Teaching With Gadgets

Salling Clicker - A Presenter's Best Friend!

2006-07-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

Last week I was sitting in a presentation and remarked how the presenter would use his fancy IR clicker in order to advance slides on his notebook computer. I've often thought about picking up one of these cool gadgets but I have to admit that there comes a time when a teacher has to say "enough!". I have spent more of my own money on gizmos but am not eligible to claim it either through the school or through a tax write-off.

It was at that point that someone put me onto Salling Clicker (http://www.salling.com/clicker/mac/). The URL is a Mac one but there is also a version for Windows. The premise is simple - use bluetooth in the devices that you already own to make a remote control! Here is how it works: You turn on the Bluetooth function on your notebook, tablet, or desktop that would be hooked up to a data projector for a presentation. Next, you install the Salling Clicker software on your PDA or phone (over 100 models are supported). Run the software on your mobile device and you will be controlling PowerPoint, Keynote, iTunes music, etc. from a distance in no time. I could hardly believe it! It took me 5 minutes to set up and begin using.

Visit their page today and download the trial version for either Windows or Mac OS X.

Back In The Saddle...

2006-07-13T10:15:00.000-07:00

Well, after 4 months of not writing, I'm back again. It's been a wild ride for those 4 months with a change in schools, grades taught, and some new platform specific hardware to deal with in the upcoming school year.

I am personally looking forward to the challenge! My new school has opted to go with a Mac OS platform throughout. Having a Mac, myself, this actually made me excited. The features of iLife simply can't be beat, especially when you are dealing with media creation. That's not to say that there are not great programs on the Windows platform. I have used many different software packages with Windows and have thoroughly enjoyed all of them. However, when the Mac is coming bundled with this entire suite it's hard to look the other way.

I recently downloaded the Windows Vista Beta 2 from Microsoft. I must admit that I like what I see thus far. The interface is really quite beautiful in comparison to Windows XP. I'm fighting with myself right now as to whether I should install it on my HP TC1100 Tablet. I do not own a USB drive to connect to the tablet and, thus, install all of my software off of my network server. I have not, however, EVER installed an operating system from a network boot and am not quite sure how to proceed. Looks like I'll have to comb through jkontherun.com to see if they have the answer. James Kendrick and Kevin Toffel are an amazing resource.

On the PDA side I have switched away from my Treo 600 and HP 6320. I went out about two months ago and picked up the UTStarcom 6700. Simply stated it's an amazing device. The keyboard alone has made it worth the upgrade. I had heard all about the EVDO speeds but was still amazed when I watched IE load up a page in just a couple of seconds.

Now, my whole issue is: How do you integrate a Macbook, Tablet PC, and Windows Mobile PDA into your daily life without relegating one of those machines to the sidelines. Time will tell....

Using Your Tablet As A Form Generator

2006-03-04T15:52:00.000-08:00

One of the best features of the Tablet PC is the ability to mix ink and text in a single document. I use Word to create all of my grading templates in. Rather than print them off and then photocopy them so that I can mark with a regular pen, I tend to mark right on the Tablet PC.

After you open the form in Word, simply select the pen tool. You can then write your own comments on the form and choose whether to convert them to text or to leave them as ink. I prefer to leave them in "ink" so that I add the personal touch to the student's evaluation.

Why would I bother? Simple. I once I've printed out the student evaluation I can save the document in OneNote (using the Print To OneNote driver) and file it under the student's own tab. This allows me to always have a copy in the event the original grade feedback form goes missing. It cuts down paper usage because I do not need to make an extra copy for myself. Finally, if a parent is out of town I can still e-mail this feedback form to him/her.

I'm hoping that the new Microsoft Origami Project (see posting below) will mean that we will have a Tablet PC with a 7 inch screen. I love my HP TC1100 but it still can be a bit awkward. Something that resembles a Steno Pad would be amazing! The best part about this rumoured machine is that it is expected to be about $800 USD. With that price it becomes very affordable for any teacher to own and even to equip schools with more tablets. The big question, of course, will be what kind of OS it will use. We hope to find that out on March 9!

Origami - The New Ultraportable Sweet Spot?

2006-03-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

Is the new Microsoft Origami project the "sweet spot" for portable computers in the classroom? Imagine a computer, the size of a Steno Pad, that holds all of your data and runs all of your Windows XP software? All I can say is wow! This would be a better sized device, in my opinion, that the OQO computer. Stay tuned for more news on March 9. In the meantime take a look at their website.

iPods Are Great!

2006-02-25T08:11:00.000-08:00

The Apple iPod is a much hyped piece of equipment. For any mobile professional that gives presentations it really does come in handy. Brain research, for example, shows how the brain remembers rhythms. This is why the use of music in your classroom can benefit the classroom environment.

I often get quite a few questions about the difference between an iPod and other music devices. So here, in a nutshell, is the condensed version:

1. Hard drive vs. flash drive. Hard drive players (like the new iPod video) are more expensive but also hold much more music. I currently have a 30GB hard drive iPod. It holds my entire music library PLUS a backup of the hard drive on my tablet. Flash drive MP3 players (such as the iPod Nano) are quite a bit cheaper but they also hold less music. If you have a relatively small music library then get the Nano. Hard drive players, because they have moving parts, have a greater chance of breakdown but I have yet to experience any problems.

