Annotating Documents iTouch/iPhone – U.S. Historical Documents Application

Anyone that has read my blog for any amount of time knows that I am a big fan of digital books… but I am also a big fan of annotation and marking up documents and text. I especially love things that combine the two into one! That is the case with a recently released application called “U.S. Historical Documents.” (iTunes link, Website). (Cost is .99 cents). 

I have been a user of their Scriptures App for a while and am glad to see them branching out their AWESOME highlighting system to allow the ability to annotate other documents!  Here is a description from their site:

“U.S. Historical Documents contains over 100 of the most influential documents in U.S. history and they will be stored directly on your iPhone/iTouch. Quickly and easily find any text from any document with the fastest and most powerful search engine available on the iPhone. Watch the documents scroll automatically for you in both portrait and landscape mode. Create notes for each paragraph which can be displayed inline. You can even assign bookmarks to any paragraph in any document for future reference. Highlight important words or phrases using the best highlighting system available.”

INCLUDED DOCUMENTS:

• Magna Carta
• Christopher Columbus Letter
• Virginia Charters
• Mayflower Compact
• First Thanksgiving Proclamation
• Stamp Act
• Declaration of Arms
• Declaration of Independence
• Fugitive Slave Law
• US Constitution
• Star Spangled Banner
• CSA Constitution
• Gettysburg Address
• Emancipation Proclamation
• World War II Documents
• I Have A Dream
• All Inaugural Address of All Presidents
• State of the Union Addresses
• 9/11 Documents
• And many more…

MAIN APPLICATION FEATURES:

• Auto-scrolling (both timed and tilt) – Helps me read books faster!
• Adjustable fonts, size, colors, margins, spacing, and alignment (you can even adjust the font size by using a pinching gesture while reading!)
• Highlighting – 12 background colors, 12 foreground colors, bold, italic, and underline  – Helps me really interact with the text!!
• Night (low light mode) – Black background with white text
• Application tips
• Bookmarks and bookmark folders
• Last location in each document is remembered
• When re-launched, you’re returned to the exact location you were last at while reading
• Search by words or phrases with instant search results
• Powerful advanced search options
• Create notes for each paragraph which can be displayed inline

This really is a GREAT app… I highly recommend it and look forward to some more releases!  As you think about eBooks and education you can really begin to see the potential for eBooks replacing traditional books. 

I’ve said it before… and I’m sure I’ll say it again.  When you can use technology to do something better than real life… that is when you really have succeeded!! This is a perfect example of that!

iPod Touch: Better (and more colorful) Than a TI-83?

TI calculators are so last year. Especially with the popular (and free) Graphing Calculator application being distributed in the App Store by Gabor Nagy. This app is, basically, a colorful TI calculator right on the iPod. Although it may not offer every functionality of a TI, the Graphic Calculator app allows for the most popular tasks, such as graphing up to five functions (all viewable on the same graph), tracing and plotting points, and a root finder. And to top it off, the graphs are colorful, and you can use the pinch-gesture to zoom and scroll the graph, much like when browsing the internet in Safari. You can even take a screenshot of the graph and email it to yourself. As of the most recent update, the following mathematical expressions are supported by Graphing Calculator:

Supported Expressions: log, log10, ln, exp, sin, cos, tan, asin, acos, atan, sinh, cosh, tanh, degrees to radians, radians to degrees, absolute value, square root.

There is no doubt that with innovative apps such as the Graphing Calculator being released, it won’t be long before not-so-new devices such as the TI calculators become outdated. As far as I know, we need more apps like this to give us an excuse to play with our iPods in class.

Free iTouch for Students that buy Mac’s

Apple just released their 2008 promo… any students that buy a Mac will get a free iTouch… how awesome is that! 🙂

I got an iTouch a while ago and I have to say… THEY ARE AWESOME. As close to small computers as I have ever seen! I can see these becoming a LOT more prevalent… especially on campus’ with WiFi everywhere (like UNC)! Awesome!

Pen Projection Computers?

It’s Friday, so I am going to jump out on the edge a bit and write about something fun and out there… You may have seen the e-mail going around as of late about “AMAZING TECHNOLOGY FROM JAPAN” about a pen that projects a keyboard and a screen.  It includes this image.

