Skitch App Review Discussion
Skitch – Allows you to take screenshots for annotation and diagraming purposes. Sharing is now enabled through Evernote.
Continue reading Skitch App Review Discussion Posted in: Week 05:Page 8 RSS Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts
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melissaayers
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melissaayers
Paper App Review Discussion
Paper – Designed to replace a pen and a piece of paper, Paper is a drawing application designed to capture your ideas as sketches, diagrams, illustrations, notes or drawings which can all be easily shared across the web.
Continue reading Paper App Review Discussion Posted in: Week 05:-
tomwhyte1
App Title: 53paper
Publisher/Developer: Paper by FiftyThree
Version: 1.1.1Operation Analysis:
I have never used, nor even heard of this application before this week, however after playing around within the application, I found it an interesting way for students to both verbally and visually express themselves regarding any topic they can fit on the provided page (as it functions similar to a journal or note book). As well, 53Paper, provides easy navigation, and assists people with a limited but helpful guide in terms of the applications features. Furthermore, this App, allows a students work to be shared through tumblr, facebook, and twitter, as well if your school has blocked these social media sites it is possible to share though email as well. As well, this App allows an individual to continually add pages to the book, which allows a history of the work to be collected over a significant period of time.
Pedagogical Analysis:
Pedagogically, the ability to allow students to express themselves is a powerful tool within many of today’s classrooms. Unfortunately, if a student has weak fine-motor skills or limited artistic talent, they may become frustrated with this approach and refuse to utilize the App as intended. However, for most students, this approach allows for students to represent their ideas and thoughts in ways that are meaningful to them, sparking higher order thinking, engagement, problem solving and even creativity.
For myself, this App is a blend of art and mind-mapping. Personally, I am not very artistic and would find limited use, however for many students I teacher, I feel this app would allow them a freedom they rarely experience within a traditional classroom.
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kstackhouse
My son loves this app. He makes drawings for us all the time. Similar to the art he brings home from school I can display this art on my iPad. I have one of his drawings as my wallpaper. We only have the free version so the number of brushes is limited but I think it is still a great way to create.
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tomwhyte1
I found the number of brushes to be disconcerting. Yes I understand, it is an easy way to not only figure out if you like the program, then add functionality as you needed, but a good approach to monetize. However, I found it frustrating…
Thoughts?
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kstackhouse
It is exactly what you say. They include one brush and hope you will buy more. I have had the app for a few months. I was kind of hoping that they would release another brush for free. My fingers are still crossed. My son plays with this app all the time. He asked me the first time about the brush, I told him that we weren’t buying more and he was fine with it. He has been working with the “materials” that were provided with the first installation.
It is interesting though that he has his sketch book there and my daughter can also have her own separate one. That is one feature that I like. You can have multiple journals and multiple pages within each one.
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Kent Jamieson
Ken, if you do upgrade there is a fantastic ‘watercolor’ brush that really makes the artwork look amazing. We have an iTunes account between a few teachers and we often share costs. I tend to use the free brush and the watercolor, so if they do open it up to buying individual brushes…that is definately the one to get next.
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Jonathan
Ken —
I always remember being really stingy about paying for upgrades but I will say this.. for 53 Papers — it’s worth it. It’s one that I don’t regret at all. I don’t spend enough time in this app and I am no artist, but this app sure does make me feel like one. Maybe buy your son the pack for his birthday or Christmas :).
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Eva Ziemsen
It’s interesting, because I also found this application frustrating. Either I was not using it properly, but for some reason I only had ONE brush to work with. Does one need to buy more brushes? I also thought this app would be great for brainstorming and keeping records of my ideas, but after playing around with it for a few days on my ipad, I gave up on it. I think it is very ‘good looking’ for an app, and the products that others seem to make with it are very beautiful, but I did not find it intuitive. It reminded me a bit of a digital scrapbook, which I would use in a heartbeat, if only I could use it with greater ease. Are there tutorials to use it?
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kstackhouse
I’m not sure if there are tutorials or not. I let my son use it for a few days. He then gave me the tutorial. I think you are right, it is a great doodle scrapbook. That is how we have been using it. I wouldn’t use it for taking notes, or brainstorming but just a place to draw and be creative. Thanks for your feedback.
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Kent Jamieson
Eva, you should be able to upgrade by simply pressing on the other brushes. It should direct you to the app store for purchase. It is a costly 6.99. However, by importing pics into an app like Keynote i’ve made some pretty cool slideshows. I’d recommend using a Stylus as well.
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Jonathan
Eva —
Start off by using it as a doodling app. In my classroom, I use it to draw diagrams. Whether it is Science, Math, or Socials Studies — I always manage to use this instead of drawing on my whiteboard. It just looks nice and my students are always enamoured with it. The map packs as Kent mentions are pricey — but it’s well worth it. Everything is very doable.
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visramn
I had never heard of this tool. I think it has a lot of potential for students of all ages and for students with special needs. It is a great way to jot down thought or even draw visuals of a person’s thought process.
Nureen
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melissaayers
Firefly App Review Discussion
Firefly is an app created by the Kurzweil Education System. It is meant to help readers access to their instructional materials and their Kurzweil library. Schools are using Kurzweil 3000 to help students with their learning needs.
Continue reading Firefly App Review Discussion Posted in: Week 05:-
jkotler
After going through all of the different apps, I found that from an educational (and not necessarily personal) standpoint this was the app that impressed me the most. Among other things, I really liked that operationally it is easy to navigate, has a flexible user management system, offers audio, cloud storage and especially that it can be used by students with physical limitations. Similarly, in regards to pedagogy, I found that it is well designed and I was impressed with the focus on individual needs such that the student can choose from different voices, choose the pace, speed and the display size, look up definitions when needed etc. Thus, overall I think this app can be quite useful for students at many different levels.
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kstackhouse
Thanks for your feedback. I know that the Resource and Methods teachers at my High School use the Kurzweil desktop program for struggling readers. It is a great tool that I have personally seen students succeed with. That is why I was so excited to see that there was a mobile app for this great service.
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tomwhyte1
App Title: Firefly
Publisher/Developer: Kurzweil
Version: 1.01Operation Analysis:
The Firefly App, upon first glance, looks to be a decent text-to-speech program that assists students who either struggle with reading, or are unable to read, due to an ELL status or cognitive reasons. As well, Firefly, is an easy to navigate app, that contains help files built directly into the program to assist with its operation. As well, if one has the proper login information, reading programs exist for learners at different levels and abilities, meeting them where they are currently at in their education. However, I was not able to determine if the App tracked a student’s progress over time, but this might be a feature when logging into the actual website.
Pedagogical Analysis:As I do not instruct any language class, I can only assume that this tool would be beneficial to accommodate students at different reading levels, however I am unsure if this app allows one to load in their own documents, which if possible would make this text-to-speech app very powerful. Unfortunately, the app itself does not promote higher order thinking, interaction, collaboration, creativity, problem solving, or feedback. However, this app if combined with an effective assessment or task based activity to easily allow students of all reading levels, to complete and excel.
