Educational application developer Steve Glinberg is a friend of edu.Mac.nation and the creator of KidCalc, 123 Color Talking Coloring Book, and 123 World Geography Coloring Book. He also has created “HD” versions of 123 Color and 123 World Geography for the iPad.

Steve recently launched a wonderful donation program for iPhones and iPod Touches. Below is information about the recycling program…

“Put your old iPhone or iPod touch to the best possible use – donate it to a public or private school or to my recycling program so it can be put to effective use as a learning tool for kids.  Steve Glinberg, developer of the popular iPhone and iPad apps KidCalc Math Fun, 123 Color Talking Coloring Book, and 123 World Geography Coloring Book, today announces a recycling program for iPhones and iPod touches that aims to bring high technology mobile devices into classrooms.

With the recent release of the iPad and impending release of a new generation of iPhone, iPhones and iPod touches of previous generations are going unused in homes everywhere.  Children around the world are successfully using high technology mobile devices for learning in classrooms.  Teachers are incorporating iPhones, iPod touches, and now iPads into their curriculum at an increasing rate.  However, schools are constrained by ever tightening budgets.  Many of these powerful devices with the capacity to interest, engage and teach children are ending up in drawers, or on shelves, where they sit, hardly being used, after the owner upgrades a newer version.

I have heard from teachers and parents for nearly a year just how valuable a role iPhones and iPod touches are serving in classrooms.

We need to get used iPhones and iPod touches into classrooms, where price is the barrier precluding their introduction into the curriculum.  That is what I aim to accomplish with this new recycling program.

Owners of iPhone and iPod touches that are hardly used or that you are for other reasons willing to part with, please contact me at the email address below.  People interested in making a financial donation or in donating a new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, please ship the device to:

iPhone/iPod touch Recycling Program

c/o Steve Glinberg

4230 East Towne Blvd, Suite #231

Madison, WI 53704

Upon receiving used iPhones and iPod touches, I restore them to factory state, install dozens of apps currently in the App Store’s education category, and send them on to teachers who have registered to receive one.”

(Via KidCalc Learning)

Interested teachers can leave a comment at Steve’s website or email recycle@123colorapp.com to register to become a recipient of an iPhone or iPod touch. When you register make sure to include information about where you teach, the age range of your students, information about their exposure and use of computing and mobile computing devices, as well as a description of your need for an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Thank you Steve for launching such a wonderful recycling program!

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Please excuse the dust around here. The site is currently undergoing some serious maintenance and upgrades. Also, I am working on fixing some glitches in the editing tools that I am using for this site.

Summer is almost here and new posts and content are on the way!

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“123 Color by KidCalc” has rocketed to the #1 spot in the Educational App Category of iTunes only a few hours after being listed in the “New and Noteworthy” section in iTunes.

Below is an updated video that lists the new accomplishments of the app as well as information about what features/additions will be in Version 1.2…

(YouTube Link)

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Are you an educator who is interested in sharing your insight and opinions regarding educational apps for the iPhone or iPod Touch? Check this out…

I Education Apps Review – “APP REVIEWERS WANTED!”

“I Education Apps Review (IEAR) is looking for dedicated educational bloggers to contribute monthly reviews of current educational apps available in the iTunes store. Additionally, IEAR is interested in having blog posts regarding classroom uses of iPhones, Touches, or iPads contributed regularly.

Additionally, If you are a passionate classroom teacher or administrator who would like to share your thoughts, ideas and insights into how iPhone/ iPod Touch / iPad applications can be used in the classroom setting, join our online community (http://ieducationappsreview.ning.com/) and begin to share what you are doing (or want to do) in your classroom with iPhone, Touch, and iPad apps!”

