iMotion for schools is an app for the iPhone or iPad that allows the capture of still images at specified time intervals for the purpose of creating a video. I have provided an earlier post explaining the types of classroom purposes to which this tool can be applied.
We have been shutdown today because of a blizzard. I have viewed stop motion videos of snow accumulation before so I thought I would point my iPad out my back door and show the storm over what ended up being about four hours. The video was based on images captured every 10 minutes and these images were then used to generate a 12-second video.
The following two videos provide a tutorial on the use of this app and the video I created today.
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Holiday break time and perhaps you are searching for a tech project. Here is my suggestion. Explore the CloudReady version of Chromium by adding it to an old computer you no longer need (complete instructions from PCWorld if you are working with a Windows machine). I happened on this company (Neverware) because I read that Google had purchased CloudReady. What this means for the future is unclear, but Google’s interests would seem to mesh well with the mission of Neverware. This company was focused on developing a way to repurpose aging machines as Chromebooks with an emphasis on schools. Neverware developed a service for schools expecting $10 per year per machine based on salvaging old machines (Windows and Macs) that may even be donated. One of the use cases originally targeted was having access to machines for online testing. I know this use is not popular with many educators, but it was clearly needed in some schools. Just think of this as a way to create a Chromebook from a machine no one uses anymore.
To be fair, I am using the free CloudReady Home edition rather than the version intended for schools. I am also running CloudReady from a flash drive. I have a high-end Chromebook so I don’t really need another chromebook. I have had an old Dell I have been trying to repurpose for years. I have tried several Linux distributions, but I kept running into the same problem. I could not get the operating systems to access anything online. I could get the OS to run from a flash drive, but required drivers for WiFi must have been missing. The same OS on the same flash drive booted from a Mac always worked.
Anyway, I have finally found something I could get to work. I decided not to complete the install from the flash drive because I have a great Chromebook already and who knows when an old Windows machine (running 10) might be useful for something.
If you want to give this a try on a Windows machine, use the instructions from PCWorld I link above. The flash drive builder works great (unlike some of the multiprocess techniques I had to use with the linux installs) and you don’t have to go beyond running from the flash drive if you simply want to explore a bit. This same article explains the tiers – free and school – for those who might want to consider going beyond creating a chromium machine for your own use.
The “testing effect” is one of the most reliable tactics for improving the benefits of study behavior. This tactic involves the use of some study time to attempt to recall information to respond to questions. This is sometimes called “retrieval practice”. An important part of this explanation is understanding the part that recommends “the use of some study time”. This means that in research allowing equal amounts of time substituted retrieval practice for the time that could have been devoted to traditional study actually is superior to the same amount of time spent in traditional study.
The Agarwal et al. (2008) research I cite here goes a step further and compares self and other generated questions with traditional study. Both self and other generated questions and the use of these questions during study were found superior to study without retrieval practice. To be fair the participants in this research were college students and the self-generation of questions was scaffolded, but the benefits for independent study seems promising.
I have been writing for the past few years about the potential of “layering services” in improving the benefits of studying online text and video. While I have focused on the potential of these services for allowing educators to function as instructional designers most obviously for this proposal by adding questions to web content and online video when this content does not contain questions, these services could also be used by students to generate questions for their own use and for the use of peers.
An issue with studying in general is that the tactics of studying are seldom directly taught. Students kind of learn to take notes, highlight, review, self-question, etc. by trial and error. An important benefit of the layering services I encourage educators to consider is the opportunity to model and evaluate student efforts at applying these skills as part of their actual study efforts. What do they highlight? What notes do they take? What kinds of questions do they create for review?
One useful scaffold is the use of question stems. Here are some examples of more advanced questions:
Do you agree or disagree with …..? Support your answer.
Give an example of ……
What is the difference between ….. and …..?
How does ….. connect with what you learned before (xxxx)?
Search online for “question stems” and you should be able to find all kinds of examples. What does xxxx mean? questions are easy and a way to start and a straightforward effort to require retrieval, but questions can also trigger other types of cognitive processing.
The use of layering tools with digital content allows a useful way to apply both other and self-generated questions.
King, A. (1994). Guiding knowledge construction in the classroom: Effects of teaching children how to question and how to explain. American educational research journal, 31(2), 338-368.
Agarwal, P. K., Karpicke, J. D., Kang, S. H., Roediger III, H. L., & McDermott, K. B. (2008). Examining the testing effect with open‐and closed‐book tests. Applied Cognitive Psychology: The Official Journal of the Society for Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 22(7
The Wall Street Journal had a recent article proposing the 5 tech priorities for the next administration. This was before news of the latest cyber intrusion hit the news and the seriousness of this intrusion into government servers has yet to be fully determined. I happened to discover an interesting thing about news articles from paywalled sources. I can access the WSJ through our Apple+ subscription, but I discovered that by searching for the title of news articles, one can find them from other outlets (try Joe Biden’s 5 Tech Priorities). I have no explanation, but I can verify that I found several word for word sources for the WSJ article.
