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

IT Helpdesk & new technology - an age old problem ;-)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFAWR6hzZek]


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFAWR6hzZek

Get With The Program

An article in the latest New Zealand TUANZ Topics magazine asks "Are web2 communication tools such as blogs, wikis, webcasts and podcasts now an essential part of the teacher's toolkit?" (From a secondary school perspective)

They conclude:

"You and I are the last generation that has the perogative of deciding whether or not we're going to embrace technology. But the kids we are teaching noe, the ones that are under my watch in the classroom, they aren't given that same perogative. If they don't master these skills, I'm actually dooming them to a lower level of opportunity...

The thing we need to understand about the type of learners coming to us today is that not only do they have different tools, but they actually process differently.

Most kids are walking around with one or two cellphones in their pocket, using them to text their friends, surf the Web, take photos, and post to their blogs. And yet as soon as they get to school they're told to turn the cellphones off.

If we'd just let students work to their strengths, instead of their weaknesses, we'll start to celebrate what they can do, and what they come to the classroom with - and that is a propensity toward technology."

Putt, S. (2007, March/April). Get with the program. TUANZ Topics, 17, 35-38.

Welcome to Treemo - Treemo: Media Sharing on a Mission

Welcome to Treemo - Treemo: Media Sharing on a Mission: "Treemo is an online and mobile community dedicated to sharing digital media, empowering self-expression, and transforming creativity into action."

Treemo looks rather interesting - all content is mobile friendly, and they provide multiple ways of accessing content & uploading content via mobile devices without requiring a client application:

1. Via Cell Phone Number


2. Via Mobile Web Browser


3. Via MMS


4. Via email


5. Or from PC online

Definitely worth checking out. They are also quite strict on content - copyright, etc...

TechWatch Report: What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies and implications for education.

TechWatch Report: What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies and implications for education.: "A new TechWatch report by Paul Anderson explores the Web 2.0 phenomenon and asks what are the implications for education?"

(Via JISC e-Learning Focus.)

The 1% 'rule'

Here's an article that discusses the 1% rule of online content creation!

"It's an emerging rule of thumb that suggests that if you get a group of 100 people online then one will create content, 10 will "interact" with it (commenting or offering improvements) and the other 89 will just view it".

Sad but true - how can we get over the 1% threshold? Ideas?

SMS Post

Wireless 3G connectivity. Its great to have connectivity via wireless technology, enabling things like mobile blogging via sms!

Via Letmeparty.com

Create a free account with http://www.letmeparty.com , register your Blog address (e.g. http://puriri.unitecnology.ac.nz/wp/xmlrpc.php ) and your cellphone number, send a text message to +13128047068 , and you're mobile blogging!

Why bother?

“New mobile and context-aware technology can enable young people to learn by exploring their world, in continual communication with and through technology” (Sharples, 2005).

“A review of current practice suggests that mobile and wireless learning is the natural next step wherever institutions and practitioners have already adopted e-learning” (JISC, 2005b).

Sotillo (2003, p5) describes the pedagogical impact of ubiquitous wireless computing:

In summary, the advantages of wireless computing in education are ubiquity, portability, and flexibility for collaborative learning projects. Computer power everywhere and all the time means the ability—and the challenge—to integrate computers into every aspect of teaching, learning, and research. This represents a Copernican revolution in instruction, with the professor as guide and mentor rather than "fount of knowledge" or ultimate classroom authority.

DipLSD Mobile Trials 2007

Got a really encouraging response to suggestions for setting up mobile web2 trials with the Diploma Landscape Design course at Unitec today!

Trial goals so far:

1. Students purchase their own Palm Treo 680, and monthly data plan


2. Regular weekly technology support/exploration sessions


3. Tentative Dates:
   
   March 12, 19, 26?
   May 14, 21, 28


4. Project culminates in eportfolio for Ellerslie Flowershow


5. Setup COP with DipLSD staff

MOLTA Conference disappointing

MOLTA Conference
I was a bit stunned at the limited understanding of web2 technologies (over half the audience had not heard of RSS!) by conference attendees! Many of the presentations were out of date - promoting 3-4 year old technologies, and badly informed on the current state of wireless data in NZ! :-(
I was also frustrated by the persistence in developing institution specific applications - instead of using the fantastic web2 mobile applications tat are already available!!!

One of the exceptions was Selena Chans workon mobile eportfolios and web2 mashups, including the use of VOX. Interesting restyling of Moodle using 'Firebug' plugin for Firefox, to make it more mobile 'friendly'.

WordPress

I've been experimenting with WordPress recently - and so far I'm quite impressed with its ease of setup and options, particularly the ability to associate 'static' pages with your main blog page. Thus you could almost use Wordpress as a basic website solution.


http://www.wordpress.com

Mobile plugin for wordpress available at http://alexking.org/projects/wordpress

Google Blogger Widget

Google have produced widgets for OSX for both Blogger & GMail! Cool.

Energy.png

Scratch All Future Conference Presentations on Web 2.0

Scratch All Future Conference Presentations on Web 2.0: "Scratch All Future Conference Presentations on Web 2.0
And maybe instead, we can get it with 5 minutes, no bullet points, no lecturing in Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us, a YouTube gem:

This comes from Digital Ethnography @ Kansas State University, ‘a working group of Kansas State University students and faculty dedicated to exploring and extending the possibilities of digital ethnography.’"

(Via CogDogBlog.)

Interesting Time Magazine Articles

I really should read Time Magazine more often! I came across an issue brimming with Web2 articles from December 25 2006 - #51.

Web2 (or more directly YOU) is named 'person of the year' for 2006!!!

A good overview of Web2 - plus a nice image mind-map of web2 services (only in print version).

An overview/history and early video of YouTube development.


Also of interest:
Overview of "World of Warcraft".

iPhone Flash Demo.

Surgery Recovery Tools

1. Panadol


2. Watch - to while away the dragging hours


3. 3G cellphone to keep in contact & read RSS feeds, blog etc...


