The Educated Kiwi
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OECD Factbook eXplorer
Jul 3rd
This is probably more up Richards alley but I can’t help thinking how much more interesting Geography A level might have been with resources like this. Check out the video on the BBC website and visit http://stats.oecd.org/oecdfactbook/.
Google Apps – Round up
Jul 2nd
Well biggest decision of this year (at school!!) was what to do with a aging Mail Server and should we go Google School. Finally the decision was really made for me as: 1. Staff and students were already using personal gmail addresses to collaborate on work 2. Richard was pushing, pushing, pushing….. and 3. The old mail server started to ‘lock up’ periodically and needed several ‘restarts’ (while holding my breath) to get it back fully ‘online’.
So after deciding that educationally it was a good idea to move all 1200 users and even if we decided to move to another mail server we were going to have to migrate everything anyway ….we did it!
Was it painful ……?
Tech side ……well not really it takes a couple of hours to setup the correct settings from the gmail, then some mucking with dns entries to get everything pointing the right way, then email away to them to get recognised as a educational institute ….tech side done.
School side …..Migrating users especially email inboxes etc would be painful but we just talked to the staff said that we would run the old mail server in parallel for a month and they were to look at this as a good chance to clean up their email. This went down fine with the understanding that we were happy to work with them to make this transition as easy as possible. This worked well and we have had no issues with this approach at all.
Problems
- IMAP speed issues with attachments ….none? ..others have noted this but we haven’t ..not sure why not ..must just be lucky!!! LOL
- Gmail doesn’t like to be ‘polled’ continously ( seems to think its an attack) so by limiting how often this happens this has disappeared.
- Gmail uses flash to upload multiple attachments and this proved to be an issue with our internal proxy …took a bit of ‘tweaking’ but all sorted and staff now happy.
- Issue with syncing user information between our LDAP (AD) server and GApps is a ongoing one ..we have found this application works well from Google ..for all things except passwords due to the format AD stores them. So we are manually having to do this. Anybody with magic bullet cure for this …let me know!
Positives
- Email is reliable, spam is better than before and virus protection built in …all great!
- Educationally staff are continuing to find ways of uses collaborative tools weekly ..if not daily …from class projects to faculty planning …again great!
- We haven’t had to replace a dodgy server!!
Concerns
- Bandwidth is important …bring on the Loop with pairing to Google!! We have 12mbs down and 5mbs up ..and its working damm well ..less might be an issue
- Data Caps …. we have noticed an increase in data use as classes are using Google docs to work collaboratively ….but surely well worth it educationally and it will take something like 2 years to equal the cost of a new server …even if we were to double our internet usuage!!
Some ‘Comments’ I have heard…
- Why would you want to use Google Apps and give them your data – they are just another Microsoft in sheeps clothing – looking at world domination!! – I just don’t see that as the case …its a free service and it works great lets use it!!!
- Who ‘owns’ your email/docs? …personally I don’t care !! ..cloud computing is a concept we need to understand …you back up what is necessary but otherwise its very convienent ..and I’m all for that!
- what happens if Google goes belly up ….HELLO …if Google goes down I think we will have more to worry about than our email!!!
Well must believe in it ..I’ve now ‘helped’ migrate six schools and this is the full ’round up’
PHPMotion Redux
Jul 1st
Back in April 2008 I did a post on a YouTube clone called PHPMotion which was then in version 1. The software is now in version 3 and we have just installed it on our school server. The latest version is still a bit of a pain to install, it runs on PHP and MYSQL like wordpress, but is not as well supported or documented. The bottom line is you better be keen but you will save a heap on bandwidth and be able to give access to all those great videos available online. As well as YouTube videos you can also add clips from DVD’s. If you did this on YouTube they would quickly receive a take down notice from the copyright holder but with PHPMotion only accessible from the internal network people in the outside world are non the wiser – of course you must own the material to start with. As a Hard Materials and Graphics teacher I find some fantastic instructional videos on using tools and techniques which I can now share without using extra bandwidth.
Version 3 also has photo sharing which means you can keep photographs of students safely in the gated village if you so wish rather than using public photo sharing like Flickr.
If you want any help setting up a video sharing server let us know and we will see what we can do to help.
What was the better lesson?