Anyway, the article listed these issues and speculated what the Biden’s position might be.
Section 230: Section 230 of the Communications Decency act protects services such as Facebook from responsibility for the content posted by users. This is commonly described as the difference between a platform and a publisher. It is a little more complicated as 230 also allows platforms to make good faith decisions in addressing what might be harmful content. Section 230 has become politicized by Republicans claiming that the host companies discriminate against conservative content and there are more general concerns that the application of algorithms that prioritize content implies something similar to publishing. The intent of 230 was to encourage innovation in the online space and it is hard to argue that this has not been the case. Those against protected status also suggest that backing away from the present approach will harm smaller content providers more than the big companies who can afford both lawyers and occasional penalties further limiting innovation. According to the article, the Biden administration is likely to pursue an evaluation of 230.
Net Neutrality: The concept of net neutrality argues that internet service providers (ISPs) cannot differentiate the source of bits requested by consumers. Because so many customers have limited options for Internet access, normal processes of competition do not allow protection for consumers. So, for example, a cable company could prioritize video it was selling and slow video provided from other sources. The Obama administration supported net neutrality. The Trump administration opposed net neutrality. The administration in power controls the 3-2 makeup of the FCC. When the Biden administration appoints the new committee chair, look for a return to the expectation that Internet providers act as common carriers.
AI – the complex and powerful models that control many algorithms have accomplished amazing things, but also have led to concerns of bias. There is international competition of great importance in this sphere, but little effort in this country to consider how or if AI should be regulated. The WSJ offered little in the way of prediction beyond identifying these issues.
China: China is an obvious competitor in developing and deploying technology and obviously has different ways if deploying the capabilities of technology in surveillance. The Trump administration challenged Chinese companies (e.g., Huawei) and products. China also dictates terms to U.S. companies wanting to offer online services in the Chinese market. Our interaction with China complicated by the reality that China manufactures many technology products bought by American consumers at a far lower price that these goods could be purchased through other outlets. The battle between the U.S. and Chinese economies and intentions of global influence will only grow in importance.
The Obama legacy: This is a kind of catch-all category recognizing that the Obama administration seemed friendlier to big tech than the Trump administration. The question raised by the Journal was whether or not Biden will again embrace some of the Obama efforts. For example, will rural broadband be raised in importance? How will big tech companies be treated – as too big and limiting innovation or as important industries to leave alone?
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iOS offers some techniques if you take the time to learn them. This one was passed on by my wife.
The accessibility features often are ignored if you don’t face difficulties in dealing with your Apple devices. These features can turn out to be quite useful to all of us. I take quite a few screen captures to use in my blog tutorials or just to remember things. I seem to struggle with the simultaneous two button push required to capture the screen. Often, my fingers are slightly out of synch and I change the volume or try to turn off my phone. There is an alternative that works great and is so easy.
The iPhone will recognize taps on its back – two or three taps – and you can assign these inputs to actions. I have no idea how this works because my phone is in a case, but somehow it works. A double tap to capture the screen works great. The setup takes several steps, but is not difficult.
Start with Settings and find accessibility
From the accessibility options select touch.
You next want to select back tap and whether you are going to use or three taps.
The final step is to select the action you want to be connected with tapping the back of your phone.
There are more options for most of these screens, but I have selected the height of the image that provides the needed information. All images collected with a double tap.
Perhaps you would like to explore an alternative to Facebook. You have grown tired of the acrimony or perhaps you object to the way Facebook harvests your personal information to target the ads you see.
I have been exploring several alternatives I think may have a chance of gaining traction. Liker is one such alternative and it appears very similar to Facebook allowing new users to feel comfortable (although it will take some time to generate the same social network you may have enjoyed in Facebook).
You can follow/friend others in a manner very similar to facebook. However, if you are looking for a social focus on a specific interest, Like provides two options.
These two options involve assigning a category to your posts. This allows others to follow a category. The second option is to create or join a group. Both options can be reached from the menu appearing in the upper right-hand corner of the Like home page (on a computer screen).
Posts go to those who follow you. This could be friends or those following a category.
A category designation is assigned by using the drop-down menu appearing below the post window (red box). You can search for a category or scroll through the hierarchical list of categories. Education is contained within the more general category of science and academics. This was not obvious to me. You can also just search of education. Once you assign a category to a post, the categories you have used appear at the top of the scroll list so the categories you use become easy to find.
Groups work differently and group posts do not appear in the general feed. Again, access to groups starts in the upper left hand corner. You will then see groups you have already joined, the button to create a new group, and a search window.
I am trying to start a group focused on K12 Educational Technology. You would find this group by searching education. Starting a group is difficult unless you have an external way to attract users (perhaps a face to face group you want to take online).
If you know people, you can invite them through Liker. I have the edtech group set to require authorization. This is a tough call. It makes joining a little more difficult (I have to respond to a request), but it provides at least one gatekeeper to assure those who join seem to have a relevant interest for belonging.
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