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adi
I wondered the same thing about login into the students’ documents, and even listening to them read; otherwise why bother reading out loud? This aside, it has a lot of awesome features like the ability to translate text; being able to customize readings; the choice of voices and more so, that it’s FREE!
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rebecca42
I was also incredibly excited to see this app! We use Kurzweil for a group of students in our school and I have found that it is very empowering for the majority of students who use it. I’m not well-versed on it, but I know how successful students feel after using it. We have an issue of drops in our classroom for installing a Kurzweil reader, perhaps this app can help to bridge the gap!
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kstackhouse
Great to hear! Hopefully this will be a resource that you can take advantage of. I know that our school has been using the desktop version. We don’t have class set of iPads or iPods at this point. But this is a great suggestion that parents can load on their own devices to help their children if the school can’t provide it.
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sophiabb
Thanks Apps OER for guiding/reminding us on what great educational resources apps can be. I also like the possible affordances of the FireFly App — really a Kurzweil app. Kurzweil seems to be a great tool for students with language processing/learning/output challenges and see this as a great resource for all teachers – not only teachers of language. While it is not totally free — you have to have a Kurzweil account — it great that you don’t have to pay for this app, if you already have an account. I would like to see an android version of this app so that it can be used on non Apple tablets. Is there a smartphone version in the making?
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C. Ranson
I too found the Firefly app very inspiring and would be very useful in specific learning situations. It was easy to navigate and well designed. The positive aspects of this app are the capability to address individual student needs, various reading programs, an assessment component, and feedback for the learner. The app has some great features that will assist the learner through look up definitions and translate text; cloud storage is another added feature. The app website refers to private and public documents being accessed through Firefly, wondering what private documents includes?
Catherine
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melissaayers
Spanish Tutor App Review Discussion
Spanish Tutor – learn or refresh your Spanish, anytime and anywhere with your own personal language lab
Continue reading Spanish Tutor App Review Discussion Posted in: Week 05:-
Colin
I did download the Spanish tutor app hoping that it would be a neat app that could teach me some Spanish. The app is more about testing your knowledge of Spanish than teaching you the basics. Not knowing any Spanish I was able to guess a lot of the correct answers but I wouldn’t be able to say the word or even remember it later. The app would be better if it would pronounce the word for you and give you some basic lessons before a test. I think this free app is just to get you to buy their other apps and on it’s own is not that useful. You can use it to test students but you can also do that with other programs where you have more control over the content.
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Mike Rae
I agree Colin. I do have a background in Spanish, so I found it useful for getting the rust off the knowledge that was buried in brain somewhere. It was amazing how much came back to me though. For beginner Spanish in high school I could see it as a possible review tool, either at home or in the classroom if kids have the proper devices.
You are probably right where they offer something the free version to lure you to spend a little money and help their bottom line.
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teacherben
I see that Rosetta Stone has apps for iOS and Android, but they appear to be companion products for those who have already purchased the full versions. It allows them to do some similar activities on their handhelds, but they are stripped down a bit. I wonder if this is a shrewd business decision or a missed opportunity. The software really is in a class of its own, but it is also priced in a class of its own. Maybe they don’t want to cut into their revenue share by offering an app that is cheaper, but sooner or later, there will be some really good apps to challenge their dominance in this area. Spanish Tutor may not be there yet, but one of these little guys will come out with something sooner or later that might.
If anyone is learning Chinese, or interested in learning Chinese, Pleco has an incredibly powerful and sophisticated app that is worth checking out:
Their app even allows you to use the camera on your device to take a picture of a Chinese character and it will translate it for you and then allow you to add it to your own personal set of flashcards to study later. Rosetta Stone doesn’t have anything like that!
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visramn
I downloaded this app to try it out. I found that it has a lot of options to help a person learn or brush up on their Spanish. Personally I do not know any spanish and would need to work on it a lot if I wanted to learn to speak and comprehend the language. I do not know if an app like this would help me learn to the degree that I could communicate fully but it could definitely teach me some words and some easier phrases. I think the app would be better for people who already have some background in spanish.
I believe this app has a lot of potential in a classroom because it is hands on engaging way to expose students to Spanish vocabulary.
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Paula Poodwan
I did not download this app to try it out as I have many good websites that I can use to learn Spanish already ( I recommend Duolingo for learning Spanish for free). So I just tried out the “Spanish FREE 24/7” and I quite like it. There is enough information for anyone wanting to learn the basics of Spanish before actually buying a paid version. I find the Basic Phrases and Questions to be very useful. I will definitely buy the paid version when I have more time to study more in the future ( after finishing this course).
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melissaayers
Engrade App Review Discussion
Engrade – unifies all of the people, tools, data, and curriculum in your schools on one user-friendly platform and now available on your Iphone, Ipad and Android
Continue reading Engrade App Review Discussion Posted in: Week 05:-
cunnian
I found that, in my limited testing, that the Engrade app was quite simple and intuitive to use and communicates student progress in a clear way to parents and students. In short, I would be quite happy to use it as a parent or as a teacher.
This was a frustrating app to test because to really test it, you need to use Engrade (which I do not). I decided to set up a dummy account for this purpose, and I was delighted to see that Engrade now has a Canadian domain, making it an option that I could legally use for my own classes in Canada. After setting up an account, I quickly found out that the Engrade app only works on the US domain 🙁 After deleting my Canadian dummy account, I set up an American one and did some playing around. It would be great if they could expand the coverage of their app, but I am sure that is something that they are already considering.
All of this made me think about some of the complexities of how apps are used internationally and how designers need to try to consider these as they construct these tools. Unfortunately, because they are small programs, after one bad experience or a small amount of frustration on the users’ part they can be quickly trashed.John
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adi
I tried to set up an account too, and couldn’t. However, I do think that allowing teachers, administrators, parents and students access is great, so are all the things that can be managed in one area. It is a shame it’s not accessible in other countries. Any idea why? Maybe I should pitch it in Mexico 🙂
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kstackhouse
Thanks for taking the effort to test this out. You are right that it is a problem for app designers that they must consider not only their current market but also future market. Hopefully with the release of a Canadian domain they have the plans to expand their app coverage.
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pcollins
I was pleasantly surprised by this engrade app. I’ve used engrade online for years and I’m a bit embarrassed to say I had no idea they had developed an app for their program. i wonder how many other programs have created apps that I’m clueless about?
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melissaayers
RealCalc App Review Discussion
RealCalc Scientific Calculator. A fully featured scientific calculator which looks and operates like the real thing. It turns your android smartphone into a mean number crunchingmachine while staying connected on the field
Continue reading RealCalc App Review Discussion Posted in: Week 05:-
Suhayl Patel
I actually really like this app, and I find it provides efficient, effective, and easy use of a calculator without carrying a stand-alone calc in your bag. I enjoy how easy it is to use, students can take screen shots of their work, progress, and understanding using the screen capture tools, which is not possible using an actual calculator. When I think of student progress and understanding, I automatically default to formative assessment. I find that this tool can be leverage to provide that assessment piece which is usually missing because math is so black and white (right answer or wrong answer). My only wish is that educational institutions allow students to use them on tests and quizzes but unfortunately, they are not ready for that as they assume the worst in that students will use their mobile technology to cheat…..but that’s a discussion for another time.
