Lakeland Technology Department
Apple's Text Book Vision and Deployment
Apple unveiled today iBooks 2, a "new textbook experience" for theiPad and the company's attempt to bury traditional schoolbooks.
"Clearly, no printed textbook can compete," Roger Rosner, an Apple vice president, said during a press event this morning at New York's Guggenheim Museum.
The company also announced iBooks Author, a free app for self-publishing e-books, and improvements to the iTunes U app that puts entire courses online and allows instructors to post syllabi and messages for students.
Before unveiling the plan, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, noted the sad state of current textbooks. They aren't portable, searchable, current, or interactive, he said.
"We want to reinvent the textbook," Schiller said. He noted that more than 20,000 educational apps are already available for the iPad and that more than 1.5 million iPads are already in use in education.
Rosner showed off some of the potential improvements with digital textbooks: text with embedded movies..."rich, engaging" layouts...portrait/landscape mode switches for more or fewer graphics....the ability to tap on words for definitions...searching for keywords throughout a text...review questions with immediate feedback...highlighting with your finger...pop-up spaces for note taking...instant study cards.
iBooks 2 will offer "super-fast, super-fluid navigation," Rosner said.
A new textbook category is appearing in the iBooks store, he noted, and the iBooks 2 app can be downloaded to the iPad today.
Meanwhile, iBooks Author will let anyone create interactive books. To assist, Apple has built templates for books, including math and science books.
A lot of people already have great content written, Schiller said, and iBooks Author will enable them to quickly bring together word files, images, and videos. The app includes auto-wrap of images around text. And people who can write code in JavaScript and HTML can create interactive widgets.
If you've ever create an e-book before, Schiller said, you know this is a "total miracle" in terms of time savings.
Meanwhile, Schiller said, iBooks 2 will offer books for every subject, every grade level, and every student.
New high school textbooks will cost $14.99 or less.
Apple has worked with a number of publishers on this project, including Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The digital versions of two Pearson textbooks and five McGraw-Hill textbooks--already in use by millions of high school students--are in iBooks 2 as of today. The E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation has book called "Life on Earth," available today for free.
With iTunes U, students can stream lectures, read texts, watch videos online, and then tap to mark the assignment as completed. As of now, iTunes U is used at about 1,000 universities. Starting today, elementary schools through high schools can use it too. iTunes U is free and available in 123 countries, Apple said.
Principal Discussion Blog - Technology
This blog is the collected thoughts of school administrators that want to share best practices in education. All of the authors have different experiences in education but all have the same goal; ensuring we do what is best for students.
Remind101
Still in beta form but it is quick and easy to setup. It is free at the moment also. Provides a quick way for teachers to reach out to parents and students via texting from a website.
Students and parents sign up for notifications by sending a text message with a teacher's class code (e.g. text @code to 555-555-5555). They may also sign up by sending an email to the teacher's code (e.g. code@remind101.com). The medium they sign up with determines how they will receive notifications. So if a student signs up from her phone, she will receive text messages. Likewise, a parent who emails in will receive messages via email.
Smart - Notebook Version 11
New Version of SMART Notebook™ Features Increased Web Integration
SMART Notebook 11 offers new features for enhanced interactivity, creativity and efficiencyCALGARY, Alberta --- January 9, 2012 --- SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces SMART Notebook 11 collaborative learning software. Version 11 of SMART Notebook will enable teachers to integrate online resources into SMART Notebook files, enhancing instruction and increasing classroom efficiency. A new embedded web browser allows teachers to insert a live browser page directly into a SMART Notebook file. Users can then write, draw, and drag and drop content on the page. Version 11 includes widgets such as a dictionary and translator, which will let users handwrite a query, receive the answer and move that answer to the SMART Notebook software page. An avatar widget will let teachers bring their dynamic talking avatars into SMART Notebook 11 and save them to the Gallery. The widgets can be downloaded from the SMART Exchange™website (exchange.smarttech.com), where educators can find over 51,000 learning resources and lessons, and used directly in a SMART Notebook 11 file. A software development kit (SDK) for SMART Notebook allows educators and third-party developers to create an unlimited number of custom web-based widgets. SMART Notebook 11 software will be available as a free download for existing license holders of SMART Notebook or for purchase in spring 2012.
