Microsoft Surface

Microsoft have announced their version of the new computer User Interface paradigm 'MULTI-TOUCH' - this is the same UI that will be used in the upcoming iPhone, and has been around for a while, its just taken time to get to a consumer level. However, Microsofts version is still beyond the budget of the consumer at around $10000 US for its 'Surface' coffee table computing device/interface.

Plenty of future potential here for educational environments - good bye to the not-so-'Smartboard'!!!

View video overview here:

Free Educational Content Now Available from iTunes U on the iTunes Store

Free Educational Content Now Available from iTunes U on the iTunes Store: "Apple announces iTunes U. A dedicated area within the iTunes Store, iTunes U features free content – course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights, and campus tours — from such leading universities as Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. iTunes U, created in collaboration with colleges and universities, allows anyone with access to iTunes to easily extend learning, explore interests, learn more about a school and stay connected with an alma mater."

(Via Apple Hot News.)

Palm Foleo

An interesting new product from Palm - not what I expected - a 'mobile companion'. Its basically a wireless keyboard for your bluetooth phone combined with a WiFi Internet tablet (without the touchscreen interface).



Still reserving judgement on this at present - while it appears to be a great product, its size and cost make it equivalent to a cheap laptop (without the wait for bootup times), so convincing students to spring for one will probably meet with the same resistance that convincing them of the need for a PDA did... Now if it was half the price - then it would be a goer.

http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/web.html

http://www.palm.com/us/products/mobilecompanion/foleo/experience/index.html

Google Calendars go Mobile!

Great news - Google Calendars are now mobile friendly. Simply put the URL http://calendar.google.com/ into your mobile browser to view and add Google calendar events. GREAT!

Although there are a few Google calendar mobile synching utilities around (e.g. GooSync), I've found them quite buggy - and you can end up with multiple event entries. So great stuff not having to mess with synching anymore!

Picasa Slideshow

Picasa now features embedded slideshows (finally), although quite basic compared to slide.com, but still useful.

Here's a slideshow of our Sydney photos from Picasa:



Mouseover slides for options.

Fring Makes Twitter Free

Fring Makes Twitter Free: "

Mobile startup Fring has found a smart way to make itself relevant and useful: by integrating Twitter. For those who aren’t familiar with it, Fring uses your phone’s Internet connection to make VoIP calls, send IMs and use VoIP services (Skype, Google Talk , MSN Messenger and SIP are supported). The addition of Twitter means that you can save on your SMS bill, since Fring works with Wi-Fi or your fixed data plan. So, no extra cost assuming you already have a data plan for your phone.

They’ve even put up a YouTube video explaining the service (embedded below). So does this make you a Fringing Twitterer? Or a Fritter?

Recommended: Piczo Stuff at Mashcodes!

"

(Via Mashable!.)

NOTE: At the moment Fring appears to only support Nokia phones (about 50% of the market), hopefully they widen their user-base soon.

CTLImobilized

CTLImobilized, originally uploaded by thomcochrane.

To see how the ctliblog looks in your mobile phone, type the url http://ctliblog.unitec.ac.nz into your mobile phones web browser (assuming you have a data account).



Or, use an online phone browser emulator such as http://emulator.mtld.mobi/



This Wordpress plugin comes courteousy of http://www.andymoore.info/wordpress-mobile-plugin/

Shozu test

testing blog from shozu settings

Web2 Awards for 2007

Seomoz have released their web2 awards list for 2007 - a nice collection of the 'best in category' web2 sites around.

http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0

online_communities_Map

online_communities_Map
Originally uploaded by thomcochrane.

From http://xkcd.com/c256.html

A nice pictorial representation of web2 online communities.

Mobile Blogging

My presentation for the upcoming CALL Symposium is on Mobile Blogging.
Wiki notes for the presentation are HERE.

View screencast of presentation online at Podomatic.com:
http://thomcochrane.podomatic.com/

• Part One: http://thomcochrane.podomatic.com/enclosure/2007-05-06T06_22_06-07_00.mov


• Part Two: http://thomcochrane.podomatic.com/enclosure/2007-05-06T06_56_26-07_00.mov

Read the paper for the presentation HERE. (Google Documents).



