Three major game changers in School Tech

Having been asked my opinion on the top three game changers at the moment, I consulted respected bloggers around the web for this short list.

1) New hardware and skills usage: iPad/iPods, tablets, game consoles, e-readers. Using apps to access learning rather than web sites/software. Leads to independent learning, peer work, self paced ‘personalised’. Good example is contrast of Rosetta Stone CD or web site (£200) with multitude of apps for language learning (vary between free, 59p and £1.99). Immediate and intuitive (fun? Intrinsically games-based?) vs structured courseware. None hierarchial interfaces can lead to younger (or conversely much older) development of digital literacy skills. This video widely shown (CBS TV/You Tube) of a baby with a magazine:

Gesture-based computing is developing through the track pads of laptops, tablet devices/phones, touch screen and more recently through voice recognition (already in use – MS Kinect and Siri). Keyboards may not be needed as devices can be controlled by human gestures and voices.

2) Allied to this is BYOD – Bring your own device. This is starting to happen with big industry and in schools I have seen formally in use with sixth form and (against school rules) with everyone else! This used to be known as mobile learning (the iPAQ or hybrid phone) but has changed so much due to smart phones and iPods. In my classes for eg no need to book a formal PC setting to do research, just allow them use of their own phones. Issues in this include economics, haves/have nots and theft (main reason younger kids banned from using by Academy). Also access is not by school-controlled network and is via 3G so no blocking, e-safety etc. Older students sign contract and can have access to free open wi-fi.

3) Web 2.0 tools and Internet – Web 2.0 Projects booklet by Terry Freedman. This a game changer due to our dependence on Internet tools now that many are free. Issues recently have been caused by global companies acquiring some of these Internet start-ups and swallowing them whole. Facebook has been particularly responsive to this but more recently Picnik image editor was bought by Google and will disappear. Twitter acquired Posterous this month and is yet to release details of what it intends to do with the tool.

This aspect would include using Social media to communicate with parents and other stakeholders.

•Blogging/Publishing by learners

•Game Based Learning – directly via consoles

•Collaboration/Social Learning – online collaborative tools across continents, Skype-linked and even shared publishing (Zoho, Google docs).

Using tech devices for data collection is becoming a possibility:

Web 3.0 and Learning analytics: Loosely joins a variety of data gathering tools and analytical technology to study pupil engagement, practice, performance and progress. Teachers and school would tailor educational opportunities to each individual student’s level of need and be able to adapt in ‘real-time’. Using ‘smart’ devices pupils learning, attendance and achievement would be monitored by computer programs that would automatically change to suit the ‘level’ of the child’s ability and practice. Even be able to monitor health, tiredness, diet etc.

(Julian S. Wood/@ideas_factory)

You may wonder why I have included the Lolz cat image – this shows a cat using an iPad app specifically designed for feline users! Game changer?

Broadcasting the Curriculum

The Broadcast Curriculum allowed us to demonstrate the wider benefits of media technologies in enhancing learning and motivating students. At ks3 and 4 BB is not subject specific; we supported maths, science, ICT, PE, geography, history and english regularly and languages, art & design and media on other occasions with 8 of our local schools. At primary level (mainly ks2) creative freedom allowed specific TV Shows on anti-bullying, Bollywood dancing and thematic activities tying in with weather, story or history-based topics. Teachers could use the embed codes to re-use the video content in web pages and the school’s VLE. Conferences and staff training were streamed live over the Internet with marketing via social media. All the output distributed by DVD or archived into a dedicated password-protected web site.

The advantage of the CLC was to use professional equipment in a simplified TV Studio setting; the right tools can make a difference to the quality of the final product. Our studio was used with learners as young as 6 right up to adults such as teachers making content for the classroom. Much of our work in the last year of the CLC involved NEETs (Not in Employment, Education or Training) and was a fabulous engager and motivator particularly in our fame hungry get rich quick times.

Unfortunately, funding streams for this kind of activity have ceased so the CLC Studio is due to close in a few months. So what can school teachers do to utilise the Broadcast Curriculum?

Gold option

If your school, academy or federation is feeling flush and BB is a high priority, then Planet PC have several solutions in portable boxes that have great potential. The Movie Box 3 cost around £8k – full details here. There are cheaper and dearer options from the same company. Contents include*:

• Apple MacBook – software includes iMovie’09 and Final Cut Express
• Storyboarding software
• Stop motion animation software and web cam
• High end camcorder with professional tripod
• Hand held interview microphone, tie clip microphone and boom microphone
• Live chroma keyer
• 2.1m x 2.1m pop up reflective chroma key screen and accessories
• Reflective chroma key flooring
• Reflective chroma key material props pack
• Full Lighting kit with floor stands and backdrop clip on lights
• Webcam and stop motion software

*This is a contents list based on when our movie boxes were acquired in 2010

Silver option

Much of the same functionality can be achieved with the following items for under £3k:

• Apple iMac – software includes iMovie for free
• Set of cheap photographers lights (redheads)
• DV camera & tripod
• Stop motion software (eg. I Can Animate) and recommended I Can Present too!
• Tin of Chroma key paint

Obviously not the same effect as the full kit but a fraction of costs however, a dedicated wall of a room is needed for the Chroma paint.

Bronze Option

The very least you could use to set up a mini studio is a Macbook, camera and tripod and this will be less than £1.5k.

None of the ideas above exclude Windows machines, indeed there are several tutorials on You Tube suggesting ways of chroma-keying/green screening using Windows Movie Maker. The popularity of the Khan Academy and the Flipped Classroom suggest there is even more mileage to screen recording video casts (a function built into Mac machines but freely available for PC) but I suggest a blended approach to avoid merely video recorded lectures.