2. Why buy an iPod over another brand? Apple just seems to have the whole package deal. You install iTunes on your PC or Mac, plug in your iPod, and that's it! iTunes is very easy to use and purchase music. My only recommendation would be to save any downloaded files as MP3 files. No, the quality is not quite as good as Apple Lossless (my hearing isn't the best - too many years of heavy metal! - so I can't really hear the difference) but you can use MP3 files on a greater variety of platforms. Please make sure that you understand that purchased music from iTunes cannot be played on other devices (although there are ways around this). If you "rip" your own CD collection (ripping is copying the music from a CD that you own into a digital file that your iPod can read) then you can play those files on a variety of devices.

You can buy a whole range of accessories for the iPod. There is everything from protective skins to speaker systems (an nice sounding to boot!!). Definitely take it into consideration when purchasing.

My beefs with the iPod? (1) More expensive - Apple is like the Sony of music players; (2) Perhaps music quality is not as good? - I've read quite a few different posts where people say that music players made by audio companies are better sounding. You judge; (3) No replaceable battery - if that rechargable poops out on you, you have to send it to Apple for replacement. What a pain! Mind you, it gives me an excuse to buy a new gadget! :)

I love my iPod! I listen to music, podcasts, and store my data. It's a great device for any teacher - have you ever seen what playing Enya can do for your art class? Amazing!

Before buying, make sure to listen to the different units at your local electronics store. DON'T let the salesperson bully you into buying the unit that THEY like. This is your device and you should make the final decision. I'll often take an hour before buying a new gadget - I'm usually happy in the end!

Use A Pocket PC With Easy Grade Pro

2006-02-21T16:05:00.000-08:00

I have often mentioned Easy Grade Pro on this site. Lately, I have been searching for a gradebook companion for my Windows Mobile (Pocket PC) device. No such luck in finding something that works with the type of gradebook that I am looking for.

I was messing with Easy Grade Pro a few days ago and noticed it's "import" feature. You can import a grades from a text file into an assignment. While it's not as handy as creating an assignment on the Palm using Easy Grade Pro Clipboard, it does work.

First, I graded the assignment in SpreadCE (a free spreadsheet program for Windows Mobile). SpreadCE is better than Pocket Excel because of it's ability to save your files in CSV or TXT mode. From there it was simple to import the grades into Easy Grade Pro. As a bonus I can create a proper assignment feedback sheet in Word and import the same text data using Word's "merge" feature. Double duty!

Orbis Software, creators of Easy Grade Pro, have indicated that they do have a Windows Mobile version of Clipboard coming but cannot indicate when that will be (in all fairness it's better to get it right). Until then, I will continue with this experiment to see how it works.

Palm In The Classroom Discussion

2006-02-21T16:03:00.000-08:00

Here is an excellent discussion over at 1SRC that deals with an elementary school teacher wanting to use his/her Palm in the classroom (the discussion can apply to secondary teachers as well). Although the discussion is from 2004 it is just as relevant today. Check it out!

PV Pro...Oh Wow!

2006-02-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

As teachers many of us have begun to use data projectors in our classrooms (many refer to these as a Proxima - actually the brand name of one projector). The PV Pro by Light Blue Optics gives us a laser projector that is pocket sized. Wouldn't this be great if you have to move your equipment from room-to-room. The technology just keeps coming!

1000 Things Make The Tablet PC Special

2006-02-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

Mark Payton of the The Vermont Slate has the beginning of a series of articles explaining what makes a Tablet PC special. As he notes it's not one big item but rather a thousand little things that makes it special. A very good read!

Comments Currently Disabled

2006-02-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

I disabled comments on the site on the weekend after spam messages started finding their way through. It's unfortunate that it comes to this but, again, a really good lesson can be had from it. If you're thinking of using blogs with your students then definitely start in a secure blogging area (for example within your District's server). Once students have matured and have grown in this area then consider using other online blogging tools.

Two Great Videos!

2006-02-18T09:55:00.000-08:00

I certainly like to learn through watching. Two great videos have appeared on the 'net that show the power of the Tablet PC.

The first is by Tracy Hooten of The Student Tablet PC. Tracy's site deals with how students can better use their tablet. She is currently in the middle of a paperless challenge! The video shows you the power of creating planning templates in OneNote and using them instead of a paper based planner.

The second video is by James Kendrick. It is a movie that is placed to background music. In this video James performs a variety of tasks with his tablet to show users the power of it. Remember that he is only using the tablet pen in all of these demonstrations.

Remember that we can learn through watching others. I know that both of these people have given me some excellent ideas in which to implement!

Student Portfolios In OneNote....

