I think this image says it all. That is an iPad. Simply stick it into the dock and it becomes a laptop then take it out as needed. This will replace laptops once these devices become more powerful. Currently they are not nearly as good but in a few years they will be.
This graphic is pretty funny, check it out:
Have you ever lost your cell phone or has it ever been stolen? Well there are some great free apps for both Android and IOS phones that allow you to locate your phone via gps, lock the phone so no one can use it, and even wipe all the data if need be. Here are the apps, I suggest you download one of them and try it out, it is very cool to see how they function:
Android:
IOS:
According to the rumors, the latest versions of Flash, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and the rest of the Adobe suite will be coming this summer. Here are a few pieces from an interview with the CEO of Adobe:
“Question
And with respect to the CS5 mid-cycle release, is that going to impact the timing of CS6?
Adobe CEO
Well, I think the way you can look at that is the real goals for the mid-cycle release are to continue to enhance the functionality…
And then you can expect another release in 2012.
Question
So then just to confirm, you said the next milestone release after the mid-cycle release will be in 2012. Is that correct?
Adobe CEO
That’s correct.”
Since my students’ online units are due today, I figured I would make this post. If you want to make your online course successful a best practice is to include the following things in each unit. I say this because many times I see an online course and things are not spelled out for the learner. I get into a lesson and I do not see objectives or their are not directions for me and I kind of have to assume that I just click through the materials. This usually works fine for me as I have a lot of online course experience but for new learners, this is just setting up a disaster. So I have compiled the following list.
Just to clarify, when I say unit in online learning, I generally refer to one section/topic/week/lesson in a course that is online and 80%+ asychronous. In higher ed we break this into weeks however each environment might be different. Here is a list of things that should be included in an online unit, however remember that each case/course is different and may require more/less depending on the needs to the client and students.
Things that should be included in an online unit:
Well this small case is ‘huge’ in my opinion. How many of you have unlimited data plans from your cell phone company? Although those with new plans in the last year or so had to buy a certain amount of GBs, many who have had data plans for years were grandfathered into unlimited plans. I have an unlimited plan. However, what happens when the user starts using over 2GB of transfer data? They get throttled. ATT and Verizon have said that around 5% of their users use over 2GB of data each month (I use around 400mb on average) and once they reach that level they decrease the speed at which that user can make those transfers, thus limiting what they can download. In the first court case on this issue, a man challenged Att claiming that after 2GB his data was throttled even though his plan is unlimited. He won, the small court judge agreed with him and Att paid him $935.
Here is link to an article on the case
Now why is this so important?
– Well for one, as we teach online, users may need to view videos and other data heavy applications which will use a lot of data. So we do need to watch data.
– Two – We know that courts do agree. Even though this was settled, cases like this may work their way up to the supreme court so its important to take note.
– Three – Internet companies have been doing this with high speed internet for years so maybe its time they get challenged as well.
Finally getting around to developing an app for this blog. Currently its still in development, I need to work on some formatting. However, I think its ready to download and use. Works only on Android based phones. Scan the following QR code in order to install on your phone:
Google will be changing the way you search soon. Instead of just searching for a term and coming up list of that term, Google’s new algorithm will look at more than just keywords as it does now. It will look at relationships. Thus it should become a better engine, helping us find what we are really looking for. For those that do not know, semantic searching has been discussed for a number of years but has yet to really be done well so we will see how Google handles it.
Here are a few articles on the topic:
Being that it’s my 3rd year as a college professor I thought I now have enough experience to speak about what ‘we’ do over spring break:) While my students are off on some adventure – some going to places like Cancun to party, some going on educational trips to places like Haiti, and others just simply staying home I am actually sitting at home, in my usual position – on the computer doing work. I have been working mostly on ‘playing catchup’. During the semester there are lots of administrative tasks that get thrown at you that you just never have time for. Normally I work around 50-60 hrs per week during the semester and never have extra time to do many things required of me, so break is when I catch up. Once I am done with those tasks I next try to catch up on my grading. I plan to spend the majority of today grading assignments in two courses that I teach. Once I finish grading, then its off to research. I am working on a paper that I maybe have a few hours for each week. Then I get to spend tomorrow prepping my courses for next week. I spend a good 3-4 hours per hour I teach in prep so it will take all day to prep 1-2 courses. That is my spring break. Sure I do not have to teach this week or go into the office but my work never ends!
It’s Pi Day!
Pi, Greek letter (
), is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th. Pi = 3.1415926535…