4. Bible - spiritual rejuvenation required!


5. Wireless Laptop - they need longer life batteries!!! - hence 3G cellphone higher in list!


6. A good fiction book - but hard to concentrate enuff to read much for first few days!


7. iPod - with a large library! Stops insanity


8. And MOST IMPORTANTLY - should be first in the list - a loving wife! and friends



9. Oops - and don't forget PRAYER - faith that keeps you from falling over the edge into despair when nothing seems to make sense!

Prostate Cancer Research

From NZ Herald A12 Thursday 25 Jan 2007 - Research indicates eating 2-3 servings of tomatoes along with 1.5 cups of broccoli daily reduces cancer cell growth by 30%

[ Sent from my mobile phone using the Blogger widget from www.bluepulse.com ]

Wimax at EIT!!!

Trans-Tasman broadcast and telecommunications technology provider Kordia has secured the New Zealand distribution rights to RoamAD’s networks, which it plans to deploy throughout the country.

The partnership of the two companies won its first New Zealand contract before Christmas, coming top of five bids to build a wireless access solution for the Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) in Hawkes Bay.

Kordia chief executive Geoff Hunt said Kordia (which was until recently known as THL Group) will develop more applications and is willing to work with other content and service providers in the Wi-Fi arena.

“This deal with RoamAD and EIT Hawke’s Bay is our first step towards increasing ease of use and the utility of Wi-Fi networks throughout New Zealand,” he says.


Wow - not bad thinking for a 'small' regional Polytechnic with 3000 EFTS!

Original Article here.

NMC 2007 Report at EDUCAUSE ELI

Get Horizon! at EDUCAUSE ELI: "Okay, this was just the fun part. The six topics:

Time to Adoption 4-5 Years:

The New Scholarship and Emerging Forms of Publication

Massively Multiplayer Educational Gaming

Time to Adoption 2-3 Years:

Mobile Phones

Virtual Worlds

Time to Adoption One Year or Less:

User-Generated Content

Social Networking"

(Via CogDogBlog.)

Gmail

By forwarding pop3 mail to Gmail i can pick it up on my mobile devices - Cool!

[ Sent from my mobile phone using the Blogger widget from www.bluepulse.com ]

Bits & Pieces

1. I've been using google reader mobile on my cell phone for RSS feeds - getting used to the interface, although I still prefer NetNewsWire Lite on my Mac (with Newsgator synching).

2. http://www.vox.com looks like a nice featured blogging host, with growing mobile features.

3. The Google synch plugin for Firefox is a great way to synchronize bookmarks and settings between Firefox on multiple computers - very similar to .Mac synching for Safari.

4. The Apple iPhone looks very cool - could be the perfect UMPC device for education!!! (especially with the uptake of podcasting in education already...)

Christmas in Te Awamutu & Athenree - a great family time - but NO 3G

Brung my Vodem with me - but GPRS access available only :-(

[ Sent from my mobile phone using the Blogger widget from www.bluepulse.com ]

Imaging a Dual-Boot MacTel!

To find out how, have a look at http://www.bombich.com/mactips/dualboot.html, and download the free OSX app 'NetRestore' from the same site - the same author as CarbonCopyCloner!

Study on 'What [US] College Students want from their Education'

Interesting article:

Study on 'What [US] College Students want from their Education': "

http://www.eduventures.com/about/press_room/

12_12_06.cfm?pubnav=about

Via Jim Farmer's eLibrary feed, an ongoing treasure trove of documents on patents and elearning (amongst other topics), comes news of this report by Eduventures, a Boston-based consulting firm. You have to pay for the full report, but even the short precis has some interesting nuggets from a student perspective. According to this summary, the study of 6,200 enrolling freshman in the US found 'Professional Preparation,' 'Academic Strength' and 'Affordability' (in that order) as the top 3 things incoming students are looking for. And around the notion of 'Academic Strenght,' apparently

students value 'close interaction with faculty' and 'experiential learning' more than 'honors programs' and the development of smaller 'learning communities.'

"

(Via EdTechPost.)

Bluepulse

Bluepulse is one of the best social software hubs for mobile i have come across. http://www.bluepulse.com

[ Sent from my mobile phone using the Blogger widget from www.bluepulse.com ]

PageFlakes

PageFlakes is an interesting Social Software hub for your fav SS right inside your web browser (Firefox is best option currently). Worth checking out & playing with.

Blogged with Flock

New Flickr Mobile

New Flickr Mobile: "New Flickr Mobile
Flickr recently rolled out an updated version of their mobile site at m.flickr.com. When I first reviewed Flickr Mobile I found it limited but useful. This update removes most of the limitations I mentioned. Photos are now searchable by tag or description and new links give you more options for viewing your contact's photos.

One of the best features of Flickr Mobile, the ability to upload photos directly from your browser, has been retained. Browser uploading only works from certain phones, mainly Nokia's, but if you have a compatible phone and an unlimited data plan it makes uploading photos essentially free. For the rest of us, Flickr also supports uploading by MMS. The new version of Flickr Mobile even uses access keys for every link making navigation very efficient.

This is generally a nice upgrade but there are issues - mainly centered around logins. There are a couple of different issues with logins. Flickr has two types of logins, users who signed up before August 15, 2005 and haven't upgraded still use their old Flickr login, which can be any email address. Anyone who signed up after that date has to use a Yahoo id which in the case of users of Yahoo partners like ATT is also an email address. The Flickr PC site accepts either type of login but the new version of the mobile site only takes Yahoo logins. This is a change from the previous version of Flickr Mobile which accepted only Flickr logins. I had a Flickr login so I had to do what Yahoo calls 'merging' my Flickr and Yahoo accounts which turned out to be a rather frustrating process. When I tried to merge the ATT-Yahoo account whose email address I had always used to login to Flickr, Yahoo couldn't complete the process saying that my login was invalid. To get it to work I had to change the email address that my legacy Flickr account was tied to. Once I did that I was able to merge my ATT-Yahoo account to my Flickr account.

