, I have become active in the leadership of our local chapter of the Illinois Computer Educators, the Northern Illinois chapter. For the past 20 years, NICE has put on a really great mini-conference which has conflicted with the dates of EduCon. This year’s mini-conference promises to be special, as 200+ educators will be attending our half day event with presentation by many great educators, including Steve Dembo, Scott Meech, and Nadine Norris.

While I would love to catch and ride the buzz being in Philadelphia, I am at peace with the fact I will be attending once again, virtually. Thanks previously to the efforts of Chris Lehmann  who tried to uStream all of the events and this year to Chris and Steve Hargadon for helping to set up Elluminate rooms for all 76  of the conversions so that I can participate from my home on this cold and frigid weekend. I enjoy being able to capture a bit of the excitement while not getting consumed by the swirl of activity. Not perfect, but it allows me to maintain balance.

One outcome that I would love to see from the conversation at this years EduCon is how to spread the word so that more people are encouraged to participate. My fear with this conference and many others which occur within the twittersphere/edubloggersphere is that these ideas are shared within an echo chamber. We need to encourage new individuals to be comfortable enough to participate and we need to spread the ideas outside of this small cluster in order to begin to shift education in many of the ways which will be discussed this weekend. I am not sure how to do this, but I feel that it is important that we try, lest we burn out.

See you this weekend. I look forward to it.

Don’t you try to think ahead?

Save tomorrow for tomorrow, think about today instead.

What’s the buzz, tell me what is happening

I could give you facts and figures. Even give you plans and forecasts

from What’s the Buzz, Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Weber  and Tim Rice

It is already a trending topic. There are more conversations and rumors swirling about the announcement that is going to be made tomorrow, at 12:00 noon CST ( – 6:00 GMT). Just like 26 years ago, everyone is whipping  themselves into a lather, hanging onto the idea that tomorrow,  on January 27, 2010, we are going to find out why 2010 will not be like 2010 anymore.1 I can imagine how Steve Jobs will walk up on stage and make the announcement and demonstrate Apple’s “newest creation”. Like the original Macintosh commercial, the Apple lemmings will march along to queue up and wait for the newest device.

Now that does not mean that I won’t be excited or will be interested in obtaining this new device, especially if this is the long rumored Apple Tablet, Apple iSlate, or whatever they choose to call it. In fact, if it is, I will break my usual habit  of waiting until the second generation of a new technology to get this device. Because of existing contracts and coverage area, I have not gotten on the iPhone bandwagon, although the rest of my family each has their own iPod Touch. Me, I have been dealing with my used 3rd generation 30 Gb video iPod for a few years . This device may be revolutionary and may transform education, but the transformation will take time, it will not be instantaneous.

Why do I feel this way? For one thing, we have all been down this road before with a variety of new initiatives.  SMARTBoards are going to transform teaching (1998). 1-to-1 Laptop programs are going to transform the classroom (1996). Palm handhelds are going to provide the mobility and create an equity of access (1996). All of these innovation in the hands of individuals made significant impacts in individual classrooms. But these products did not  scale to the level that many initially predicted, with the exception ofsome schools using a 1-to-1 Laptop model. Even when successful, these transformations have  taken more time than we first hope and believe.  We are still waiting for systemic transformation using any of these paths. I am seeing a growth in the potential of using iTouchs in the classroom, but again, this is still an emergent technology with potential and has not been successfully wide scale implementation over time in a sustainable fashion.

Apple has been down this road before too. They introduced innovative products that were not ready for adoption by the masses and then subsequently dropped. One only needs to remember back to the Newton (1993) which at its introduction was intended to be a complete reinvention of the personal computing paradigm. (I really cannot wait to hear if we hear this repeated 17 years later). There were plans and models of this technology on the drawing board and in 1997, Apple introduced its new under $700 ($699.95) personal computer based on this technology, the eMate 300. This system was rugged, had a smaller keyboard and stylus, built in applications for word processing, spreadsheets, and communications. It has 4 Mb of flash memory (state of the art at that time) that would instantly turn on and back-lighting that would turn on and off, and a battery which would get 10 – 12 hours per charge. It was everything that a user currently now desires when looking for a netbook, or other computing device with the exception of more memory which is now more widely available in larger capacities. Thank you Gordon Moore and the engineers and chip designers who have made this possible.