Over six million teachers have activated SMART Notebook software to create and deliver engaging lessons for more than 40 million students in 175 countries around the world. Version 11 builds on that success with many new features that offer creative and efficient tools for increased interactivity. Students can be more engaged with tools that allow them to customize interaction with the SMART Board®interactive whiteboard. The crayon feature allows students to create authentic crayon drawings on the interactive whiteboard, and the customizable creative pen builds individual pen types based on any image. New features allow teachers to create activity objects with the activity builder tool that reacts to actions made by students or teachers with animations or sounds for engaging interactions. The enhanced contextual toolbar responds to actions by changing when users choose a certain object, giving them the required tool choices. The reset page function brings the SMART Notebook software page back to its last saved state. SMART Notebook 11 also features new gestures, supporting four-touch capability for the SMART Board 800 series interactive whiteboard and the SMART Board 8070i interactive display. SMART Notebook 11 supports Microsoft® Windows 7®, Microsoft Windows XP® and both Mac Snow Leopard® and Mac OSX Lion operating system software. For more information on SMART Notebook 11 software, visitsmarttech.com/notebook11.
“The new software development kit has allowed us to create our own widget, which provides direct access to our student information system data, within a SMART Notebook lesson,” says Daniel Gratton, Director of Information Technology, Conseil scolaire de district catholique de L’Est ontarien (CSDCEO), Ontario, Canada. “Having access to that student data within SMART Notebook provides numerous opportunities for our teachers to create lessons that match the needs of specific students.”
“SMART Notebook software is increasingly being used as a standard lesson creation and delivery tool in classrooms around the world,” says Linda Thomas, Vice President, Products, SMART Technologies. “SMART Notebook 11 makes collaboration with online resources more interactive and comprehensive, benefiting both teachers and students, and enhances creativity for increased student engagement.”
Features
Activity builder – Creates activity objects that react to actions with animations or sound
Embedded web browser – Inserts web browsers directly onto a SMART Notebook software page
Enhanced contextual toolbar – Responds to actions by giving users the required tool choices when they choose a certain object
Crayon – Creates authentic crayon drawings on a SMART Board interactive whiteboard
Customized creative pen – Builds a unique creative pen from any image
Reset page – Brings SMART Notebook software page back to its last saved state to instantly start again
Gesture recognition – Supports four-touch interactivity for the SMART Board 800 series interactive whiteboard and the SMART Board 8070i interactive display. Also recognizes new shake gesture to group or ungroup objects.
Audio recording – Records sounds directly into a file
Shape image fill – Adjusts the size of an image to fit into a specific shape
Updated tables – Supports scaling, moving and interacting within tables more easily
New text engine – Provides improved text formatting and consistency
Fade ink – Fades any regular ink
Full-page frame – Allows borders of the page layout to be displayed
OverDrive eBooks Workflow
OverDrive’s School Download Library offers:
- Custom-branded website
- Online access 24 hours a day/7 days a week
- 300,000+ eBooks & audiobooks for K-12
- Custom collection that’s right for your school
- Easy access using an existing library card or
school ID - Compatibility with all major desktop and mobile platforms
In addition, digital books are cost-effective for your school. No more lost or damaged items. No need to make room on shelves for new material. OverDrive handles setup, maintenance, and system upgrades with one annual fee. We offer affordable pricing for building, school, or district.
To help you succeed with your School Download Library, we offer many high quality features and tools, including:
Best Selection: The titles students want and need from hundreds of suppliers. Schools can create age-specific collections so young readers cannot check out more mature titles. However, high school students can easily check out lower level titles without embarrassment.
Best Service: Training and promotional support educators can use to enhance student engagement. OverDrive can also provide secure student authentication, regardless of ILS.
Best User Experience: Streamlined browse, check out, download, and transfer options students can use to read books on their own or school-assigned personal devices like NOOK™ or Kindle® (US schools and libraries only). OverDrive’s mobile apps provide digital downloads direct to iPhone®, iPad®, Android phones and tablets, and other mobile devices.
Lacie Drive - ThunderBolt
CNet reports on a new eSATA Hub from LaCie which allows you to connect external eSATA drives to your Thunderbolt equipped Mac.