Jun 30th
So yesterday I spent time preparing a lesson for my year 11 History class. The reasons being two-fold one, I had an observation lesson for my appraisal and I always like to show some technology off and two, It’s nearly the end of the term and I need to get this Origins of World War Two topic finished before the break.
So I headed off to the TES site and found a task on appeasement, similar to one I had used before but nicely presented. I then had the laptops booked for the period and after my initial discussion, a quick video clip of Chamberlain arriving with the document he claimed achieved peace for our time got the class started on the task which I had set up in Moodle. Now this task went reasonably well but at the end of the period when I checked what the class had learned I was disappointed with how little was achieved.
So the next day I taught traditionally I would say. We read and answered questions, drew some maps of the period 1938-1939 and discussed why people wouldn’t like to go to war after the pain of the years prior to 1938. At the end of the period during recap a number of the students remarked how they got that and how they like those lessons.
At this point I am confused. I guess when you are trying to move quickly through teaching content and facts it is hard to beat traditional teaching for the shear volume of stuff and it is by doing this that my students have gained scholarships in the past. I am however looking to vary this more and more. Aside from using ICT for making tasks ‘pretty’ I have, at the urging of @efreeman been getting one student a day to write a reflective piece on moodle which we can then work on to post as part of a class blog so we begin.
I must say it makes it hard for me to evangelise ICT use to fellow staff members when my class get better results from ICT poor lessons. I will keep trying to get the results that prove there is a better way.
What’s in my Dock?
Jun 28th
While reading The Angry Technician Blog, I came across a post regarding what are your most launched applications in Windows. Now my Windows 7 virtual machine is undoubtedly a thing that I will blog about later as at this stage the apps I use are very much web based but I thought I would share what’s in the dock of my home machine.
Nothing special in this first lot I use Safari, Nat uses Firefox Except for when I need the web developer toolbar. Then there is iChat, Skype, Billings (which does the invoicing etc), the iWork and iLife suites, Pulpmotion which is kind of an offline Animoto, Marsedit (my blogging software), And Rapidweaver for websites.
Then we have Fetch (ftp client), Comic life, iCal, Photoshop, and Flash, Vector Designer and Pixelmator, Visualhub which I wish you could still buy but I got it ages ago, Time Machine, Toast, Cha Ching and Open Office.
Some apps that should be in here are textwrangler and now tweetie.
I guess this is only part of the story however as I actually launch most of my apps by using Command+space and then typing the first letter and hitting enter (this is a leftover of when I used Quicksilver on 10.4) I have yet to try Google Quick Search Box which is a development of this. But there you have some idea of what’s on my home Mac. Most surprising I guess is the amount of of paid shareware applications that I have accumulated that I never brought when I had a Windows machine.
Teachers Report Assistant
Jun 25th
It’s report time again and as always I have left it to the last minute. Aah, where would I be without that last minute? Writing reports one of the least favorite jobs I do but thanks to Teachers Report Assistant from Rays learning it’s a breeze.
It is windows only and as a Mac user I run it on Windows XP under VMWare Fusion with unity switched on. It just looks like another app window and copy and paste works fine, you wouldn’t even know there were two operating systems running (2GB RAM helps).
It has been a while since I have used this app and it is now up to version 6. The new version allows you to import student lists to further streamline your work and there are a number of comment banks for different subjects which you can copy and paste from the site.
I do still like to write individual reports for those students who stand out at both ends of the spectrum but for the majority of reports this is a huge time saver.
If you don’t have VMWare you can download Suns Virtual Box for free and Windows 7 RC1 is a solid operating system and is free to download until the end of July and use until March 2010.
iPhone apps my Daughter loves
Jun 20th
Recently Rylee has taken to playing a memory game on abcya.com, she does however find the multiple button mouse difficult so we were thinking about how cool a touch screen would be. I then remembered a review of some of the toddler games for the iPhone OS and to be fair I was amazed with the variety of different games available on the platform.
The touch interface is fantastic for her and I was amazed how quickly she started arranging the words and letters in the correct order. The following video is the two apps that I have brought first.
I did read some interesting comments on the review page of people saying how toddlers using an iPhone was the downfall of society but I think these people need a reality check. Rylee can play the games for about ten minutes and then we do something else. There is no need to hide her from technology when her whole life will be surrounded by it. I mean just imagine if I took the iPhone off Mrs van Dijk after only ten minutes, now thats addiction.