The eMate was a dynamite product with so much potential. Apple released the technology that could have cornered the educational market and fulfilled the promise of the Newton technology. So why didn’t this device take the world by storm? Most importantly, because the wireless Internet we are beginning to take for granted did not exist. These products were mainly individual computers. The system was not open, individuals could not create new applications for use in these systems, like the current iPhones and iTouchs.  Without a strong developer core and a way to browse the emerging web at the time, the product was doomed. Apple was also reeling as a company, trying to stay solvent enough to stay in business without being sold. It was in this same year the Steve Jobs returned to an Apple Computer to salvage the company and to focus on its core product line, the Macintosh that enabled Apple to become more of a consumer media company, via its introduction of the iPod, iTunes, and the iPhone.

So like many, I will be eagerly anticipating the new announcement. I will be interested to see what emerges and look forward to how this device may transform personal computing. I will be wary, however, once burned by my excitement over the potential of the eMate. I realize that the web and wireless connectivity have matured and may allow the “newest creation” the opportunity to grow and even survive. As for revolutionizing personal computing and education, again, it comes down to creative teachers finding creative ways to implement the tool. It will take a savvy Director of Technology and their team to create the environment and the plan to be able to scale this into a building wide, district wide, or state wide success. We will all need to be patient and let the product grow. This product should be allowed to grow and fill the new niches, some of which we may not be able to identify. We need to be ready to think outside of the box and let this product grow in new directions.

And yes, I will be one of those in line to get my hands on this new product.

Notes

1 – For many of you who are too young to remember the buzz around the introduction of the original Macintosh computer, during the Super Bowl, a commercial which has been seen only 1 time in its entirety aired. Directed by Ridley Scott, this commercial which aired January 22, 1984 alluded to George Orwell’s novel 1984. The ending tagline on this commercial, was on January 24th (1984 – nearly 26 years to the day of the announcement), we were going to find out why 1984 was not going to be like 1984.

Photo Credits:

Apple eMate 300 – by joewk (http://www.flickr.com/photos/59639680@N00/2901093053)

Apple Macintosh commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYecfV3ubP8)

During our brainstorming, I showed him VoiceThread, which I believed would meet 85% of his original goals. After playing with an example project, Frank enthusiastically embraced VoiceThread to use for his assessment. For this, students had to create their reflection (2 minutes or less) and find one image that they thought best represented their idea. Students were asked to add their image and record their comment, either via text or voice.

For the most part, the students were easily able to complete this assignment. As usual, there were a few glitches, but Frank has begun to brainstorm new ways to incorporate VoiceThread into projects which will occur later in the year.

It is with his permission that I share the VoiceThread which was created for this project. I hope that you enjoy.

This system works by pulling a “puck” which connects to the video out port of your computer system. By hitting the puck, you can select your screen’s display to appear on the large monitor. We tested this system with a Tablet PC, Macintosh, and PC laptop. It worked seamlessly.

Last Wednesday, I took the opportunity to work with three seniors and the Steelcase media:scape demonstration unit set up in one of our large conference rooms. To a person, each of the students thought that the system was “cool”. They were so impressed that they wanted to continue to work with it Thursday and Friday. I asked each of the students to share how they thought this system could have been used to enhance their educational experience at North Shore. Here are some of the replies that I got:

Quick exchange of evidence during a debate, such as the ones held in US History, AP US History, and International Relations
Switching between PowerPoint Presentations in multiple classes
For showing graphs and working equations for Math class
Using a tablet to write and share notes
Quickly change between videos on different student’s computer for the documentary presentation, such as done in English 11
Compiling student’s research data
For teachers to see what their students are working on.
White board presentations for Physics
StoryCorps presentations for US History
For showing strategy as a coach to team members

Additionally, I believe that it could be used to:

For working on a shared Google Document so that eveyone can see on a larger screen
For brainstorming project ideas and presentations, like are done in the 9th Grade Service Learning Projects in English and History
To facilitate group work on a project such as the Google Earth/Explorers Project
Culminating group research project which is currently undertaken in the Freshman Seminar class.