A more serious login problem is that users of phones with the Motorola MIB browser may not be able to login at all. I don't have one of these phones so I can't be sure, but it's definitely broken using Motorola's MIB emulator. Clicking the login link just brings up a blank page. I think the url to the login page is too 'complicated' for this rather brain-dead browser to handle.

The screen shot shows yet another issue with Flickr Mobile and the MIB browser. That blue rectangle next to the Flicker logo is a link labeled 'Login'. You can't read it because Yahoo tried to change the links to Flickr's special shade of blue. The same thing happens to other links when they are selected. It's risky trying to change link colors on mobile pages as several popular browsers have bugs in this area. For mobile web developers, there's more on this issue here and here.

Except for the login issues, this is nice upgrade to Flickr's mobile functionality. Flickr mobile is a great way to entertain your friends and acquaintances with your vacation photos anywhere, any time. Flickr Mobile is on the Yeswap.com mobile portal in the Entertainment folder.
Flickr Mobile: xhtml-mp
Content: Usability:


Post to del.icio.us | Digg it | reddit | Add to MyWeb

Planet Mobile Web 12/7/06 9:13 AM Editor http://wapreview.com/blog"

(Via Planet Mobile Web.)

GapMinder

this is a really interesting statistics tool:
http://tools.google.com/gapminder/

Feedback on Opera Mini 3.0

Opera Mini 3.0 and The Ajax Phone: "

1. Feed Reader: I’ve let this replace the native feed reader I have on my phone. The UI is better than what the Sony Ericsson M600i offers, and it actually supports a multitude of formats, including Atom 1.0


2. Photo upload. My phone has no camera, but here it is, direct photo upload from within Opera Mini.


3. Support for secure connections: You can finally use secure services and stay safe all the way.


4. Since most web authors have no regard for mobile usability (and no, dotmobi won’t help), Opera Mini 3.0 has content folding, where long navigation lists and other filler fluff is collapsed so you don’t have to scroll past 323 pages to get to your actual content.

"

I must say that I have found the same on my new SE M600 - Opera Mini3 has some nicer features (& uses less data) than the full Opera8 built into the M600!

(Via Planet Mobile Web.)

Opera Mini v3 for Mobiles

Opera Mini v3 is now available - with some cool new features:

Features

Download

Online Simulator

M600 video overview

From http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/

type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"
flashvars="file=http://mediafiles.allaboutsymbian.com/aasvp3.flv&showdigits=true&autostart=false" />

Multimedia from All About Symbian

blogging from M600

TriaIing Kablog,a java blogging application

KERRANG! the weekly rock magazine goes QR Code

KERRANG! the weekly rock magazine goes QR Code: "

Photo: Robert Price



The new Kerrang, the english weekly rock magazine, hit the newsstands yesterday. We are proud to announce that the mobile tag below made it in the magazine*.







Short Code: 20207331 / Download the Kaywa Reader / Supported Phones





So if you want a Free Fightstar Video download, you should probably try it out.



By the way - if you know some german, you can read a review of FIGHTSTAR's Grand Unification over at Bandsmagazine



* See our other mobile tag projects.



Related: And see Emily's post about QR Codes for Food Traceability in Japan."

(Via Planet Mobile Web.)

MobileYouth: Introduction

MobileYouth: Introduction: "Children don't know the rules we set for them; this is why they defy convention. SMS grew thanks to young people 'breaking the rules'. MMS was an attempt to increase per-message fees. Some real views from youth follow, highlighting social value of mobiles for youth (duh).

Lifetime value of a young mobile customer in the UK is $20,000. This decreases as they get older."

(Via Planet Mobile Web.)

eLearnz Workshop 15 Nov 2006

A successful use of our wireless laptop set!

Wireless Laptops

Mobile phone statistics

Mobile phone statistics:

Here's a new round of statistics from Gartner for the mobile phone market. Gartner estimates that 986M phones will be sold this year, which is 21% more than last year. It doesn't look good for BenQ.

Provider	Sold units Q3 2006	Share Q3 2006	Sold units Q3 2005	Share Q3 2005
Nokia	88.1	35.1	67.2	32.5
Motorola	51.9	20.6	38.6	18.7
Samsung	30.6	12.2	25.9	12.5
Sony Ericsson	19.4	7.7	13.8	6.7
LG	15.0	6.0	13.5	6.5
BenQ	6.1	2.4 !!!	9.8	4.7
Other	40.2	16.0	37.9	18.3
Total	251.3	100.0	206.7	100.0

(Via Abiro - Mobile News.)

Vodafone 3G Broadband and DSL speedtests - from Picasaweb

Vodafone HSDPA speeds 11/23/06 4:03 PM

VMC software available for ALL Macs!

Vodafone Mobile Connect software for Mac users - v2.06.05

This version of software is fully compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger and Apple Macs with Intel processors, as well as supporting all the previous Vodafone Mobile Connect PC data cards, plus:

* Huawei E220 3G+/3G/EDGE/GPRS USB 3.6 Mbit/s
* Option 3G+/3G/EDGE/GPRS "Icon" USB 1.8 Mbit/s (VF-DE "EasyBox")
* Novatel XU870 3G+/3G/EDGE/GPRS Expresscard 3.6 Mbit/s*

You can use a Vodafone Mobile Connect USB device with any Mac that has USB support and Mac OS X 10.3.5 or newer, including:

* Intel MacBook
* Intel MacBook Pro
* iMac
* Mac mini
* PowerBook
* iBook
* Mac Pro
* G5, G4 and G3 PowerMac.

Please note that the oldest supported Apple Mac OS X system for this version is now Mac OS X Panther 10.3.5.

Mac OS X Tiger 10.4.8 or newer is recommended.