Good luck with your broadcasting adventures!

Reflections on this year’s BETT Show

The BETT Show this year was as hotly anticipated as last years, not for the appearance of fabulous new technology but the whole social experience of mixing it with the uber-geeks. There is always to much to see in a day (my usual length of visit) and usually you have to plan for the exact itinerary you want to check out – yes, that means research. Since I started my current job the whole field is enormous (I work at a City Learning Centre) and there is the shmoozing and mixing it side with clients and customers too.  Needless to say, I went out to look at specific TV broadcasting kit, furniture ideas and… the top ten gizmos from the press!

A short film (following) is a visual notation for the TV and furniture stuff as for the gizmos – where were they? I expected to see a great big Google presence (missed a trick there although every advertising hoarding in a 10 mile radius advertised Chrome browser), Apple or rival tablet/slate PCs or super iPods (none… NONE; even CES had MS slates) and touch screen walls (minority report style). Yes there were some great big tellys (some touch sensitive) and an awful lot of IWBs and smart-alike tables.

Aren’t we over IWBs yet?! Some of the new 3d content is exciting to me as is the idea of the single lens projector (cheaper=more) – didn’t think that much of 3d TV though. Thought there may be something of a gap in the market for 3d production and will pursue this further.

The really exciting thing this year was the TeachMeet and TMTakeovers on some of the vendor’s stands. I’m quite new to the whole idea of TM – I heard about it last year and thought it was another boring seminar! Having since followed the goings-on of the EdTech RoundUp online community and (!) took part in the Teach Meet session (see earlier post) I was really excited about the prospect of these taking place during the show. I had no intention of making them all; I hoped to happen across them as I went! No way! From @dughall’s bettig onwards I found myself tracking TM takeovers via twitter! I had to arrange my day by what area of the building I needed to be in to catch a TM takeover…

@largerama ‘taking over’ Scholastic from @chrisrat

I did manage 3 and a bit during Thursday (they were continued through to saturday and they were absolutely the highlight of my visit. Bucket loads of enthusiasm and a real application of technology in the classroom; nothing like the seminars ‘officially’ offered.

I like this kind of taking back from the users of technology – the ‘vendors’ from the stands were on the whole amazed and enthusiastic about the experience – giving up their seats and applauding louder than the teachers! Well done all those who took part and the response of the lurkers must also be recognised for without an audience it wouldn’t quite have been the same.

Maybe next year, a little integration of technology and tools from the actual stand might be beneficial to both parties? A bit more like the OSS Cafe upstairs where @eyebeams was integrated – no, part of the procedures he captured and streamed.

The important thing was the zeitgeist – reminded me of Glastonbury many years ago when the impromptu raves started after the bands had finished… but that’s another story for a different blog.

Back home by Friday night, I followed the proper Teach Meet in all it’s streamed glory while simultaneously following a twitterfall of commentary –  really exciting times for educationalists and a challenge to everyone with a concept of prefessional development.

My First TM and ETRU!

Last Sunday night saw the first airing of a joint Teach Meet and Edtech Roundup ‘un’-conference. I have been following TM for a while, although never in attendance and only after the fact. I wanted to tag along to the Edtech Roundup as I know that quite a few CLC technologists attend and take part. So here was my chance – I’m no performer, more of a facilitator for others! In our TV studio I like to be behind the camera – definately not in front. But how could I encourage others if I woulldn’t have a go myself?

So I signed up here and made a 2 minute webcast about our CLC wiki. I linked to it on Diigo (this site) as required by joining instructions set up by Doug Belshaw and Dai Barnes. The rest of the organisation is outlined here - it’s a great model and I thoroughly enjoyed being involved.

If you want to see the archive of the broadcast (as opposed to my 2 minute contribution) it can be found onJustin.tv here.

Basic instruction: how to make a podcast

This post is dedicated to online audio content production (wha?!!), thats Podcasts to everyone else.

How does it work? — you have to enclose an audio file in an RSS feed. Basically an iPod or other MP3 player can receive your audio off the Internet not unlike receiving a radio programme.

How do I make a “feed”? — A feed is basically a text file containing XML (a type of web language). If you make your own weblog (blog) using Blogger.com or similar you’ll know all about XML. You can convert blogs to RSS using Feedburner.com. RSS (Really Simple Syndication I think) is a very simple webpage – see news.bbc.co.uk and click on some of the RSS results – simple and quick, veeerrry quick! When converting a blog to a feed using feedburner.com, be sure to use the podcasting template as this includes an enclosures link. You need this to add a link to your enclosure (ie. your audio file). Another way of making a feed is using specialist software like Reinvented software’s “Feeder” (not free like the other two but inexpensive).

How do I make an audio file? — One way is through Quicktime Pro (for a small fee); record an audio file and save as filename.m4a. Open it in iTunes and convert to MP3. Another method is by using Garageband and an external mic to make a tune and export it to iTunes (convert to MP3 through the Advanced menu).

Now I have a feed with an enclosure and an MP3 audio file, what next? — You have to upload them to your web site (put them in a folder called podcasts to keep them together) by FTP through your web design software or through Feeder.

How do other people hear it? — Submit to iTunes Podcasts and then they can either search for it via filename (as advertised on your website) or simply advertise the link on your webpage. They can only hear it through iTunes or on their iPods/MP3 players.

(This post appeared on my old blog in March, 2006)