Image by jochenWolters via Flickr

Creepy or cool?

A new class of smartphone app has emerged that uses the microphone built into your phone as a covert listening device — a “bug,” in common parlance.

But according to app makers, it’s not a bug. It’s a feature!

The apps use ambient sounds to figure out what you’re paying attention to. It’s the next best thing to reading your mind.

Before you start getting weirded out, it’s worth reading the rest of the article. It focuses in on apps that use the noise in the room around you to make connections with others.

For example, the iPhone/Android app named Color. Ever go to a party/event/conference and see dozens of people all taking photos of the same thing at the same time? I’m sure it has occurred to you at least once that there really ought to be some way to gather all those images from everybody together into a single repository. So instead of being the 101st person to take a photo of the person up on stage, you can just snag a photo taken by someone else.

Color uses the microphone to take an auditory snapshot of what’s going on in the room. It compares that to other active Color users at the time, and if the sound patterns line up, it concludes that you’re both attending the same event at that moment. Once it makes that connection, it gives you the chance to see how the other people in the room are documenting things and to share what you’ve captured with them. Instant collaboration/sharing.

There are other ways to accomplish this. For example, if you’re all on the same Wifi network… but many phones will be using cell based networks. GPS could be a good way to go, but it’s too inaccurate, particularly when indoors. It couldn’t tell if you’re in one room or the room next door. So using the soundscape is a pretty creative way to do it.

While I love the idea, the firs thing that comes to mind for me is that I want to see it combined with a whiteboard/collaborative word processor type utility. Think about the potential for note taking, or for back channels. For apps to instantly know who else is in that room at that time, and for you to be able to connect up with them if you like.

Don’t worry, I’m sure it’s coming! Now if we could just scrape the ‘creepy’ feeling off of it.

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If you’re even remotely considering using iPads at your school, you should be following Fraser Speirs.  But he recently put up a post that has me raising my eyebrows just a bit.  I’d love to comment on his site, but comments are turned off right now.

In his  Run What Ya Brung post, he rails against the idea that, “In the future, we will teach using the mobile phones the kids bring to school with them.” The post itself is well worth the read, and he makes some excellent points.  As a former Tech Director, I’ll be the first to admit that the idea sounds sexier in theory than it would be to implement.  However, I do think there are some merits to the idea that get glossed over the way it is described.

I agree with him that there are ‘digital divide’ issues, related to both hardware and services/plans.  And there are also hurdles to overcome with respects to network infrastructure and teacher training.  However,  I think my main issue is that the post seems to be based around the assumption that the school would require every student to have and use a cell in the classroom.  There’s a lot of space in between the ‘cell phones are forbidden’ phase and the ‘cell phones are required for all students’ phase.  If the students have an iPhone, or Android phone, or tablet available to them, are we really going to say that students are unable to make use of them because the teacher doesn’t know what to do with them?  Or because the network admin hasn’t figured out how to keep the network secure?  Or because some kids in the classroom may not have them?

Let’s start with equity.  If we refuse to allow students to use their own technology because of equity, then all we’re doing is restricting them to the lowest common denominator.  Should we hold back students that are ready to move forward because one student in the room doesn’t understand the topic yet?  Of course not.  I’m not saying we want to leave any kids behind.  We can and should find ways to make sure everyone can be involved in very experience in the classroom.  But to refuse to allow a student to use technology they already own just because another student doesn’t have it is ridiculous.  It’s an issue, yes.  And that is definitely going to play a factor in how lessons are structured.  But there’s a big gap between letting students use what they have, and teaching lessons that require everyone to have a device like that.

Regarding network security, there’s ways to restrict access and traffic in any number of ways.  A simple radius server can restrict access to a WiFi network to just approved devices.  So perhaps the easiest solution is to have sensitive data available only through approved devices on a separate network.  Want to enter in  your report cards?  Do it from an approved computer.  Want to upload a photo or create a blog post?  Use the public network.  That’s just one potential solution, with dozens of other variations possible.  As a former Tech Dir, I realized that I often did more harm than good in the name of uptime and security.  Can you pat yourself on the back that all the computers are up and running, if teachers are unable to use them effectively due to overbearing security measures?  It’s a real problem.  Security is an issue, but at the same time, it has to be done in a way that supports teachers and students, not preventing them from moving forward.