New Zealand DSL :: New Zealand Broadband and DSL Speedtest Page

New Zealand DSL :: New Zealand Broadband and DSL Speedtest Page: ""

Will have to check out my new Xtra ADSL connection speed!

Welcome to Flickr!

Welcome to Flickr!: "http://m.flickr.com"

New mobile version of Flickr now working!

SmartPhone Emulator Developer Edition 6.0

SmartPhone Emulator Developer Edition 6.0: "Multiple Handset Support covering major manufacturers: Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Sharp, Siemens, Samsung, NECMulti-emulator environment with one key synchronization between emulators of the same groupSimple 'Demonstration Mode' for presentations and %u201CDevelopment mode%u201D for building and testing servicesSupport for XHTML-MP, WML 1.2 / WMLScript (where appropriate) and i-modeSecure Sockets Layer (SSL) support (requires Java 1.2 or higher)Enhanced view source with syntax highlighting and HTTP statusVariable/context viewer/editorEnhanced user interface features including on-line help Multi-platform support: Windows, Mac OS X and UNIX-based systemsPowerful scripting system for programmatic applications testingCustomisable User Agent String"

Includes a Mac OSX version! - but costs $299US

NewsGator Releases RSS Aggregator for Windows Mobile Devices

NewsGator Releases RSS Aggregator for Windows Mobile Devices: "NewsGator Go! for Windows Mobile Extends the Power of RSS to Mobile Enterprise Workers and Consumers

DENVER, CO -- September 20, 2006 -- NewsGator Technologies, Inc., the leading RSS platform company, today announced the public release of NewsGator Go! for Windows Mobile, a product that allows users to read content and manage their RSS subscriptions seamlessly from any Windows-mobile capable device. Articles and subscriptions are synchronized between NewsGator Go! for Windows Mobile and NewsGator's other applications, including NewsGator Online, Inbox, NetNewsWire and FeedDemon."

(Via NewsGator News and Updates.)

BBC Mobile - Emulator

BBC Mobile - Emulator: ""

A demo of the BBC's WAP site, which is the mobile internet site that is available to all phones, can be viewed and tried out below

3D web browsing

3B is a 3D web browser, using avatars and RSS to create a 3D web browsing experience - looks really cool! PC only tho :P

Music Instrument Learning Software for Music Teachers and Students

Music Instrument Learning Software for Music Teachers and Students: "In the Chair is music education software that lets you practice by performing with professional musicians, bands and renowned orchestras. Be part of the band - hear the other musicians as you watch the video from your chosen spot - and perfect the piece with the feedback you receive as you play. With In the Chair you practice with real musicians, playing real music (not Midi) using your own instrument!

It doesn't matter if you are learning how to play the clarinet, flute, trumpet, saxophone, violin, cello or recorder - In the Chair has jazz, orchestral and beginner favorites to suit your level and style. With new pieces, lessons and techniques added each week, you can be sure that you will find something to suit your needs."

This is a really cool Web2 app!

GooSync GooSync Beta How it Works

GooSync Beta How it Works

: "GooSync.com Beta is an over-the-air synchronisation service for GoogleCalendar.
Just hit the sync button on your mobile device to synchronize your GoogleCalendar and the calendar on your mobile device.


- Create your GoogleCalendar
- Create your GooSync.com Beta account
- Initialize the sync from your mobile device"

Another Free web2 service for mobiles!


If your device does not support auto set-up:


In the phone's manual you can find instructions on how to set-up sync.


These are the generic setup instructions:


Sync server URL: http://www.goosync.com/sync/sync.aspx


Username: Your Goosync UserName.


Password: Your Goosync password.


Calendar database: Calendar

Google Calendars

I've been playing with Google Calendars recently - mainly because my dotMac account runs out soon and the boss won't renew it ( :-( ), and I love using iCal on the Mac! So - experimenting with Google Calendars revealed that it uses the same format as iCal!!! I can export my iCal calendars and import them directly into Google Calendars - YAY! You can even share your GCal & subscribe to it via iCal (to get an offline copy). A nifty little utility is GCal.app for the Mac, and GCal.Win for Windows - basically a dedicated browser for Google Calendars.

Only prob so far appears that reminder events do not translate through to iCal from Google Calendar.

Its also possible to generate HTML for embedding your Google Calendar in a web page:

Although it appears Blogger does not support the iFrame tag that is required for this to work :-( - hang on, maybe its just Safari. OK - checking in Firefox reveals the problem is Safari not supporting Google Calendar emded - Firefox views the following embedded Google Calendar fine! - so if you see a blank space below this post - view it in Firefox ;-)

Treemo

Welcome to Treemo - Treemo: Media Sharing on a Mission: "Treemo is an online and mobile community dedicated to sharing digital media, empowering self-expression, and transforming creativity into action."

Treemo looks rather interesting - all content is mobile friendly, and they provide multiple ways of accessing content & uploading content via mobile devices without requiring a client application:

1. Via Cell Phone Number


2. Via Mobile Web Browser


3. Via MMS


4. Via email


5. Or from PC online

Definitely worth checking out. They are also quite strict on content - copyright, etc...

Mini proves smart: Opera Mini Web browser for your BlackBerry or Treo

Mini proves smart: Opera Mini%u2122 Web browser for your BlackBerry%u2122 or Treo%u2122: ""

(Via .)

Quimble - online Polling

http://quimble.com/

Looks like an interesting option for creating free online opinion polls - will have to give it a go! Example poll below.NOTE: - Safari users can only VIEW the results of an embeded survey, whereas Firefox users get the option of VOTING as well!!! (Dang - Safari is not helping the uptake of Web2 much :-( ).

Optus (Auzzie) 3G Promo videos

A set of very creative short videos promoting the use of 3G applications on a mobile phone, by Optus.
http://www.optus.com.au/portal/site/personal/menuitem.f964080410d0513327b868108c8ac7a0/?vgnextoid=01ead5a86611e010VgnVCM10000029867c0aRCRD

Phew! - what a gigantic URL!!!