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Lisa Nevoral
Hi Suhayl,
I also really liked this calculator app. Student’s don’t need to go out and buy another instrument (ie. calculator) since they can use this on their IPhones, IPads, Androids, etc… As you have stated, I guess the next question is if teachers will allow them to be used in the classrooms. I have had many debates with colleagues about students being allowed to bring mobile devices into the classroom. This is at the middle school level.
Lisa
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visramn
I think this app has a lot of potential. I work in a juniour high school and I find that 90% of the time students do not have a calculator with them even if they know they needed one for class. However, they always have their phones with them. hence, and app like this is perfect because they will be prepared for their math class due to it.
Calculators can be expensive this app can also help reduce that cost for parents.
I think this app is a great learning tool!!!
Nureen
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melissaayers
Periodic Table App Review Discussion
The Periodic Table app offers reference information about each element. The app offers audio clips to help users learn pronunciations of the names of the elements. The app also includes a quiz mode.
Continue reading Periodic Table App Review Discussion Posted in: Week 05:-
Doug Connery
Overview of the App – Periodic Table
• App Title: Periodic Table
• App Publisher/Developer: Socratica
• Version: ?
• Link to App Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.socratica.mobile.chemistry#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDIxMiwiY29tLnNvY3JhdGljYS5tb2JpbGUuY2hlbWlzdHJ5Il0.Curriculum Compliance:
Unknown. I am not a science teacher but I had fun with this app as it brought me back to some basic chemistry courses I took in High School and College many years ago. It presents the periodic table backed with all the data for each element, including a voice pronunciation.
Operational:
Is navigation easy? Yes but it would be better if there was a link from an element in the table to the data
Is on-screen help and/or tutorial available? No
Does it have multiple ability levels? No
How does it respond to errors? Incorrect spelling in the quiz is okay as it gives the correct answers and allows you to proceed. The lookup is frustrating as a spelling error leaves you hanging with no suggestions.
Are there audio/video options with controls? The audio clips for the pronunciations are great but not always correct. The videos are great as they give engaging definitions to terms – very suitable for high school/college level
Can selected material be tagged, copied, pasted, saved, and printed? Not sure
Does it keep a history of the user’s work over a period of time? Not sure
What support materials are included? Has links to Wikipedia for each element
Pedagogy:
Does the material accommodate diverse ways in which students learn? Yes, view the table, lookup each element, a learn function that randomly selects and displays an elements attributes, a quiz function and definition videos
Is it developmentally and age appropriate? Yes for HS/College
Does it provide an opportunity to increase students’ understanding? Yes
Does it provide an opportunity for engagement and interaction? Yes with the sounds, videos, quizzes and lookup functions
Does it provide feedback and assessment? Yes through the quiz function
Doug.
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manny
Thanks Doug for that thorough analysis of this app. I teach Science 10 and the Chemistry unit takes up approximately 25% of the course. In the past, I used a paper printout of the periodic table that students would reference. I found that during my classes, the majority of help time was spent on assisting students finding the element in question. I must have wasted hundreds of instructional minutes answering questions such as “I can’t find Lead?” Luckily I have a class set of ipads and downloaded the interactive periodic table of elements from iTunes. This app has a landscape and portrait mode that switches depending on how the students orient the iPad. The elements are presented in the table and also alphabetically. They are linked to videos and images that allows the students to visualize what they look like. I have noticed that the interest level has skyrocketed and students are quite often exploring more than they are required to and sharing their findings with each other. The interactiveness of such apps opens up a whole new realm and adds fun to topics such as Chemistry that have traditionally been detested. I have left the link below, worth checking out…
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/interactive-periodic-table/id384319425?mt=8
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Lisa Nevoral
I did post this response already in another area, but then noticed the Periodic Table App Review Discussion.
Here is my review on the Periodic Table App:
At first I thought this app was too simplistic, but then I thought about what it supposed to do. It is to teach it’s users about the periodic table. There were some great features such as a quiz on naming elements, abbreviations of elements, and atomic #s. As well, there was a description of each element as well as a sound byte of each element name. There was a video chemistry section that explained more information than what would be found on the periodic table. What I would like to see as a link or add on that helps learners in naming compounds and formulas. Maybe I should make an app for that…Lisa
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melissaayers
Week 5: Apps OER
Welcome to our Apps OER. After viewing our launchpad video please feel free to join us this week on Weebly for our ETEC 522 Apps OER experience. The OER team: Melissa Ayers, Patason Brooks, Mike Rae, Ken Stackhouse, Jonathan Tang
Continue reading Week 5: Apps OER Posted in: Announcements, Week 05:-
adi
Great presentation! You’re a natural. I’m very much looking forward to learning about Apps. Thanks.
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jenbarker
I really liked your use of different backgrounds. Not that it matters, but I curious as to where the video was shot?
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kstackhouse
Thanks for the comments. The video was shot in Saint John, New Brunswick. I have to give my wife, Laura, credit for spending the day walking around the city filming me. 🙂 She is a good sport. One thing I found interesting was the amount of time it takes to make such a short segment. I definitely have a greater appreciation of what it takes to make news reports or reports like Rick Mercer’s Rants.
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teacherben
I have been doing a lot of tutorials to support staff recently and it does take a lot more time that you expect it to (and more than others probably appreciate.) I assume that the more I do, the easier it will get, either because I get better at doing it, or that I won’t be so uptight about seeing myself on camera and all the little mistakes. The changes in scenery do keep us watching. I would love to have a version where you did it all in one spot so I could show both to my students to compare. (I’m not actually asking you to make anther one…)
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kstackhouse
I actually didn’t do any single takes of the script. I had decided to do a paragraph per scene so I just did as many takes as required at each location. For me the editing part was easy and probably took about an hour using iMovie. We probably spent about 3.5 hours filming. So it took about 4.5-5 hours to make a video under 3 minutes. 🙂
In my media studies class they create three video projects, a commercial, a movie trailer (to a movie that doesn’t exist), and a chase scene (no cars). The students are always amazed that it takes them about three hours of filming for a 3-5 minute storyboard.
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Peggy Lawson
Nice intro to your week – you’ve defnitely caught my attention. I’ll looking forward to an interesting week!
Peggy
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visramn
Great into. I especially liked the comment about angry birds.
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C. Ranson
Apps OER Team, great introductory video. Going to visit your Weeblysite now.
Catherine
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Eva Ziemsen
Just a question, what camera and mic did you use?