It then goes on to say something to the effect of…

In the revolution of miniature computers, scientists have made great developments with bluetooth technology… This is the forthcoming computers you can carry within your pockets.

This “pen sort of instrument” produces both the monitor as well as the keyboard on any flat surfaces from where you can carry out functions you would normally do on your desktop computer.  Can anyone say, “Good-bye laptops!”

When I first saw this I was super impressed… then I did some digging.  Apparently this has been around since at least 2006.  And some people say that it doesn’t exist at all.

I know for a fact that the infrared type keyboards do exist (I have personally played with one), but what about the projection monitors?  I heard a rumor that they exist… but I have not been able to find a reference for them… so I turn to you dear reader’s.  Does anyone know if this exists?

If it does exist, this is pretty awesome.  I’m not sure it is any better than mobile phones, in fact, it is probably not, because not as many people will have these as people that have mobile phones, but it’s cool. 🙂

QipIt – Mobile Phone Capture

So couple of days ago I posted about a new Google Chat client that I have embedded on my blog.  First off, it has been great fun to interact with all sorts of people that I normally wouldn’t get the chance to chat with!  A lot of you just entered to see if worked, but never said anything.  But I did have some good conversations. 

This morning I received a chat invitation from a Philippe Dewost, a young guy from France, who was reading a popular post from about a year ago: “8 Ways to use Camera Phones in Education.“  Philippe is a the guy behind, or at least a part of a cool program called Qipit that I thought might be of use to some of you out there. 

Functionality

Basically it allows students/teachers to take a pictures of notes/whiteboards/etc. and email them to a service that converts them over to PDF.  It actually works pretty good.  It takes out all the ugly from the picture and makes a pretty good copy of what ever you are seeing (but it does have to be large). 

Cons

• Multiple pages is somewhat hard.  You can do it by attaching multiple pictures to an e-mail, but that is difficult on a phone.  From what I can see there is no way to edit it once it has been sent and combine pictures together.

• UPDATE: Qipit does offer a “merge” feature that allows to reorder your pages and combine them in a single PDF. For multiple uploads we also offer an HTTP uploader (10 pages at a time, including pre scanning page rotate) so you can unload your cell phone using bluetooth and upload at once to Qipit

100 page limit… okay, this really probably isn’t an issue for most people, but there is a limit.

• UPDATE: The 100 page limit is an online storage limit.  You always receive your qipit copies by e-mail.

Still new… there might be others…

Uses

The uses in education are obvious.  Students can scan in hand written notes and share them easily with friends (and save paper!).  Teacher’s can scan in notes from class on a board they want to remember… or even assignments. 

What other uses can you think of?  There is a Facebook group devoted Qipit too…

Google’s New iPhone interface – pushing the limits of mobile browsing

I have obviously always been a fan of Google, but the work they are doing in the mobile device arena is just awesome, particularly with the iPhone.  This morning they announced a new interface that includes interfaces for the calendar, gmail, reader, docs, photo’s, news, and notebook. 

I also have all of these features on my blackberry and love them.  Most of them are just links to online sources, but they are still awesome. 

As this becomes more prevalent, students are going to be using these tools and maybe we can move beyond the simple text messaging population to a population that actually harnesses the power of the mobile web. 

What do you think?  Will this type of technology ever become part of education, if so, how long?

gOS – Tiny Computers Take Over Market

I have been a fan of the gOs for a while, but the most recent announcement of this super small laptop for $399 is just awesome (coming January 20th in Walmart).  I have always wanted a smaller Sony Vaio notebook, but the price tag (usually at lest $1500) was more than I could swallow.  This looks very promising.  I think it is time to rebuild my Linux test box and put gOS on it to see how I like it. 

Check out these awesome specs for this little device:

• $399
• 2 lbs
• 7″ screen
• WiFi
• 3 USB ports
• 4-in-1 card reader. 

I want, I want, I want…

Google Enabled Televisions Coming Soon

Okay, I saw this article this morning and although this technology is probably a long way off for us poor educators, the technology is pretty awesome.  

Japanese manufacturer Matsushita (Panasonic) has signed a deal with Google that will see the company launch flat panel television sets that allow users to access YouTube and other Google services such as Picasa Web Albums.