2006-02-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

Many teachers have argued that student portfolios are a more desireable way of assessing progress than using assignments/tests. Personally, I prefer a mix. I have begun to use OneNote to create a portfolio. Remember that OneNote is like a virtual binder except that you can add pictures, audio, and video into your binder as well. When using OneNote, think of doing the following:

Capture a student reading or an interview using the voice recorder function. If you have a Pocket PC (Windows Mobile) you can use your record feature and then insert the sound bit into the student's portfolio.
Get the free OneNote print driver. I have installed this on my tablet. When I go to print a page (from a gradebook for example) instead of printing to a printer the item will print to OneNote. You can then drag the virtual page to the student section of choice.
Capture video using a camcorder and insert it.
Create multiple checklist templates and insert it into the student portfolio.
Create printouts of each portfolio or save them to HTML and e-mail to the child or his/her parents. Your notes can be in "ink" or typed. Use a different colour.
Scan student work. Insert it in

I'm sure that my journey of discovery will find many other ways of using OneNote as a portfolio. What are you waiting for? Give it a try today!

Free Gradebook 2...

2006-02-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

Excelsior Software is now providing free copies of Gradebook 2. All you need to do is go to their site http://www.excelsiorsoftware.com and register in order to download the program. It's a great deal for the price!

When choosing an assessment package I do have criteria. First, there must be a flexible grading system. Being an elementary school teacher, I personally have a problem with assigning percentages to students at these levels (which always begs the question "What's the difference between 85% and 81% other than 4%?). Gradebook 2 allows for a large variety of different systems.

Secondly, I need a place to record anecdotal comments. There has often been the argument that parents only look at the grades. I tend to disagree and believe that an ongoing narrative about the student can enhance understanding. Gradebook 2 allows for this.

Finally, I have been very interested with regard to standards based grading. Now, we do not have to grade standards in my little corner of Canada (thank God!) but I do think that it's a great practice so that you can identify areas of concern and know where to provide extra help with students. Again, it can also enhance understanding for students and parents (remember, assessment FOR learning rather than OF learning). Gradebook 2 provides this as well.

The only thing missing? A PDA application. Yeah, I know, it's available for $500 US for the school but I think it would be nice to buy it on it's own. PDA's can make the collection of assessment data an easy chore.

So, check out Gradebook 2 for the price. Me? I think I'll keep testing Gradebook Wizard and Easygrade Pro and make a decision from there. Without PDA support out of the box, Gradebook 2 cannot find its way into my teacher toolbox.

A Tale Of Two Gradebooks (Part I)

2006-02-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

Ah assessment! While it makes some teacher cringe it actually gets me quite excited. I know, you must think that I have been dropped on my head. Actually, assessment is a facinating field of study for any teacher. Let's face it...it's not just about assigning a grade.

Over the past few years I have become quite interested in this process. More importantly, I have been interested as to how to best report student progress to parents. Parents, and the students, deserve to be kept up-to-date on the student's progress in a manner that is easy for them to understand. I find that be giving frequent feedback (at least every 2 weeks and often every week), there are NO surprises come report card time.

In my quest to communicate I have literally tried every piece of downloadable software out there. My needs were quite stringent. I needed software that would allow for flexible grading (letters, scales, yes/no, etc.), work on a PDA, work on a tablet or Mac, allow for unlimited assignment and annecdotal comments, print flexible reports, and be able to e-mail or post reports to the web (more on this topic in a future post).

I have basically settled on two products: Easy Grade Pro (a Windows or Mac program) and Gradebook Wizard (an online gradebook). Today, I'll begin to blog about Easy Grade Pro.

Easy Grade Pro is by Orbis Software and is probably one of the better selling cross-platform gradebooks. It has an unlimited trial but is limited by the number of students that can be entered into the grade book. This gives you an excellent opportunity to try out the program and see if it matches your needs. Easy Grade Clipboard (the Palm OS app) is an additional $35. Supposedly a Windows Mobile version is supposed to be coming out. Yeah, I won't hold my breath. I've sent e-mail inquiries but have received no reply.

Easy Grade Pro is a very nice electronic gradebook. I have found it very flexible for my needs. I set up categories for each of my classes. For example, in mathematics I need to assess student understanding of concepts, problem solving, and basic facts. I set up a category for each of these indicators. At the end of the term I can receive an average for each of these.

The program looks very much like your paper gradebook. It is fast and easy to use. Comments can be added for each child and each assignment. This will give your parents and students even more feedback - feedback that they deserve.

Easy Grade Pro gives you some excellent report options. Reports can be exported to be placed on a secure website or printed to HTML and then e-mailed to parents. Talk to your parents and see which method they like (and don't forget to inform them of internet security). I can even choose not to have the student's name appear on the report thus releasing me from any privacy issue concerns. I never use student names in my comments in the event that their information may be intercepted. I also choose to print my reports using CutePDF so that students cannot change the data on the report.

The PDA application, Easy Grade Pro Clipboard, is a fast application that is also very easy to use. It is a joy to create assignment on the Palm if you do not have a computer or tablet PC near by. Think of how much money you could save if teachers had cheap Palm PDAs and then synchronized their information with the desktop. I'm very fortunate to have a tablet PC but it is a luxury for most teachers. Palms, on the other hand, are cheap and can perform all of the functions that you would need in your classroom.

I have enjoyed Easy Grade Pro. The only real downside to the program is when you have a new student join your class. You literally have to go through each subject and add that student. Yawn!!! Hopefully there will be a better way in the future. Head on over to their website and give it a try!