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kstackhouse
Thanks for your interest. I used a combination…my iPhone 4 and my iPad 2…no external mics. There was only one scene where there was a lot of background noise that I had to adjust the audio in iMovie so you could hear me better.
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Kent Jamieson
It’s amazing what you can do nowadays with mobile technology and apps. I just finished editing our Grade 4 camp experience using iMovie into a 12 minute video for parents…all on my iPhone! I look forward to learning more this week about apps!
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kstackhouse
That is awesome. I was just telling a friend about this ability. He couldn’t believe that the iMovie app was only $4.99! I have only used the desktop version. I heard that there have been a few full length movies filmed using iPhones.
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jenniferschubertubc
I’ve filmed a lot of footage for demo videos on my iPhone 4S and have been really impressed with both the quality and the ability to edit “on the fly.” I also do a bit of photography when I can and am always amazed at the quality of the photo editing apps floating around out there. Some of the photos I take on my phone give the ones I take with my fancy schmancy digital SLR a run for their money! (And the phone is MUCH more portable…)
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adi
Thanks to this week’s group for an awesome learning experience. Both activities taught me a lot and left me curious to carry on learning. The links to the readings were also very interesting. I did not know there was a difference between an application and an app, or that there are three types of apps: native, web and hybrid, and that some are easier to build, but others to find.
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melissaayers
Many thanks for the positive feedback about our OER – its very reassuring to hear!
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sophiabb
Michael Chasen, Innovator and Founder of Blackboard Inc.
Michael Chasen is the president and chief executive officer for Blackboard Inc. He and Matthew Pittinsky founded Blackboard in 1997. According to Blackboard Inc., “his expertise managing fast growth Internet software companies coupled with a passion to enhance education through technology has been critical to Blackboard’s success.” Chasen is recognized as an innovator. Among his many awards […]
Continue reading Michael Chasen, Innovator and Founder of Blackboard Inc. Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
Lisa Nevoral
Hi Sophia,
Michael Chasen definitely seems to have the background (undergrad – computer science and MBA) to competently lead the Blackboard Inc. team and make the company a success. I wonder if it will ever be used at the high school or middle school levels in Canada. Although it is cost-effective, school districts may opt to use open source learning management systems like Moodle to fill the need for these technologies to save on costs. But I commend Chasen for the forethought to work closely with universities and colleges, to spread the idea of the Blackboard Inc. LMS through them.
Lisa
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sophiabb
Hi Lisa, good point. Although there is a cost to Moodle (server hosting, tech support) it seems to be more cost effective than Blackboard. Many schools, colleges, and companies are using Moodle as their LMS.
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jameschen
Hi sophiabb,
I think you made a good point about the importance of Chasen’s experience at KPMG being vital to the success of his company. It seems that successful entrepreneurs in learning technology need to have enough experience in both the business sector and the field of education before starting their own companies. Knowing how to build a company’s product from scratch also seems to be another key element in the success of an entrepreneur.
James
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sophiabb
Hi James, great point re entrepreneurs involvement in the development from scratch. I think that entrepreneurs who are involved from scratch are more passionate and credible in their pitch delivery. Are we more inclined to say ‘yes’ to such an entrepreneur?
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jameschen
I think as an EVA in training, I am more inclined to say ‘yes’ to an entrepreneur who has credibility and competence and a viable idea (Section 2.6). Seeing how Blackboard is gradually expanding its operations, I think its initial investors made the right decision.
James
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Peggy Lawson
Just as an aside – I attended Blackboard’s annual conference, Blackboard World, a few years ago. Michael know’s how to throw a great party!
Peggy
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sophiabb
Hi Peggy, thanks for sharing. Wonder if I can get an invite to the next conference.
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Shaun Pepper
Chris Anderson TED and TEDEd curator
TED Talks have left an impact on the world. One that has only been growing in the last 10 years, with a digital media push by Chris Anderson, who in 2001 became the curator of the event, after taking over from Richard Saul Wurman one of the original founders.(http://www.ted.com/pages/16) According to his profile on TED […]
Continue reading Chris Anderson TED and TEDEd curator Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
visramn
Hi Shaun,
I really liked how you outlined his path to success into concise points. That made it easy to see how all of those aspects set him up for success in his business venture.
TED TALKS are definitely well known and in my opinion they have a great impact on people of all ages. This is a great means of sharing important ideas, tools and connects with. Digital learning tools have gained an avenue of exposure through these talks that have helped to educate so many people on what is available out there. Chris’s idea of using pre-existing lessons and bringing them alive in one location that is accessible to educators is great. This opens so many doors for teaching possibilities and can assist in making learning environment so much richer. This sounds like an amazing resource.
Thank you for sharing Chris’s inspiring journey and the link to the blog he envisioned. I know this will be helpful to me.Nureen
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Peggy Lawson
Thanks Shaun – While I’ve known about TED Videos for a few years (but even at that feel like a late-comer to them), I hadn’t known about TED Ed. I watched the introductory tour and was impressed by how the earlier concept of TED videos was linked to another earlier concept of Flipped Classrooms. This is a great example of how a synthesis of existing products and services can become a valuable enterprise – emergence, as was described in Section 2.8 Entrepreneur Bootcamp.
Peggy
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jameschen
I think TED Talks is also a great way for entrepreneurs to get the support of the right people by spreading their ideas to the right audience. And to have a non-profit targeted for this particular purpose is just a brilliant value proposition.
James
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Eva Ziemsen
Matt Kelland, co-founder of Moviestorm
Matt Kelland is co-founder of the company, Moviestorm Limited, which he co-founded with his Cambridge colleague, Dave Lloyd, in 2003. As described on the company homepage, “Moviestorm is a software application that lets anyone make 3d animated movies on their computer,” (http://www.moviestorm.co.uk/). Moviestorm offers, an “explorative game-style interface and a massive library of characters, props […]
Continue reading Matt Kelland, co-founder of Moviestorm Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
sophiabb
Hi Eva,
Matt Kelland sounds like a true innovator/creator. He seems to really enjoy ‘creating’ a venture more than managing its continuation. Your admiration for Matt Kelland as an innovator came through clearly; as well as your passion for the platform Moviestorm. Your post has really helped me to better understand Moviestorm.
~Sophia
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Scott
For my founders profile, I have selected Bryan Falcon, CEO & co-founder of Haiku Learning Systems. Since 2006, Haiku Learning Systems has been providing an online learning management system (LMS) for K-12 educators, which aims to provide the “The simplest way to bring the web to your classroom… and your classroom to the web”. I […]
Continue reading For my founders profile, I have selecte… Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
melissaayers
HI Scott, Haiku seem to have a nice product, its the first time I have seen/heard of this LMS. It has a nice simple, lightweight feel to it. I wounder if the GUI and usability design has been influenced by Falcon (and his theatre/director background) or it was his design/development team.
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C. Ranson
Hi Scott, I too had never heard of Haiku, would it be comparable to Moodle? I navigated through the website and looked up their partners, interesting one of them is Desmos the second company I selected to investigate. I am guessing their revenue is generated through the advanced user who pays for the service?
