Posts Tagged ‘ipad’
I wonder…
If we invited “aunties” and “uncles” outside of NIE, would they sign up for this iPad workshop?
Note: No iPads were harmed in the making of this video.
Why jailbreak?
Posted on: February 9, 2013
The day the iOS 6 jailbreak was available from evad3rs, I successfully jailbroke an iPhone 4, iPad 2 (3G), and an iPad mini.
evasi0n iOS 6/6.1 jailbreak is live! Download from evasi0n.com #evasi0n—
(@evad3rs) February 04, 2013
The iPad mini, which was already on version 6 of the OS, provided the best jailbreak experience. The process took just a few minutes.
The iPhone and iPad were still in version 5 and had to be wiped, updated, reinstated, and then jailbroken. But all is good now.
The only bug I have noticed is that text shortcuts (e.g., for “omw” to become “on my way”) do not work on the iPhone even though they work on the iPads.
Why do I opt to jailbreak? I explained briefly here
https://ashleytan.wordpress.com/jailbreak-apps/
but I thought I should elaborate.
I take ownership of my devices and what I do with them. That means customizing them to make them do what I want them to do.
- I want my default browser to be Chrome and my go-to map to be Google Maps.
- I want to be able to tether my phone any way I want in any country I travel to because I have bought the bandwidth and the data plan.
- I want to be able to toggle between multiple Apple store accounts. (I have more than one account because a few apps are not available in Singapore!)
- If there is something irritating or lacking in iOS, I want to remove that irritation or add some functionality.
I do not jailbreak to get paid apps for free. I want my device to work conveniently, efficiently, and effectively, so I jailbreak it.
The practice of jailbreaking got me thinking about how there is similar trend in education.
I think more people will want to “jailbreak” education because schools and universities are not responding fast enough. They want to customize their experiences and they want what works for them.
Learners might accept an initially one-size solution, but they will want to tweak it or transform it to their needs. If schools and universities are not prepared to help learners do this, there are stakeholders will find jailbreak solutions.
iPad presentation
Posted on: April 5, 2012
It is possible to present with an iPad, but the device was not really made for presentations.
But here is a pair of presenters who take iPad-based presentations to a whole new level!
The novelty and effectiveness of the presentation does not really lie with the iPad. It is the story that they tell that matters.
Lecturing with a board, overhead projector, computer, or iPad is not going to make much of a difference if the nature of the lecture does not change. It is the storyteller that matters.
Recently, Edudemic featured an infographic by OnlineTeachingDegree (link removed on 24 Mar 2013 at publisher’s request) of the numbers game between e-books on iPads and traditional textbooks. I could bring up Richard Byrne’s critique of infographics, but I shall not even though it applies in this case.
It should come as no surprise that textbooks cost less than iPads. But that is if one only focuses on the financial cost of the media tools.
The graphic conveniently fails to point out that iPads are not just reading devices. The iPads cost more because they are more. They are also disruptive in ways that challenge both teaching and learning.
The graphic does not illustrate the cost of NOT using such a technology in powerful ways. It cannot and it dares not. To do so would be to encourage some critical discourse and favour change. Perish the thought!
Source (link removed on 24 Mar 2013 at publisher’s request)
If you need to see how fickle the publishers of infographics can be, you need only look at the one offered by OnlineUniversities which focuses on how e-books are giving textbooks “a run for their money”!
Where to stand?
Posted on: February 18, 2012
We were honoured to have Dr Seah-Tay Hui Yong of Nanyang Girls High School (NYGH) to present a short keynote and share at a concurrent session at e-Fiesta 2012.
NYGH is one of several schools in Singapore that have adopted the iPad as a learning tool. It is one of very few (or perhaps the only one) that has a long term pedagogical plan and vision where the iPads are concerned.
I think that the plan stems from two underlying beliefs. First, to paraphrase what Hui Yong shared: We are trying to educate 21st century learners with 20th century teachers in 19th century classrooms. Outdated strategies constrained by outdated environments do not make for progressive and relevant education.
That is why she shared the vision of what the classroom might look like.
The second belief is that teachers need to question how and why they teach. Hui Yong mentioned that she wanted to create an environment where the teacher did not know where to stand. A classroom where there is no single central focus is one way to do that.
I would take that statement a bit further. I would create conditions where the teacher would not even know what to do at first. The teacher would then have to be a learner or co-learner. The teacher would have to relearn how to teach or how NOT to teach in order that students learn.
Aiieee-Pad!
Posted on: February 9, 2012
Warning: Rant ahead.
