Integrating Handhelds class #3 on Feb. 14, 2006
So, after a long day of Valentine excitement with a passel of 8 year-olds, a meeting with the Trustees Committee on Education, and a quick catch-up with what I missed at the Lower School Faculty meeting, I landed on both feet in Handheld class! What a day! But, all was not lost; Norman arrived with a plate full of chocolate covered strawberries! Did we have food in the lab? No! Of course not!
Topic 1 focused on eBooks. What fun! I can easily read on the handheld screen, but had trouble getting just the right speed on the auto-scroll option. It was either too fast or too slow for my taste. I think my reading speed would increase if I forced myself to use a faster speed than is comfortable right now!
I have several plans for eBooks already. I can see their use in:
- downloading tourist info off the web for my Chaing Mai trip
- some of the current articles I want to read about Barack Obama
- things that I accidently run across that are not on the topic of my current search, but would like to read later.
- brief current events articles that I would like my class to discuss/debate and then journal on.
- things that would be best read while waiting in line at the post office
- Macworld magazine!
Zinio reader for Mac sounds interesting. It turns the pages for you.
Remember that when you download an ebook it will be a pdb. file
Something to try: Look for video.coogle.com and then type in “handheld”
Topic 2 was the video presentation of Handheld use in Upper and Middle school. This was the first actual visual that I had seen with older students using Handhelds. We were all “keen eared” because we all chuckled when a “learned” member of the board referred to the “Palm Pilots” that they were funding for the school district! Vocabualry is really important when one is dealing with a relatively new form of technology. A lot of time is wasted trying to talk about problems, programs, or experiences when we don’t call things by the correct name and the “techi” can’t understand what we are trying to say. I’m guilty!
We actually spent some time reading an eBook that Rolly had prepared on a card just for class. I have several things on that card yet to read!
I also learned about a program called Missing Sync that might help me download my address book from the desktop to the handheld.
Tired and happy with a new load of learning, we retired!
Janet:
I really love your summaries — easy to read, full of life and energy, and straight to the point.
Note: chocolate-covered strawberries — these are classified as non-food items, so they are allowed in the computer lab.
You listed a number of things we discussed during this class — perhaps everything that I recall I mentioned! That’s really great! Knowing starts with remembering.
I look forward to your other posts, especially those with pictures.
One more thing … if you can’t find eBooks on Chiang Mai in ereader format, you can actually create your own now, since we went through the eBook creation class already. Just gather information from the web, and copy and paste into eBook Studio — format, save, and make an eBook!