This is the technology that is moving us toward ubiquitous computing… 🙂  information everywhere! 🙂

7 Ways Google’s new Mobile Android Platform Could Impact Education

So the release of Google’s new mobile Android platform is a couple of days old now, but I just finally found some time to read up about it and see a demo. Let’s start with that. (Note, you can skip the first minute and just go onto the demo…)

Well… I’m sad there is no gPhone… but on the other hand… Wow! I must say I am impressed. Just the design alone is awesome and reminds me a lot of the iPhone with one difference… OPEN SOURCE! I am more and more converted to educators using Open Source… not only for the cost, but the ability to make what ever you want. Imagine having the capabilities of the iPhone, but without the iBrick tendencies. 🙂 So without further adieu, here is my list of 5 ways Google’s new Android Platform could impact education:

1. Cost – FREE… what more needs to be said?

2. OPEN – With an awesome Software Development Kit that is totally open (you can even change the dialer and home screen). You can pretty much build any application you want!

3. Multiple Platform Capability – This is not one device that everyone has to have… it is a platform that will be able to run on all mobile devices!

4. Virtual/Distance Education/Gaming – Open GL capabilities and AWESOME graphics! Imagine navigating a virtual world using mobile devices and interacting with your hands for those with multi-touch screens! Takes experiential learning to a new level. (Just FYI… Croquet uses Open GL… 🙂 )

5. Collaboration – Education is more and more about working together in a GLOBAL community. With built in notifications and mapping software, it would be easy to write an application to notify a group of friends where you are all at once for an impromptu meeting.

6. Mobile Learning – It is becoming more important to have access to information where ever we are. Imagine being out in the field studying zoology and looking up a new bug you have never seen before on wikipedia. Nice.

7. High-Speed Capabilities – One of the BIG problems with the iPhone is the slower cellular network. It made video impossible. Now that functionality can be added in as well.

And this is just the beginning. The sky is really the limit with a product like this. Once again… thank you Google for pushing the envelope!

Interactive Services on Mobile Devices for Higher Education – EDUCAUSE2007

I have always been very interested in mobile computing. I think it stems from my early years of Franklin Covey daytimers… then the old black and white PDA, then the PocketPC and now my blackberry. I use my blackberry for everything… including watching some movies in the airplane on my way out… so… how is this mobile technology changing the way students interact with information? Let’s see… ((Picture Link))

Notes:

• They have what they call “Value in the Hand” Proposition.
• Engaging students more directly… most students have cell phones… text messaging is supported on all devices… This make me think of a post I wrote a couple of months ago about 8 ways to use Camera Phones in Education.
• Data plans are not being used mostly because of the cost, but text messaging is just easier and faster in most cases…

FACT: In 9995 – 13% of US population had cell phones… by 2006 it is 76%

• Looking for ways to develop 2 way communication on mobile devices for educators!
• A company was formed out of this… Mobile Education LLC ((At this point of the presentation Rob goes through a formula for securing approvals for ideas. A lot of what I heard sounded so familiar to me. Lots of ideas, and lots of people saying no. If you are like me it might do you well to download the PowerPoint when it is available and read through those slides. Good stuff. ))
• The concept for this project was collaborative research!

Standard Phone Technologies:

• WAP – Wireless Application Protocol – Little browsers… I have this on my blackberry… but it works pretty good… once you figure it out.

• Easy to use… web based servers can send it out.
• Inexpensive to develop, but expensive for users…

MIDLET – Java Applications

• SUN Java Wireless Toolkit… but you have to try it on all sorts of different phones to make sure it continues to work… lots of compatibility issues…

SMS – This is the really big thing right now… Everyone is doing it…

CSC – Common Short Code – send messages and allow people to reply to them… This costs lots of $$… probably not an option…

Applications at UNCW

• Allows students to subscribe to daily campus events
• Emergency broadcast messages
• Interactive shuttle bus information
• Integration with their CMS (Banner) – Request Grade Information and Notification when Seat becomes Available
• Interactive Movie Schedule

Possible Others?

• Mobile Coupons (when there is a sale)
• Mobile Social Networking (find friends on campus)
• Cafeteria Menu
• SMS in the classroom? Response in classes.

Found this powerpoint with a general search… It looks like it is from an earlier conference, but it is good… Look for the one for this session here.