The Educated Kiwi
software
New Geography Standard for 2011 may kick off the use of GIS, finally
Aug 25th
Geography 1.8 Apply spatial analysis, with direction, to solve a geographic problem
For next year we are looking at adopting the new Geography standard 1.8 which will allow us to do amongst other things use data in ways such as:
• measuring
• layering
• changing the symbols used
• sorting and editing a table
• querying the map
• using coordinate systems
• displaying a graph based on the map.
I order to do this I have been looking at a few resources. Initially Arc Gis explorer, which is an awesome resource (here is a Link to the iLearn blog with more information) I am currently using this with my Junior classes to test the use of Silverlight from behind the proxy at school and how it goes bandwidth wise as opposed to Google Earth. I have also started looking at Open Street Map. Mark initially reminded me of this with the following TED video:
Having now created an account I have used Motion X GPS To start doing some edits. Would be interesting to see a Geography field trip where the students can actually contribute to a real Map. My only problem is the ease of using the basic Garmin Etrex I have and using the serial converter to get the data off, as opposed to my phone which simply emails the data in .gpx and .kml format already. Still some issues to look at but I am very keen to continue.
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’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.
Looking at Edubuntu
Jun 12th
This week I attended a session on open source solutions for schools. It was hosted here in Tauranga by Technology Wise who have largely made their name supporting local businesses with open source solutions. The keynote was presented by Don Christie, president of the NZ open source society.
The presentation really got me thinking about Linux again and this week Kelvin and I have begun experimenting on our network with Ubuntu to see how it will go with reasonably astute teenagers.
Our key points are that it must be able to be imaged easily (well G4L will do this easily) and that there must be some way of it integrating with our existing active directory.
At present at Katikati College we run 110 Desktop Windows machines, 130 Windows laptops, 140 OSX Desktops and 90 OSX Laptops. A number of the Macs are now eight-nine years old and still running Tiger hence they are very much at the end of their life so we are looking to replace these and a similar number of the Windows machines are about five-six years old. We are interested to see if running Linux will give us a bit more life in some of these machines and as I tried last year it wasn’t hard to get Ubuntu on an old iMac, for the Windows machines it will hopefully mean that one lab can continue to run comfortably for web-apps and office apps leaving the rest of the school as is.
I don’t really see a need for us to dump Windows as an OS, I personally don’t have a problem paying for software if it is good. I know that if the school Microsoft deal doesn’t roll over that there may be some cost issues but then we can just add some money to the Windows machines we buy and have the OEM license. Much like paying the Apple Tax we will pay for a user experience if it makes people more comfortable.
Where I guess my own ideas on this are conflicting are on the office suite of products. I have not used MSOffice for a number of years now and really don’t see why we are paying for product that we don’t use, not to mention getting parents as a flow on effect to buy 90 plus excel functions when they may only ever use eight but that’s just a personal axe I grind.
MSOffice may be industry standard but as I proved in a little experiment I conducted where instead of installing Office 2007 I put on Open Office Three and the user noticed no difference ( I know it was sneeky but I had to prove a point) we may have missed a very easy time to switch as people are now familiar with the ribbon interface.
So.. what next, well we have had Open Office for a while in the OSX labs due to the MS Schools agreement not covering them for Office and really our kids don’t notice a difference. The real key is getting adults to break the apron string.
Moodle …the hidden cost of Ownership
May 13th
The Hidden cost of Moodle use is more than other LMS providers in the New Zealand market ……….YEAH RIGHT!!
Recently the Ministry MLE roadshow visited Tauranga and I had some calls from local teachers who attended asking about the hidden cost of running Moodle in a school as it was indicated that running Moodle could be more expensive than one of the commercial vendors (eg Knowledgenet or Ultranet). I decided to sit down and work out :
1. How much has it cost our college to run it
2. How much does commercial support cost
so………
Costs for us to run it at Katikati College, Roll 950.
Hardware -well we started using it 6 years ago on a rebuilt old Pentium box which we then moved last year to generic server that runs Moodle and our static website with raided 300GB drives and 4GB RAM (as a virtual machine ..so we can easily move/backup it) …hardware cost : $3500
Software – runs on Ubuntu Server (free) , Moodle …well free
Time to set it up: Well initial set up took Richard and I maybe an hour the first time (including server install)
Time to maintain: Richard would be lucky if he spends 2 hours per month …and most of that’s adding new modules he likes the look of or adding functionality.
Time to train staff: Hmm …the big one …well that’s been huge but its just been seen as part of the PD we would provide for any new system we bring into our college that adds value….so actual cost $0
Commercial Support
So if you don’t feel happy to do this yourself I found a number of companies that actually specialise in Moodle installation, support , training and hosting (no pesky servers onsite). Try Catalyst (Ministry development partner) or Totali ….just 2 of many companies that offer cost effective solutions for Moodle.