(Via IEAR)

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“edu.Mac.bytes” is place for little “bytes” of information. As I surf around online I find links, photos, videos, etc. that interest me and are semi-related to Apple and education. This is the third digest post of all the “bytes” from this past week. If you are interested you can check out some of the links below or subscribe to the RSS feed over at edu.Mac.bytes…

From oldest to newest:

This is my favorite slide from Scott Meech’s presentation at ICE 2010 . It really should cause any educator to pause and reflect. Scott has posted the rest on IEAR.org

3 Reasons Schools Don’t Need iPads – The Atlantic Business Channel : “First, I’d argue that for most subjects, media isn’t very important to learning. Take math, for example. What can multimedia really do that a chalk and blackboard can’t? I guess equations may be prettier on an iPad’s screen, but that’s about it. How about for English/literature? Now you can read a book on the iPad, but you don’t learn more by doing so. And even then, any old e-reader will do. With history, I guess you…

“The iPhone, although locked and frustratingly placed into a walled garden, is the epitome of simplicity. You control it by touching the screen — an intuitive interface that even a toddler can figure out. It’s virtually impossible to change key settings by accident. And if you do somehow mess things up, it’s a cinch to reset the machine back to its pristine, out-of-the-box state.” – Nick Bilton

Technology booming in ND schools | Grand Forks, North Dakota : “I think maybe more time should be spent with spelling, reading and writing,” said Cleo Kulish, a retired teacher from Dickinson. Kulish taught for about 42 years, some of them in country schools, and said that before she retired about 19 years ago I don’t think anyone can argue with this. The tools may change, but many of the goals are the same.

Photo: iPhone Cookies via Cult of Mac I wonder what the reception is on those tasty treats…

Photo: Chart via Gizmodo Take a look at those numbers for “17 and younger”. It would be interesting if Android and WebOS had devices out similar to the iPod Touch.

“One focuses on user-research to find out what people need/want. This approach is exemplified by Microsoft and is used mostly to mitigate risk. The downside of this “user testing” model is that users can lead you astray. For example, if you ask everyone what their favorite color is the average will be gray.” – LukeW

App Developers: Please have a support contact e-mail address…
There is a popular storybook application in the App Store called “Three Little Pigs” by Kidzstory (Stepworks) that has a minor error on one of the pages. Nothing huge. The narrator for the page reads the sentence correctly. (“No one ever saw him again.) The problem I have is not specifically with the error. We all make grammatical errors. No one is perfect. I bet version 1.1 will correct this error. The problem I have with this situation is that there is no place to contact the developer directly on…

Read Across America Day: All “Dr. Seuss” Applications on Sale
In celebration of Theodor Geisel’s (Dr. Seuss) birthday, and Read Across America Day , all Dr. Seuss iPhone applications are on sale for $0.99. This is a great deal considering the eBook applications normally are $3.99, the Dr. Seuss camera apps are normally $2.99, and the Grinchmas! game is normally $1.99. Here are the 6 applications for sale: (Links open in iTunes) The Cat in the Hat eBook Dr. Seuss’s ABC eBook How the Grinch Stole Christmas! eBook Dr. Seuss Camera- The Cat in the Hat Edition …

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Have you heard of the Apple Learning Interchange? Below is a list of some fantastic Apple Learning Interchange articles that I frequently refer to when I’m looking for information or examples of Apple products being used in the classroom. The detail and time that the authors spent on many of these articles is impressive and I hope you find them useful.

(In no particular order…)