Building A Virtual Cubicle by James Kendrick

2006-02-08T20:10:00.000-08:00

I was crusing my AvantGo RSS feeds the other day and noticed that James Kendrick had written an article entitled "Building A Virtual Cubicle". It's a great read that details how one mobile professional uses technology to be able to set up a virtual anywhere - most of the time more effective than a stationary office.

Awhile back I advised teachers to look at how other professionals use their mobile technology and then use these ideas as a springboard to adapt this to your own use. It is articles like these that inspire me to come up with new ideas. For example, James talks about how he annotates PDF files instead of printing them. I started taking my curriculum (downloaded in PDF), printing them to OneNote, annotating them and cutting out the parts that apply to me, and then using CutePDF to print them as PDF files again. My curriculum, with my notes, is ALWAYS with me (either on the tablet or on a PDA). I would never have done this without adapting the ideas of others to my own practice.

Thanks, James, for articles like this! Also, thanks for the mention on the Mobile Tech Podcast. I'd be pleased to come on one day and talk more about using tech in the classroom.....now, I just have to learn to use Skype! :)

OneNote As A Planner...

2006-02-08T19:56:00.000-08:00

Many teachers are still using the paper based coil planner to keep track of their daily plans. These are, however, not the best tool for the job because: (1) There isn't much room to write up your plans and; (2) the amount of paper used per year is simply amazing!

About a year ago I decided to see if OneNote would be able to help me. I had noticed on Microsoft's site that they provided templates for a whole slew of different careers. I simply decided to design my own template for teaching.

First, I created a template for each day of the week. As an elementary teacher each of my days are different and I need to follow a different schedule. While I am using a template it is still easy enough to change items. For example, I usually have Phys. Ed. between 9:00 and 9:30. However, if I manage to squeak out an extra 30 minutes I can simply change that on the template.

On my template I have created areas for "important events", "students to observe", "after school jobs", and "contacts to make". These sit in boxes either at the top or bottom of the template. The middle part of the template has my actual day plan schedule. I have an area for lesson objectives, materials needed, and the actual plan. Because you are not using paper the day plan can be as long as you want it to be.

What about substitutes? The beautiful thing here is that you can simply print out the plan or send it electronically. OneNote allows for HTML prinouts but I prefer to use the free CutePDF to make a PDF file (fully annotated with ink!) and send that to our school secretary. No paper ever needs to be printed.

After I have filled out the template I can then save it in a specific month tab so that all of my plans are easily accessible. While OneNote is great on a tablet PC (it's the first program that I load), it can be used on any Windows PC or Mac running Virtual PC.

Check out OneNote here and let it change how you organize your day!

Mr. Spielberg....Move Over!

2006-02-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

Well I have finished another movie making assignment in our school. If you have not used a current digital video camera along with software (everything from the free Windows Movie Maker to Adobe Premiere) then you are denying yourself and your students a wonderful inquiry based project.

Students are truly interested in making movies. They learn how to edit, perform voice overs, add music and transitional effects.

Just for kicks, try firing up Windows Movie Maker or iMovie and play around. I first started by simply importing digital photos. I added music and a voice track. You will find that everything is drag and drop.

As we teach our kids...to learn is to experiment. Give it a try today!

A Sad Day For Grade Books....

2006-02-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

It is a sad day in the world of grade book software. Great Spirit Software is closing their doors. They are the creators of the excellent Tapro 4 software which is a complete solution for your classroom needs. You can store grades (with objectives or standards), discipline, anecdotal records, parent contacts, lesson plans, and the list goes on. While not a program that looks like a paper grade register, it is still powerful and not overly difficult to use.

The reporting features of this program are amazing! You can create simple reports yourself or rely on the built in reports. If you read the tutorials that come with the "help" section you can even program extremely sophisticated reports displaying any information that is stored in the database. Basically, the sky is the limit. I have created some amazing reports. Most grade book software leave you at themercy of the manufacturer for reports. Tapro gives the TEACHER the control.

All reports are generated in either text or HTML. This made it an excellent program for e-mailing grades or posting them to the web. In fact the program had a built in e-mailer so you wouldn't have to worry about e-mailing individual reports.

Perhaps the best part is that the program works with Pocket PCs and Palm OS devices (not sure how well it works with OS 5 devices but OS 4 and below is wonderfully supported). You create your assignments in Tapro and export them to the device. You grade on the device, create anecdotal records, and discipline. Sync the device again and all information can now be imported back into Tapro. This was one of the first programs to ever do this!

Now for the GOOD news....Great Spirit Software has posted Tapro 4 on their site for FREE. Yes, you read that right! According to their site the registration dialogue has been removed from Tapro. Chris Wallace, owner of Great Spirit Software and an all-around great guy, encourages teachers to download it and burn it to CD for future use.

Do yourself a favour and get this while you can! Sure, it's a bit of a learning curve but will do whatever you need it to.

Would Somebody Please?!

2006-01-31T18:11:00.000-08:00

While I will sing the joys about my Tablet PC to anyone that cares to listen, there are simply times during the school day that carrying a PDA is more convenient. I find it a joy to have a device, slightly more than six ounces, that can rest easily in my pocket. When I need it I simply can turn it on, scribble my notes, and put it back into my pocket.

