Teshos Tales: Kids journal app

This is a post from another one of my students. An excellent find I think, anything that gets children keen to write has got to be a good thing.

Teshos Tales: Kids journal app: Kristos my son came home from school this week excited to tell me about a new programme they had been using at school. We searched for it in...

Doink has changed...well don't we all?

I posted about some new Web 2 tools that I had found in April 2012. One of the was Doink an online animation application. Sadly it is no more, well no more a free Web 2 app. It is now available for the iPad or iPod. "Do Ink Animation & Drawing for the iPad lets you create your own library of drawings and animations, combining and remixing them in an endless variety of ways. Great for beginners and pros alike. Use it to share your ideas with the world, use it for school, or use it just for fun!" I'm sure that you can still have lots of fun and create some great stuff, you cam probably embed it on your blog or wiki too. You will just need to be more creative.

Posting from my iPad app

I thought that I would try the Blogger iPad app out to post on my blog. Unfortunately there are quite a few posts that don't show on the blog when you view it on the iPad. But the app is quite nice. It is very easy to use to make simple posts, quite straightforward but with far less of the frills than the full application on google offers. Only to be expected really. One nice feature though is the fact that you can create a video stream and post it straight to your blog. If I had anything worth filming I would test it now and post, but alas I sit in front of the TV relaxing on a Friday evening. It also allows you to add images from your camera roll, but I can't seem to upload a video I have already created? I will keep trying and hopefully I'll discover some useful little tricks.

The power of mobile technology

For the last few years I have been promoting the possibilities of mobile technology. I could see great opportunities for collaboration, innovation and pupil autonomy. Now, in schools all other country, there is an iPad craze. I'm not so sure of the actual tech but some of the concepts are sound. I do however, feel that, nothing much has changed, except children are using APPS instead of applications...such a world of difference? For me it should be about autonomy, having a digital device that does it all is quite empowering. The tablet, iPad, iPod, smart phone, whatever device you have available empowers the user to select whatever tools they need for the job in hand. That's the power of mobile technology. Not the device. Not the name tag. Good pedagogy will ensure that the learning comes first, the technology is just a means to an end.

I spent the day in Casllwchwr Primary School on Monday, observing a dream realised, outstanding practice and children motivated.  In the junior classes, each child has their own mobile device, and in the infant classrooms there are plenty to share.  The children are no longer dazzled by the technology nor are they fazed by adults stopping to ask questions as they work. Will we be witnessing a radical change in pedagogical approaches now or will we be wondering where the money went?

Posted from my tablet whilst watching the football!