The hub comes with two Thunderbolt ports and two eSATA ports. Users can connect up to two eSATA drives to the hub for use on their Thunderbolt equipped Macs. The additional Thunderbolt ports can also be used to daisy chain additional Thunderbolt peripherals off the device.
eSATA is a high performance drive connector used to connect external hard drives to your computer. eSATA has never been a standard option on Macs, but is a faster alternative to USB 2.0 and Firewire and is commonly found on high performance external drives and storage arrays. As noted by CNet, eSATA devices are also presently cheaper than their Thunderbolt counterparts. While Thunderbolt has a higher maximum speed than eSATA, if you are just connecting a single external drive (and not a drive array), it's not likely to exceed the upper limit of eSATA.
So, for those who are have existing eSATA drives or are waiting for Thunderbolt drives to drop in price, this could be a good interim solution. Unfortunately, LaCie hasn't released a price yet, but this eSATA hub is expected to be available during the first quarter of 2012.
The hub comes with two Thunderbolt ports and two eSATA ports. Users can connect up to two eSATA drives to the hub for use on their Thunderbolt equipped Macs. The additional Thunderbolt ports can also be used to daisy chain additional Thunderbolt peripherals off the device. eSATA is a high performance drive connector used to connect external hard drives to your computer. eSATA has never been a standard option on Macs, but is a faster alternative to USB 2.0 and Firewire and is commonly found on high performance external drives and storage arrays. As noted by CNet, eSATA devices are also presently cheaper than their Thunderbolt counterparts. While Thunderbolt has a higher maximum speed than eSATA, if you are just connecting a single external drive (and not a drive array), it's not likely to exceed the upper limit of eSATA.
So, for those who are have existing eSATA drives or are waiting for Thunderbolt drives to drop in price, this could be a good interim solution. Unfortunately, LaCie hasn't released a price yet, but this eSATA hub is expected to be available during the first quarter of 2012.
Thinest Laptop Challenge
Acer ahead of its formal keynote has unveiled two ultrabook-class systems. The Aspire S5 is billed as the world's thinnest ultrabook and measures just under 0.6 inches thick. The black, magnesium-and-metal body weighs 2.97 pounds. Along with the thinnest, Acer touts the S5 as one of the first Windows-based ultrabooks to carry Thunderbolt, which it backs with USB 3.0.
Read more: http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/01/08/acer.intros.two.ultrabook.class.pcs.at.ces/#ixzz1ivdqFLGF
Read more: http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/01/08/acer.intros.two.ultrabook.class.pcs.at.ces/#ixzz1ivdqFLGF
Canadian Student Driven Curriculum
A Coquitlam school is planning to experiment this fall with an unusual approach to education that’s already won high praise from researchers and academics.
Meadowbrook elementary is preparing to open a Reggio Emilia classroom for children in primary grades, following a vote of support late last year from the board of education.
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Coquitlam+school+embrace+student+driven+curriculum/5959443/story.html#ixzz1isuUkW00
Sync To Cloud - Box
Box Sync keeps files in sync between your desktop and Box account to help accelerate your workflow and centralize content.
- Select what you sync: Choose which folders you sync to gain easy access to the content you work with most
- Sophisticated conflict management: If two people make edits to a synced file at the same time, Box Sync can detect multiple changes and save copies of a file so your team can review potential version conflicts.
- Access files offline: You can always access the files you need right from your desktop, even when you're not online. Once you are, everything will get uploaded to Box automatically.
Box Sync is compatible with Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) and Lion (10.7).
Box Sync is available for free to Box Business and Enterprise customers. If you would like to upgrade to Business or Enterprise and have Box Sync added to your account, please contact our sales team at 1-877-729-4269.
Sync Any Folder - Dropbox
MacDropAny is a simple app that painlessly allows Mac users to sync any folder on their computer through Dropbox. It provides similar functionality to DropboxFolderSync, which is an application for Windows. MacDropAny is compatible with Snow Leopard and Lion (from version 1.6), and may run on older systems too.
CloudOn iPad App
CloudOn
iOS iPadhttp://site.cloudon.com/
For the first time you can get Microsoft Office® on your iPad. Seriously.