The dust around River Valley High School’s adoption of the iPad might have settled among the layfolk. But the dust is still swirling in the school.
Parents questioned the necessity of the iPad citing reasons like high cost, questionable value add, potential distraction and security risks.
My first reaction was, “Yawn!” This sort of reaction has played out in other school systems in other parts of the world. The objections are the same. The reasons for the unhappiness are similar: Unclear or mishandled communication from schools and an overly conservative view of parents.
The other reason for my yawn was the fact that the original article was written for a tabloid. Sensationalism was the news. The facts were secondary.
My second reaction was, “Have we asked the learners for their inputs?” A few students were interviewed, but that is not the same as designing the iPad implementation with them front and centre. Are we just playing lip service to the claim that we teach “in the service of learners”?
No, instead much of the attention seemed to be about the cost of each device. (Just like lo hei during the Lunar New Year is mostly about wealth. Really, translate what gets recited and you will see what I mean.)
If financial cost is the burden to bear, then I suggest that parents add to the balance the cost of textbooks and tuition. Then they should factor in the cost of not teaching responsible use of technologies like the iPad now.
Our Asian neighbours are not waiting. Last year, the Koreans announced how they would adopt e-books by 2015 [archived ST article]. Earlier this week we learnt that the Thais will be getting tablets for 900,000 students [archived version]. The Thais do not have reliable wireless Internet access but they are still going ahead.
The quote from the news article that takes the cake is comes from a parent who:
… was told at the briefing that in school, cyber wellness was the teachers’ responsibility. But at home, it would be the parents’.
He asked: “Why is the school giving me additional things to do?”
If parents do not know how to teach and model good tech-related habits and values, the schools will have to lead the way and parents will just have to follow. They should step out of the way of progress and focus on what both the school and parents care about most: Good grades. Oh, wait, I meant their kids.
Kindergartners create
Posted on: December 24, 2011
Skitch for iPad
Posted on: December 23, 2011
One of my favourite tools for the Mac, Skitch, now has a version for the iPad!
Here is Lifehacker’s description of the app:
Skitch not only brings its fancy arrows and other drawing powers to the iPad, but with it brings a built-in camera for quick snapshots, the ability to detect recent screenshots, a built-in web browser for marking up web pages, a built-in map for drawing out directions for your friends, and more. And, it all integrates with Evernote, so you can share a note with your friends or send it straight to your notebook for quick reference later
It can be downloaded for free at the app store and I think it will bring more value to screen captures on an iPad than most whiteboarding apps.
I said I think, not I know because, like one commenter at Lifehacker, I am not able to see the app on my iPad even after downloading it. Boo! (Update: My iPad2 is jailbroken and running iOS 4.3.3 whereas the app is created for iOS 5 and above.)
Secure your iOS device
Posted on: November 13, 2011
Recently, a blogger shared what he thought were the top five security settings for iOS. I think there should be at least two more.
You should deactivate the ability to change accounts and the untoggle the change location settings.
Once you have entered all email and iCloud account information, you should prevent the settings from being deleted or changed. Likewise, to prevent Find My iPhone from being deactivated, you should lock down location settings.
You start by tapping on Settings -> General -> Restrictions. I am making use of the new WordPress photo carousel feature to illustrate the other steps.
Learners shall inherit the earth
Posted on: October 19, 2011
This video of a baby trying to interact with a paper-based magazine as if were an iPad went viral recently. The person who created the video claimed that the iPad rewired the baby’s operating system.
Not everyone was convinced. Some might have thought that the baby was just practicing her fine motor skills. But it is not difficult to see that she was pinching, zooming, swiping and tapping.
This response by Wired writer Daniel Donahoo counters the technological determinism. The iPad is not rewiring the child. Instead, the iPad takes advantage of a normal human’s natural fine motor skills.
But there is a much simpler message: Kids are growing up with these device and their expectations are different from ours.
That baby expected the magazine to change when she swiped, tapped or pinched on content. The fine motor skill has not been rewired by the iPad, but the rewiring of expectations of how to interact with and learn from it have already started.
Kids will see no other way of doing reading, searching or creating. When my wife told my seven-year-old son that she did not have iPods and iPads when she was his age, he looked aghast and went, “Really?” Roughly translated, he meant “How did you do anything in that dark age?”
What is the moral of story? I can put it no better than Eric Hoffer:
In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
I am all for passing on some good old fashioned values. But anyone who discounts or disregards that baby’s experiences does so at their own peril. We need to show our kids how to learn with progressive tools and strategies. In the process, all of us learn. To do otherwise is to be ill-equipped and left behind.