As the hardware and services themselves, once again I think the issue is expectations.  Can we assume that every cell phone has the internet?  Of course not.  But should we restrict the ones that do have that ability from using it because others don’t?  That would be like saying some people can’t use graphing calculators because others don’t graph.  Or students can’t use a three button mouse if the other mice have two buttons.   Once again, it’s one thing to require it, but quite another to allow them to use it if they have it available.

When all is said and done, here’s what I keep coming back to.   My son is almost 4.  He has his own blog where he saves things he wants to remember.  When he finds something he likes, or has something he wants to preserve, he has us take a picture of it and upload it.  We’re seriously considering getting him an iPod Touch.  Then he’ll be able to take pictures himself whenever he wants.  It won’t take much to teach him to upload them as well.  And that’s how he will document his life and learning.  When he gets into schools, are we really going to take that away from him?  Of course there will be issues and he’ll have to learn what is appropriate and what isn’t.  When it’s ok to use, when to switch it off.  But that’s no different than the rest of growing up.

There will be a day when 99% of our students have a smartphone type device in their pockets.  As educators, I think we would be foolish not to be leveraging them.  That day is not today, but it’s coming.  So when do we make the switch?  When 30% of them have such a device?  50%?  80%?  In my mind, the sooner the better.  Because all we’re doing is letting students make use of the technology they know better than any other.  And helping them learn how to use it safely and appropriately.  No, I don’t see us getting rid of computers or laptops at school.  But I do think we’ll be a whole lot less dependent on them.

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Via @TerryFreedman:

Looks like Notre Dame high school in the UK is taking the bull by the horns and moving forward with an initiative to allow the use of mobile phones for educational purposes during class time.

Assistant headteacher Paul Haigh said mobiles, MP3 players and gaming devices were “untapped resources” for teaching and learning.

“We realise as a comprehensive state school we could never afford to buy every student all the IT and mobile devices we would like them to have.

He added: “But most students own many of these devices anyway – they’re just hidden in their schoolbags. What’s more they’re experts in using them, knowing all the short cuts and characteristics of their own equipment as they use it every day.”

Mr Haigh said there was little logic in allowing pupils to use a netbook in school while banning mobile phones, many of which could access the internet, record sound and take digital photographs.

This new school policy is running contrary to a nationwide ban of cell phones in schools. What’s interesting though is the source of the opposition. That the teacher’s union is against it isn’t all that surprising, but the other group that is currently opposing the change is…. the parents. While there isn’t much in the way of details on this front, it does say that parents are worried phones will be a distraction.

Whether you’re in agreement with the new policy, or with the opposition, it will certainly be an interesting story to follow. Hopefully they plan to publish the impact of this change throughout the year.

Yes, it’s a comedy, but comedies are only funny if there’s kernels of truth in there. The kids are distracted by the phones. When asked what they’re using them for, they know the stock answers and can rattle them off without thinking. But there’s a big difference between a student rattling off an answer that they think will satisfy an inquiry, and a teacher actually using a mobile device for educational purposes. And all too often, the solution is pretty similar to what you see in the clip… lock it away and pretend it doesn’t exist.

Fact is, they aren’t going away. If anything, they’re only becoming more and more prevalent. School budgets are tight, and here we are with millions of dollars in technology that’s being paid for by the parents VOLUNTARILY… and most schools refuse to leverage it because of outdated policies and teachers that don’t want to modify their own classroom management strategies.

I’ve heard it thousands of times it seems, “cell phones are a distraction in class.” That’s great. So is the class pet, a window, a paper clip and pencil/paper. Isn’t teaching students to overcome these distractions part of what we do in the classroom? Heck, I used to focus on that in kindergarten! “Maybe you should put that toy behind you right now because it’s circle time. You can play with it again during choice time.” Saying that cell phones should be banned in schools because they’re ‘too distracting’ is a cop out. If your current classroom management model can’t incorporate mobile devices…. well, then it’s time to do some unlearning and relearning.