What do we need to compare this to?
Well Knowledgenet has its pricing on its website
For Katikati College:
Install cost : $6600+GST
Monthly Cost : $336.67 +GST
So to be fair there is no hardware cost at all but it would cost our college $11000.00 the first year then $4400 per year after that!! …..sorry I just don’t see the added value!! In fact recently at the KAMAR conference Richard stated that for the install cost alone he would maintain a Moodle installation for life!! (feel free to email him!!).
Sure I’ve heard the comment that Moodle is not as ‘easy to use’ as other LMS’s ..I really dispute that …it all depends on the level of commitment to Professional Development your school is willing to put into implementing a Learning Management System ..and isn’t that the same for any ‘new’ initiative in a school ?
Finally for all you doubters out there have a look at this http://docs.moodle.org/en/Top_10_Moodle_Myths
Thought it really sums it up as I think just because Moodle has no company actively marketing it in NZ we in the education sector does not make it any less relevant or applicable?
Finally Moodle has over 20 000 registered installations worldwide ..all in areas with multiple LMS’s available …can that many people really be wrong?
Stu’s Double Jeopardy, Great fun for basic facts.
Apr 29th
As much as it pains me to have to boot into my windows virtual machine (feel the mac snob coming out in me there) Stu’s Double Jeopardy makes me do just that.
While I have made up Jeopardy games before in Powerpoint and lately in Smart’s Notebook this is so easy and looks so good. There is also a lot of information on the site in the way of help files for everything from creating custom skins to adding music files. I found that my Year 11 class took about 45 minutes on the American Government Review game and now look forward to seeing what their recall is like come moodle test time.
Timelines get a spruce-up with beedocs timeline 3d
Apr 4th
Some people collect stamps, it would appear that I collect applications (much to @natsyann’s disgust and our visa cards limit) but I just purchased Beedocs Timeline
Why Timelines?Bee Docs Timeline is software for Mac OS X that makes it easy for you to present historical events in a way that reveals connections and clarifies relationships.
Make timeline charts of world history, family trees, fictional events or business deadlines. Timelines can help you understand and present history with new perspective!
The application allows you to very put together images and hyperlinks that look fantastic. The next step is getting my students who find it a real drag drawing timelines to create their own as we reach the end of our Civil Rights topic.
I have put a pdf version of the timeline on our moodle page at KKC The entries are clickable hyperlinks to the wikipedia articles as well which is a neat option. The next step is a downloadable version for ipods (fast becoming the most prevalent web browser at our college, those and psp’s)
But here it is as a youtube with some of my favorite Pearl Jam thrown in for good measure.
CocoaBooklet
Mar 8th
I am off to Australia next week with my wife and daughter. My wife is attending an ultrasound conference on the Gold Coast and I am taking unpaid leave so that she does not have to be away from our daughter fo 10 days. Unfortunately this means that I have to prepare lessons for my classes while I am gone, although Richard did point out that it is “unpaid” leave and “why prepare work” and after all relievers do get paid quite well. The problem is that my HOD will end up carrying the can if I don’t set any work and she already has enough on her plate.
Now for the first time in years I find myself generating printable resources rather than pointing kids at moodle and to avoid printing the 12 pages on A4 I found this cool app called CocoaBooklet. (Mac only)
All I did was create my document in Pages, save it and then drag it over the CocoaBooklet icon, it reordered my pages and saved them as a PDF. I printed the PDF using the automatic duplex mode on my Canon ip4600 printer and I have an A5 booklet using only 3 A4 sheets.
I dream of the day when every student has a laptop and a link to the net. Until then CocoaBooklet is helping save some trees.
Shape Collage
Feb 22nd
Another gem from Lifehacker.com, Shape Collage is a free download and works on Mac and Windows. On the Mac I just dragged a bunch of photos from iPhoto into Shape collage and a few clicks later I had a collage. Does what it says on the tin.
Locly for iphone
Dec 2nd
Of the iPhone apps I have tried the one that has me most impressed with the possibilities is locly. This app uses the built in gps or cellphone towers to work out where you are and then tells you what is close, as well as flickr images and nearby tweets. You can then click on the small map which takes you to google maps and the gps will direct you to the location of the restaurant, ATM etc. I have been particularly impressed by the data available for new Zealand but I guess that’s what comes from many businesses having their details online already.
TeamViewer – Free Desktop Sharing and Remote Control
Oct 28th
Ok a blatant ad for teamviewer but for those of you who need to support family or friends and sometimes it would just be easier to show them rather than guess where their mouse is I have found teamviewer very fast and effective. You simply install the full version on your computer and they install the client. It then gives them a password which you enter on your computer and away you go.