1. iPod touch. Touching student lives in the classroom: Creative Uses for iPod touch in Education- by Karen Thompson, Ted Scalzo, Joanna Seymour, Andy Crozier, Katie Morrow, Jeff Hall, Mike Amante, Cindy Huson, Ross Abels, and Marty Park
   • This is jam packed with excellent content! The writers of this article cover a wide variety of topics related to using the iPod Touch in school. The section on using the iPod Touch to help meet the needs of special learners is something I share frequently with staff who are interested in assistive technology.
2. VNC and the Mac: Anywhere, Anytime Mac OS X Computing Made Easy- by Mike Amante
   • Mike does a thorough job of explaining what VNC is, how you can get it working on your Mac, and useful software that can help you get started.
3. Photography on the iPhone: Capturing, Editing, & Sharing Great Images on the Go- by Mike Amante
   • Mike, again, does an excellent job explaining all that there is to know about the iPhone camera. He shares tips for taking better photographs, applications and their unique features, and some of the different ways you can share images from your iPhone. This article does make me wish that the iPod Touch has a camera!
4. Free Learning Content from A-Z: Bringing The Podcasting Ecosystem Into Your Classroom- by Mike Amante, Bruce Ahlborn, and Cherie Hayes-Gigante
   • This is an excellent overview of free educational materials and resources that can be found in iTunes and the Apple Learning Interchange. I find the “Select” content sections useful for locating specific content area educational podcasts and Apple Learning Interchange “Exhibits.” The “Safari Tricks for Managing Content” section has some useful Safari tips.
5. Tagging for Learning: Using Metadata tags to create cross-curricular lessons.- by Gerry Paille, Rob Policicchio, Adam Burt, David Vandergugten, Domizio Baldini, Hannes Beecken, Gordon Shupe, Richard Tapp, John Maschak, and Cyprien Lomas
   • “Tagging for Learning’ has 6 specific activities that incorporate various “tagging” systems. The tagging techniques shared in this “featured content” article can be used for some engaging learning activities.
6. Meeting Diverse Learner Needs: Built-In Tools on a Mac- by Dianna Williamson and Kris Hill
   • Apple computers are an excellent platform for meeting the needs of diverse learners. This is a submitted piece that details some of the accessibility features of Mac OS X. The article also shares ideas for helping students get organized and resources for enhancing literacy skills.
7. Not Seeing is Disbelieving II: Why We are Doubting the Power of One-to-One Learning Environments- by Kyle Peck and Karl Sprenger
   • This article contains interviews that were conducted with various educational experts. These experts discuss recommendations for helping one-to-one laptop initiatives become more successful. The ten suggestions, along with responses by the “experts”, are quite useful for schools looking to implement a one-to-one program.
8. iPod Touch/iPhone for Administrators: Leading the way in the 21st century using 21st century tools!- by Andy Crozier and Mike Amante
   • This is a must-read article for any administrator who owns, or was given, an iPhone or iPod Touch. Administrators can find suggestions for utilizing the iPhone or iPod Touch for professional development, data collection, communication, and as a “mobile office”.
9. Educational Podcasts – From The Classroom To The Boardroom: A showcase of exemplary podcasts created by Apple Distinguished Educators.- by Jeanne Halderson
   • This article is a great place to find examples of podcasts created in various educational settings. This is the article you should look at if you are trying to find podcasts created in an elementary classroom, secondary classroom, or higher education course.
10. iChat in the Classroom: Resources, Best Practices, & Ideas for Instant Communication- by David Wallace and Mike Amante
    • Before I looked at this article I had never realized that there was so many different ways to utilize iChat in the classroom. The “Exemplary Examples” section has some wonderful examples of iChat being used for video conferencing.
    
    

These were just a few of the many different articles and lessons that can be found at the Apple Learning Interchange. What are some of your favorite lessons or articles?

Feel free to comment below about this post and don’t forget to check out the new edu.Mac.nation page on Facebook!

[Image Credit: Apple Learning Interchange]

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Written by: Eric Sheninger

Upon becoming Principal of New Milford High School over three years ago, it was decided after a needs assessment that more resources and professional development had to go into the area of educational technology.  I was fortunate enough to participate in two television shows that resulted in funds that normally don’t just fall into the hands of a high school administrator.  After researching and learning about how iPods and MacBooks were being utilized to engage learners, I quickly decided to purchase a mobile iPod learning lab (Bretford PowerSync cart, 28 nanos each with a recording device, Bose speaker system) and some MacBooks.  This was a relatively bold move at the time because the use of iPods in a classroom setting was non-existent in my school and PCs were the technology of choice. The next challenge was motivating my staff to use the iPods. Naturally my teachers were apprehensive.  After having Apple come in and train my teachers on podcasting, they were ready to begin integrating this technology into their instruction.

