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MacSchoolsNet #52 - Mac OSX Lion & AirPlay

Looking forward to the next meeting on MacSchoolsNet! 

Format for the event is as follows:

Mac OSX Lion
Some key questions for education

• What are the benefits of Lion for teachers and students?
• Are there any drawbacks?
• Are there apps that don't work with Lion?
• What about Volume Licencing of Lion in schools?
• Is a download from the App Store the only way to get it?
• How can you use Disk Utility to repair a Mac if there is no disk?
• What if you bought a Mac just before Lion was released? Are you entitled to an upgrade?
• What are the features of Lion Server for schools?
• What are the benefits of Lion Server in a school?
• How will Lion integrate with the iPad / iPhone / iPod Touch?

AirPlay
Some key questions for education

• What are some of the ways AirPlay could be used in the classroom?
• Could an iPad/AirPlay and a screen challenge an Interactive White Board?
• What are the implications of using AirPlay for students to be able showing their digital creations to others so easily.
• Will AirPlay have great advantages for subjects such as music and multimedia?

See http://www.macschools.net/ for links to provide background for these questions.

ACCE Study Tour 2011 Day 12: Promethean, Schools in Queens & Manhattan NYC

 Two school visits today in NYC. One with the assistance of Promethean and the other with that of Apple. First was an Elementary School [234 Queens].

There was lots of great stuff here. Promethean had it as one of its lighthouse schools. The light was to be able to visit classes in the lastfew days before their summer break and chat to teachers and students. In comparing US and Australian schools it is a case of "Same, Same, but Different". Really useful de-brief after the visits.
Scg After lunch, we went back to Manhattan to visit a very different school, Marymount School, 5th Avenue.
Great presentation on how this school is essentially creating its own texts using ePubs which students can access on iPads and other devices.

ACCE Study Tour 2011 Day 2: Apple, National Computing Museum & Google

A 6:15 a.m. start for the bus trip to Silicon Valley. First stop Apple for a presentation in their Executive Briefing Centre. A really interesting session on mobile learning, particularly using the iPad 2.  The talk looked at where Apple are going from MacBook > iPod Touch > iPad.
The key functions of any or all of these computers in Teaching and Learning is a cycle of Create > Distribute > Access > Collaborate. 
This was overlaid with firstly the technical requirements of Mobile Learning  • Portability • Multiple Touch Display • Digital Media • Anytime Access • Applications • Location Aware.
Some curriculum examples where used to illustrate each of these points. There was certainly learning experiences that could not be completed on a MacBook, but could be completed spectacularly on an iPad2. Not that the MacBook is not great for teaching and learning [particularly creating], it is just that the iPad does a range of other things, combined with better mobility.
What also was interesting was just how important a Learning Management System is in mobile learning both for content delivery by the teacher and teacher / student, student / student collaboration. While Apple did this on Wiki Server [part of Snow Leopard Server], but could be done with any LMS such as Moodle. Certainly this session will influence my recommendations for future planning and purchasing. Also found out about ePubs and how you can make them using Keynote.

  Next stop, Computer History Museum. Amazing place covering 2000 years of computing. Most impressive was Charles Babbage's Difference Engine #2. Works to, but not when we were there!

Last stop Google. A  company that is set up by a university campus. Great walk around and presentation on Google Apps in the classroom. 

Great day : Tomorrow Intel, Oracle and the Urban School.

iPads in the Classroom - The Re-Birth of MacSchoolsNet

Looking forward to this network getting back together next week! While MacSchoolsNet has been in recess since October 2010, it now returns with a new mission. See http://www.macschools.net for its new mission statement

MacSchoolsNet: First Meeting, 2011

The new website is now live http://www.macschools.net

First meeting is Thursday, May 26, 2011 4:30 - 6:00 [Venue and presenters to be decided]

De Bono’s Hats and iPads

This is the first of our "directed" unconferences.

We will have a couple of short presentations.
Members can then follow any of the directions below in discussions with other members. They will be able to respond F2F and via a wiki.

We will be looking at the educational implications of the iPad
Blue Hat Thinking - Process
• What thinking is needed in a school before purchasing iPads [or other mobile devices]?
• How do you win over school administrations?
• How do you win over teachers?
• How do you win over parents?


White Hat Thinking - Facts
• What are the costs of the equipment?
• What are the costs of the Apps? [Volume licencing etc.]
• How do you charge and synch them?
• What curriculum and technical resources are there?
• Can you lease iPads?
• What about insurance?


Green Hat Thinking - Creativity
• What are some ideas/activities for students using iPads?
• How can it be used by teachers?
• How can you use them for assessment and reporting?
• How can you use them for students with special needs?



Yellow Hat Thinking - Benefits
• What are the benefits for students?
• What are the benefits for teachers?
• What are the benefits for schools - especially in student engagement and student performance?


Black Hat Thinking - Cautions
• What are the difficulties and weaknesses of mobile learning?
• Isn't it easier to use desktops or notebooks than iPads?
• Will iPads work with the Ultranet?
• Won't the iPad2 will be superseded soon?



Red Hat Thinking - Feelings
• What do you think about education using mobile devices?
• How does mobile learning "sit" with how you teach at the moment?
• How to you feel about 21st century learning? Are you embracing it, or is it far too stressful, or is it somewhere in between these two positions?


References
http://www.debonoforschools.com/asp/six_hats.asp
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_Fedora.svg

Mobile Learning Links in the 1 to 1 Classroom

Last day of our first 1 to 1 Learning Hub. So much to get in and so much will be left out! So here is my reading list of Mobile Learning Links in the 1 to 1 Classroom

Louise Duncan http://louiseduncan.globalteacher.org.au/

Slide2Learn Conference & Ning http://slidetolearn.ning.com/

Conference Report
http://ictedservices.typepad.com/icted_services/2010/07/slide2learn-conference-shepparton-hs-victoria-au-reflections-resources-from-the-2-day-conference.html

http://www.smriders.net/Mobile_Learning/

12 Interesting Ways of Using thje iPod Touch in the Classroom
https://docs.google.com/present/view?id=dhn2vcv5_432d8b8n2wn

A great locally developed app http://www.app-titude.com.au/123sheep/

http://www.edutopia.org/ipod-technology-improving-reading-skills

iPod Touch Contract http://www2.chccs.k12.nc.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=79142&PHPSESSID=13991f264c892835249b7ab8a6a7b122

Tony Vincent
http://learninginhand.com/ipodtouch/
http://learninginhand.com/ipad/
http://learninginhand.com/ipod/
http://learninginhand.com/blog/classroom-ipod-touches-dos-and-donts.html

http://www.utechtips.com/2009/11/03/50-educational-apps-for-the-ipod-touch/

http://ipodclassroom.wikispaces.com/

10 iPad Apps fpr Educators
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ6OKnIrDGA

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/06/ipad-apps-for-your-reference/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weblogsinc%2Fengadget+(Engadget)&utm_content=Twitter

http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticle.aspx?articleid=2198