Jailbreaking the Ice

Yes, Jailbreaking is still relevant, and here’s why:

 

iOS Apps: Taking the Plunge

I’ve added (and subtracted) enough apps to this ever-changing Prezi to warrant a re-post (previously posted as “50 Apps You’ve [probably] Never Heard Of”). I’ve also changed the format to reflect the fact that many are new to the iOS App scene, while others are old-timers at it, and are looking to expand their usage.  Enjoy!

 

Tablets vs. SMARTBoards

After countless conferences, technology journals, and anecdotes from fellow teachers, I think I’ve finally had it with listening to how great SMART or Promethean Boards are.  Yes, they are a great feat of technological achievement (though, with the introduction of the Kinect, they increase in archaic appearance as the years go on).  But, for the price, they are not the best use of money for student engagement and instructional strategies.

Creativity Fatigue Sets In: iOS and Android Games are Losing Their Edge

There’s been a lot of talk recently about mobile gaming via iOS and Android devices taking over the market, which has been previously dominated by Sony and Nintendo.  Your usual points of evidence include cheaper prices ($.99 vs. $39), ease of installation (install in seconds vs. purchase at store and carry with you), and dual/tri-functionality (phone/app/game vs. game).  Nintendo has stated for the past two years that they not only don’t fear this new trend, but don’t even see it as a competition.  I originally thought this was preposterous posturing, but even as an avid iOS gamer, I’m starting to agree with the Big N.

I Moved to eBooks…Oh, What a Mistake.

One year ago, I justified the purchase of an iPad to my wife by saying that the money I’d save on eTextbooks would more than pay for the device itself.  Of course, while this was true, it was a misleading statistic to rationalize the procurement of the fastest selling piece of technology, ever.  Not only would all my textbooks be searchable, annotatable (it’s a word!), and copy-and-paste-able, but I would get all the great apps.

Oh, Dear God…I Was Wrong About the Kinect: An Ode to Child of Eden

I don’t expect that if you’re reading this you’ve read anything else I’ve written.  Assuming that, it would be easy to just pretend like I’ve always loved the Kinect.  That, however, would be a damn dirty lie.  Truth is, I really didn’t think the Kinect would go anywhere.  Boy howdy was I wrong.  I love it.  And, there’s one game that makes the Kinect the best innovation in gaming since the analog stick…Click inside to find out more.

Introducing Students to Internet Research Through Symbaloo and Glogster

Similar to my previous post on trying to wrangle social networks, I’m now struggling with how to integrate all these different, wonderful resources our students have for content generation.  Three of these resources — Glogster, Symbaloo, and DiscoveryEducation — are getting some heavy airplay lately, yet they’ve primarily existed in isolation.  Click inside to see just one way you can pull them all together into a meaningful activity.

Spies Like Us: Facebook, Parents, and Teen Privacy

Click to Embiggen

I came across this graphic last week, and had a real guttural feeling about it.  But, I promised myself I’d take a full week to mull over what I was feeling, and why.  Click inside to find out why I think this graphic doesn’t bode well for our kids.

Google+ Circles the Classroom

Google+ is starting to gain some traction — albeit it small, compared to Facebook and Twitter — but, it might not find a niche as a way to replace Facebook and Twitter as social tools for personal and professional use.  It might actually be the perfect tool to finally bring a universal social networking tool into the classroom.

I look at some of the ways Google+ can change the social network game in education after the jump.

Don’t Double-Dip Your Social Network Chips

Social Networks are Like Chips ‘n Dip: Take a Thought, Post it Once, and Move On!  No Double-Dipping!

It’s ridiculous out there.  Seriously.  MySpace used to be all you need.  Yes, it was horrible, and the HTML editing allowed for the most atrocious setups, but at least everything was contained in one area.  Now, we have many options.  Facebook and Twitter, while not being the only choices, are certainly the two top contenders.

Then, just two weeks ago, Google had to go and muck it all up by getting into the game (again, after not doing so well their first two times).  Now, we have three top contenders, since Google isn’t going anywhere (and, frankly, I think Google+ may end up being the better product).  Add to that other services we use to manage and share our digital lives — Flickr, Delicious, Picasa, Diigo, and more.  How do you wrangle all of these?  Well, you have some options.