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stammik
The school board I teach in encourages us to use Moodle, which I have tried, but as Falcon insightfully notes, LMS which strive to offer a wide range features for everyone, as Moodle does, often become too bloated, cumbersome to learn/use and unattractive looking. Under Falcon’s guidance, Haiku instead aims to satisfy 80% of its users extremely well and realizes that the remaining 20% may not find what they are looking for with Haiku – which is ok. It’s a focused product, clearly targeted to a specific customer.
I imagine Falcon’s clear sense of creativity and design have strongly influenced the GUI, but when the the concept hits the screen, its the development team which must be trusted to execute Falcon’s vision. One more reason to applaud him for selecting the right team to execute his vision.
The “fermium” price model hooked me. It’s the classic puppy dog sales approach, just hold on to it a bit and you won’t want to put it down!
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Lisa Nevoral
Hey Scott, since our last course together I have checked out Haiku and liked the simplicity of it. We are still using Moodle at my school, but as you have indicated, Moodle is sometimes fairly cumbersome and unattractive looking. I find at times it is not an intuitive site, but there are things on there that I like.
I think that it wise of Haiku Learning Systems to work closely with educators to get a feel of what is needed. In my school district (and many around BC), we are using a online student information system for attendance, marks, etc. but is not user friendly. There have been suggestions on how to improve the system, but not many have been made. If Haiku can satisfy 80% of it’s specific users, I think that is pretty good for a business.
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Lisa Nevoral
Crestron – George Feldstein – Founder and Sole Owner
Crestron – in business for more than 40 years Founder, sole owner and President of Crestron – George Feldstein (engineer) George Feldstein started his own company in 1969 out of a room above Crestkill Delicatessen, New Jersey, when he got fired from an engineering company and decided that he could not work for anyone else. […]
Continue reading Crestron – George Feldstein – Founder and Sole Owner Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
C. Ranson
Hi Lisa, interesting life story about the founder George Feldstein. Creston has many areas of the market covered, not surprised they are so successful.
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lullings
Pulse Learning
Meet Jim Breen
Continue reading Pulse Learning Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
Jenny Brown
The idea of not necessarily going with statistics but with feelings reminds me of Jobs saying: “people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” If you really believe and “feel” that you have an amazing product, hopefully people will agree, although not everyone in the world is a Steve Jobs.
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melissaayers
Georg Petschnigg – CEO and Co-Founder of FiftyThree.
Georg Petschnigg is one of the Co-Founders of FiftyThree who created the iPad application Paper. FiftyThree’s Paper Paper was designed to replace a pen and a piece of paper, it is a drawing application designed to capture your ideas as sketches, diagrams, illustrations, notes or drawings which can all be easily shared across the web. In […]
Continue reading Georg Petschnigg – CEO and Co-Founder of FiftyThree. Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
lullings
Nicely done Melissa,
i have been looking at this lad and their team for a few months now. I think that they are excellent at how they focused in on a product, made it incredible and are now looking at niche ways of making bespoke elements for certain professions and industries. I definitely dont get a greed impression from him/their team but more of a ‘lets make things better’ impression.
Really impressive team.
Nice entrepreneur overview too.Stuart
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melissaayers
Thanks Stuart, that’s an interesting observation you make that they are more focused on ‘lets make things better’ rather than lets make money. I think you are right from the interviews and the commentary I have seen so far they are really focused on making a great product first and foremost.
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stammik
I found your references and supplemental links very interesting, thank you Melissa. I downloaded this app the weekend it was released and I really enjoy using it, as do my daughters and a few of my students, It’s not as feature laden as some other drawing apps, which may be it’s best feature – what it does, it does very well. Petschnigg and his team are not the only tech team with this approach. Jonathan Ives has the same goal for uncluttered design. “”Our goal is to try to bring a calm and simplicity to what are incredibly complex problems so that you’re not aware really of the solution, you’re not aware of how hard the problem was that was eventually solved.” I really look forward to what Petschnigg and his team set their sights on next…
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melissaayers
Thanks for the quote by Ives Scott, I have not seen that before. I wish more designers/developers would follow this philosophy, as you mentions there are many applications that are laden with many features (that are not always well done or are too complex for the target users) and it makes them a bit harder to master.
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C. Ranson
Eli Luberoff was also selected by Bloomberg Businessweek as one of the top 25 entrepreneurs under 25 in 2011. Eli Luberoff, CEO Eli, like most elementary students were exposed to the TI-83 graphing calculator. Eli began working on software that would become Desmos.com during a year long hiatus from Yale University, returning to graduate summa […]
Continue reading Eli Luberoff was also selected by Bloomb… Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
melissaayers
This company has an interesting story and guiding principles 🙂 It seems the product they develop is free – if this is the case how are they able to fund it? Thanks
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C. Ranson
Hi Melissa,
The company is very new and their startup funding came from Learn Capital and Kindler Capital, recently adding Google Ventures to their investor portfolio. The company reports they are generating revenue from partnerships with publishers, who have been integrating the calculator into digital textbooks. This will be a company to watch as it continues to grow and solidify its planning and business model.
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visramn
David Martin and Nancy Knowlton- Smart Technolgoies
There are two founders for the SMART Technologies Company. David Martin, who is the Co-founder, Director, chairman and was a CEO of this company. Nancy Knowlton who is also a co-founder, Director, vice-chair and was and a CEO. These two individuals founded SMART technologies in 1987. Nancy has an undergraduate in business administration, she qualified […]
Continue reading David Martin and Nancy Knowlton- Smart Technolgoies Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
cunnian
That’s a great story! Well presented. SMART has come a long way, but I wonder to what degree this product has passed it’s prime. I’ve used SMARTboards in the past and found that I was simultaneously impressed and irritated by their software and used the board much less once I got my hands on a table device. Mimio (http://www.mimio.com/) seems to be a lightweight version of the Smartboard, so SMART now has some competition. Seems that you can make them with a wii and infrared pen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQnIVJNvG_k&feature=related). These might squeeze SMART out of what might already be a shrinking market.
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teacherben
Unless the prices come down, SMARTboards may not be replaced by alternatives so much as just present an unjustifiable expense. I have been at a number of schools that tried to work them into the budget, then decided to use the money for other things. I have a school full of Mimios now and they are awful to work with. (I even made a DIY rig using an IR pen and a couple of WiiMote’s, which worked but was not worth the hassle. On the other hand, when I have been using SMARTboards along with software that really showcases their functionality (such as Algodoo–if you haven’t seen it, you should) they are an amazing tool. (Another cool project is EduSim, which is a 3D virtual world targeted at schools that is meant to leverage the power of SMARTboards and such.) But I have also seen them collecting dust in a lot of schools. That may be due to a lack of training and support. Just sticking it in a classroom doesn’t guarantee it will get used. But they may not provide enough added value to the classroom to justify the $5000 layout.