The following are two specific examples of activities where NMHS staff use the iPods:

1.     Economics (Linda Keesing-Media Specialist): As a reporter for the business section of The Record (local newspaper), you will create an audio podcast to accompany your newspaper article on the various facets of this economic crisis.  It is your job to learn more about the factors contributing to this crisis.  Your insights into potential remedies for it will be especially valuable.  You will explain why fiduciary responsibility in the private sector and federal oversight in the public sector are among the essential ingredients in maintaining a sound U.S. economy.  You will examine the question of the global nature of this crisis.  Your editors expect you to research these issues thoroughly so that you can explain them to your audience.

2.     American History 2 (Nicolette Perna): Students in American History II have just begun to study the 1920s. As an introductory activity, students are working to create podcast interviews dealing with the culture of the 1920s.  Students worked in pairs to conduct some research on the culture of the 1920s and then worked together to write an interview; one person as the interviewer, the other as someone that lived during the 1920s.  Students have the option to focus on one aspect of 1920s culture or do an overview of multiple aspects.  They will record their podcasts with their partners and then listen to and discuss them as a class.

The MacBooks were a huge hit, even with me.  After purchasing some of these laptops I began to use one on a regular basis.  I can now say that I have been converted from a PC to a Mac user and couldn’t be happier. The one feature that I like best when creating presentations is the “Grab” utility. It allows me to capture portions of content on web pages in a flash.  As far as my teachers go, below are 2 examples of how they have used the MacBooks:

1.     Biology (Keith Devereaux): Students were assigned an authentic learning project where they had to create vodcasts.  A description of the entire project can be viewed here: http://www.educatorsroyaltreatment.com/2009/08/authentic-learning-and-technology.html

2.     Applied Music Theory (Joe Andolino): Students created their own original music using Garageband and integrated a web 2.0 application.  A description of this project can be viewed at http://www.educatorsroyaltreatment.com/2009/10/macs-web-20-music-to-my-ears.html

I am extremely proud of my staff’s development of innovative projects using Apple products for engaging the learners of New Milford.  By sharing these success stories I hope to motivate and excite more NMHS staff members into using them on a regular basis.

*Thank you Eric for sharing the outstanding work that is happening at New Milford High School. It truly sounds like your school’s “bold” changes have had an impact on learning and instruction. I also want to thank you for being the first educator to shine a “spotlight” on the work that is happening in your school.

Readers: Please visit the edu.Mac.nation contact page if you are an administrator or teacher who is interested in sharing about your school or classroom.

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One app a day… 7 days a week. The “App Spotlight” features one iPhone/iPod touch application a day that has been selected because we think that it rocks or because a reader of edu.Mac.nation (You!) thinks that it rocks. The picks stretch across many different categories. Here are the last 7 apps spotlighted on edu.Mac.nation App Spotlight:

• Remote Tap
• NPR News
• Shape Builder
• Melodica
• Proloquo2go
• IEP Checklist
• TextExpander Touch

Look for “App Spotlight” Week #3 next Friday or subscribe to the App Spotlight RSS Feed to see the daily posts.

If you are interested in submitting an application for a future “App Spotlight” please visit our contact page.

Below are screenshots, descriptions, and App Store links for each application…

Remote Tap

http://www.proloquo2go.com/

“Proloquo2Go™ is a new product from AssistiveWare that provides a full-featured communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking. It brings natural sounding text-to-speech voices, up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, a default vocabulary of over 7000 items, full expandability and extreme ease of use to the iPhone and iPod touch.”

via Proloquo2Go

Check out this informative video…

---

IEP Checklist

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Super Why! from PBS Kids

PBS is known for wonderful television programs for children. Classics such as “Sesame Street” and “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” share airtime with newer shows such as “Caillou” and “Sid the Science Kid“. A PBS show that my son loves is “Super Why!“. The adventures that the “Super Readers” go on include phonics, learning the alphabet, word pronunciation, and spelling skills. This morning, while we were watching an episode together, I decided to check to see if there was an application in the iTunes App Store for “Super Why!” and I was surprised to find one!

