Google has added a new tool to the arsenal. Gmail has included text chat for some time, but now you can also use your gmail account for video/audio chat.
If you are a Mac user, this feature only works with Intel machines running 10.4 or higher. Use Firefox. I am less certain regarding the requirements for the Windows OS. MacBooks with the built-in camera work well.
If you are interested in experimenting, the plugin can be downloaded now.
This is a basic product at this point. Google has the advantage of being able to integrate it with the popular mail service. I like the option of being able to record a video/audio conversation, but there are several other ways to do this and this option may eventually come to Gmail.
I recently purchased a Blackberry Curve because I do not live in a region of the country allowing me to make use of an iPhone. I have owned smart phones before, but the newer devices offer a range of additional services and one can really get some work done. A combination of the keyboard of the Curve and the more authentic browsing experience of the iPhone would offer a great combination. Perhaps such a device is on the way.
As I gain experience with the capabilities of these tools I continue to discover new possibilities. Sometimes the best approach is just to explore. Today I found a new task I can accomplish with my Curve. I record my large class presentations for student access. I typically accomplish this task by bringing my laptop to class and using Audacity. On several occasions I have arrived at class without my laptop. Usually there is a student in the class who also records my presentations and a simple appeal results in a file showing up as an email attachment. Today, I found myself in class without my notebook, but I happened to remember that the Curve has a voice note recorder. I have never used this feature and was not certain that the storage capacity would hold 50 minutes of audio, but I gave it a try. The results were more than adequate.
The Curve stores audio in an .amr format. You do learn new things exploring. It turns out AMR stands for adaptive multi-rate and is a codex suited to voice. I discovered that Quicktime will play amr files and Quicktime Pro allows amr files to be saved out in other formats. When I searched the web to discover what amr files are I also discovered that there are several free programs that can be used to convert amr files.
We may be getting close to inexpensive devices that perform nearly all of the functions we expect of our traditional “computers” and perhaps some new ones that are useful in very mobile devices. These devices will be affordable. Now, if we could find an alternative to the monthly fees that accompany no limit “smart phones”.
I came across a new online resource called SimplyBox. It is another entry within the category of tools that allows a user to collect and organize research resources (e.g., Evernote). I have heard this category described as “clippers”.
I think these are great tools for personal research. What I wonder about is the use of such tools for presentation/sharing (e.g., SimplyBox proposal for teachers). Two options are provided for sharing collected resources. One offers stored resources to non-SimplyBox users (anyone) and the second to a designated group of friends. To me, repurposing content AND sharing would require limiting access to an audience of students (e.g., TEACH act). The second option I mention (designate Friends) would fit this requirement. Combining content as part of a display would also seem to require the permission to create a derivative work. Again, I would interpret offering a collection of resources collected without author/creator permission to the general public to be against copyright. This seems like another of those situations in which we are provided powerful tools and it is up to us to decide what represents legal and ethical use.
As we use more and more technology, we also discard more and more technology. This is the way that consumerism and the desire for newer and better products works. While we have learned to recycle our old cell phones and computers, we may underestimate the consequences of this rapid accumulation of high tech garbage.
This evening’s edition of 60 minutes featured a story on the breakdown of computer junk in Guiyu, China. The expose traced the shipment of cast-off hardware from the US to China and the breakdown of this equipment to collect valuable metals by Chinese laborers using primitive and dangerous methods. While the practice is against both US and Chinese laws, the money to be made still encourages the exploitation of desperate people.
One thing I recall from visiting China some years ago was that the rapid economic advances were largely built on the labor of farmers moving to the cities for a better way of life for family and self. One of the pictures I took in a factory making merchandise for tourists is included below. The hours and conditions were typically far different from our experiences, but I assume tolerated because the alternatives were worse. Perhaps the message here is that we understand what is happening and urge our representatives to support policies that prevent exploitation.
Sometimes it is really tough to follow the rules. I have spent a significant part of the morning trying to register some software I purchased from Adobe. They dropped support for GoLive and so now I have to use Dreamweaver. I don’t like Dreamweaver and that probably makes this process even more irritating.
Anyway, to obtain the educational discount, I must prove that I am a faculty member. There is a list of things you can provide – a faculty ID with picture, a pay stub, a letter from your boss, etc. I used my digital camera to take a picture of my id and sent that.
It turns out my ID was issued in 2005 and it does not prove I am presently employed as a faculty member. I agree the date clearly does not say 2008, but my institution does not go through the process of issuing IDs each semester. Unless we go to a different numbering system, this is my card for life. They can reprogram the swipe strip, but why take another picture. I should have smiled. Efficiency is not unique to universities. My state does not require I get a driver’s license each year. Sorry, I am getting worked up again.
I thought perhaps the fact that I was corresponding via a university email service might prove I was a faculty member or a student. A university email account is not on the list.
I think a letter from my boss is out. These are tough financial times for educational institutions and he is probably meeting with the legislature or rich alumni. I don’t want to bother him with a request for a letter proving I am a faculty member.
I guess I will have to wait until I get paid so I can fax a copy of the pay stub.
I suppose I will have to use GoLive until then. Did I say that GoLive was a superior product and I have no idea why Macromedia would continue Dreamweaver and drop GoLive?
If you watched CNN for your election coverage, you likely saw the spots in which the CNN anchor talked with a correspondent (or will.i.am) appearing as a hologram. I am not certain what unique advantage it offered, but it was really cool and I think the first time something of this nature has been part of a major production.
The election is now behind us. Whatever your pre-election orientation, it is time to take a hard look at President-elect Obama’s plan. The Obama/Biden web site does a great job of identifying key issues by area.
The top three education challenges include:
Reform No Child Left Behind
Invest in early childhood education
Improve the affordability of a college education
There is a great deal of information on this site. The word “technology” does not appear on this page. Neither does the word “research”. I liked what Sen. Obama said about parental responsibility. As long as the challenge to institutions and teachers extends to parents and students, count me as a supporter.
As I suggested yesterday, the vast digital collection of promises and priorities will hopefully represent a type of contract.
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