Oct 26, 2011

To have a tablet or not to have a tablet... for a student

Some call them game-changers; others view them as little more than toys for our insatiable media consumption. Tablets are certainly making a splash.  Until earlier this year, "tablet" meant Apple's iPad. This year, tablets based on Android operating system are trying to rock Apple's monopoly. Do they have a place in to our gadget-filled lives? Do they replace our smartphone? Do they replace a laptop? Are they yet another (the third? the fourth?) must-carry device?


Here's my 2¢-worth.



Contemplating a tablet as a universal replacement of any one existing tool/device is unproductive because a tablet, like any device, is a mixed bag when compared in general terms. The better question is if a tablet can replace an existing tool/device for a particular type of user and usage


Tablet for a student, as replacement for all papers in the backpack (electronic textbook availability is limited; it is not clear if the faculty would be able to find appropriate electronic material from what is available right now)? 


Paper's advantages over tablet:
→ bigger page display
→ easier to flip through
→ for handwriting, sketching, and erasing, pencil is easier than stylus
→ inexpensive, can't break and no big deal to lose


Tablet's advantages over paper:
→ materials for all classes in one place; can't forget a sheet at home
→ great for collaborating with others 
→ type notes in class instead of handwriting them
→ audio/visual materials as part of notes and homework

→ do research or homework during random pockets of downtime
→ work is backed up
→ access to all information -- can look up references, homework, etc
→ huge win if teachers choose electronic textbooks 

Is it worth the money? 




Tablet (plus keyboard case) for a student, as replacement for a laptop? 


Laptop's advantages over tablet:
→ bigger display
→ access to all multimedia and resource-intensive applications, on and off the web; tablets functionality is somewhat limited
→ better keyboard for typing 
→ mouse is more precise and responsive than fingers on touchscreen
→ a Windows laptop is cheaper than a tablet


Tablet's advantages over laptop:
→ all-day battery life (some laptops now have comparable battery life)
→ light enough to carry around all the time
→ cheaper than an Apple laptop
→ instant-on/off  (very convenient in classroom setting)
→ "flat" form factor 




Good article for more thoughts on this subject:

-- Editorial: tablets aren't the 'third device' I'd hoped for... from a productivity standpoint, anyway 



Collaborate via blog? wiki? forum? real-time? - Part 1


There are a number of online ways to collaborate and it can be confusing to figure out how they differ. This is a quick summary on the subject. Examples of each of these will appear on the Ed+Tech page shortly.

Oct 25, 2011

Screencasting

A screencast is a video capture of the actions on a user's computer screen, usually with accompanying audio commentary. It is a quick and easy way to explain anything that can be displayed on a computer screen. There are a number of online tools that are free and need no software installation.

Oct 14, 2011

Useful links 10/14


  • If You're an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch User — Get 50 GB of Free Storage for Life on Box.Net   [Box.Net is a well-regarded alternative to Dropbox; this promo is good until Dec 2; for more info, see Lifehacker story at http://lifehac.kr/nlqt0j]
  • Weather forecast with beautiful graphs at weatherspark.com (ex: 08648 forecast)
[update 10/17: the free version of Box.net does not include folder synchronization, which is included in free Dropbox] 

Oct 11, 2011

Best iPad apps list

http://bit.ly/lvipadapps  -- best free iPad apps, organized by category, from a very reliable site

Oct 5, 2011

Facebook & your future job

[From Forbes]    

The bad news: Employers reject candidates because of what they see about them on a social networking site.

Oct 2, 2011

Latest Facebook "gotcha"

Facebook has introduced a new feature that's going live shortly: the "Timeline." Unfortunately, this feature could have unpleasant consequences for you unless you are careful: 


Facebook will auto-share your activities on Facebook-connected apps.