Also: here's a Flash demo from Telecom on the Treo 650 (no longer available as Telecom are now selling the Treo 700wx!)
http://www.telecom.co.nz/binarys/treo650_telecom.html

WINKsite: Mobile Community, User-Generated Content, Mobile Social Software, Mobile Chat, Mobile Site Builder

WINKsite: Mobile Community, User-Generated Content, Mobile Social Software, Mobile Chat, Mobile Site Builder: "What Is WINKsite?
WINKsite is a community-focused microcontent publishing platform designed for personal expression and social networking for those who enjoy a mobile lifestyle.

Who was WINKsite built for? Bloggers, diarists, online journalists, flash mobbers, chatters, social networkers, geochachers, gamers, artists/bands, fans, travelers, political activists, syndicators, students, organizations, teams, communities, and businesses. Use your mobile site as your personal podium to the world, a convenient mobile dashboard to all you find important or as a space to build and manage a mobile community.



Did you know? The site you create at WINKsite is simultaneously available on any web-enabled mobile phone or PDA running a WML v1.x, xHTML Mobile Profile(WML v2.0) or i-mode compatible HTML (cHTML) browser."

(Via .)

Slam

Slam: "Slam is a Microsoft Research Community Technologies Group research project, developed in conjunction with the Microsoft Photo and Imaging eXperience (PIX) team. It is a mobile device-based application that enables lightweight, group-centric real-time communication, location awareness and photo-sharing.

The core concept behind Slam is a “Slam”, a group of people with whom you can exchange messages and photos. When you send a message in Slam, it is automatically sent to everyone in the group to which you sent it. For smartphone users that have the Slam client installed, their phone will buzz and they will have an indication on their phone’s home screen that there is a new message. For SMS users, they will receive the message as an SMS from the Slam server. Like smartphone users, SMS users can be members of multiple slam groups. SMS users will send / receive messages to a different phone number for each slam group they a member of.

The Slam application will run on any Windows Mobile SmartPhone."

(Via .)

Dummies2Delight Graduation!

Using Opera for Presentations

Opera v9 has some great presentation features - who needs powerpoint??!!

options include:

1. Fullscreen mode 'option+ F10'


2. keycommand switching between tabs 'Alt+Tab'


3. zoom in and out "shift+Plus' = zoom in, 'minus' = zoom out


4. and many more


5. Almost forgot - you can save open tabs as 'sessions' - a great way to preset multiple web pages for a presentation

Opera also features a small screen device preview - hold down 'shift+option+plus'.

treocentral.com >> Stories >> Software >> Google Maps on Treo

treocentral.com >> Stories >> Software >> Google Maps on Treo: "Palm, Inc. today announced that it will deliver the popular interactive mapping experience of Google Maps to millions of Palm Treo smartphone users. Google Maps for mobile optimized for Palm OS based Treo smartphones is a free downloadable Palm OS application that offers directions, local search, moveable/scalable maps, location satellite imagery and traffic updates while on the go.
"

Availability
Google Maps for mobile is available today free of charge. To download Google Maps for mobile to a Treo smartphone, users simply visit www.google.com/gmm from the Treo web browser.

Palm Announces the Treo 680

Palm Announces the Treo 680: "Palm has announced the Treo 680 smartphone today at a press conference at DigitalLife in New York City. The Treo 680 is a Palm OS powered GSM/GPRS/EDGE smartphone. The 680 features a internal antenna and a hardware design similar to the Treo 750v. Palm has not yet announced carrier availability or pricing details."

(Via PalmInfocenter.)

Net Savvy Net Gens?

Net Gen students may know the Internet, but they are not necessarily "net savvy." Exposed to huge quantities and multiple formats of information online, they are constantly challenged to sort valid from inaccurate information. Moreover, students are creating information, not just consuming it. This paper explores the challenges students face online in effectively finding information, using technology, and thinking critically.

EDUCAUSE | Resources | Resource Center Abstract

Blogged with Flock

Xdrive : Secure Online Storage

Xdrive : Secure Online Storage:
"Back up your PC - automatically
Set it and forget it! Xdrive can automatically back up all your files on your
PC every day, so you can rest easy.



Full-resolution photos
Photos are stored in their original file size so you'll always be able to maintain
the quality of your digital photos.



Avoid Bouncing Large E-mail
Instead of sending a large e-mail that might get returned, send it with Xdrive. There is plenty of room.





Get It Now FREE"

(Via http://www.xdrive.com.)

Nokia WidSets for Java Mobile Phones released

Espoo, Finland - Nokia today announced WidSets, a phone manufacturer-independent Web 2.0 service, that automatically multicasts preferred RSS feeds and user-generated content. With WidSets, Nokia highlights the power behind the evolution of Web 2.0 - the people, the content they produce and the social networks dynamics, facilitating how mobility enhances Web 2.0's use and enjoyment. "Immediate access to information is expected by people today, thus we wanted to make it easy for everybody, from an individual blogger to a web service provider, to automatically have mobile access to website content," said Dieter May, Vice President and Head of Nokia Emerging Business Unit. "We also believe WidSets will be attractive to new users who are not so familiar with Web 2.0. The easiest way to get started is to visit the WidSets website at www.widsets.com, create an account, browse the Library, and start exploring the service." WidSets allows users to build a Content Library, freely choosing from RSS feeds to blog posts to photo uploading sites that are multicasted to any new generation Java(TM) enabled mobile devices. WidSets keeps such content updated and forms a symbiotic relationship with the web, enabling both mediums to work as one. WidSets is mobile phone browser-independent and comes to market with a vast array of features that truly put the user in the driving seat. Widsets Templates allow users to include their own websites or blogs, for their own private use or that of others they choose. Collaborative filtering allows the community to enrich the Widsets Library by providing suggestions for new content that a user did not know about. The WidSets User Interface uses a process of "choose and set" that makes Widsets operative within seconds. Best of all, signing up to WidSets is free of charge and using WidSets is optimised for minimal data consumption.