The one area in which Palm has always lead over Windows Mobile is in the area of electronic gradebooks. I know you may be thinking "why not simply use a spreadsheet?" Spreadsheets are OK but are no substitute for databases. At the very least I need a program that will allow me to create assignments, add a category, and mark either on a rubric or by standard grading.

There are MANY gradebooks that exist for the Palm platform. While there are standalone programs (ie. Teacher's P.E.T.), I would much rather have a program that joins up with a desktop database program. Some notables in this category include programs by Pinnacle Software and Easygradepro.

That's not to say all is lost on Windows Mobile - it's just that the options are not desirable. Teacher's Assistant Professional is a powerful gradebook that has both Palm and Windows Mobile support. This problem is that it only works on the PC platform. Also, you cannot create assignments on the device - they must be created on the desktop program and then transferred over. Bummer....

Easy Grade Pro has long been a popular program amongst teachers. While the capturing of annecdotal comments is not strong (and non-existant on the PDA side), I can live without that. For the 2006-2007 school year they are even adding the ability to grade by standards. However, they only offer a Palm app. Sure, the Windows Mobile application is in the works but they will not commit to a date. I call that vapourware.

There is Gradekeeper which is a pretty good little program created for both Mac and PC, Palm and Windows Mobile. It is cheap (only $20 US) as well! My only issue with this program is in it's cummulative reporting. I'm an elementary teacher and have 9 different subject classes that I teach. The program only prints one subject (with all assignment grades) per page. There is no date-range selecting. The spells A LOT of paper!! We don't have unlimited budgets in school. I did write to the creator who replied that he doesn't add that type of reporting because he doesn't want to make the program that complicated. Fair enough.

I'm frustrated! It seems that teacher gradebooks are written by programmers, not teachers. If you're an IT person or programmer, please do not take that as a knock against you (I have time toward a minor in computer science). However, it takes a teacher to know what type of software a teacher wants. While some good programs have been written by teachers on the Palm side, it seems that no one wants to develop educational software for Windows Mobile. Here you have this amazing device but no truly useful PDA app for teachers (in my opinion).

On a final note, I have been using Gradebook Wizard this year. It's an amazing program and it's platform agnostic because it runs on the internet. The only downfall is that you pay a $49 US fee per year to use it (I use my classroom budget to cover the cost). Parents love it as they can view their child's grades and it has very powerful reporting features. While there is no PDA application for it, you can use any program that can collect data and then export in .txt or .csv format. Windows Mobile, with ListPro, really helps here.

You can also surf the gradebook with your PDA (although the tablet is better here). While I have no problem connecting to our District proxy server on my tablet or Palm, I cannot for the life of me figure it out on Windows Mobile (bad PIE, bad!). If I could maybe I would have 90% of my solution.

Developers! Help out your country's teachers and create something for Windows Mobile. Please?

Mobile Tech Roundup

2006-01-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

Check out my favourite podcast (well, it's in a tie with On The Run With Tablet PCs) Mobile Tech Roundup. If you love mobile technology then you will love this podcast. James Kendrick, Dave Ciccone, and Kevin Toffel offer great insight into a wide range of mobile gadgets. I find their discussions to be brilliant and often find myself having a chuckle as I listen to them on the 30 minute drive in to work.

On that note, check out how other professionals use their mobile technology and think about how you can apply that to teaching. I've been doing this for a number of years and find myself inspired by these people who volunteer their time for the better good of us all.

Great podcast guys! Keep up the great work and thanks for getting out the new podcast - I was having withdrawal symptoms!

Planning With A Tablet

2006-01-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I discussed using your PDA to help plan for school. Today, I would like to discuss how I use my Tablet PC (or another Windows based machine).

Windows has the one program that the Mac has yet to present to me (and I may be misinformed) - OneNote. Imagine having a virtual binder on your computer. OneNote fits the bill!

OneNote allows you to set up sections and related tabs in a binder style format. You can password individual pages or sections in OneNote. I keep all of my student notes here and password protect them so that prying eyes cannot view these pages.

But this is about planning, right? Microsoft has place some excellent templates that you can download into OneNote. I have created my own templates that very closely resemble my planning pages in my paper day planner (which I tossed long ago). If you are using a Tablet PC then I suggest making your notes in ink. Leave them in ink as it is searchable in OneNote and it just seems more intuitive than typing. If you have a notebook PC or a desktop, simply type in the template.

The wonderous thing about this is that you can archive your entire year in June and start a new file at the beginning of the next year. Simply make sure you have a section called "Planning" and tabs for each month of the year. Add pages for each of the days in the month. I actually have templates for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I can curl up in my chair and write using the wonderful ink system. I even add voice notes using the built in voice recorder to add more detail. Finally, if I'm ill (I haven't missed a day in 11 years) I can simply select a page and e-mail it to our school admin assistant to print out.

Check out OneNote. The possibilities for this program are unending. Perhaps an article on how I use it to track students would be in order? Let's face it - with OneNote you can toss all of those binders and/or file folders that you were hauling around. It's worth it!

Planning Your Day....

2006-01-23T15:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the brief break with my post - it's been a busy one at the school!