Mobile Blogging Links

• http://wordpress.com



• http://m.wordpress.com



• http://www.flickr.com



• http://m.flickr.com



• http://www.google.com/reader



• http://www.google.com/reader/m/view/



• http://www.letmeparty.com



• http://www.operamini.com/demo

For more information on using mobile devices in education, read the author's wiki page:
http://ltxserver.unitec.ac.nz/mediawiki/index.php/MlearningOverview

Educause Quarterly vol2 for 2007 now online

Educause Quarterly, Volume 30, Issue2 online.

Articles include:

• Calling All Myth Busters!



• Always Connected, But Hard to Reach



• Supporting Student Teaching Through Virtual Classrooms



• Current Issues Survey Report, 2007



• E-Learning at a Crossroads—What Price Quality?



• Lecture Capture: What Can Be Automated?



• Are You Ready for Mobile Learning?



• Preparing the Next IT Leaders: Financial Management



• The Economics of Notebook Universities



• Clickers in the Classroom: An Active Learning Approach



• Developing Collaborative Workstations

7 Things You Should Know About RSS

7 Things You Should Know About RSS: "RSS is a protocol that lets users subscribe to online content using a "reader" or "aggregator." Internet users tend to settle on preferred information sources. RSS allows users to create a list of those sources in an application that automatically retrieves updates, saving users considerable time and effort.

The "7 Things You Should Know About..." series from the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI) provides concise information on emerging learning practices and technologies. Each brief focuses on a single practice or technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use "7 Things You Should Know About..." briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues. "

(Via EDUCAUSE RSS | Recent Recent Library Submissions Listings.)

Sydney Slideshow (Easter 2007)

Slide.com - a fun way to create interactive online slideshows and embed them into your web/blog pages.

Mouse over pictures for description!

Emerging technologies for learning: volume 2 (2007)

Emerging technologies for learning: volume 2 (2007)

This follow-up edition complements the original document published in March 2006 (which is available here)

Download the publication Emerging technologies for learning: volume 2 (2007) (3.2MB)

This publication includes the following chapters:

* Emerging trends in social software for education (Lee Bryant, Headshift)

* Learning networks in practice (Stephen Downes, NRC)

* The challenge of new digital literacies and the 'hidden curriculum' (Jo Twist, ippr)

* How to teach with technology: keeping both teachers and students comfortable in an era of exponential change (Marc Prensky)

* Games in education (Keri Facer, Futurelab; Tim Dumbleton, Becta)

* Ubiquitous computing (David Ley, Becta)


Summaries of each article with download can be accessed here.

bfree - export courses from Blackboard

bfree - export courses from Blackboard: "http://its.unc.edu/tl/tli/bFree/

Another useful pointer from Michael Roy at Wesleyan’s Academic Commons, bFree is a tool built by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It allows you to open a Blackboard course export or archive file, select the files you want and then export these as an independent website."

(Via EdTechPost.)

Sony PSP users can now connect to T-Mobile Hotspots

Sony PSP users can now connect to T-Mobile Hotspots: "Sony recently announced a new firmware upgrade, version 3.30, for the PSP PlayStation Portable system. The update now enables PSP users access to over 7,000 T-mobile hot spot locations, including starbucks, Borders, Hyatt Hotels, and many major airports across the..."

(Via MobileWhack.)

Vox.com, Meet A&R

Vox.com, Meet A&R: "

UK record companies don’t want your demo CDs anymore: they want you to use Vox.

SixApart’s blogging platform is being used by ColumbiaDemos and RCADemos, two sites owned by SonyBMG, to solicit demos from artists rather than accepting CDs. From April 2nd, aspiring artists will be able to sign up on the sites and create multimedia blogs using the Vox software.

Whether a blogging platform is the best way to solicit new music is questionable, but no doubt this is part of a multi-pronged strategy that includes talent hunting on YouTube, MySpace and other hubs.

[via]

Recommended: Hi5 Layouts at Mashcodes!

"

(Via Mashable!.)

Blogging from Sydney

I've spent the first 3.5 days in Sydney feeling very disconnected - the Hotel only has dialup (very Sloooow dialup at that), and my Vodafone 3G Data costs $10/MB on roaming!
I tried every Telco in Australia to signup for data for 2 months - but no joy - they all want you to sign up for at least 2 years! and you have to have an Australian credit rating (bank account), and Australian employment! WHAT'S WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE!!! This is so neanderthal.
Anyway, the Chilli iburst wireless broadband package finally arrived today - so I'm connected again! A nice service - very similar technology to WOOSH in NZ, but much better coverage.

Photoblog of Sydney available at http://picasaweb.google.com/thomcochrane/Sydney2007

My Office