This week I discovered an app called Photosynth. It is Microsoft software that enables you to create panoramic pictures of 3D environments. The app is available on the iphone or directly over the web at www.photosynth.com. Silverlight is needed to run the app which you will be prompted to download when required, takes about 30 seconds.
I saw huge potential in the app in preparing virtual tours, either of school environments, project displays or as multimedia based projects.
Below is an example of the finished product... A tour of my office.. You can drag the mouse around the screen to see a 360 view of my office.
I am still playing around with it but am keen for comments, suggestions and recommendations.. I will follow up on this post in the coming weeks..
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Stuff I got from Twitter
Over the past 12 or so months I have been following a number of people on Twitter and emailing myself any useful links and resources. It has been hard to keep up with all the correspondence I have been sending myself and thought it would be a good idea to keep it somewere other than my inbox, somewhere that my PLN and others can access and use it...
In order to give a point of reference to the material I have kept, I am a secondary design and technology teacher and have made an effort to keep resources that would be useful for my classroom.
This is a start..! I have about 30 more to go but alas, must head home..!
In order to give a point of reference to the material I have kept, I am a secondary design and technology teacher and have made an effort to keep resources that would be useful for my classroom.
- Google Calender of Educational Twitter Chats from @Web20Classroom
- 14 Free and Simple Digital Media Tools from @Web20Classroom
- Learning with Mobile Devices Resources from StMarys City Schools
- Websearch Skill Developent - A Google a Day from @Web20Classroom
- Be Very Afraid (BVA) Listen to Learners presentations
- Most influential Educational Twitter accounts to follow from @ToddAHoffman
- What does innovation in the classroom look like from @Web20Classroom
- 80 Online Tools and References from Hubert Yee @edutopia
- Top 10 Tips for assessing Project Based Learning from @edutopia
- Mobile Learning around the world by @ggrosseck
- 8 ways to support teachers integrate technology by @Web20Classroom and Edtechtoolbox
- Radio and Podcasting applications from @courosa
- 90 (more by now..!) Educators share their best blog post from @Web20Classroom
- Tools for teaching students at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy from @Web20Classroom
- Become Teacher 2.0 with these Web 2.0 tools from @GlogsterEDU
- 6 new Technologies set to change education from itslearning.net
This is a start..! I have about 30 more to go but alas, must head home..!
Monday, June 20, 2011
My Favorite iPhone Apps
Having spent alot of time writing about Computer based applications that I have been using (and I have a lot of catching up to do..!), I thought it would be fun to write a list of my favorite apps for the iphone. Whenever I meet someone with an iphone, generally the first thing we do is compare and discuss the apps we have, so there is my inspiration to do it here. I also use a range of apps for work and education, so there is some value is posting this list here at the GOOD WORK stamp.!
In no particular order, my favorite and most used apps are:
1. Twitter - Great to keep up with my twitter feed whilst on the run. I would often fall 5 or 6 days behind until I installed the app and used it regularly. Now I don't miss a thing..!
2. MakeUseOf - Only just started using this and it is great.. Some new and interesting products and articles from which new suggestions are made based on what you have previously read. Great for tech resources and keeping up to date with technology.3. TuneIn Radio - Thousands of radio stations at your disposal. Great for listening to live sport in other states and countries.
4. Kindle - A great reader with links to Amazon, easy to download books and read on the run. Text size can be adjusted, along with a number of other settings.
5. Meporter - Not a lot of people using this yet but I think it is a great idea. Write an article and post it, along with images for instant news in your area. Potential is great, I just wish more people would get on board and give it a go. 6. OzTV - Never go without a TV guide again..! Australia wide, all stations, too easy..!
7. TeeToGreen (Pro) - This is my favorite golf GPS app. I have tried a few and always come back to this one. Recording scores is possibe, but I just use for the great GPS interface.
8. Game Time - Another sport app that I use to keep up to date with the NBA. Live games can be purchased for about $1 and plenty of archive footage is available. Was awesome keeping up to date with the recent finals.
9. Egg Timer - Didn't have one last month when I really wanted a boiled egg, downloaded it free and have been enjoying soft boiled eggs ever since..!
10. Localscope - A bit like doing a google search but results are sorted in terms of distance away from you. I was looking for Thai, easy, 4km away.. Good for when you are out of town.
11. Ebay - A simplified mobile version, great for those last minute grabs when you are away from the pc and aren't a sniper..!
12. TCU - Mobile banking... Teachers Credit Union has a mobile version of their site, easy to access and complete simple transactions.
13. Find iPhone - Find my iPhone is essential for all iphone users. Find your lost iphone via gps in an instant. You can also disable and send a message to your phone begging for it back..!
14. Pkt Weather - A bit more juicy than the standard weather app on the iphone. Able to monitor multiple locations and great 7 day forecast.
15. Evernote - Cloud storage at its best. Download this onto all of your devices and files are easily accessed from all. I have three PCs and the iphone, transporting documents between them is as simple as a right click.16. SchoolBook - Takes a bit of time to import your timetable, then, never forget what classes you have coming up ever again.. Great for checking what work needs to be prepared for the next day.
Hope you enjoyed my list. I look forward to suggestions and recommendations. Please feel free to comment below and don't forget to follow me on Twitter.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Adobe Flash Mach 2
Just about to finish a unit in which students design and create a Flash movie, such as a game, educational tool or digital story. In order to assist students in gaining a sound understanding of the Flash workspace, I used some existing and created some new tutorials. Here is a link to one; Buttons Tutorial
The document also includes a link to the working example which is featured below.