When I saw the first Palm Pilot back in early 1997 I knew that I had to have one. It was this amazing device that would do far more than I ever imagined. I had to convince my wife to allow me to buy one so I needed some justification for the price at the time.

The first thing that I had ever used a mobile device for, in the classroom, was planning. I'm actually surprised that more teachers are not carrying around a PDA with them. With the staring price point being $149 ($99 US) for the Palm Z you would think that more teachers would be adding it to their arsenal.

The built in datebook on any Palm or Windows Mobile PDA will do wonders for your teaching practice. Both PDAs will allow you to assign your appointments to categories so that if you need to print them out according to a category (your day plan as opposed to meetings) then you can. I still see many teachers carrying around a binder or dayplanner. All of that stuff fits nicely into my 6 oz. PDA.

While both Windows Mobile and Palm PDAs come with nice built in calendars (the Palm PDA actually allows you to colour code appointments according to category), there are many third party calender programs. My two favourites: Pocket Informant (Windows Mobile) and Datebook 5 (Palm PDA). Both give you a trial and more functionality than the built in applications.

As a teacher I get my timetable at the beginning of the year. I then create each of my subject periods as recurring appointments on the PDA (you can also do this on the Tablet PC using Outlook or whatever calendar program that you like). In the note field of each appointment I set up information that will always be the same. Think of this like your lesson planning template. You will want to state the objecive, materials, procedure, etc. of your lesson. I leave areas to list all of these. After creating these for the first time I synchronize the PDA with both my tablet and my Mac computer. I can now do my planning on any of these devices and synchronize it with the rest.

The note field on any datebook program is key. One thing that is great about Windows Mobile is that your note field has unlimited length and allows drawings, pen entry, etc. These will then transfer over to Outlook (which comes with every Windows Mobile device). However, the Palm does allow for 32K notes and this is more than enough to state objectives, materials, procedure, etc. for your lessons. Each time I enter information for a lesson, the PDA will ask me if I want to make the change to all appointments or only the selected one. This is great! I usually select just one appointment and begin typing it up.

If I need to print I simply synchronize the PDA with my computer and print out of my calendar program (Outlook or Entourage). On a Mac I can even print to a PDF file and send it to the school if I am ill.

The PDA allows me to have all of my lesson plans with me at all times. I can work on them whenever and wherever I am. If someone asks me about a particular lesson, I can look it up. One thing that Windows Mobile allows you to do is to assign MULTIPLE categories. For example if I have Language Arts class from 9:00 until 10:00 I create the appointment. The categories are: dayplan and science. If I want to view my dayplan only, this appointment will show up in the filter. If I want to look at only my science lessons it will show up there too! What a brilliant way to organize!

That's the first, and easiest, use for a PDA in teaching. Just a reminder that for a Tablet PC owner all of this applies and then some. Tablets use the same software that you use on your desktop computer. Next time we'll discuss the Contacts application and how you can have student information at your fingertips.

Times That I Wish I Was In The Tech Industry...

2006-01-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

If you follow the mobile technology industry, like I do, you know that there are reviewers out there that get to play and test all sorts of cool toys! My hat is off to folks out there that get an early preview or an evaluation device to test.

The device that just has me DROOLING is the new DualCor cPC. This device will combine the best of the tablet PC with a Windows Mobile device....and will include a phone as well. (!!) It seems to be a simply amazing product.

If you want to read (or listen to more), head over to the following links:

DualCor - www.dualcor.com - The main site for this device. I still can't believe it.

JK On The Run - www.jkontherun.com - The first mobile site dealing with mobile technology that I visit on a daily basis. James Kendrick does an excellent job of finding great Tablet PC information and has two awesome podcasts that you can link to from his site (more on this in a future post). He was recently at CES and posted information about the DualCor product. You can read about it here.

Mobility Today (formerly Dave's iPaq) - www.mobilitytoday.com - I hadn't visited the site often until I started listening to podcasts. This was the first podcast that I became hooked on. The most recent podcast had a 30 minute interview with DualCor about the product. I can just imagine using this as a teacher. Listen to it here.

One More Wi-Fi Demonstration....

2006-01-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

For this post I have my HP iPaq 6320 Pocket PC Phone Edition (isn't THAT a mouthful!) hooked up to my Wi-Fi router in the classroom. It's currently after school and I'm enjoying a nice cup of coffee in the staff room while typing this on the excellent little snap on keyboard that comes with the 6320. I can even use Gradebook Wizard on this device although the tablet is a much better platform.

Flying High With Wi-Fi

2006-01-16T15:42:00.000-08:00

Wi-fi is, perhaps, one of the greatest inventions of the last decade. From a teaching standpoint it has made my life so efficient that I no longer can do without it.

I got my first Wi-Fi router almost three years ago. Most Windows Mobile devices were starting to include Wi-Fi inside the package and I manged to pick up a PC Card for my notebook computer. Ahhhhh, the joy of being able to sit outside on a nice summer day to conduct research for my lessons (yes, there are those of us in the profession who actually do plan over the summer months!).

Only recently, though, have I leveraged the technology in my classroom. While my school does not have wireless access points per se, it's really not that difficult to add it into your classroom.