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Lisa Nevoral
Our middle school has installed quite a few SMARTboards in our classrooms this past year, but I have yet to see how they have been used that is drastically different from a whiteboard. Although is does have interactive capabilities, I think that there needs to be more teacher training (as Ben stated) for us to use them to their fullest potential. I think that if we could use tablets in conjunction with the SMARTboard, this may increase the interactive abilities of the boards. Maybe another way to go is multi-touch desks or tables. With multi-touch desks, more people can interact with the table or desk and with the people around it at the same time. A multi-touch desk is not controlled using a mouse or keyboard, so it provides a way for everyone to interact with the system. Minority Report here we come…
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Jenny Brown
Thanks for sharing this cool these cool alternatives! I love the mimio tablet idea as that way students can easily write down notes because you are not in the way. Also the idea of having the students use the tablet to be more engaged with the session (adding their notes, completing the activity, etc.) might be easier as well. Hopefully they will come out with one that has a little longer range but 9m is pretty good.
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Suhayl Patel
Smart has come a long way since the introduction of it’s first products. They are growing rapidly and continue to create tools for business, governance, and education.
although SMART is commonly known for their hardware (smartboard, smart table, smart slate, etc) what many people don’t know is that, they are very keen on creating software as well. They obviously developed the Smart Notebook suite, but are constantly making additions to their softwarwe as well. They have created the amazing Smart Math Suite and 3d tools, which many educators are unaware of. As a matter of fact, I have a meeting with Nancy Knowlton next week to talk about the New Smart Bridgit Software and the impact it could have within the board.You are more than welcome to come with me Nureen.
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C. Ranson
This is great information, our new campus just installed SMART boards in many of the classrooms. There appears to be a high level of interest from faculty around learning how to use them and implementing them into classroom learning. I have had some introductory training and I am impressed so far with the product. I will have to look into the SMART software options.
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Kent Jamieson
Presenting Jeremy Friedman – Schoology
Jeremy Friedman is Co-founder and CEO of Schoology. It is a company which offers a collection of features to help teachers enhance their lessons plans, as well as manage their classrooms. It allows educators to host discussions, set up coursework, add videos and interactive media, and track grading and engagement in one spot. In […]
Continue reading Presenting Jeremy Friedman – Schoology Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
stammik
Excellent profile Kent. I used this product for a short time a few years back while assessing various LMS and I really liked their approach. What I find most telling about your profile is contained in the final paragraph, namely how reluctant school administrators were to initially adopt the product. I’m sure Jeremy is not the first or last CEO, to face opposition about novel ideas to solve “old school” problems. It emphasis to me, just how hard an edtech entrepreneur must work to champion and sell their ideas in the face of adversity from institutions resistant to change.
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Lisa Nevoral
To me, this product does have the potential to attract many customers. I like the idea that they have included such things as differentiated learning programs in the system. My only question was why did he make the platform similar to Facebook? Was it to draw people in? And why would people say “we can’t have that in schools”? Some aspects of Facebook could be used for student learning, but I don’t think we have explored that avenue enough.
Lisa
Lisa
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Kent Jamieson
Hello Lisa, i’m not sure exactly why the Facebook feel is so prevalent in emerging LMS’s like Edmodo and Schoology. It may be just as you said…’to lure people in’. In that same token,however, i think sites like Facebook get a raw deal in education. It comes with such stigmas involving privacy issues and sharing information over the web that not alot of teachers/administrators want to go near it. I have emailed Jeremy Friedman to ask a few questions, but haven’t been able to reach him yet. Thanks for your question, I will make sure to ask it if i ever do get in touch with him. Kent
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adi
Embracing change over the years
Global School Net [picture pending/ my Internet connection keeps on freezing] Though the Global School Net web page mentions two founders, Yvonne Maria Andres and Al Rogers, it could be said that the original concept of connecting schools for online projects was Yvonne’s back in 1984. Like a good entrepreneur, Yvonne partnered up with Al […]
Continue reading Embracing change over the years Posted in: General -
Ranvir
Bunchball – A leading gamification company
Rajat Paharia is the founder and Chief Product Officer of Bunchball, a market leader and visionary gamification company. Founded in 2005, Bunchball provides cloud-based SaaS gamification platform to help companies improve customer loyalty and online engagement using game mechanics. Bunchball enables organizations to improve business performance by creating highly active and loyal customers, employees, and partners. Bunchball’s customers […]
Continue reading Bunchball – A leading gamification company Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
Pat A Son
This founder is certainly a radical one as I consider gamification word that I would not connect to business as a whole. However his customer list and the company he has worked for suggest that he is a seasoned ‘customer’ who knows what he is about with the right combination of skills for success.
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lullings
Yes – I knew that my mom was wrong when she was saying I was wasting my time watching television and playing games. The former as I now work in television and the latter because of your post!
At the moment there seems to be a clear business focus to the strategy. I will have to look into Rajat some more and see if there are any desires or plans to get into education-gamification. To have players like him developing this area would really start to see a strong positive impact in this field I think.
Thanks Ranvir
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C. Ranson
Twitter: @Knewton_Jose Jose Ferreira Fou…
Jose Ferreira Founder and CEO Jose Ferreira is the founder and CEO of Knewton, the world’s leading adaptive learning company. Knewton personalizes any publisher or school’s online learning courses. In October 2011, Knewton announced a partnership with Pearson to power their complete line of MyLab and Mastering products, currently used by nearly 10 million students. […]
Continue reading Twitter: @Knewton_Jose Jose Ferreira Fou… Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
C. Ranson
I just realized that Knewton has already been posted a few days ago. I will search for another interesting venture and update soon.
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cunnian
Edmodo
Co-Founders: Nicholas Borg and Jeff O’Hara Venture: Edmodo Photo source: Xconomy Edmodo is an educational microblogging site which affords students and teachers to collaborate in a private environment. It was co-founded in 2008 by Nic Borg (CEO) and Jeff O’Hara (Co-owner) as a means to incorporate a social media element to mainstream education, while nonetheless […]
Continue reading Edmodo Posted in: General, Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
tomwhyte1
I have personally used Edmodo for years in my class, and love the mobile app as well. I am aware that Edmodo provides more sophisticated services for a fee, but was unaware that they are a for-profit venture.
With that in mind, I also wonder how the potential inclusion of a more sophisticated fee structure, or advertising might influence those 8 million plus users…
Thoughts?
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frank
Edmodo seems to be right on the button of taking Social Media into schools and using it as a driving vehicle to leverage technology to provide education for the 21st century classroom.
In fact, I am curious as to whether our class, or for that matter any class could be taught through the use of Edmodo as the underlying technological platform facilitating online content delivery, social interaction, and tracking.Tom, do you think that for example, you could use Edmodo to deliver a financial literacy module for your class, using content that is already available online? Any shortcomings to using such an approach, and suggestions on how they could be overcome?