Additional thoughts on where these systems may be helpful and we may want to seed their use would be:

In the Learning Specialists spaces.  It would benefit our learning specialist to be able to pop up an individuals computer screen on the larger display, while working with groups of students. Also, there are times in which they are working with students on a same project, so it may be beneficial for students to learn from each other at the same time.

I can also see this as being beneficial to place in our library. Our library is becoming a hub for classes of Middle School and High School classes working on group projects. Most of these projects do have a computer component. Just today, the seventh grade was working on a textbook chapter, in groups of four, sharing research. Working together on a unit such as this would have encouraged a new way to exchange ideas.

With the new space, there is planned to be a cafe-like space. I am hoping that I can move my office to the middle of this cafe, with one of these units, as my primary workspace. This would provide the opportunity for teachers and students who are having problems, to connect to the system and “puck” their display up, so that it can be more easily seen by the group and that we can troubleshoot.

I think that the benefits of this system are great. Like all other emerging technologies, it may be beneficial to strategically seed these systems in some places and drive some early adopters to use them. Once others begin to see the benefit of these systems, it will help drive demand of these systems.

Yesterday, while working at home, a realization crystallized for me. For 80% of what I do, I am working within two applications, my web browser and a twitter client. Nothing more, nothing less. This has occurred more significantly since we migrated to Google Apps for Education.

Occasionally, I will also use other applications. I do use a podcast client, Juice, connected to my iTunes library to fill my iPod with content. I do use Adobe PhotoShop once in awhile for photo manipulation. I use Audacity for audio editing. And yes, I am not able to break my Microsoft Office habit to do fine tuning of material I create in Google Apps. I still think that the formatting in Microsoft Office is far superior. But I am an advanced Office User, I have created several documents with multiple sections, glossaries, and other higher tools and have done significant data manipulation in Excel. But I am opening these applications less and less.

As I am due for a new system next fall, it begs the question, what type of system do I really need? Obviously, one with Internet connection and enough data storage for my audio, video, and pictures, but beyond that, I really don’t need much more. I am thinking that a netbook, or similar product, would enable me to do 90% of what I want to do. All I really need is a web browser to access email, Google Apps, iTunes, a podcatcher, an RSS reader, and access to web streaming to watch videos or an occasional television show. That’s all.

What about the other 10%? This could easily be solved by shared access to specialized systems to do the higher level work using more specialized software. That’s all.

It makes me wonder, if these Apple iSlate rumors are true, then I may be able to migrate to this device for 90% of my work. Hmm…

Addedum – after writing this, I “stumbled upon” the Kindle App for PC. The iPhone/iTouch versions of the software are already available. the Macintosh version is promised. Hmm… More thought for thinking, further cementing my ideas.

Over the past three months, I have begun ten blog posts, which I deemed as not ready for sharing. These reflections are still important. Since we have the luxury of time via Winter Break, at least for the remainder of the week, I will be revisiting these posts, finishing them, and sharing the best of them.

I also plan on taking more time for me as part of my New Year’s resolutions, which includes exercise and reflection.

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season and I look forward to sharing with those of you who might still stumble upon this site.

At noon, the following email message was sent to our high school faculty:

As expected, it was an interesting experience. What I share next is my reflections on the experience this morning with our high school faculty:

I first want to thank your willingness to try something different during yesterdays faculty meeting. I also want to apologize for the length of this email. I feel that it is important to share my reflections and reactions to the experience we shared yesterday.