Super Why! from PBS Kids —>

Here is the full App Store description of the application…

Super Why! for iPhone

“This collection of four super literacy games provides interaction with each of the four main characters from the TV series: Alpha Pig, Princess Presto, Wonder Red and, of course, Super WHY! Each game focuses on the character’s special word power, intended to help your child gain the power to read!

ALPHA PIG’S LICKETY LETTER HUNT
Help Alpha Pig find his way home by identifying the letters he needs!

PRINCESS PRESTO’S WANDS-UP WRITING
First, choose the right sounds. Then trace the letters on your touch screen and get instant feedback when you’ve drawn the letters correctly.

WONDER RED’S RHYMING TIME
Find the rhyming words missing from Wonder Red’s word basket.

SUPER WHY’S STORY SAVER
Finish each story to save the day. Help Super WHY! complete the sentences that fit the story.

LEARNING REWARDS
Kids collect virtual stickers as they learn and can decorate their sticker book with over 50 items.

ABOUT SUPER WHY!
The SUPER WHY! app from PBS KIDS was developed by Bean Creative in partnership with PBS and Out of the Blue Enterprises, the producers of the breakthrough preschool series SUPER WHY. The series is designed to help kids ages 3 to 6 with the critical skills that they need to learn to read (and love to read!), including alphabet skills, word families, spelling, comprehension and vocabulary.”

Impressions

My son managed to navigate and find his way around the entire application after only a few minutes. He tends to do this with new apps. It is his way of “exploring” and seeing what parts of the application he wants to start with first. His two favorite literacy activities happened to be led by his two favorite show characters “Whyatt” and “Princess Pea”. “Whyatt” leads the “Super Why’s Story Saver” activity and “Princess Pea” leads the “Princess Presto’s Wands-up Writing” activity. My personal favorite, out of those two, is the “Wands-up Writing” activity. I like how my son hears the sound of the letter, is expected to pick the letter out of a group, is instructed on how to write the letter, and then is given an opportunity to practice writing it. This is great and I hope to see proper letter writing transfer over to his writing on paper.

Below is a short video of my son using the application to help you see what it is like…

(YouTube Link)

Overall I am quite pleased with all that this application has to offer. If your child is a fan of the show then you should consider checking out the application too!

Feel free to comment below about this post and don’t forget to check out the new edu.Mac.nation page on Facebook!

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edu.Mac.nation has two companion sites (another one is coming later today!). The first was started last week and it is called “edu.Mac.nation App Spotlight“. The second is a site that I have been updating for much longer. “edu.Mac.bytes” is what I call it and I like to think of it as a place for little “bytes” of information. As I surf around online I find links, photos, videos, etc. that interest me and are semi-related to Apple and education. This is the second digest post of all the “bytes” from this past week. If you are interested you can check out some of the links below or subscribe to the RSS feed over at edu.Mac.bytes…

From oldest to newest:

iPhone and Windows Phone 7 series side-by-side: The chrome, the chrome!

How to compete with iPad » Matt Legend Gemmell: “When competing with iPad, you have to realise that, to your new core market, tablets are not computers. There’s no such thing (to your customer) as a “tablet computer”; the very name reduces the likelihood they’ll buy it. The potential of the tablet is that it’s not even seen as a computing device. This is an incredible opportunity to expand into a new market, if you’ll only commit to that mindset.”

A comment by Jesse of HogBaySoftware explaining Taskpaper: “I agree completely to “It’s a list maker”, but I think that’s where TaskPaper gets it’s greatest strength as a tool for GTD. If you read David Allens GTD book, his “the” GTD system is based on simple lists that you review and reprioritize frequently. This is exactly the use case that TaskPaper was designed for. So yes it is designed as a list maker, but for many people a list maker is the base of a good GTD system.”