When I saw Jeremy Davis recently, he told me of an educator who uses cell phones in the classroom. In fact, this teacher requires that the cell phone be out and ON the desk. In plain site. Not hidden in a pocket or backpack. So if the student is using it, the teacher KNOWS. And if the student is using it when they shouldn’t… Well, that’s when there are consequences. Phone is confiscated until the end of the week, or the parent can pay a $25 fine to get it back for their student. Sure, there were plenty of students who lost their phones, and plenty of fines paid. They used the money to pay for a field trip before the end of the year. But the point is, the students learned when it was ok to be using the phone as a learning device, and when it was inappropriate. Believe me, no student wants to go to his parents and let them know that they need $25 to get their phone back… and explain why.

Sure, we can keep fighting to keep cell phones hidden or banned in schools. But it’s a battle that schools can’t win. Life progresses, things change. Like it or not, these devices are here to stay, and adoption rates are racing towards 100+%. I suggest teachers be proactive. Because there’s a tidal wave coming and you can either ride with it, or have it crash into you.

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It’s short and sweet.

The possession by students of telephone paging devices, commonly referred to as beepers, cellular telephones and portable electronic devices that record or play audio or video material shall be prohibited on school grounds, at school sponsored activities and on buses or other vehicles provided by the school district.

Of course, recognizing that broad sweeping legislature at the state level may be intrusive, overbearing and insufficient to accommodate the needs of all local communities, they do allow for individual districts to bend the rules under certain circumstances.

Well, two circumstances.

If the student is a volunteer fireman, or if they need it for medical reasons.

So all portable devices that record or play audio or video material are going to be banned from school grounds and activities. I sure hope that there aren’t any schools in PA that have laptop initiatives. Or that allow students to record lectures. Or that do any sort of podcasting. Banned, banned and banned.

EVEN if they did just restrict it to cell phones, it’d still be ridiculous. Regardless of your feelings about cell phones in the classroom, I hope you agree that it is a decision that should be made at the school or district level, not at the state level.

If I lived in Pennsylvania, I’d be throwing a hissy fit (technical term) right now.

Feh. Someone tell me some good news before I go yack.

Janet English over at KOCE has been hard at work putting together the Film on the Fly video challenge and yesterday was the big day! Early in the day, she sent out a text message to everyone who signed up with the prompt: “Everything changed – when the box mysteriously arrived at my doorstep.” The challenge was to then grab your cell phone and create a short story (2 minutes or less) based on that prompt, filmed entirely on your cell phone. The results have already been fantastically creative. You can see the videos over at their group ning, FilmontheFly.ning.com.

Two of my favorites so far were Hall Davidson’s, who actually did his while in the security line at the airport. You gotta see it to believe it. Yes, he got his phone back and the men with the rubber gloves were surprisingly gentle! My other favorite was a Dr. Seuss style incredibly creative story featuring hand drawn images.

Matt Monjan and I are in Pennsylvania together right now and decided to team up for it. We shot the entire thing on my Nokia N95 and then did just a touch of editing. We used iMovie 6 and pieced the entire thing together in about an hour or so.

If you think this looks like fun… well, it is. And if you’d like to be a part of the next one, you can. The next Film on the Fly is going to be on 3/14: PI DAY! I can’t wait. To signup, visit FilmOnTheFly.

So here’s our entry. Hope you enjoy it!

Image via Wikipedia

The Nokia event I attended in Helsinki was organized by WOM World. While there, I learned that people can go to their site and request just about any Nokia model current released in the wild to be sent to you for a trial. I was just a little dubious, so I put in a request shortly after returning to the US. Then, just last week I got confirmation that my request had been approved and a Nokia N78 was being sent to me for a two week trial. During that time, I intend to install every free application I can find and to really put it through its paces. And when it comes time to send it back… Well, suffice to say I intend to apply for another phone that very same day.

Think about how cool that is. Pick a phone that intrigues you. Register for a free trial. When it arrives, just throw in your SIM card. If you don’t have an internet plan, perhaps you might want to register for one for just that month (or few weeks). Then try out every new feature, application and site you can find. From live streaming to geocaching, see what you can do with it and what you can’t. And when you’re done, you can just send it back.

I think it’s a great opportunity and well worth your time to try.

If you aren’t too familiar with Nokia phones, you may want to consider starting off with the N96 (successor to my current phone), N810 (tablet device), or e71 (Blackberry style).

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