Can Apple Save Education?

Peter sent me a link to this infographic which was created by the hype generated around Apple's re-entry into education last month with the introduction of their interactive text books.

Via: OnlineEducation.net

Apple unveil their vision of Education

With the iPad out now for nearly three years now and already in the hands of millions of teachers and students around the globe their seemed to be a clear void in the purpose for bringing them into a classroom.  This was of course beyond a range of useful apps targeted at specific areas of the curriculum such as some of the ones we have identified in the past.

There was no real connection between the teacher, student and the iPad that was intended by apple to actually enhance teaching and learning. 

Today in New York, Apple went some way to addressing that and will surely start a frenzy of digital publishing to meet their vision as outlined below by introducing three new and / or improved products for the iPad. 

Here is the official and quite corny promo video for all of these products fro Apple with a breakdown of each below it.

iBooks 2

Beyond being that annoying icon on your iPad that you could never put into another folder and iBooks had never really been a great success for Apple who had dominated music and apps because most people who wanted to read an e-book would do so on a kindle which had a monstrous catalogue, much cheaper price point and genuine battery life.

Apple's solution to this was quite innovative as per usual and that is to reinvent the e-book for today's students.  An e-book will look a text book from the 1950's up against some of the example texts Apple have created which you can see below.

This was probably what every company in the world wanted to do with e-books already but didn't already have hundreds of millions of devices in users hands and billions in the bank to develop and refince e-books. 

iBooks 2 looks amazing is packed with multilayered, text images and data which is always up to date with the press of a button and offers students the ability to take notes, images and information and use it as they desire.

Take a look at it here.

iTunes U

iTunes U builds on iBooks but also incorporates Apples own learning management system where teachers, professors, publishers can not only publish great content but also set tasks, projects, lectures and link to any area of the web to develop a purpose for the iPad. 

iTunes U now offers a syllabus, teacher bio and a course description and overview. You can get assignments here, bringing you to specific parts of your textbook. you can also keep tabs on homework and course material, and highlight and take notes on texts.

iBooks Authoring Tool

This is the kicker from Apple that will really accelerate the growth of this platform and make paper and pulp publishers totally rethink what they are doing.  iBooks Author looks to be ( As I have not yet trialled it - I will access it shortly and let you know my thoughts ) a beautiful drop and drag, WYSIWYG publishing tool to turn that 5 kg door stop book on human anatomy into a 21st century text book kids will be excited to open again.  Once again it simplifies the publishing process in the same manner Garageband and iMovie did ten years ago with audio and video.  Take a look below.

Obviously there are many questions still to be answered in the real world about iPad's and education and their worthiness on a book list which we will explore in greater detail in future but there is now after three years a clear commitment, business plan and opportunity for Educational publishers to deliver curriculum like never before.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Apple's latest keynote and quest for world domination.

Steve Jobs - A lifelong Learner and Educator

Nothing much to say here that hasn't already been said.  Steve Job's contribution to education was one that cannot be understated and we thank him for that.  Below is a video that youmight like to use with your students to learn a little bit more about the man behind the fruit company who was full of amazing ideas that cahnged the way we communicate.

New Garageband Killer uJam is the best web app of 2011

Ujam is without a doubt the best free app I have seen pop on the web in the last 12 - 18 months and it is a really fresh and unique piece of software that is going to blow your students minds.  Essentially uJam let's anyone create a professional piece of music in minutes by simply singing.  No instruments required. ( You must see the video below to believe it.)

Next, the user can edit the style of their music. There are many to choose from and each allows the user to produce something that sounds exactly the way they want it to. After polishing their personal music creation, the user can share it with others. It can be sent privately to a select group of friends or family members or shared with a larger group of fans.

It has some big names behind it including Han's Zimmer and Pharrell and is currently totally free but I get the feeling that may not last.  You really need to take a look at the videos below to get an idea of how this amazing app works but I can definitely see this up there with facebook and myspace as internet phenomoenons for teenagers and aspiring stars by the end of the year.