Apple and Carriers quietly raise 3G app download limit to 20MB | 9 to 5 Mac

Video: Education: Classroom technology: Indianapolis Public School students learn with new classroom technology – WXIN

NASA Brings the Dark Side of the Sun to Your iPhone | Wired Science | Wired.com: With the free 3D Sun app, you can set your phone to alert you when a new solar flare erupts, watch video of a solar prominence or a comet heading into the sun. You can manipulate an image of the sun in three-dimensions with your finger. The data is streamed to Earth by NASA’s twin STEREO spacecraft which monitor the sun from two different spots, one ahead of Earth in its orbit and one behind, giving stereoscopic images to give a sort of three-dimensional view, similar to the way our two eyes do.

Photo: 1Password for iPad Announced: First Mockups

Quote: Google engineering director — ‘He hates computers’ | Technology | Los Angeles Times: “I feel that we’re just drowning in information these days,” Schillace said. “I’m not going to wade through all of that. Just show me the most interesting five minutes’ worth of stuff.”

District Deactivates Security Feature on Mac Laptops Following Allegations of Abuse — THE Journal: “The lawsuit, filed Feb. 16, had been widely circulated throughout the day Thursday, causing the district to post a response, saying that it denied any use of the technology other than as a security feature to locate lost or reportedly stolen equipment.”

ESOL School uses iPods to increase reading fluency| savannahnow.com: “Once the books are recorded, first- and second-grade EIP and ELL students will be taught how to use the iPod shuffle, and then be able to take an iPod home, along with copies of the books recorded on them. This way, they will be able to read independently even if they don’t have a parent who is able to read with them.”

Technology advances for toddlers at Country School – Weston, MA – The Weston Town Crier:”I think they definitely reinforce the concepts we’re trying to teach these younger children – handwriting, simple numbers, hand-eye coordination, patterning, letter sounds. And going down the line, I think it will be interesting to see how this concept works when we get the kids together to use them in groups and/or when there’s some teacher input as well.”

Notational Velocity, Simplenote, and Dropbox bring child-like wonder“Imagine if Apple had created an over-the-air method of syncing Notes and it all Just Worked. That’s what Notational Velocity has achieved. Notes on my iPhone, my iMac and my MacBook Pro. Edit a note anywhere, and the changes are synced nearly instantly and appear everywhere. It’s fast, it’s seamless. Thinking about getting an iPad? That’s only going to make this setup even sweeter.”

New program will change education says school – KLTV 7 News Tyler, Longview, Jacksonville | “Another interesting aspect of the new Cumberland Academy iSchool is that every student will be able to take home an iTouch, where they can download their books and homework and do everything electronically.”

Apple Learning Interchange – iPod touch. Touching student lives in the classroom. : “While the iPod touch can offer engaging, exciting learning opportunities to all students, perhaps one of the greatest ways the device can be used in education is helping those students who have exceptional learning needs beyond their peers. As a capable and very extensible device, the iPod touch can become a powerful and useful tool specifically to ensure special learners can succeed in any learning environment.”

Just another family get together… Who owns what? 3 belong to our household (Wife, Son, and me) 2 belong to my sisters 2 belong to my parents Apple loves us.

Green Screen Effects in iMovie 09 via Wes Fryer

“It is also important to remember that one of the great joys of modern parenthood is documenting your realtime infant’s or toddler’s special moments through texts, tweets, posts, uploaded photos, and YouTube clips. The realtime child presents ideal messaging-fodder for the realtime parent.” – Nicolas Carr

Macmillan’s DynamicBooks Lets Professors Rewrite E-Textbooks – NYTimes.com : “Professors will be able to reorganize or delete chapters; upload course syllabuses, notes, videos, pictures and graphs; and perhaps most notably, rewrite or delete individual paragraphs, equations or illustrations.”