My dad had recently purchased a computer and he received a D-Link wireless router with the machine (about $40). All Dad wants to do is to hop on the internet using his boat anchor of a computer. He lovingly gave me the router.

I must say that I enjoy a productive relationship with the IT guys at my school district. They provided me with the proxy address (most districts will employ this for security reasons). I simply plugged the router into the wall, entered the proxy address in Internet Explorer and, voila, I was surfing the Internet on my TC1100 tablet!

Now I am completely mobile. I use Gradebook Wizard (www.gradebookwizard.com) to store my grades. I was able to walk between the hallway and my classroom and have access at all time. The tablet allows me to post grades immediately for my parents to view and allows me to respond in good time to any e-mail requests that they may have. I'd say that my turn-around time with parental response is under an hour. This is due to always having a device that can connect to Wi-Fi.

Today, I was using OneNote to take my students through a guided lesson for their science projects. I used wireless Internet to insert bits and pieces of information into OneNote. Amazing technology!

Teachers, talk to your District and see what they can do to help implement wireless technology. Whether you own a table, Windows Mobile device, Palm, or even a notebook computer, you won't know how you lived without it!

Different Phone!

2006-01-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

I had mentioned before that I have two mobile phones - the Treo 600 and the HP iPaq 6320. I had thought last week that the Treo would be the better device for me because of its smaller form factor. Today, I moved my SIM chip from the Treo to the iPaq and it was like coming home to me.

The debate over Palm vs. Windows Mobile really does bother me. Personally, I can move back and forth between both platforms as easily as I can change my shirt. Sure, there are some slight differences but, ultimately, they both do the same thing. I find that people who "flame" people just because they like the other OS to be detrimental to the adoption of mobile technology and the strong communities that are built from it.

Why did I switch back to Windows Mobile? One application stood out - Styletap! I have just started my evaluation of the software and already know that I will be purchasing it. Styletap is a Windows Mobile application that allows you to run your Palm applications on the Pocket PC. The real caveat is that conduits are not supported. However, some of my favourite Palm apps are now running in 160 X 160 mode on my iPaq (if you have a VGA display then it will be 320 X 320). I realized that I could have the best of both worlds, PLUS a phone on one device. What more can you ask for?

You can check out Styletap at www.styletap.com. There is 14 day trial download.

Enter The Tablet...

2006-01-09T16:53:00.000-08:00

In my last post I described how my PDA can be used to retrieve my morning news and have all of my information updated. If I was to use my Treo 600 (a great Palm OS smartphone but no wi-fi) I would simply hook it up to my Mac and synchronize all information with Avantgo using this method. This morning I decided to take my Treo with me so I synced it with the Mac and was able to read my Avantgo news while having breakfast.

However, while the PDA was the "end-all, be-all" for me over the past few years it has been replaced by the tablet PC. What is a tablet PC? Imagine your laptop with all of the goodies that goes along with it (Wi-Fi, bluetooth, a keyboard) and add the ability to use a pen and ink on it! It is, perhaps, one of the most revolutionary devices ever created and can be a phenomenal teaching tool.

I purchased my HP TC1100 tablet PC back in September of 2004. At the time it was selling for $2800 CDN. Thankfully, we have since seen tablet PC prices begin to decend in recent months. Yes, it still has a good $300-$500 price premium over a regular laptop but the functionality cannot be beat.

How would this help you as a teacher? Think of that clipboard that you are carrying around right now. You probably have your attendance sheet, gradebook, and anecdotal notes on the clipboard. However, this clipboard means that you will eventually have to transcribe everything AND your information just isn't that secure. Before you scoff at that remark think about this carefully. Many provinces and states have privacy policies. If you leave that clipboard around and someone "accidentally" reads what is written on it....well...you can figure out the rest!

The tablet PC allows you to take a full Windows XP machine in the form factor of a clipboard. My TC1100 has a 10 inch screen and sits in a beautiful portfolio. If I want a laptop, I simply rotate the screen and I have a screen and keyboard. If I want just the slate the screen will simply detach from the keyboard and now I have a machine that relies only on the pen (see the imagine, above).

Many have asked "how do you use the ink"? Digital ink is WONDERFUL. If you want to "ink-up" a Word document or Excel spreadsheet, you can do that. When you print out the document your ink and the original text will live in harmony. On the other hand, if you wish to take notes in ink and then convert that to text you can do that as well. Forget about learning grafitti (Palm OS) or JOT. The Tablet OS let's you write in YOUR handwriting and will convert it to text. My handwriting can be brutal but the OS recognizes at least 95% of it. If I PRINT then it's 99% of the time.

By the time I get to school this little device with it's excellent battery power becomes my new new tool. My students respect the tablet and know not to touch it (I teach grade 4). I initially had concerns with taking this device to school and now I don't even think about it.

Read more at Hewlett Packard or Microsoft. I should also state that there are many different brands of tablets out there for you to check out.

Next post: How I use the tablet in day to day teaching....

A Day With My Gadgets

2006-01-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

Today I will begin a multi-part description of how I use my Pocket PC and tablet PC in my teaching and home life.

6:30 A.M.
I get up and literally stumble downstairs for my breakfast. I use this time of day to enjoy the peace and quiet (have some coffee) and catch up on my morning news.