Just about everything Ujam can do is unique. The application guides musicians of all levels to building their own music. Style settings allow users to produce a piece they can be proud of and would want to listen to.

Check it out here.

I'd love to hear your songs and thoughts on uJam

New version of Kidpix hits the Mac App Store - Kidpix in 3D

Earlier this week Apple opened it's Mac Apps Store which is essentially the same as their iPhone and iPad app store for Macbooks and iMacs.  This seems to be the method of choice to buy software for the minute which has its pro's and cons. 

One negative is that heralds the possible end of the 'software suite' for Mac such as iLife and iWork but the upside of this is you can just buy the application you need at a far cheaper price online and be using it in seconds via download.  For instance iMovie 11 can be bought separately for $14.99 and Numbers is $19.99.

Software producers know that this market is an absolute goldmine at the minute and have produced some pretty impressive apps that would be of assistance to teachers and students and one of the best looking Mac apps is the latest version of KidPix

Kidpix 3D $49.99

This revolutionary new Kid Pix puts feature-film quality 3D storytelling into the hands of kids. Video narration lets them star in their own animated adventures, and easy path animations let 3D characters interact on screen. Eye-popping 3D backgrounds, and a hundred video backgrounds provide a Hollywood setting. For ages 4 and up. Includes two pairs of 3D glasses!

• Create animated stories viewable with 3D glasses
• Multilayered 3D backgrounds and 100 video backgrounds
• Easy path animation tools let 3D characters interact
• Video narration lets kids star in their own animated productions

I am not sure how you go about buying a site license for a school but I am sure time will tell. To find out more about KidPix click here.

Please let us know your thoughts about KidPix

Top 5 Computer Self Help Sites

Sometimes things just go wrong with your computer and you might face a lengthy or expensive wait to get a supposed 'expert' to find the source of the problem.  Fortunately there are a few sites on the web that will help you out of your problems whether it be a an annoying niggle or a complete meltdown.

Computerhope is a great starting point to actually find out what your problem is and then go most of the way to fixing it if your problem is simple.  This is a Windows on only site covering all Microsoft O/S's from Windows 95 through to Windows 7.

Yes Apple Computers do break down too believe it or not and luckily Apple have a comprehensive help site available here to find a solution to your problem.

Many problems are simply annoyances rather than major issues then you need to visit annoyances.org to get fast answers to your problems via forums.

To actually watch someone fix common PC problems then you need to visit the eHowTech channel at Youtube.  This also has a range of tweaking videos to improve performance.

Last but not least and in my opinion the best is just good old Google - just be specific about your problem when you type it in the search box and your solution is never far away.  I have never found a computer problem yet that no one else has actually suffered and written something about.

Remember also that a computer problem is not a problem until you have rebooted and it still persists.

10 essential iPad apps for high school students

 Thanks to Scott McGlynn at teach2thefuture.net for this one.

The free Dictionary.com app delivers trusted reference content from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com, including nearly 1,000,000 words and definitions and 90,000 synonyms and antonyms. No Internet connection is needed. The app also features audio pronunciations, similarly spelled words and Dictionary.com’s popular Word of the Day that is enjoyed by millions of people. 

Accessing Wikipedia has never been faster and easier than with Wikipanion, designed for easy, search, navigation and display of Wikipedia entries. Streamline your browsing with history grouped by visit date, and bookmarking that not only bookmarks individual entries, but individual sections within an entry.