I do feel that the experience was successful for many reasons, including:

Exposure to the Flip Cameras. The opening comments were recorded using one of the Flip Cameras and tripods that we now have available for checkout in the library. If you are unfamiliar with these cameras, these cameras are low cost, small (the size of a deck of cards) cameras which will shoot up to 120 minutes of video using AA batteries. While not capable of high quality video, for many of our student projects they are sufficient enough to record and upload to YouTube, TeacherTube, Moodle, or VoiceThread. (Please see Sharon Minnoch if you want more information)

The introduction of the Chat activity of Moodle. This module allows for a group of students to have a synchronous (at the same time) conversation. Some of our teachershave used this module with some success in their Bio-Psych course in the past. This is in addition to the Chat capabilities available in our Google Applications for Education. The Google chat, however, is capable of maintaining a 1 to 1 conversation.

Your ability to access Moodle and Google Applications. It is helpful to know that you can access and utilize these tools, since they may be a large part of a strategy that you use to deal with long term absence and closure, but also as a strategy to supplement your face to face teaching environment.

We also learned that there are several areas that need further reflection and development. These include:

The changes in how voices are perceived in an online environment. Many of you found the chat environment disorienting. This is because it different than the classroom discussion model that many of you are employing during your synchronous, face to face classes. In a chat room, the power of thought is democratized. The side comment, which may be directed at one individual and shared in hushed tones in a live conversation, seems to have the same weight as the one which is on point. The rules of order that exist in a classroom environment, the fact that I wait my turn to speak until the current person is done, that I raise my hand, that I can nod and use physical gestures, like nodding in agreement or disagreement disappear when working in an environment where we cannot see each other. Rules for behavior in this environment have to be established and cultivated. Having both taught and participated in many online experiences, these behaviors canemerge over time and experience, the same way that they can in the classroom

People need direction to understand what do, since it is more difficult to ask clarifying questions. At the beginning, there seemed to be confusion about what was supposed to be included in the Google Doc, It would be better and helpful to have included directions and prompt questions included to help guide participants, so that they know what the expectations are for their participation.

In an online environment, there is going to be competition for attention. Yesterday, the competition was the desire to nosh on the great set of refreshments. In the case of an absence or closure, you or students may either be ill, be distracted by others who happen to be in the house or apartment, a great Oprah episode that on the television, or the desire to listen to music. It is important to design experiences so that they are short, simple, and meaningful and are constructed so that they can be listened to, watched, or read, and then give the student the chance to reflect and compose their reply. It is often best to allow one to post their reflections, and then have time for others to reply, and then allow the participant to come back at a later point in time. This is why forum discussions and blog posts may be better tools for this, as they are tools to allow individuals to read, reflect, and then comment, giving time for each to occur, rather than force discussion over a short period of time.

I know that for me personally, that I was getting antsy at the end of the experience. I needed to get up and move, but with the compressed time and interactive aspects of yesterday’s experience, it would have been difficult to do so. We all agree that it is difficult to sit and stare at a screen for a 40 minute period. How many of you did so? In the case of an absence or emergency closing, it will be difficult to expect a student or faculty member to be chained to their screen for a seven hour stretch. Even with more demands that expect us to sit in front of our screens (reading email, entering in grades electronically, etc.) we often get up, stretch, walk to the lounge to get coffee, go and sit and chat during lunch. These are all normal and important activities. One needs to design instruction factoring this need and desire to get up and move for a long term closure.

Old fashioned text and audio are good methods of communicating. When discussing possibilities, everyone seems to gravitate to experiences which are interactive, flashy, and video. While these are all good mediums, the oldest ones, use of audio, text, pictures, and drawings, are still powerful and oftentimes easier and better ways to communicate messages quickly. In the case of a closure, we may not have the time to develop material like Dave and I did. We may have to ramp up quicker without having the time to develop the materials that we would like to. In our discussion, we cannot forget the importance of text and audio.

From this experience, I hope that you are now better aware of the challenges that may face us in the case of an emergency closure. I hope that you will continue to think and ask yourself that if faced with an emergency closure or an extended absence by yourself or your students, how will learning continue to happen?

Later in the year, the sophomores will be working on a term paper. Tim Curren (tcurren@nscds.org), our World History II teacher, wanted to create an assignment that would re-introduce students and provide students an opportunity to practice the the skills that they will need to complete for the term paper, researching, note taking using NoodleBib, and using a variety of resources, both print and electronic. Hence the genesis of this project.

