Category Archives: ipad

What are you looking for this year?

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I was curious, so I spent a little time searching through the MACUL Program this morning. I found that iPad was mentioned over 120 times in the program and was specifically mentioned in the titles or descriptions of 45 workshops or talks. By contrast Android was mentioned 10 times in 3 talks or workshops. I also searched for Chrome to find stuff on Chromebooks. The only mentions of the word Chrome were in printer descriptions, i.e. monochrome, in the vendor section of the program.

To put things in perspective, Web 2.0 got 113 mentions this year, Social was listed 49 times, Cloud 36 times, Interactive Whiteboards 19 times, Inquiry 9 times, Pedagogy 4 times, and Construct once. I’m not sure exactly what this says about us, so I created a Wordle out of the Session titles and descriptions so I might have a better look at the focus of the conference.


Looking at this I feel a little better. Students are mentioned a lot as are Educators. Also fairly important are create and community.

It’s interesting to see how the hot tools come and go from year to year. For example, RSS was pretty big and important a few years ago, now it’s only mentioned in the SIGOL description. No matter what tools you decide to learn about this year at MACUL, try not to forget the pedagogy. Remember to spend some time thinking about how the new and exciting tools you learn about can be used to enhance learning. Will they lead to change or are they just shiny new ways of doing the same thing you used to do? Tools come and go, changes to your teaching can last a lifetime.

Personally I often learn more about how a tool can change my practice between sessions when I share what I’ve been learning with colleagues or even random strangers. Don’t miss out on the chance to learn from the committed educators who come to this conference every year.

On a side note, you might see if you can find a session or two on iPads. I hear they’re all the rage in edtech right now ;-)

Creative APP-titude: iPad Multimedia Tools – Video Abstract

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Here’s another video abstract I found over on MACULSpace

Karen Bosch, K–8 Technology Instructor, Southfield Christian School

Grand Gallery A, DeVos Place, Main Level – Friday 1:00-2:00 pm
This session will explore how the iPad can be used as a powerful student creativity tool that can be integrated into almost any subject area. Apps, best practices, and examples of iPad multimedia projects created by students will be shared.

All Educators, All Skill Levels, All Levels 

Creative APP-titude: iPad Multimedia Tools from Karen Bosch on Vimeo.

SShhh Don’t tell any one… Guerrilla Sessions go into hiding?

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So, MACUL is just a month away! I’m really looking forward to it this year. One of the things I always try to catch are the Guerrilla Sessions. This year I’m looking forward to them more than most years. What exactly is a Guerrilla Session?

Guerrilla Sessions are more or less un-planned presentations on virtually any subject. Kind of like an un-conference. How often do you find the perfect thing to have a MACUL presentation on but it didn’t even exist prior to the presentation submission deadline? Or maybe you have something you want more feedback on before you do a full presentation, or maybe you need a good room for a Tweet-up or XO Laptop User Group meeting.

The Guerrilla Sessions have been all of these! So, why am I excited this year? Well I’m hoping to talk with some folks about the potentials of iBook Author. Well, really more about teacher/student created learning materials/textbooks. iBooks Author just offers some great ways to do it, as long as you don’t mind being tied to an iPad. It also came out well after the submission deadline so I know there won’t be any formal sessions that focus on it. So if the Guerrilla Session room is available again this year I will be signing up for a slot to talk about it and present how I’ve been using it with my students already.

Guerrilla Sessions are a great place to meet with some great educators and share ideas. Thats’ the whole reason I go to this conference every year. However, I don’t see Guerrilla Sessions listed anywhere in the online planner. Was this an over site, or has the room been canceled for this year. If so we may just have to co-opt the Social Media Cafe for a “Drop in Session“. I’m still gonna’ call my iBooks meet-up a Guerrilla Session. Look for it on Thursday sometime.

If you have any ideas for Guerrilla Sessions, er I mean, Drop in Sessions you might run feel free to share them in the comments and/or over at MACULSpace.

Student Technology Showcase on Michigan’s Morning Show

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STS on WJIM

Every year student teams from across Michigan gather at the Michigan State Capitol building in Lansing, MI to present their achievements to State Legislators.  The day-long event allows lawmakers, business leaders, and citizens to see how technology is used in classrooms across Michigan.

K-12 student teams representing legislative districts from around the State demonstrate best practices and how technology enhances learning for the success of Michigan students.   We never cease to be amazed at how adept our State’s youth are using new technology for learning.  Especially on the airwaves.  Student representatives from Franklin Elementary’s 2nd grade classroom in Ludington, MI joined their teacher Amber Kowach, MACUL Executive Director Ric Wiltse, and AT&T’s Director of External Affairs Jon Peterson on Michigan’s Morning Show (WJIM 1240 AM – Lansing, MI) to talk about the event and their team.  Listen here: 2011 Student Technology Showcase – WJIM 1240AM Lansing, MI

 

 

The Jobs Effect: Ed Tech Loses a Leader

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Earlier this week Steve Jobs announced his resignation as CEO of arguably one of the most influential technology companies in existence.  Apple Inc., under Jobs’ guru-like guidance, developed the educational technology niche into the mainstream.  Consider this: Apple Learning Interchange (ALI) began in the 90s with about 30,000 users, sharing lesson plans and collaborating.  ALI developed into what is now iTunes U, which features over 800 universities  and organizations distributing content to potentially millions of users via iTunes software, including content from Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) – MI Learning on iTunes U.

The Apple name has become synonymous with education.  A standard platform for the classroom, Jobs’ vision for the iPhone and iPad has revolutionized the potential for technology-driven learning while other companies have struggled to keep up.  While his role at Apple has decreased, most likely due to health concerns, Jobs has assured his followers that he will continue to contribute to the company’s product development.

There is no telling if Apple will continue its prominence in the ed tech world or if it will succumb to competitors like ed tech giant Dell Inc. or Google – see: Chromebook.  One thing is for sure, educational technology is enriched due to the efforts of Apple and similar companies.  Websites, mobile phone applications, and Internet learning tools are everywhere you look.  While some may not be worthy of much attention, an open market with high demand will inevitably deliver great results.