Apple in Education webinar 2012

May 4, 2012 at 11:58 am | Posted in waffle | Leave a comment
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I’ve just attended a glossily produced webinar by the Apple Higher Education team about ‘Education in the Post-PC World’. As you might expect, the focus was on the potential of the iPad – with Apps, iBooks (especially those developed using iBooks Author) and iTunes U. The main presentation provided an uncritical, uncontested and relentlessly upbeat  view of online learning – no mention of the challenges that they present both academics and students – but, hey, this is a sales pitch! There was some video from UCL which had some great quotes from managers, tutors and students, and showed their really positive vision for online learning. A recording of the webinar will be available soon, if you want to review it.

There was some great double-think; Flash and Silverlight bad, because they don’t work on (Apple) mobile devices and so restrict access, but interactive iBooks good, even though they only play on iPad. There was also the implicit view that learning is all about content, probably because Apple understands very clearly how content can be monetised. iTunes U may be free, but to use it you have to have iTunes on your PC and so it may well become your default media player – and then an iPhone becomes a better choice than an Android phone.

I have a MacBook laptop as my home PC, and an iPhone and probably an iPad soon as well, so don’t get me wrong – they make great products that work well – but I’m dead set against educational approaches that lock our students into buying from company A rather than company B. The interactive iBooks look fabulous, but I’d rather the output was HTML5 that could be played on any device – such as a laptop. Technology lock-in – just say no.

My 2d worth on the iPad

February 2, 2010 at 5:26 pm | Posted in waffle | 2 Comments
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I’ve posted a couple of times about touch-screen technologies and e-book readers, so you can imagine that I awaited the Apple event with baited breath – and like so many others thought ‘Is that it? A big iTouch?’  The Register’s ‘Next from Apple: the Pocket iPad‘ pretty much summed it up. Ho ho. Or should that be Ho Hum.

A couple of days later the penny dropped and I realised why  the iPad and its soon-to-be-announced competitors (powered by Google Chrome maybe) really are the next big thing. ‘Proper’ computers running Windows or OS X are more than most people need – or can cope with. What they want is something that “just works”, like their TV, their mobile phone, their Wii etc. Something that works as soon as you  press the ‘on’ button. And that is the experience I get from my iTouch right now – and that the iPad will replicate with a larger screen.

No hierarchical file store? No need, all your docs will be stored and edited online in the cloud. More than anything, this is a device built for our new age of always-on high-speed wireless connectivity.

No multitasking? No problem, provided I can listen to music while I use Facebook/etc/etc. Most apps save their state when you switch back to the home screen anyhow, so switching is seamless and quick.

No USB port to connect my camera so I can upload my photos? They’ll sell you their ‘optional camera connection kit’. It will sync your photos and other files with the cloud, so no need to plug in backup drives etc.

Want to type longer emails? No problem, they’ll sell you their optional charging stand with built-in keyboard. This is good, because you’ll want to sit properly for this kind of work anyhow.

No built-in camera for video chat? Ah, that’s what your iPhone 4G is for… the iPad  is just one part of the digital ecosystem that Apple want to sell you. See this video about the ‘Digital Hub‘ from 2001.

Expect to see a tight wireless connection between your iPhone and your iPad so that you only need one data plan to use your iPad away from a Wi-Fi hotspot. Expect to see wireless bluetooth headphones so you can enjoy your music without tangles.

I want one already… but on the other hand I have a really nice MacBook which allows me to do all these things and more… sigh.

Multiple-touch interfaces from Microsoft

October 2, 2009 at 9:38 am | Posted in waffle | Leave a comment
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There is a good deal of excitement in the HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) world about the potential for touch interfaces, especially those that support multiple touch and gestures – exemplified by Apple with its iPhone, iPod Touch and MacBook trackpads. However, Microsoft has also been doing a good deal of work in this field, as can been seen from these developments. With both these major players pushing this technology, one thing is certain – in 5 years time you won’t just be using a keyboard and mouse.

BumpTop is a 3-D desktop overlay for Windows 7 – take a look at the video to see the potential. Of course it relies on having a PC with a multi-touch sensitive screen – and there aren’t many of these at present. I think there are also some ergonomic issues – do you have the screen flat on your desk, upright or (perhaps best) propped on a lecturn – I can imagine your arms getting tired quickly if the position is awkward, and you don’t want to be looking down at it all the time either.

Microsoft Surface envisions larger mult-touch surfaces that can be used collaboratively – and these devices already exist and are in use – they just aren’t common (yet).  If you want to see where Microsoft think this is heading, check out their ‘vision of the future‘ videos – look at the montage first, andthere are others that focus on healthcare, banking etc.

Finally, lots of tech blogs are gushing over Microsoft Courier, a tablet device (that doesn’t actually exist yet) that again shows how touch interfaces can radically alter the way we use computers. An of course its an open secret that Apple will be launching a tablet device next year…

Apples at the WSA

June 25, 2009 at 3:03 pm | Posted in waffle | Leave a comment
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Apple have published a brief case study about the widespread adoption of Apple computers at the Winchester School of Art, a move strongly supported and promoted by Adam Procter, the School’s Technical Services Officer. What is really interesting is that the savings the School has made by avoiding any need for new fixed network points has enabled them to subsidise the purchase of MacBooks by the students – and that is on top of the educational discounts available. I wonder how long it will be before similar initiatives  arrive at our other campuses?

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