Category Archives: cameras

MACUL Conference Photo Contest

Leave a reply

MACUL is sponsoring a photo contest, so get out your cameras, iPads, cell phones, or anything else that can take a picture, and snap away!  Enter your best shots by submitting your photos to MACUL Space by 7am, Friday, March 9.

There are three categories: Around the Conference, Around Town, and Abstract.  See page 4 of the conference brochure for specific directions about how to enter or go to the 2012 MACUL Conference Attendee page on www.macul.org.  Be sure to submit photos with a title, description, and tags.  The grand prize is a 2013 MACUL Conference registration, and a technology-related gadget will be awarded to the winner of each category.  Questions? Contact Pam Shoemaker at pamelashoemaker@wlcsd.org.

Photo by Randii2015

 

Mobiles, QRs and TAGs Oh My!

Leave a reply

MS MOBI TAG

These little square boxes have been popping up on just about everything lately, but what do they do?  Quite simply, they are called Quick Response or QR codes. 

My bet is that you are going to see a ton of these things at MACUL 2011.   The REMC $AVE project will be running a contest using them on the conference floor.

These 3D barcodes enable you to use the camera on your mobile device with a small application to decode the symbol.  Once decoded, a URL, text message, contact or other information will be displayed. 

You will find two competing types of codes in the market, and both do pretty much the same thing – that is, give the end user some information on their device quickly just by scanning the tag.   Microsoft has their TAG system and you can download the reader for supported devices.

The other system, Quick Response, has been around longer than the MS TAG and has a larger presence in the market.   img.php You’ll need an application to decode these as well, so take a look at this nice list and pick one out for your mobile device.

Uses For The Classroom

There are some pretty innovative uses for QR codes in the classroom too.  You can create, print and attach QRs to objects in your classroom.  You students can then scan the code and be taken to more information about the object, text of item.

Chemistry teachers love putting these things on chemicals and equipment to instantly transport their learners to more information about each.  Think about attaching them to the inside cover of a book to transport the learner to a book review or a classroom blog book report.  The possibilities are endless. 

So when you see me at the conference, say hi and scan my badge. I’ll be wearing a QR code that will take you to a secret location.   And while you are at it, scan the two codes in this blog post to be let in on top secret information.

Bringing my Xacti

2 Replies

My brother-in-law is a funny guy with a number of catch phrases. He’s the guy that announces at the family gathering that he and his wife would have arrived a lot earlier but because they drive a Prius, they had to stop at the gas station and give back some gas. His newest phrase is “It will change your life.” I have now heard that in reference to a variety of things from a bottle of pinot noir, a certain video poker machine, to which flat screen TV I should be buying. We have a lot of laughs and I try to always let guys retain exclusivity over their own catch-phrases but I am going to drop his line on you…and I think…this is the first time I have ever used it seriously.

The Sanyo Xacti VPC-E2 will change your life. Ok, maybe not all that much, but I love mine. I thought I was getting a great deal on it when Apple.com had it on sale at 50% off for $200 during Black Friday. has gone even further and is offering it right now for $179.95 with free shipping.

I needed a small camcorder I could call my own for use with the Infotech classes, so I jumped at this one. However, I have to admit that the most intriguing part was the fact that it is waterproof down to 5 feet. I was quick to try this out and dunked it immediately into my daughter’s fish tank. The most fun we have with the waterproof feature is when we take it sledding. Video:. I also held it on the dash one snowy day and recorded my commute to school. Video:My Commute.

During my experiences with the camera, I have been very pleased. Like most point and shoot cameras, there is a bit of shutter lag but other than that the quality of the images have been good. With the video, the lighting is everything. The picture gets grainy when you don’t have enough light.

I had a blast recently in Florida exploring all of the possibilities it can have in a swimming pool. The touch tanks at the Mote Aquarium on Longboat Key provided the chance to film stingrays underwater.

The thing I enjoy most about the set-up is the fact that SD cards are used as the recording media. No heads to clean and no tapes to wear out is a huge convenience. The included usb cable makes transferring video and images a snap…at least on my Mac.

sany0014.JPG

Here is a pic from the Chinese joint in Houghton Lake, MI. It is great for stuff like this but if you are looking for professional results it doesn’t compare to using my Nikon D40 but can be a lot quicker and easier to carry. It all depends on what your objective is. This does a lot for me and now the price keeps getting righter.

My goal is to do a few quick video questions with presenters after their sessions. Look for them here on the MACUL blog.