GSM Mobile NZ ⇒ News ⇒ Nokia launches WidSets, boosting Web 2.0 services on mobile phones

Blogged with Flock

The WidSets solution consists of a mobile Java client application, a web site for widget discovery and creation, and a server back-end that optimizes content and pushes it to out to mobile devices.

Best of all, it's free. Nokia encourages all developers to try out the service and even make their own WidSets.

Fixing iTunes ((litefeeds))

When an over-eager grandson disables iTunes 7s visualize, a single keystroke can put everything right again. ....

link: Mac 911: Fixing iTunes' visualizer

posted: www.litefeeds.com

Blogging from Flock

Checking Blog settings in Flock for workshop

Blogged with Flock

More Google Mobile Services

Google Maps

http://www.google.com/gmm

Google Reader (RSS)

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

eFest reflections - Diana Oblinger

Diana Oblinger presented a keynote via video conference, covering a lot of ideas on how to approach teaching with todays learners.


Some key points (for me anyway):


1. For teachers:

develop networks

social connections - e.g. http://www.linkedin.com


2. For learning environments:

Round tables, small screens

Formal and informal learning environments


3. To change Teachers:

Focus on the learners - what are the like?

Change the teaching/learning spaces - promote interaction/collaboration environments

Gain a students perspective - get them to describe how they use different tools in their lives/learning


4. Stats

34 million blogs

16000 blog posts per hour

Av age of online gamers = 38!


5. Students are:

digital

connected

experiential

immediate

social

CPIT Mlearning initiative

CPIT are doing some great stuff with mobile phones:

http://mportfolios.blogspot.com/

They are using a mashup of springdoo, filemobile, and flickr, integrated into Moodle lms (using the Moodle 'Journal' feature - must check this out, however I think elgg may be better suited for this!) to create a mobile eportfolio system for baking apprentices. However, they still require PCs to consolidate the portfolio.

Mobile Web2 resources/networking

Check out the following lists of web2 & mobile web2 websites from three different academics - very helpful of them ;-)

http://mportfolios.blogspot.com


http://cpitwebtwoinfo.pbwiki.com


http://metaledblog.blogspot.com


http://www.sacredcowdung.com/archives/2006/03/all_things_web.html

Nokia N95

WOW! - this is some phone - available 2007 for ~ $550 euros

"The Nokia N95 comes with an HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GSM radio, integrated WiFi and Bluetooth 2.0 radios, integrated GPS receiver (with free maps), 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and 30 fps video recording capability, integrated WiFi radio, 3D stereo speakers, miniUSB connector, 3.5 inch standard headphone jack, microSD memory card slot, and 160 MB of internal storage. The form factor is more similar to a N80 than a N90"

http://www.nokia.com/A4136001?newsid=1077775

http://blogs.zdnet.com/mobile-gadgeteer/?p=160

Evoca - Phone Podcasting

This looks interesting - record directly via your phone, or PC in built mic.

Now everyone can easily record and Podcast with their phone.


Get 60 minutes FREE



Record using your phone

Post to your profile, blog or website

Search spoken words and meet new people
Use EvocaMic™ to send messages to friends

Form an Evoca group - share your cause

Record your conference calls

http://www.evoca.com/

Kaywa Reader

Kaywa Code generator

Kaywa Reader

Moodle For Mobiles

eFest Mobile Moodle Course Notes

GeoTagging With Flock

View Location In: Google Maps, Platial, Google Earth, 37.393803,-122.076145
Geotagged with Flock: geo:lon=-122.076145, geo:lat=37.393803, geo:lon=-122.07

Blogged with Flock

CTLI.jpg

CTLI.jpg,
originally uploaded by thomcochrane.

Example of a geotagged Flickr photo

Thom's SplashBlog

View All

Heres a pic I uploaded from an SD memory card from a Casio digital camera to my Palm TX

Go2Web2.net - Social Site Directory

Go2Web2.net - Social Site Directory: "It’s a nice roundup and a reminder of just how many of these sites there are these days - it seems that only a few will survive."

(Via Mashable!.)

Windows Mobile users can take advantage of Yahoo Mobile

Windows Mobile users can take advantage of Yahoo Mobile: "Windows Mobile Treo users make note that Yahoo Mobile could prove a good resource for you. 'With Yahoo! Go™, your stuff is always with you and easy to use.

Click on the arrow to the right of the phone to learn more:

* Contacts — Stored phone numbers are automatically synched
* Photos — Take a picture and it’s stored online
* Messenger* — Record voice instant messages
* Mail — Get notified when new email arrives'
Yahoo Mobile"

(Via PalmAddicts.)

New iPod, iTunes, Treo750v

Apple - iPod - Features

Interactive Flash demo of new iPod interface on Apple website.

There's also a new version of iTunes, its main new feature is the integration of the third party application 'coverflow' for album art downloading - Apple is good at integrating good third party ideas into their main apps!

Also announced today - the Treo750v UMTS Treo for Vodafone networks - Windows Mobile 5 powered unfortunately :-(

I think I'll wait for the Palm OS version (if it comes) or Symbian (Sony Ericsson M600i)

Vodafone launches 3G broadband - 12 Sep 2006 - Technology & Science

Vodafone launches 3G broadband - 12 Sep 2006 - Technology & Science: "Vodafone launches 3G broadband

3.00pm Tuesday September 12, 2006

Vodafone said today it will next month launch 3G broadband services at a price competitive with Telecom's fixed line service.

The service will run ten times faster than its previous offering at a speed of up to 3.6 megabits per second -- faster than conventional broadband running over a copper wire. The average speed will be 800Kbps-1.4Mbps, 58 times faster than dial-up and considerably faster than most entry level conventional broadband services.

Vodafone NZ chief executive Russell Stanners said the big advantage for customers is the system is mobile.

The company said that mobile connectivity would quickly become the preferred way of accessing the internet and critical business applications.

