Sent from my iPad
Saturday, March 31, 2012
What's Happenin' NOW!
I am looking forward to my meeting on "The Fifth Floor" of UHall on Monday at 10am. Jae Ahn has agreed to meet with me to suggest, clarify, and guide me regarding my iPad use, both for our class and for the Student Research Symposium, at which I am presenting, in April. I also have spent some awesome exploratory time working with Assemblee and Idea Flight. These are apps which have been recommended by Dr. Sotillo.
So far, with Assemblee, I have been able to invent a faux meeting or two and send emails to the class. Btw, my supervisor from the SCCC library, where I work, is also on my email list for the iPad use. I hope that is ok with everyone. She is one of the other few people whom I know who is an avid iPad user and is always looking for ways to maximize on owning her device. Further, she is hoping to learn more about the apps and whatnot that I am learning about to see if we could use iPads to make our department keep up with the times and run more smoothly. She and I have spent a considerable amount of time together sharing what we know, and that has resulted in a lot of purposeful fun over the past months!
Right...so back to Assemblee...I have not found a way to color-code text on this app yet. Perhaps this one will be best utilized as a general meeting app, instead of a presentation app...We shall see. My husband actually laughed out loud when I showed him some of this app's features, btw! The fact that one could respond with the "boredom meter" cracked him up! It's nice to know that the app geeks either 1) care about keeping up a high rate of interest, or 2) have a great sense of humor! (You decide!)
Next, I am going to give Idea Flight another, more critical look. As I am ready to bring out the credit card, I expect to enter a whole new level of glorious geekdom! My goal is to acquire a whole new set of multimedia related skills which I will then use to enhance my teaching prowess! Educreations has been helpful, and now I am ready for the next challenge! Now the pressure is really on!
Until next time~~
Sent from my iPad
Sunday, March 25, 2012
iPad use
This past Saturday, I attended yet another funeral in the "old neighborhood" just outside of Philadelphia. This one was for the brother of my dear friend, who is also a former student of mine. The circumstances surrounding this one were anything but ok. I am thinking that after the shock passes, a lot of anger will kick in. My friend's seventeen-year-old son summed it up best: "I think he was selfish for doing that. It was irresponsible."
I used the iPad to find the location of the luncheon after the funeral. It has been years since I had been in that neck of the woods; that was no time nor place for me to be lost. And no time to be late. Thank God for the good, reliable wireless connection.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Smart Board Tutorial
What a cool opportunity! One of the IT fellows at SCCC, Chris, showed me how to use a smart board! It reminds me of Wii!! Talk about "interactive media"! Has anyone else in our class used a smart board? What did YOU think of it?
This iPad
Based on the assignment from our syllabus that we should have posted two blogs per week since February, 20, I calculate that I should have about eight entries so far...Time to play catch-up.
Today I will blog about my recent uses of the CHSS-issued iPad. What started out as a novelty has become a rather handy gadget. I carried it to Columbia University so I could chronicle my visit there (see post below for the "special" picture...tiny, upside-down...a triumph, really). It, the iPad, not the picture, was a terrific conversation-starter, and I chatted-up with several very interesting participants from other universities at the presentation (on charismatic features of politicians by Dr. Julia Hirschberg) and took notes during the event on the Notepad.
The other day, I received an email that I hadn't met an event deadline...which I had...and so I photographed the copy I had of my receipt, emailed it, and saved everyone a bit of embarrassment by being prompt with my response!
During a trip to Best Buy with my son, Harry, I was able to "hold my own" in a conversation about tablets...Trust me, impressing one's own adult child while navigating through his turf earned me big points!!
I have been able to web surf at odd hours in atypical (for me) places, which has been most helpful keeping me informed and up-to-date! And I must admit, my favorite part of iPad use so far is the Educreations App.
But there are a few noticeable drawbacks...Being able to be online so easily and often(my old computer was pretty heavy...),has left me feeling over-stimulated. For one who doesn't even watch tv, my brain has been over-loaded...I find that I have to self-limit when I use the iPad. I had been spending countless hours trying to get things to work and exploring new sites and testing out my thought process and memory...I have become my own guinea pig; I know first hand how my brain is responding to the overstimulation...
Soon, though, I believe, I will start thinking more reflectively again. I just need to be patient with myself.
Technology and Me~Perfect Together?
Yessirree~I am a technological immigrant. During the past month, in particular, I have experienced 'the unknown' like never before. I have been uprooted, re-routed, re-teched, re-passworded, skyped, googled, Geeked, iPaded, mobilized (unmobilized, immobilized, AND re-mobilized)...I have met IT people at Best Buy, SCCC, MSU, and my own home. I have hacked my way through a jungle of Adobe versions, Microsoft Office and Word downloads. I have gotten lost in the National Writing Project interactive, on the Columbia University campus, and in the MSU IRB application process. Even at work, all of the computers and systems have been updated, re-vamped, and tweaked beyond recognition. I've had viruses, dead batteries, and empty ink cartridges chase me in my sleep. Now that I have replaced my five-year-old Dell, I hope the worst is behind me. I mean, is this what it can be like to be transplanted into a new land without knowing the language or the culture? Being so unskilled with technology at 50 is like being a stranger in a strange land...Prensky was right to label someone like me an immigrant...Not to worry, though. I WILL figure this tech out!!
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Fw: Dueling Laptops
9am on Thursday. We have connection with BB Collaborate!
Will they both work tonight at 8pm!?
-----Forwarded Message-----
>From: Stephanie <mzchil@earthlink.net>
>Sent: Mar 8, 2012 9:21 AM
>To: "mzchil@earthlink.net" <mzchil@earthlink.net>
>Subject:
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Wednesday, March 7, 2012
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