My two risk concerns for this venture are 1) Whether social media moguls such as FB or Google Plus could create spinoffs to outcompete Edmodo, if Edmodo’s success grabs their attention and they decide to enter education technology. 2) I’m dubious about marketing/advertisement as revenue sources for educational products. Mainly because learning requires focus, and advertising disrupts it.
As for the founders Jeff and Nicholas, they’re clearly doing somethings right as their venture is gaining in prestige and popularity. Whether they have the right stuff to go from entrepreneur to CEO remains to be seen.
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teacherben
I also wonder if Google+ has the potential to steal Edmodo’s userbase. Apparently, Google Apps has 40 million active users and is used in 61 of the top 100 schools (I just plucked that off the Internet, it came from a report in US News & World Report) but they only rolled Google+ into it less than a year ago. With tons more schools preparing to move over to GApps (like mine) it seems silly not to use it. While Edmodo does include all sorts of assessment and tracking tools, for example, you can make your own quizzes and so on, you can do a lot of the same things without much more difficulty using google forms. I believe there is a lot of potential for social networks in the classroom for sure. I set up a social network for our grade 5 classes about 5 years ago using an open source product called Elgg. Even after the novelty wore off, the kids were still on there all the time and using it for things I had never imagined–creating discussion groups to share their passions for horses and LEGO and all sorts of stuff. But today, the kids ant my school are divided between a whole punch of overlapping software, Weebly, the school blogging platform, Managebac, the school unit planner, WCBS, the school gradebook, FirstClass, the school email system and then their own stuff on Facebook and all the rest. A move to a single platform like Google Apps will reduce the hassle of multiple sign-ons in a big way and make it way easier for them to keep track of their online world. I could never sell Edmodo in a situation like this and I bet that’s the same in a lot of places.
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tomwhyte1
Interesting inquiry. Our school actually uses many of the embedded features within Edmodo to instruct our students in Information Technology, through the use of this social platform, we instruct students how to be proper within online environments, as well as managing an entire class with no physical paper. We have been quite successful with this approach.
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Kent Jamieson
Currently, our school is looking at many options for an online learning environment. I have recently posted about Schoology as another one of these LMS’s that seems to have grown out of necessity to have ‘one stop shopping’. Teachers are looking for it all when it comes to online class management and collaboration tools, and the ability to not only view paperless student work but to comment on it, grade it and access it anywhere.
The Facebook feel of both Edmodo and Schoology is what concerns me the most, as many parents have voiced concerns in our school over the use of Facebook and sharing student files in the cloud.
It is all a learning opportunity, and as Tom put it, we can embed information into these platforms to help alleviate the concern and proactively promote positive online behaviours. -
kstackhouse
Hi there,
I personally loved using Edmodo. I had tried Twiducate before that and like most of it…but it was incredibly slow. I was cautioned though through discussion with the Department of Education in my province. They were concerned about the content being hosted outside of our own servers. They said that we could continue to use it as long as there was no identifiable information anywhere on the site. Not even the school’s or my name. They were also concerned about the intellectual content stored there. Reading through the information it seemed as though the authors would be protected. However, the concern was if the company was bought out or shut down…what would then happen with those resources. Good questions to consider.
Ken
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cunnian
The privacy issue is indeed a sensitive one. It is interesting that working in the public system last year I would not have been able to use Edmodo, but now being in the private system it is permitted with some stipulations (close reading and disclosure of the terms of service is a big part of the solution). I wonder how many schools are currently looking for LMSs and running into this problem… does this favour the use of Moodle and others which can be stored locally? There’s a segment of the market that Edmodo can’t tap into.
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jenniferschubertubc
Gaggle – Jeff Patterson, Founder and CEO · Gaggle started out as a filtered, controlled email client for students and teachers alike but has grown into a full social media suite which provides students safe places to communicate and collaborate, all whilst affording them personal spaces in which to foster and express individual creativity. The […]
Continue reading Gaggle – Jeff Patterson, Founder and CEO… Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
tomwhyte1
I find it interesting that this venture was created out of a need for email…
Lately, when instructing my students, and introducing email, and the platform we are using to accommodate this service, most students ask – “What is email?”
Have we held onto something, that many of our students have moved beyond? Is it important?
Secondly, in your information about the individual and company in general, I really appreciated and found value in the fact that this is not his first venture into technology and education, but another venture based upon a need he felt existed. As I am unaware of this company, is this a for-profit or not-for-profit venture?
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jenniferschubertubc
The way I am interpreting what they state in their FAQ’s, Gaggle is a for-profit venture which does occasionally offer free services to selected schools who cannot afford their product (by invitation only). As far as the email origins… I quite enjoy that the company recognized the need to grow and expand from that and move into social networking. I have found that they have “kept up with the times” as it were and opened themselves up to new markets and services as the demand has grown and changed.
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Ranvir
I have looked at the Gaggle website and it seems that the concept of providing a controlled, human monitored environment works great for k-12 schools who are able to get the grant funding from the government. However, I wonder how this affects the students behaviour and their web etiquette when they know that their keystrokes are being monitored. I guess this may not be much of an issue in primary grades, however in high school where students are more matured, I wonder how much is the uptake. We don’t like to be policed irrespective of our age.
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jenniferschubertubc
I’m sure this is always in the back of students’ minds… especially when they become old enough to “know better.” I’m sure genuine posting is more than likely filtered to become what they find to be more safe or to look better to teachers rather than true feelings. After all, they still have facebook, twitter and other non-policed ways to communicate outside of school. (I do wonder if students would choose to use this service for anything other than strictly school-related communication in this instance. I do like the idea for younger students to have a safe space, but I can’t help but feel that older students will duck the system so to speak in order to have more genuine interaction with friends/peers.)
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pcollins
The year was 1977 – three young and upco…
The year was 1977 – three young and upcoming programmers from Ampex (producers of digital storage systems) took a risk and branched off to start their own company. One of them was Lawrence J. Ellison Serving as Chief executive officer from the beginning, Larry Ellison has been a man with far reaching dreams. When […]
Continue reading The year was 1977 – three young and upco… Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
kstackhouse
Interesting post. Thank you for sharing about his childhood. It is interesting to see how so many people are able to excel when they don’t fit the mold of the traditional educational setting. Universities haven’t changed much since their inception. It is interesting to see how institutions are now trying to adapt to the changing needs of today’s young students and life-long learners that continue to pursue education.
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Ranvir
It was good to know more about the background of Larry Ellison, CEO of this successful database management company. It is indeed inspiring to know how about his giant leap to set up a successful company and realize his dreams even though he comes from a disadvantaged background. This shows his passion and hunger for success which I feel is a necessary ingredient for realizing our venture.
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lullings
I am always secretly delighted when I hear of one of Larry’s (yes Larry!!!!) purchases – 400ft+ yachts, investments in the Volvo Oceans Race, buying a Hawaiian Island. Finally a billionaire that is having a bit of fun and splashing out on some toys. Interesting about his modest upbringing, I wonder does that give him some nonchalance about cash?