Prices will start at $29.95 per month for 200MB (megabits) or 1GB (gigabit) for $49.95. The service may not be suitable for customers wanting to download large volumes of data.

Mr Stanners said the good news was this development did not rely on unbundling the local loop, which will not come to fruition until mid-2007.

Although Vodafone has around half the mobile market, he said it only had around 20 per cent of the total telecommunications market and the scope for growth was enormous."

embedding Podomatic Podcasts

To create your embedded Podomatic player, go to
http://www.podOmatic.com/podcast/embed/yourusername

Then copy & paste generated html into your web page - easy!

eBible.com

Here's the first cool 'Christian' Social Software/Web2 site I've come across!

http://www.ebible.com: "Here are some reasons for signing up (or take a tour)

FREE. It's completely free to have an eBible.com account
PERSONALIZE. Save personal bookmarks, assign topics/tags, add your own notes
COMMUNITY. Email verses to friends and add them to 'My Community' and share your bookmarks and notes with each other.
BOOKSHELF. Start building your own custom Bookshelf online. Free Nelson Illustrated Bible Commentary (limited time)
ACCESS ANYWHERE. Login and access all your bookshelf titles, bookmarks, notes, topics and community features on any machine with an Internet connection, anywhere in the world"

Treemo Launches - YouTube Plus Photobucket on Your Phone

Treemo Launches - YouTube Plus Photobucket on Your Phone: "

Treemo, which launches today, is a social network and media sharing site with a focus on cellphones. Formerly known as HyperMob, the Seattle-based startup also has a social mission - they’re encouraging users to recycle their old digital cameras and phones.

‘Media sharing’ is a fairly vague term, but the short version is that Treemo combines Flickr-like photo and video sharing with a mobile platform. You can upload photos, videos, audio or blogs via the website, email or your phone, organize your content into sets, bookmark your favorite media and view channels on your cellphone. What’s more, you can navigate the content using social filters like those on YouTube: most recent, most commented, most viewed, most favorited, top tags and featured media. The upload limit is 200MB per month. Other features include tagging, RSS, drag and drop management tools and the ability to share media with your network of friends. Another notable feature: you can embed the media in external sites like MySpace, hi5 and Piczo using the embed codes supplied.

In fact, these features are very similar to the media-sharing site Twango, and many other players, too. Treemo is trying to differentiate itself with a focus on mobile, allowing users to upload and consume media on their phones. However, I’m not sure that it’s enough: this is a crowded market to say the least. What’s more, it doesn’t bode well when lazy headline writers like me can sum it up with a comparison to another service: YouTube, Flickr, Webshots, ImageShack, Fotolog and Photobucket all overlap with Treemo, and all of them have more resources and users. The only strategy that I can propose is to become more of a niche play: targeting socially-conscious users perhaps. Because without a stronger angle, I think many of these media-sharing startups will struggle.

Treemo User?



Mashable’s Treemo profile is HERE - feel free to add Mashable to your friends list if you sign up.

"

(Via Mashable!.)

uBlog

uBlog

Just a quick test to check my uBlog settings for this afternoons presentation

Macworld: News: CrossOver virtualization software public beta offered

Macworld: News: CrossOver virtualization software public beta offered: "CrossOver virtualization software public beta offered
By Peter Cohen



Codeweavers has announced the release of a public beta version of CrossOver Mac, their virtualization software that lets Intel-based Macs run Windows applications, without having Windows installed.
Based on the open-source project WINE, CrossOver Mac provides the ability to run Windows applications and some games on the Mac without having to reboot or switch to a virtual machine interface %u2014 applications appear in the same Finder interface that Mac users are accustomed to. Because it%u2019s based on WINE, which translates Windows-specific code references to other operating systems%u2019 technology, no Windows operating system license is needed in order to get CrossOver to work.
By comparison, Boot Camp, Apple%u2019s Windows-enabling software for Intel Macs, requires you to install a copy of Windows. Similarly, Parallels Desktop for Mac needs a Windows operating system (or other PC-compatible operating system) in order to operate.
Codeweavers advises that CrossOver Mac%u2019s public beta %u201Cwill give you a taste,%u201D but %u201Cshould be considered an early test release.%u201D The developers promise %u201Csubstantial further improvements%u201D before the production version ships. In other words, unless you%u2019re willing to tolerate issues that sometimes pop up with experimental software, %u201Cyou should skip this and wait for notice of the production release.%u201D
The CrossOver Mac public beta is a 60-day version. Users interested in placing a pre-order can, for a reduced price of $39.95."

(Via .)

Plone

Another open source CMS - Plone, runs ontop of 'Zope'. Currently we have a demo up locally on an X Serve, in the process of getting an external IP & Domain Name for the server.
Check out their intro movie on their web site for an overview of Plone - looks promising, maybe not as flexible/full featured as elgg, but looks nicer, and perhaps simpler for the end-user than elgg (which I find slightly confusing for creating groups within etc...).

Metering Social Bookmarking Services

Metering Social Bookmarking Services: "SocialMeter looked interesting- enter a URL and it pulls some stats from major services like del.icio.us, Digg, Furl, Google, Yahoo, technorati for how many times the URL has been bookmarked. It returns a total hit count, and you can click each service to yank up its results."

(Via CogDogBlog.)

Free File Sharing

Upload, Download and Share Files for Free. GigaSize the easiest one-click file hoster.: "Our goal is to provide the best file sharing platform, to be the UPS of file sharing. We didn't think that our early alpha version would get catched up that early into digg and that it would be the 2nd most dugg post of the day today (2088 diggs so far)! We thank you for all the feedbacks, even tough ones, that you gave through the digg comments sections; we really want to offer the best experience. You can give us your feedback here."

(Via http://www.seomoz.org.)

Edited D2D Symposium Intro

Here's the intro video seqyence for the Dummies to Delight presentation. A snapshot into where the group started from wrt technology!

