ePub Bud
One of my favorite things to show people on the iPad is that you can create your own multimedia books on the computer and bring over into the iBooks app. When I did it, I used Pages but didn’t have a good solution for the PC. Just learned today about ePub Bud, which is a web-based way to do that and much more! Definitely worth spending a few minutes exploring if you’re at all interested in the future of digital books.
Storytelling for the YouTube Generation D219
Presenting today at the D219 Tech Conference, and as I was getting my link ready to provide to people I realized that new blog theme = new opportunity to do things differently. Starting today, I’m going to be adding all conference ‘handouts’ to the navigation bar above! Revolutionary? Maybe not. But exciting to me 
Want some more chances to win a free M90z? Here’s how!
- Image by teach42 via Flickr
I’m giving one Lenovo ThinkCentre M90z through the Fit42 Challenge, but if you want some other ways, you have a whole bunch of chances to do so. Each of the people below are doing giveaways on their own site, just click through on the dates listed to see how you can be entered to win one for yourself. More…
The Fit42 Health and Fitness Challenge
- Image via Wikipedia
I’m fat. There I said it. I’m not thrilled about it, and I’ve made some strides, but I’m definitely a yo-yo dieter. Lost 33 pounds, gained back almost 10. Feh.
So what should I do about it? Some might just recommit. Some might seek out the support of friends. Me? I create a fitness challenge to convince dozens of others to suffer alongside me More…
Discovery Education on the iPad.
- Image by motionblur via Flickr
I’ve been waiting a long time for this. The very first day I unwrapped the iPad, I went over to Discovery Education to test it out. And while it worked surprisingly well, it wasn’t the experience that users deserved. That was rectified yesterday. We launched a brand new site that has been optimized specifically for the iPad. You can find it over at http://mobile.discoveryeducation.com As of right now, it’s video only… but there’s 33,000+ videos there for educators and students to view on demand. And yes, they’ve all been optimized specifically for the iPad’s screen. The interface is smooth and easy to navigate. It’s pretty easy to find the videos you want and they look amazing.
You can read the marketing material over here but there ARE a few little easter eggs in there. For example, I’m sure you know that there’s a button you can click to view the videos in full screen. And that they look great in portrait or landscape mode. But did you know that if you’re on a video page and have clicked play, you can use the two finger pinch to make it full screen or shrink it back down again? Try it! Works just like it does for photos.
One other little easter egg for you. Since it’s web based and you access it through Safari, just like all videos viewable in Safari it they can be displayed on a projector! While the website itself won’t show up on the projector, plug it in and start playing a video and it’ll show up there for all to see! It’s a little touch, but you’ll definitely want to keep that in mind if you use it in the classroom.
I couldn’t be more thrilled, but the best part is that it’s step one. In a few weeks, we’ll be adding more. Images, speeches, songs are all slated to be added in. And beyond that, we’ll be integrating in the student center, so your students can take quizzes, do writing prompts and complete assignments… all from the iPad. It’s an exciting new arena for us, and I can’t wait to see how far we take it!
If you have a Discovery Education username and password, just go to http://mobile.discoveryeducation.com and check it out. It’s available to you right now!
If you’ve given it a shot already, let me know what you think. Are you as excited about it as we are?
Related articles
- Discovery Education Launches New iPad Platform (huffingtonpost.com)
- Discovery Education launches iPad-optimized Web app (reviews.cnet.com)
Podcast – Remember when nobody was on Twitter? We all do.
- Image via Wikipedia
I guess I was feeling reflective yesterday, got the bug to create a podcast. Not a big deal, I know, people do it all the time. I think this was the first one I’ve done in about a year, so it felt like a big deal to me. I talk about that a bit in the show, the mental barriers, that we create for ourselves that sometimes prevent us from plowing forward.
But the bulk of the show explores my thoughts about the Twitter experience, and while we ALL have a memory of Twitter ‘back in the day’… even if you just signed up a week ago. I also delve into some musings on what the future of social media may need to evolve to.
It’s been a while, far too long. Curious to know how many people will actually take the time to listen to this. Are podcasts even in your daily routine anymore? Is it still relevant? Share a thought, I’d be curious to know your ideas on the topic.
Enjoy.
YouTube College Application
- Image by erica.hargreave via Flickr
Newsweek recently covered a new phenomenon in the college application world: the YouTube supplemental application. Sound crazy? The writing has been on the wall for years. More and more often, videos created by students are getting seen by hundreds of thousands of people, leading to job offers, internet fame, and other opportunities. It’s why media literacy is such a critical lesson for students to learn. But several universities have taken this idea to a new level.
As a supplement to the regular forms, schools like George Mason University, outside Washington, D.C., Tufts University, outside Boston, and the College of William & Mary, in Virginia, are giving students the option to stray from the traditional essay and advertise their best qualities on YouTube. “Say something about you,” reads the Tufts application. “Anything goes,” prompts William & Mary.
Let’s face it, in the traditional college application (or job application) there isn’t much room to demonstrate exactly who you are as a person. Does a list of your activities really demonstrate who you are? Does it allow them to hear the passion in your voice or see the depths of your commitment to the things you’re interested in? Not really.
Allowing for a video submission creates an open platform for students to really demonstrate what they’re all about. That’s a good thing.
However, it can also have the complete opposite effect. I’ve seen some bad digital stories. Heck, we’ve all seen some notably awful videos on YouTube. What kind of effect will a bad video have on an application? The whole idea raises a slew of questions. Would a video of a shirtless student twirling fire help or hinder someone with borderline SAT scores? Will a short rap be enough to put a student over the top in the eyes of an admissions department? And beyond all that, what about application videos that go viral? Are they to be judged based on views in part? How long do you think it will be before an application video leads straight to job offers, bypassing the college entirely?
We’re entering into a completely new era right now. The tools are becoming so simple and convenient that every process we take for granted is being re-examined. The tricky thing is that we need to be preparing our students for THIS world. Whether you agree with the changes or not, I’m guessing they won’t be going away. Right now it’s colleges. Soon it will be jobs.
How long will it be before you have the option of turning in a YouTube video when you apply for a new teaching position? And are you prepared to do so?