Check out SonicPics in the App Store. The video above was made entirely in SonicPics and was even uploaded directly into YouTube from the application. The only thing added later on was the “edu.Mac.nation” label. This was done in YouTube using the annotation tools. A full written review at edu.Mac.nation is coming soon along with a bunch of promo codes for readers!

Mobile Apps: College Newspaper Warms Up Its Digital iPad Press : “A burning issue in the news industry now is how to make news delivery profitable, Bacon explained. ‘A product like the iPad has great potential for that,’ she argued. ‘It may or may not prove to revolutionize the industry, but it certainly creates some opportunities for the industry to deliver their product differently and perhaps in a profitable way. If we can be a part of that discussion, then that’s an opportunity for us to be…

Professor destroys laptop. (via Gizmodo ) Note to Self : Never sign up for this professor’s class.

Students will get choice: iPad or MacBook : “With Apple’s unveiling of the iPad in January, George Fox has opted to give new students the option of choosing the new device or selecting its current offering, the Apple MacBook. For more than 20 years, George Fox has supplied a computer for each incoming undergraduate student to keep upon graduating. The cost is included in tuition.” Is this going to start to be the trend now?

ACU: There’s an app for that » Abilene Reporter News : “ACU aims to be the first university in the nation to offer the work of its newspaper staff on the iPad. The Optimist is already published in print and online, and is available through an iPhone app.”

iPhone Chalkboard by PlayingGrownUp on Etsy: An iPhone Chalkboard ? This is absolutely adorable! I think it would look great in my classroom. What do you think? ( Found via iPhone Savior and TUAW )

Learning to read, the iPod way – The Sudbury Star : “She thinks the school’s lower income demographic may have been what prompted Apple to loan her class 10 iPod touches, 10 MacBook laptops and a digital camera. The class is using the devices to take part in a pilot project to measure whether technology can be used to improve student literacy rates.”

friezlandipodprojectlive : “The Touch isn’t a device that lends itself to use from the front of the classroom. It’s real strength lies in providing access to data while pupils work independently. There are times though when instructions need to be delivered from the front, so this week we started to use the visualiser with the Touch. Above you can see the pupil’s working with teaching staff. This has made demonstrating/teaching with the Touch much easier.”

ICTAC Memo iPhone Apps for Education
This is a pretty large list of educational applications! ICTAC MEMO iPhone Apps for Education

5 tips for switchers | TUAW : “Every now and then I’ll have an “I never knew about that” moment as I come across a setting or nuance in Mac OS X that I never realized existed. Take, for instance, character viewer, which allows you to display a variety of characters in your document. Whether you’re a switcher or seasoned Mac veteran, here are five tips that could help improve your Mac experience.” My favorite tip in this link is the one regarding feedback volume…

Why Skitch Has Captured My Heart | MacStories : “Skitch offers simple, intuitive tools to allow annotations to be added to graphics. Text, arrows, hand-drawn highlights, standard circle/rectangle shapes. It’s easy to change the colour of an annotation, even after it’s drawn, and there are several options for scale/thickness available. It’s also possible to scale the image and add a watermark.” I am a frequent user of Skitch for Mac . It is one of the many Mac only apps that I wish I had on my…

“We are able to level the playing field the best that we can for kids. So that even if they don’t have the greatest thing at home as far as the iPod touch or lap top computer, when they’re here they have the opportunity to put their hands on them, use them, interact with them. “ via New technology in the classroom – WKBT

Just noticed this new addition to the customization menu in Tumblr. Now you can access your “community” settings without having to search around in the messages tab. I am quite happy that this has been added.

When you want to accomplish a task, especially sign making, it is best to use the “plan, do, and review” steps. 1) Plan out what you want your sign to say. Use a ruler to determine the appropriate spacing for your letters. Get any other materials that you may need for completing your sign. Grab a pencil. Tell yourself, “Sketch the design/message with a pencil first!” 2) Do it. Take your time. Don’t rush. 3) Review, or look over, what you just did. Did you achieve what you hoped? Did you complete…

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