Classroom Blackboard

I recently acquired a new toy -an iPhone. During my free time, I like to browse for apps to download. There are a lot of free apps out there. They include utilities, games and also educational software. I came across this application called “Free Grammar Up” (FGU). It’s your basic MCQ kind of quiz. The nice thing about this application is that there are various Grammar items that the user can quiz themselves with. However, does not help in learning. Why do I say this?

One feature that I look out for is the scaffolding that the program provides. A scaffold is a temporary structure on the outside of a building, made usually of wooden planks and metal poles. It is usually used by workers while building, repairing, or cleaning the building. Similarly, scaffolding is an approach where help is given to a student while he/she is learning. Answers are given but not directly. This approach allows the student to attempt a question and if a wrong answer is chosen, a prompt will help the student rethink his/her answer and try again. Scaffolding is very powerful as it ‘forces’ the student to rethink until the correct answer is achieved. Unfortunately, FGU falls short here.

On the other hand, “Math Drill” (MD) shows promise in this area. Compared to FGU, which has no scaffolding, MD has three levels of scaffold. What I like about the app is that it takes into consideration the different learning styles of the students and provides a combination of different types of scaffold.

I am looking to see if the iPod touch platform is a viable learning tool that can be implemented in teaching and learning. Go try the two apps.  Both apps offer free editions for test driving.

The advent of the microchip has revolutionized the type of devices that can be made. Sifting through gadget magazines and you will find a plethora of such newly added devices. The size range - mini to micro. It would not be surprising if a “nano” category is created. They were not kidding when they said, “Size matters”.

While size does improve the portability of things, the kind of portability that I was thinking did not have much to do with size. Bookmarks are part and parcel of everyday life on the Internet. Come across a good website, click ‘bookmarks’ and then add it to your Favourite tab. The problem arises when, you log on to multiple terminals. Usually, I use a Macintosh to do my daily work. However, I am sometimes forced to use a PC. This can sometime be frustrating because of the inability to access my bookmarks.

The solution - delicious. It is a website that allows you to store your personal bookmarks online. Furthermore, it allows you to share your bookmarks with other ‘delicious’ users. This allows not only portability but also collaboration with your social networks.

To make this application more user friendly, you can download a plugin and it works seamlessly with the Firefox browsers. Hit the bookmark button and your library of bookmarks is immediately accessible.

On another level, the delicious plugin allows the assessment of baseline ICT skills. One of the requirements for students is that they have to be proficient with searches. Students can be tasked to use any search engine to look for information and then store the website onto delicious. The teacher can then later check the relevance of the site to see if the student was on task. The students can also make comments on the respective websites. A freeware that is definitely worth getting.

Remote Control

I had an epiphany. One of the things that matters to me is convenience. I am a creature of convenience. There is nothing like entering your room, reaching for the remote and then your TV comes on, followed by the computer etc. Minimal fuss and everything is up and working just like you want it to - bliss.

Now imagine having the ability to run your school  computer laboratories in a similar way. You enter the lab or you send your ICT monitor to get the computer lab ready for the class. All the students needs to do is just to switch on the teachers’ terminal and with one click, the other 40 computers come to life. You might think that that is really not a lot of time saved. But really, every extra minute counts especially when you have only 1 hour to work with to complete your task. Not to mention that it probably takes you at least 5-10 minutes to get the class organized and on the way to the computer lab.

Specops seems to have the solution for this problem. Its a Wake on LAN (WOL) that allows for remote restart/ remote shutdown. The icing on the cake - its free. I need to try this out.