In this project, Tim asked students working in groups of two, to research the voyage of one of the world’s explorers. Students were assigned either Dias, da Gama, Columbus, Magellan, Drake, Hudson, or Cartier. They were given a week to collect their data, mostly outside of class for homework.

Instead of a traditional paper, Tim and I worked with the students to create a Google Earth Tour. Using Jerome Berg’s model of creating a Google Lit Trip, students had to locate the locations of their facts and create annotated place markers for their assigned journey. The student teams then had to create the path of the journey taken by the explorer. Lastly, the students were asked to create an audio tour for each explorer. This project taught students how to organize their data and create an organized collection of points.

Attached to this post is the Explorer Hall of Fame, the research projects which were the best of the best. They are student projects and we have incorporated them as is. There may be a few spelling and grammatical errors that we left in order to acknowledge that this is student work.

Once you load the file into Google Earth, you will be able to turn on (check) or turn off (uncheck) one of the trips. Upon openingExplorer Hall of Fame the explorer’s folder, you can access each of the research points or double click on the tour to take the tour that the students created.

The most difficult part of the project was in saving. If you did not click on on the outer folder, you only saved the item which was highlighted.

Enjoy and use this as you wish.

(10 mb kmz – Google Earth file)

Earlier in the year, I helped one of our French teachers, Beatrice McKenna (bmckenna@nscds.org), and her students

Trumpet, by Sara Bjork

set up a class blogs. I cannot claim much credit for her willingness to adopt this solution, other than a willingness at our school to experiment and implement new web based tools. Last year, she began to play with Gabcast with students phoning as a way to get more student oral work accomplished throughout the year.

Late last week, I received and email from Beatrice. Here is an excerpt from the email:

You asked about the blogs the other day, and after parent-teacher conferences I thought I should get back to you in more detail – the reason being that many parents mentioned how much their children enjoy their French blogs!  Since it’s my first time doing it I didn’t really know how it was going to turn out, but after being up and running with it for 4 weeks now, it really has proven to be a positive experience.  So I don’t mean to blow my own trumpet because the students are the ones doing the work, but here are a few things you could mention if you ever want to use them as an example of how we integrate technology in the classroom:

• In French 2 we started using the blogs as a way to replace the traditionally notebook based journal entries.  Students post a blog entry every week.
• The blogs provide an extension of our French immersion environment.  Students are not allowed to post in English.  Initially, I allow the interface to be in English for setting up purposes (blogging is new to them and the setting up takes a little bit of trial and error which would be too lengthy in English only).  Next week, we are switching the interface to French for a completely French environment.  The idea is that their French skills are naturally expanded every time they use their blog as they navigate a totally French virtual environment.
• The blogs provide an interactive environment.  Each student’s blog is linked with all of his/her other classmates’ blogs (and mine), and students can either post on their blogs or they can read and respond to their classmates’ posts, depending on the assignment.  So the blogs offer a great opportunity for collaboration and peer review on our writing work which wasn’t there before with the traditional journals.  The fact that everyone else in the class can look at the blogs is also an incentive for students to post quality work.
• The blogs are easily used as an extension of class activities.  Students can use them to upload any work they want to share (projects etc …) without having to save their work on an external drive, so all their work is easily stored and accessible from their blog.  We can post links to YouTube for songs, set up feeds with French sites for news and educational/cultural material etc …
• The blogs provide an environment that the students are right at home within – it fits their own world where many things happen electronically and they respond to it with great enthusiasm.  Actually, they are the ones driving it and they are proud of their own French space as well as eager to share it.  Many take it to the next level, uploading extra information they want to share with pictures or animes etc … A couple of parents told me that they do not allow their child to have a Facebook account, so their blog is their outlet into the world of virtual communication … only in French!

While Beatrice is not willing to “blow her own trumpet”, I am more than willing to do so. You can access the complete set of Beatrice’s French 2 class  on one of my public NetVibes pages (www.netvibes.com/vvrotny#US_French_2)  if you are interested.

As technology directors, we have to allow for inspiration and growth and it often comes at us in unexpected ways.