CloudOn lets you use your iPad to create, view, and edit files directly in Microsoft Word®, Excel® & PowerPoint®. These applications will work the way you expect them to, and your files will look the way you want them to.
Want more? Of course you do!
CloudOn also lets you use Dropbox to manage your files. Open them, edit them, and save them right in your workspace using your Dropbox account.
With the ability to access, edit and store your information, CloudOn is the essential productivity tool for your iPad.
* IMPORTANT INFORMATION *
To use CloudOn you must have a Dropbox account. To sign up for free, visit http://www.dropbox.com. Or, you can sign up when you launch CloudOn for the first time.
CloudOn’s WorkSpace allows you to:
-Use Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint on your iPad to create or edit documents.
-Rename, delete and manage documents with your Dropbox account
-Display, edit or create charts, change formatting, spell check, insert comments, into any Word, Excel or PowerPoint files
-Track changes while reviewing Word documents
-Use pivot tables and insert formulas in Excel workbooks
-Display and edit animation or transitions in PowerPoint presentations
-Present in full PowerPoint mode (not in PDF)
-Open files directly from your iPad email accounts or Dropbox account
-Automatically save documents to avoid losing changes
What's new
- Microsoft Office® 2010
- Manage and access files via Dropbox
- Open Word, Excel and Powerpoint files from the iPad® email client
ClipTouch - FCP Server and iPad Integration
ClipTouch
ClipTouch is your Final Cut Server client for the iPad.
Share, collaborate, and present your assets in a totally new way.
Browse, review and approve your video assets, taking advantage of the mobility of the iPad, and its unique Multi-Touch interface.
Listen to your audio assets, preview images and documents, and even send them to other applications on your iPad.
Free Collaboration Tool - Vyew
Vyew has a broad range of applications and uses for collaborating and working online with groups. You can:
- Host Presentations – Upload powerpoints and PDFs and have a web conference
- Review Documents – Upload office documents and images for review by people at any time (at their leisure)
- Synchronous and Asynchronous – Meet people in real-time or allow them to collaborate anytime on there own time
- Draw/Annotate – full set of drawing, commenting and discussion tools
- Desktop Sharing – Stream your screen in real-time to people in your meeting
- Instant Screen Capture – Take snapshots of your screen and insert them into a meeting
- Video Conference – Up to 5 people can broadcast their video to everyone in the room.
- Publish – Publish read-only versions of your meeting to a web site, blog, HTML emails, etc
Vyew (pronounced “view”) is a free next-generation online collaboration and web conferencing service that brings people and content together. With Vyew you can host LIVE conferences and work collaboratively on content asynchronously over time, any time.
Attend MIT
We need to find efficient means to do the same for our middle school and high school students.
MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) is a web-based publication of virtually all MIT course content. OCW is open and available to the world and is a permanent MIT activity.
What is MIT OpenCourseWare?MIT OpenCourseWare is a free publication of MIT course materials that reflects almost all the undergraduate and graduate subjects taught at MIT.
- OCW is not an MIT education.
- OCW does not grant degrees or certificates.
- OCW does not provide access to MIT faculty.
- Materials may not reflect entire content of the course.
There is no registration or enrollment process because OCW is not a credit-bearing or degree-granting initiative.
Buying a Mac?
Now Macworld's team of experts has used its knowledge to create this straightforward guide to getting started with your Mac running OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). Whether you're new to the Mac, just need a refresher course, or suspect that you've only scratched the surface of your Mac's potential, the Macworld Mac Basics Superguide, Snow Leopard Edition will give you the step-by-step advice you need to become a Mac whiz.
Inside these pages, you'll find detailed tips and information about navigating your system using the Finder and the Dock and managing and switching between programs using Exposé and Spaces. You'll learn how to find anything using the Spotlight search tool and the best ways to open, save, organize, and print files. We include tips on customizing your Mac to suit your needs through system preferences, including how to add and control user accounts. Our experts also give you vital troubleshooting and security advice–and even recommend 20 inexpensive add-on programs that can improve your Mac experience in ways you've never thought possible. To help you take advantage of Apple's built-in applications, we've also included helpful pointers on getting started with Safari, Mail, iChat, and other included Apple software.