Thanks for the background info p.
Stuart
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kstackhouse
Grockit, the Social Learning Company
Grockit, Founded by Farb Nivi. This is a Social Learning Company that is sure to continue to succeed. Grockit offers a wide variety of services and has a strong management team…
Continue reading Grockit, the Social Learning Company Posted in: Week 04: Entrepreneur Bootcamp-
tomwhyte1
I appreciate reading about companies, founded by educators for educators. I see that there approach is to provide a review for specific tests, what appears mostly are university level, with some 7-12. In your research, I was wondering how the social aspect functions within this environment?
Secondly, as seen in other posts. I appreciate people from the education world, going forth with their ideas, teachers helping teachers, instead of non-educationally formed companies trying to cash in on our already limited budgets. What are your thoughts regarding the potential success of this company? Are they providing a unique service, or simply an old service packaged in a new way?
Thoughts?
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kstackhouse
Tom,
I think the biggest social aspect comes in the form of the group study sessions, collaboration, and competition as students work through the materials. There are SAT prep materials and other standardized assessment. There are grades k-12, Virtual School materials, included AP course materials.So far the company is looking very strong. Their latest launch, Learnist, looks to be a Pinterest style of learning. I have not loaded the app yet, so I can’t be certain. The company lists some of its investors here: https://grockit.com/about_us. They claim to be the world’s fastest growing online test prep for students.
There have been other test-prep services in the past. I think that Grockit is trying to take a new approach at the way test-prep has taken place and trying to match the social focus that has been surging in the past few years.
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tomwhyte1
Thank you for furthering my understanding regarding the service, greatly appreciated.
As well, you mention “competition”… What does that look like inside of Grockit?
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kstackhouse
I’m not entirely sure how this looks. I did here in the video that students can earn points, badges, and connect with Facebook. I think in this sense and maybe in the quizzes or study sessions they may be able to compete. Again, I am not certain how this works from a user standpoint. Hope this info addresses your question.
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tomwhyte1
More than addresses, thank you for the information. I realize, it is not what we are entirely supposed to be focussing on for this portion of the assignment. It is just that my inquisitive nature took over.
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Peggy Lawson
Well, well – this is an intriguing product! I took time to view your posted Grockit video. Very impressive. The product seems to offer so much it was difficult to keep track. A long elevator pitch, but well produced and I had to watch it all. My biggest concerns I guess, for deciding whether I would invest in this product or not – you mention that the company began in 2006. It is now 6 years later, and I have never heard of Grockit before now. Why not?
Peggy
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kstackhouse
Good point Peggy about the video…it was actually a marketing commercial so it was longer than an elevator pitch. I’m not sure how popular it is in Canada since many of the standardized tests may be for university entrance in the USA. It is funny how ed tech works, I have been teaching in Canada for almost 10 years and I only heard of Moodle last year. Of course now I know how huge they are. It is always surprising when we find out about a technology and it already has millions of users. That just proves how big the market really is.
Ken
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tomwhyte1 7:49 am on October 2, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
App Title: Skitch
Publisher/Developer: Evernote
Version: 2.0
Operation Analysis:
This is an application I have consistently used on my Mac, and was very excited to see its move to the iPad. On the Mac, I found Skitch to be very intuitive in its navigation, something that translated well to the iPad. Unfortunately, any help/tutorials to assist those with limited technical abilities could not be found within the app, nor were there any audio/video controls or elements to add into the screen captures. Skitch though, does use the iPad’s built in spell checker, as well; it allows material to be shared through evernote (which can also be used to show the history of the user), public links, airplay and even email. With Skitch being on the iPad, those individuals with limited motor control can markup, and comment on various images, websites, etc, a great feature for students of any age.
Pedagogical Analysis:
In terms of assisting education, Skitch allows students to comment both visually and verbally to anything that can be screen captured on the iPad, as well; the intuitive controls allow students of all ages to easily utilize this App. Furthermore, when the markup feature is combined with the Apps ability to easily share, students can receive peer and teacher feedback easily, allowing students to increase their understanding at a basic and high level.
Overall, this App appears to be a basic screen capture tool, however if given proper assignments, or tasks (such as – locate the issue in this Rube Goldberg, and explain why this might be an issue), a student’s creativity, ability to problem solve, and work collaboratively can easily occur.
lullings 11:32 am on October 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I have never used this app before. I can see how it would be useful for illustration and highlighting purposes. I have been an evernote user for a long time now and Skitch is of similar high quality. Useful but limited application. I would see its potential as an instructional rather than as an educational tool.
Jonathan 7:50 pm on October 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Skitch now exports to Evernote by default! I noticed this recently as it requested that I setup an Evernote account (I use to have one.. but I forgot about it). Skitch is really great for a quick snapshot in class of student’s work and being able to show it off on a whiteboard. You get the options of annotating it right away. For students, the ability to annotate a photo they just took is really nice as well. ie. Have the student’s show off different sections of an animal — it could be part of a bigger project for them.
On a side note about Evernote. Do you find it really useful? I never paid for Evernote and I felt it was definitely necessary to pay into Evernote before the useful features will activated. Are you using the free or paying? Is it a “can’t live without it” service?
Colin 5:30 pm on October 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
This was my first time using Skitch and at first I was not that impressed. I installed it on my Iphone and I found that it lagged a lot before it would show me what I have done. Though after reading your reply Tom maybe it works better on an Ipad. I do agree with your pedagogical analysis as it would be easier to mark some of the students work as I could just write on it and send it to them. When I finally get an Ipad then I will be sure to try it again.
tomwhyte1 7:29 am on October 5, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
For myself, I have only used skitch on my desktop grab images for presentations, or to include into department meeting agenda’s, or to highlight issues for our IT department. As for use on the iPad or iPhone… I am not sold yet…
Does anyone have any instructional ideas of how this might be utilized?
Thoughts?
Lisa Nevoral 7:24 pm on October 5, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Tom,
Your analysis of Skitch was quite accurate. I can see the use it would have at meetings to capture information being presented, to capture things written on whiteboards, or images/information projected on screens.
One thing I did not like about Skitch (but maybe I haven’t used it enough) was the ability to change the text font size.
An idea that I thought might work well with Skitch was in a math class. A student or groups of students could work on an open-ended question where the solution was found in multiple steps. The students could take pictures using Skitch on their IPhones, IPads, mobile devices, etc. of each step they performed to find the solution. Because it is an open-ended question, there would be many different solutions and representations. For each stage of the solution students could add notes for later use or other students or the teacher could provide feedback or corrections.
Just a thought,
Lisa
adi 7:02 pm on October 5, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I had never used Skitch and really liked it. In EFL/ESL or other language teacher it could be used in lots of ways: labelling things for learning vocabulary; listening practice having students label things in a picture the teacher describes; for note taking and lots more. The only drawback is having to buy the special pen; I’ve used ‘Drawsome’ using my finger and it’s quite hard to do.