Graphing Calculator turns your phone or iPod into an intuitive high-resolution function plotter and scientific calculator. Features include the following:

- Includes a powerful, yet easy to use scientific calculator.
- Quickly plot and trace multiple equations on the same graph.
- Custom keyboard to speed up entering in equations.
- Pinch to zoom and drag/slide for scrolling the graph in real time.
- The graph view supports portrait and landscape modes.
- Take screen shots, and e-mail graphs to yourself.
- Evaluate your graphs at any x value using the calculator screen.
- Find the exact (x,y) coordinates for roots, intersections, minimums and maximums using the trace mode.
- Supports graphing polar and parametric equations.
- Currently supports the following functions: log, log2, log10, ln, exp, sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan, sinh, cosh, tanh, asinh, acosh, atanh, csc, sec, cot, gamma, lgamma, nCr, nPr, min, max, degrees to radians, radians to degrees, absolute value, square root, ceiling, floor, and mod.

myHomework is a simple and easy to use iPhone application that allows you to keep track of your homework, classes, projects and tests while interacting with a really cool design. myHomework’s design tends to resemble our day to day notebook, the sections are separated by colorful “sticky pads” that marks the page.

You can quickly enter your class schedule and use it to differ between homework assignments. myHomework will also notify you when you have late and upcoming assignments by numbering them on your application icon. Late assignments will be marked in red, next day upcoming assignments will be marked in orange, and all other upcoming assignments will be marked in blue. So you can easily identify which homework you definitely need to look into.

Like reading? Fire up Books and download a few of our 23,469 classics, free of charge!

We take 23,469 classic books, package them up, and make them all available to download and read with our fully featured ereader.

Books unlocks a menu of public domain content, allowing you to acquire some of the great books of human history. Letters of leaders, the collected works of geniuses, the finest Victorian novels, the plays of Shakespeare, the philosophy of Seneca and Marcus Aurelius, the autobiographies of Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Carnegie.

Explore the properties of the elements, the standard amino acids, and the nucleobases with The Chemical Touch. A touch sensitive periodic table and chemical information companion, it provides a wealth of information right at your fingertips. Recolor the periodic table by selecting properties other than Atomic Mass to visually investigate periodic trends. Having exhausted the built-in information, the internet button opens the Wikipedia page for the selected element, amino acid, or nucleobase.

 Mathematical Formulas is the perfect app for you who likes mathematics and easily forgets formulas which you need in certain situation. Without a good app, it's tough to remember all these complicated and easy forgettable formulas. You don't even want to write down all you formulas on ten or even 20 different post-it papers and loosing them all the time. But hey, why don't have them in ONE place and easily access them whenever you want to?

This app is especially made for this kind of a situations. Mathematical Formulas contains all the basic functions you'll need. You won't no more worry about forgetting the basic formulas such as the quadratic formula and etc.

History:Maps of World is a fun and educational collection of high-resolution historical maps.
Check it out to keep up with your history, learn something about history.

Features
- Wide variety of historical displays
- Support for Category/Era view
- Keyword Search
- Displays the source about each map
- Zoom in/out (zoom-in/out with pinch, zoom-in with double tab, and zoom-out with two-fingers tap)
- Free screen rotation
- Not require a network connection

The complete CIA World Factbook at your fingertips, including extensive information on more than 250 countries and locations throughout the world. Whether you're an avid traveler, a busy student, or someone who just likes to stay informed, this is the app for you!

 

Not only does it translate English sentences into foreign languages – it
READS THEM BACK TO YOU IN THAT LANGUAGE!

iTranslate is a great way to:
- Study vocabulary the fun way.
- Have a list of important phrases on hand while you are on vacation.
- Communicate immediately with someone who normally couldn’t understand you.

Features Include:
- Up to 500 characters per translation.
- Unlimited number of phrases.
- Real dynamic text-to-speech translation, these are not prerecorded

What software should every school computer have on it?

We are currently putting our 2011 computer images together for both out classroom and student leased netbooks and I am going through the process of adding and removing software and testing it before we deploy it to over 400 machines.

The big question is what do we put on them?  There are hundreds of great pieces of software available to enhance students learning both paid and free as well as some must have links to great sites foreducation.

So I would love to hear what suggestions you have and I then will compile that list together and possibly uploading the finished computer image as a downloadable torrent for all to share.  Please contribute below and tell us why you have suggested that piece of software.