Unlock Moodle Potential
Jun 17th
One of the effects of the latest flu pandemic is that a school can be shut down at anytime. Our particular school policy states that we will provide materials online while students are away so that they may continue with their studies. Unfortunately in a practical based subject that is a little difficult and rather than reinvent the wheel I went trolling for links to existing material. I have to say that Workshop Technology is not well represented online in New Zealand, something I would like to rectify given the time. What I did find were these videos showing the potential of moodle in secondary education – check out these great videos by MoodleFairy.
Downtime, A Valuable Lesson
Jun 16th
For the past week Tek has been down. We found out on Monday Night 8th June that our site had been hacked. While this immediately had me feeling rather angry I wish that rather than wasting my time I had just moved forward what we had intended, which was to shift our hosting to a NZ based company and improve our overall security.
While the feeling of violation meant I got angry with people I did have backups and the only thing lost was the uploaded images from the database which we were informed was corrupted. (I should have backed that up too I know)
So now we are back and faster than ever. We have learned a lot from the experience and while I won’t detail what we have done here feel free to ask via twitter or IM if you want to know more.
Our backup regime has now had a major overhaul and we will no longer be relying on the web-host to keep archives. Rather we will download the database and relevant file ourselves. Now I know where all that 1 TB storage that I brought can be used. Hey maybe I’ll be allowed to buy that Drobo I’ve been thinking about.
This also provided a teaching point for my ICT students as away from their realms of bit torrent and pesky Virus’ this was a real example of how their skills when used in a negative way can cause a lot of disruption. All in all an experience that has perhaps made me change my somewhat cavalier attitude towards security.
Digitool NZ
Jun 12th
Over the past couple of weeks Natalie (@natsayann) has been pestering me to work on her Primary school site and I have happily created some image templates and the like.
She has done most of the work herself which makes me rather proud but I digress, the most interesting part of this came when she stated she wanted a customised search engine on the site so kids wouldn’t just go to google and get anything. So In rapidweaver we added rapidsearch and it was as easy as to get a search engine that would give results from a variety of legitimate sources. I look forward to creating more of these in the future for my own classes to avoid google overload. Check out the customised search here on Digitool kidzone.
UK Teachers Boycott Testing
Apr 12th
Having been a teacher in the UK and a member of the NUT I would like to express my support of my colleagues to boycott SATS tests. Read the whole article here.
Teachers back a boycott of Sats
BBC News website education editor, at the NUT conference
Teachers explain why they want to boycott Sats tests
The union representing a majority of teachers in England’s primary schools has backed a plan to ballot them on boycotting next year’s Sats tests.
The annual conference of the National Union of Teachers decided a ballot should be held if “all other reasonable avenues have been exhausted”.
It hopes the National Association of Head Teachers will adopt a similar course at its conference next month.
The government said it would be unlawful not to administer the tests.
It is urging NUT members to vote against a boycott. Read more…….
iPhone Heaven
Apr 6th
I am the last one on the team to get the iPhone and I am very pleased with it. I have been using the iPod touch for a few months but feel like I have been missing out on 3G data and GPS goodness. Of course my Nokia N95 did both of those things but the GPS would take up to 10 minutes to get a lock and using a browser is useless with the numeric keypad on the N95. As for camera – although the N95 has a 5 MP camera taking a picture was never instant and I get 10 times better from my pocket size Canon Ixus. In short after 12 months with the N95 (which has now developed a number of faults) I am relieved to be on the iPhone.
Newsmaker.app Great Fun
Apr 1st
Since Learning@School we have been waiting for the release of Newsmaker for Mac and PC. Now we have our full site license we can move on from our enhanced garageband podcast to full video.
In using the app I have found it to be very simple with a small installed size (27mb) and a very quick learning curve. Overall I can see students being able to write and draft their work in this and then publish in a number of periods. The results of which will be both fun and a positive experience of using video and IT for our staff who can often be put off by the time required to produce anything with video.
At $500 NZD for a site license I felt it was a reasonable deal.Boinx TVwhich I had looked at is $199 USD for a single License and was possibly a bit to complicated for most staff (although I have brought the machiest bundle in the hope it will be unlocked for our official school newscast but hey thats just the tech snob in me as my year 12 and 13 class would say.
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