Embedding Podcasts

Now Podomatic provides the ability to embed podcasts (using their player) into any web page by copying & pasting a few lines of html! Cool!

To create your embedded Podomatic player, go to
http://www.podOmatic.com/podcast/embed/yourusername

Java on Cell Phones

The Java ME market: "This is an article about Sys-Con's Integral Java product, that combines support for CLDC and CDC in one implementation, but what caught my eye was this (I haven't verified whether it's actually true):

Java, in the form of the Java 2 Platform Micro Edition (J2ME), has become a prerequisite for all future mobile handsets for at least the next seven to nine years. Not only will the core applications needed for the user experience be created in Java, it will also serve as the basis for the lucrative downloadable application market - the Java segment of which is currently projected to exceed $15 billion by 2008.



and this:

By mid-2006, the installed base of Java enabled handsets will cross the billion-unit mark, with over 35 vendors already offering upwards of 600 different Java-enabled handset models"

(Via Abiro - Mobile News.)

socialmeter.com

Metering Social Bookmarking Services: "SocialMeter looked interesting- enter a URL and it pulls some stats from major services like del.icio.us, Digg, Furl, Google, Yahoo, technorati for how many times the URL has been bookmarked. It returns a total hit count, and you can click each service to yank up its results."

(Via CogDogBlog.)

http://www.socialmeter.com

Mojungle Tutorial

Watch the YouTube video demo here.: "mojungle is as easy as it gets, but I have a lot of dumb friends. So Andrew and I created this video to help our friends navigate the mojungle. Send this video to all of your friends."

(Via http://blog.mojungle.com/index.php/2006/08/19/mojungle-video/.)

Dummies2Delight Photos

Dummies2Delight

Aug 17, 2006 - 4 Photos

Dummies2Delight Thom

Introductory session at Cafe Kreem for Dummies to Delight 2006

Pictures - AOL Mobile

Pictures - AOL Mobile: "AOL® Pictures You’ve Got Pictures® Service
AOL Pictures is a new service that turns your web-enabled phone into a photo album so you can share and enjoy your online pictures, anytime, anywhere. You can view your favorite pictures, show them to your friends, and even download them for use as mobile phone screen savers or wallpapers*.

Accessing AOL Pictures
You will need a web-enabled phone with a WAP2 browser and wireless data plan to access the AOL Pictures service. Most phones sold within the last few years have a WAP2 browser. You may want to verify with your mobile phone carrier that your phone is WAP2 compatible, and that web access is enabled.
How to Get AOL Pictures
You can access AOL Pictures via the AOL Mobile Portal by entering the URL http://mobile.aol.com "

(Via .)

Mobile AIM - AOL Mobile

AIM on a mobile phone just got a whole lot easier!

Find Mobile AIM - AOL Mobile: "Most cellular phones provide multiple ways to use the Mobile AIM service.
Depending on your wireless carrier%u2019s capabilities, there are three different methods to access the Mobile AIM service.Start now! Use the Mobile Dashboard on the right to find out exactly how you can access the Mobile AIM service on your particular carrier and phone model.

1. The Mobile AIM service through text messaging
Easy to setup, now you can elect to have your IMs forwarded to your phone as text messages. Click here to learn more.

2. The Mobile AIM service through mobile web browser
Many wireless carriers provide access to the Mobile AIM service using the phone's mobile web browser. Click here to learn more.

3. The Mobile AIM service through software
Mobile AIM software provides the greatest functionality on your phone. Click to learn more about Installed or Downloadable Mobile AIM."

(Via AIM.)

Opera Mini Thoughts

I have been impressed with Opera mini running on my Palm TX and my SonyEricsson T630 phone. It appears other people have been as well - here's a quote from http://tamspalm.tamoggemon.com/

"Overall, Opera Mini 2 worked ok on my Palm Tungsten T3. The browser obviously is different from Web Pro and Blazer, as it doesnt even attempt to recreate the original page layout - this reduces data transfer volume and makes browsing hell fast(almost as fast as on my desktop). 5way control works really well too - no need to use the stylus when surfing! If you are on a GPRS contract, look at this free browser - it could save you money!"

Wii

The Nintendo Wii looks like a really fun take on the game consoles! Certainly far more interactive than the XBox360 or the future PS3.
Video montage here.

SONY MyLo

The new SONY MyLo WiFi communicator is an interesting WMD. It's main advantage over the PSP is the inclusion of a slide-out keyboard for way faster text entry!. Still, I'm not sure that it has enough features to capture a large market share - the prob with WiFi only wireless is limited connectivity - a 3G smartphone wins on connectivity, and there's no Bluetooth to connect via a cellphone. There is USB2, but it appears to be oriented to file synchronizing with a PC, and with only Memory Stick storage, its not going to replace a full iPod for your music & video library. Web browsing is via a 320x240 screen using Opera - so the same web experience as a Palm or PPC device. Would have been nice to have a PSP or Nokia 770 resolution screen :-( . I guess they are targeting an alternative 'cellphone' market (small enough to pocket & not look silly when holding it to your ear!). They've also missed the Blog & RSS integration - maybe in an update?... One to watch for possibilities...

Large Flash/video overview here.

"Speaking of unholy abominations, Sony decided to take some design tips from their own PSP, functionality from the OQO, usage scenarios from Nokia's 770 (and a wee dash dash of inspiration from Ixi's OGO), and mash it up all together into a single device: the mylo. The name refers to "my life online," ahem, which we assume probably has a little something to do with the Sony's old school MYLO / My Life Online, a wireless service Sony launched launched at PC Expo 2001 "to offer mobile users an original and personalized way to access information and entertainment content for work and play." (Yeah, that's specific.) This blast from the past now takes shape as a $350 WiFi-centric handheld features a slide-up 2.4-inch screen, VoIP capabilities via Skype, web access, media playback capabilities, 1GB flash, and a Memory Stick slot" http://www.engadget.com/2006/08/08/sony-launches-mylo/