Let Macworld's team of experts show you how to get the most out of your Mac.
Want to try the book before you buy? Click here to download a 15-page sample! (Control-click on the link and download it to your Mac for viewing in Preview or Adobe/Acrobat Reader.)
INTEL Wireless Display (WiDi) Technology
http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/15/intel-and-lg-deal-brings-widi-streaming-to-hdtvs-without-the-don/
Dec. 15, 2011 –- LG Electronics (LG) and Intel entered into a strategic alliance to adopt and jointly promote Intel® Wireless Display (WiDi) technology. Intel WiDi will be embedded into next year's LG CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, making them the first in the TV industry to feature Intel WiDi technology. Intel WiDi is a wireless connectivity interface which allows for instant, high-definition viewing of content stored in notebooks and other external mobile devices on large screen TVs, projectors or monitors.
"Through this strategic alliance, CINEMA 3D Smart TV users will be able to access a wider variety of content in a more convenient manner," said Seog-ho Ro, Senior Vice President of LG Home Entertainment Company's TV Business Unit. "Intel WiDi will be one of several features that will enhance the user convenience of our CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, further differentiating our products from the competition."
"Intel is planning to expand Intel WiDi technology to various devices to provide consumers the seamless, smarter usage experience," said Hee-Sung Lee, Country Manager of Intel Korea. "Through this collaboration with LG Electronics, LG CINEMA 3D Smart TV users could also benefit from Intel® WiDi without the need to purchase an external adapter."
Intel WiDi not only enables sharing of stored content, it also transfers onto CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, projectors and monitors a spectrum of online contents –- such as YouTube videos and streaming TV shows from broadcast websites -– that are accessible through notebooks and other mobile devices. Users can view such contents through the expansive and immersive high-definition CINEMA 3D display.
"Through this strategic alliance, CINEMA 3D Smart TV users will be able to access a wider variety of content in a more convenient manner," said Seog-ho Ro, Senior Vice President of LG Home Entertainment Company's TV Business Unit. "Intel WiDi will be one of several features that will enhance the user convenience of our CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, further differentiating our products from the competition."
"Intel is planning to expand Intel WiDi technology to various devices to provide consumers the seamless, smarter usage experience," said Hee-Sung Lee, Country Manager of Intel Korea. "Through this collaboration with LG Electronics, LG CINEMA 3D Smart TV users could also benefit from Intel® WiDi without the need to purchase an external adapter."
Intel WiDi not only enables sharing of stored content, it also transfers onto CINEMA 3D Smart TVs, projectors and monitors a spectrum of online contents –- such as YouTube videos and streaming TV shows from broadcast websites -– that are accessible through notebooks and other mobile devices. Users can view such contents through the expansive and immersive high-definition CINEMA 3D display.
Like wired connectivity standards, such as HDMI and USB cables, Intel WiDi does not require an active wireless internet or WiFi connection to transfer content between external mobile devices and CINEMA 3D Smart TVs. Intel WiDi establishes a direct connection between the WiFi chips embedded in the external mobile devices and the CINEMA 3D Smart TVs.
Furthermore, Intel WiDi does not tie down the mobile device during real-time content sharing. Users may perform other tasks on their notebooks and tablet PCs while simultaneously streaming content to a CINEMA 3D Smart TV, projector or monitor.
LG and Intel would undertake co-marketing activities and Intel WiDi-enabled LG CINEMA 3D products will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month in Las Vegas.
Furthermore, Intel WiDi does not tie down the mobile device during real-time content sharing. Users may perform other tasks on their notebooks and tablet PCs while simultaneously streaming content to a CINEMA 3D Smart TV, projector or monitor.
LG and Intel would undertake co-marketing activities and Intel WiDi-enabled LG CINEMA 3D products will be on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month in Las Vegas.
OpenDNS
A new, free tool from OpenDNS promises to make domain name system (DNS) lookups—the conversion of a plain-English domain name into a numeric Internet address—more secure. DNSCryptprevents third parties from intercepting your DNS requests and rewriting them to point your browser, email client, or other software to malicious or fake sites. That may sound like a tedious bit of Internet plumbing, but it profoundly improves your security.