I still use logmein for my family as then I can log into Mum and Dad’s machine at night to run the antivirus and updates but for one off support I find Teamviewer much easier for those on the other end.
The one-stop solution for remote access
TeamViewer is the fast, simple and friendly solution for remote access over the Internet – all applications in one single, very affordable module:
Remote control of computers over the Internet
Instantly take control over a computer anywhere on the Internet, even through firewalls. No installation required, just use it fast and secure.
Training, sales and teamwork
TeamViewer can also be used to present your desktop to a partner on the Internet. Show and share your software, PowerPoint presentations etc.
File transfer, chat and more
Share your files, chat, switch the direction during a teamwork session, and a lot more is included in TeamViewer.
When should children be introduced to ICT?
Oct 26th
Having a son made me question the place of a computer in his life. When should he be allowed to use one? What rules should there be around that use? Would he be better spending his entire life doing “real” stuff?
Matthew is 20 months old in this photo and has now been using a computer for about five months. I was actually fairly reluctant to allow him on a computer as I had visions of all the worst possible outcomes (i thought he would immediately transform into a greasy-haired, pimply-faced, overweight, drug-using, unemployed 20 year old with no ambition beyond sitting in front of a computer in a basement all day and playing some online game that hasn’t been invented yet).
However I got a Mac Mini for him to use and hooked it up to a touch screen monitor and set it all up on a table in the lounge. I installed Tux Paint and Reader Rabbit Toddler on it and used those programmes when he was around a few times. I had thought he might enjoy making lines or shapes in Tux Paint, but instead he preferred to change the selected tools from the onscreen menus and to select options that would have a dialogue box pop up. It seemed he liked the dialogue boxes because they gave him a reason to have me with him, and he would grab my finger and make me touch the screen to dismiss it. I might be wrong but it really did seem that he preferred having someone with him.
Within a couple of weeks he developed a strong preference for Reader Rabbit and enjoyed a module in it that he could make sing a song by touching on one of about 8 different icons. He saw his older nephews play in other areas of the programme on 2-3 occasions and could exit the module he was in and choose another one on his own. Indeed he went through a stage where that was all he did, just entered and exited the modules, often the same one over and over.
By the end of the first month he could get up on the short stool in front of the table and launch either Reader Rabbit of Tux Paint from the dock. This was not something we had taught him to do, although he had seen us do it. He also started playing in modules that had previously held little fascination for him. Up until about 6-8 weeks we did nothing to moderate his use of the computer, he would hop up on the stool play for up to 10 minutes and then hop back down and go play with his other toys. But then he did start wanting to get on the computer before breakfast when he got up, and although he only had about 10 words in his vocabulary computer (he called it the “tar”) was now one of them. At this stage we put a cloth over the screen and did not remove it until after his afternoon sleep and he could play on it during the late afternoon if he wished.
After 2 months he could use the shape sorter proficiently, and could distinguish between different sizes of the same shape and when we watched him it was obvious that he was looking at the shapes he had to place and the “holes” they needed to go to and was working with thoughtful intent to complete the puzzle. While it is not obvious in the attached photo, he often uses both hands when working with the shape sorter which is very cool to watch. This learning seemed to transfer to him using his shape-sorter toy as well, although I have no way of verifying that.
After three months of using the computer (18 months old) he was able to recognise the shapes of the letters of the alphabet and match letters on keys with letters on doors in one of the modules. My wife and I had not realised this at first, a friend who was watching him pointed it out to us, we had decided only a few days earlier that he was still making random guesses. This definitely was learning that he was able to transfer to actual objects as at about this time my wife was playing with our nephew and had some cards with letters on them and was spelling Stefan’s name. She was saying where is an “E” and Matthew picked one up and handed it to her. When we investigated this further he could name 6 letters and appeared to recognise a few more when we asked him to find them even though he could not say the name of the letter. Since then we have further encouraged this while out walking and stop at letterboxes, signs and number plates for him to tell us what numbers and letters are on them.
I have been frankly amazed at the value of him having access to a computer. He has been able to show intent, to demonstrate learning and seems to have enjoyed a sense of achievement at being able to do things. It has provided stimulation and challenge on demand in a way that my wife and I would not have been able to do ourselves. It has not turned him into a computer addict, he probably stands at it for up to an hour in total on some days but other days he does not touch it. The challenge for us now is to keep finding programmes that challenge him as he gains confidence and ability.
Flip4Mac Drive-in
Oct 15th
Software for copying your dvd’s to your Harddrive $39 US. I am not sure whether I have a big enough Hard Drive for all my dvd’s but it is interesting that here is a company that is allowing you to copy dvd’s legally.
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