Having either a Pocket pc or Palm with built an Wi-Fi is extremely handy. I use AvantGO for my news and rss news feeds. While I am cooking breakfast I connect my Ipaq to my wireless Linksys router and AvantGo syncs my predetermined websites to my handheld. I can then go offline and read my news throughout the day.

There is much debate over which platform is best. Personally, I have used both and like both! Palm and Windows Mobile each have their own strengths. Play with each platform in the store and buy the one that feels best to you.

...next article ... Planning your day.

Switching Back

2006-01-07T22:17:00.000-08:00

Well once again I am switching my daily PDA. Right now I am back to using my HP 6320. I really do enjoy the Treo but that lack of WiFi was starting to really bother me. With the 6320 I have my choice of WiFi or GPRS. As a teacher I have been using Gradebook Wizard for grading purposes (more on this in another post). To use it over GPRS would be really expensive. WiFi doesnt cost me a cent. Im currently sitting at my table and using the great thumboard (that is detachable) to quickly hammer out this post. I will write more about this fantastic device n a future post.

Planning Again....

2006-01-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

Well the Christmas holiday season is about over and it's back to work on Monday. I actually look forward to our first day back as my students are always excited to share their Christmas experience. This year was an odd one as we had virtually no snow. It was 15 degrees Celsius on Christmas day - a day on which we normally would have snow and colder temperatures.

I will be doing any new posts today either from my tablet PC or my Treo 600. I find it interesting how the Treo can simply update my blog by using e-mail. The blog would also be an excellent tool if you wanted to have a classroom homework site. Each time you have homework or projects assigned you can simply send a quick e-mail from practically anywhere - including your mobile phone! My parents love how they can login to check homework whenever possible.

My Gear

2006-01-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

I'm surprised that I'm still married after all of the gear that I have
bought over the years. Here is my current list:

- HP Tablet PC 1100C - This is simply one of the most brilliant devices ever
created. I will talk quite often about the tablet PC and how it has benefit
my teaching over time. The HP is such a brilliant device because it allows
you to detach the main screen (the slate) away from the keyboard. It's form
factor is actually smaller than that paper clipboard that you are carrying
and, yet, it runs a full blown version of Windows XP (known as Windows XP
Tablet OS).

-HP iPaq 6320 Pocket PC Phone Edition - It's a phone and a PDA. Loaded with
WiFi (wireless internet), a phone, and bluetooth (so that I can wear one of
those cyborg head pieces). It's a battle for my heart between Windows
Mobile and...

-Palm Treo 600 - While a bit outdated (the low res screen became a beautiful
screen on the Treo 650) this is still a powerhouse phone and Palm PDA. Read
about how I see-saw between Windows Mobile and the Palm OS. Regardless of
your choice, PDAs are a must for today's teacher.

-Mac Mini - I had to see what all the fuss was about! This past summer I
took the plunge and now my Windows XP computer is beginning to collect some
dust. The last time I looked there was no spyware or viruses for the Mac
OS. It's a wonderful platform that's winning my heart away from windows.

I have other gadgets that I will talk about as time goes by. These are the
four major players in my day to day life!

Welcome To Day 1

2006-01-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Many people who know me would probably ask why I would start a blog. After all, aren't blogs for people who are in the tech industry or are leaders in a particular field? I think not. The blog, as I see it, is a place to record your thoughts in an easy to use format. If people read the blog then that's great! If I get no readership it at least is a way that I can review the progress that I've made using technology.

I'm a teacher of elementary school children. For those of you that are teachers (and even those of you who are not) you can well imagine that there is not much time in the day to handle the multitude of administrative tasks that go along with the job. Technology and other gadgets can make administration much easier and allow the teacher (or any other mobile professional) the time to focus on what matters most.

I have always been interested in computers and gadgets. My first computer was a Commondore 64 and I haven't looked back since. My first year as a teacher was a watershed moment for me. I can still remember doing report cards. We were required to comment on the student's progress in each subject (that's 8 different subjects in elementary school). On top of that the comments were handwritten. I actually logged the time it took and calculated it to take well over 45 hours (outside of the classroom) to write these up.

The following year I had switched school districts and, thus, schools. During my first informal chat with my new principal I asked him if it would be okay to use a computer to generate comments. He thought that they would look more professional (you think??) and gave me permission. My journey down the road of educators and technology thus began.

I have now been teaching for twelve years and am still surprised by the number of my colleagues that do not use technology to not only help with administrative tasks but also to help with furthering their teaching practice. I have searched for different websites dealing with teaching and technology. There are some that are related to much larger publication journals (read by the IT guys and lead tech teachers mostly) and not much else. There are certainly plenty of technological tools aimed for the education market.

I decided to create this blog to help those that want to learn more about the technology available to them. The options are dizzying. Also, while we may have the tools, we still could benefit from someone showing us how to use those tools effectively in our practice. I know that my favourite tech website and magazine articles are those that deal with real people having real experiences with their devices. When you read about someone else's experiences they get the creative juices flowing.

I am hoping to create a diary of my experiences with the technology in and out of the classroom. I also plan to keep track of frequent updates pertaining to new mobile technology, podcasts of interest, and websites of interest.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope we see more of each other.