I have found Flash CS4 to be extremely versatile and CS5 is even more so, however you really need to have a good basic knowledge of the functions before attempting anything overly creative or code heavy.
The document also includes a link to the working example which is featured below.
I have found Flash CS4 to be extremely versatile and CS5 is even more so, however you really need to have a good basic knowledge of the functions before attempting anything overly creative or code heavy.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Adobe Flash
Just wanted to prepare a quick post about Adobe Flash as I have been playing around with it over the holidays and haven't posted anyting for a while..!
Flash is a vector based animation package that can be used for just about any mulitmedia purpose imaginable. I have use it (and a competitor version; Corel RAVE) to produce simple animations, learning resources, videos, games, presentations and even structured lessons. Within the CS5 version it is even possible to make iphone apps.
One great example of a Flash project is the Impossible Quiz..
But lets not get ahead of ourselves...
Firstly, Flash takes a long time to learn and understand how to do even the most simple of animations. Once you understand the language of Flash it becomes easier to use, however when teaching students to use it for the first time, allocate a large amount of time to explaining the theatrical setting in which Flash is based, for example, terms like stage, scene, frame, etc are used to describe aspects of the software package. Some prior experience with Adobe products will help, however there is a steep learning curve.
Secondly, you need to be a good artist. To produce projects of a reasonable quality, you still need to be creative and artistic. Although Flash provides a wide range of features and tools, becoming a skilled user takes time, practice and a certain artistic flair..!
Thirdly, you need to have an understanding of coding. Flash objects can be told to do a wide range of things. If you think about an interactive learning resouuce, there are a number of options and animations that behave in certain ways, depending on the users selections. All of these tasks are called behaviours and Flash uses a coding language to get them done. Although there are some hints and basic code completed for you, some understanding is still necessary.
Finally, you need a good plan. The more complicated your project becomes, the more important a plan will be. Each scene in your project needs to be created from scratch and in order to make life much easier, certain aspects can be reused and repeated. I would certainy encourage a detailed storyboard be used even for the most basic project.
Some issues that I faced included:
* Understanding the terminology and processes can be quite time consuming. Figuring out how to tween, control buttons, etc can take a while.
* Being a vector package, importing images can be problematic. Issues with transparent backgrounds, resizing, colour changing, etc. can all occour when importing a bitmap image into the project. And unless you are skilled a producing high quality images in vector form, you will need to import images.. You will need to use a package such as Photoshop to prepare your images prior to importing into Flash.
* Once an item has been put in the timeline and tweened, changing it is problematic..! Any changes you make may result in an undesired tween, the removal of your tween and/or unwanted chages to other componenets of your project. This is generally a beginners problem and once you understand the way Flash operates it is easy to aviod these problems. Using labels for your keyframes and in your coding of behaviours is one of the best things to learn early on..!
Some positive aspects I discovered included:
* The flexibility and unlimited scope of the package is what really makes it great. Once you have a basic understanding, you just want to learn more and begin all sorts of crazy projects.
* Flash makes it easy to organise and find your cast of objects. The toolboxes are easy to understand and navigate.
* Although I have said Flash is quite difficult to learn, a majority of the learning involves exploring the vector graphic aspect of the software. In terms of automation, Flash does much of the work for you when producing projects.
* Support is excellent. There is a huge range of educational support for Flash, including videos, tutorials, forums, etc. Make great use of them. A collegue handed me her notes from an AIS inservice which helped me a lot.
Please feel free to comment and check out my previous posts.
Flash is a vector based animation package that can be used for just about any mulitmedia purpose imaginable. I have use it (and a competitor version; Corel RAVE) to produce simple animations, learning resources, videos, games, presentations and even structured lessons. Within the CS5 version it is even possible to make iphone apps.
One great example of a Flash project is the Impossible Quiz..
But lets not get ahead of ourselves...
Firstly, Flash takes a long time to learn and understand how to do even the most simple of animations. Once you understand the language of Flash it becomes easier to use, however when teaching students to use it for the first time, allocate a large amount of time to explaining the theatrical setting in which Flash is based, for example, terms like stage, scene, frame, etc are used to describe aspects of the software package. Some prior experience with Adobe products will help, however there is a steep learning curve.
Secondly, you need to be a good artist. To produce projects of a reasonable quality, you still need to be creative and artistic. Although Flash provides a wide range of features and tools, becoming a skilled user takes time, practice and a certain artistic flair..!
Thirdly, you need to have an understanding of coding. Flash objects can be told to do a wide range of things. If you think about an interactive learning resouuce, there are a number of options and animations that behave in certain ways, depending on the users selections. All of these tasks are called behaviours and Flash uses a coding language to get them done. Although there are some hints and basic code completed for you, some understanding is still necessary.
Finally, you need a good plan. The more complicated your project becomes, the more important a plan will be. Each scene in your project needs to be created from scratch and in order to make life much easier, certain aspects can be reused and repeated. I would certainy encourage a detailed storyboard be used even for the most basic project.
Some issues that I faced included:
* Understanding the terminology and processes can be quite time consuming. Figuring out how to tween, control buttons, etc can take a while.
* Being a vector package, importing images can be problematic. Issues with transparent backgrounds, resizing, colour changing, etc. can all occour when importing a bitmap image into the project. And unless you are skilled a producing high quality images in vector form, you will need to import images.. You will need to use a package such as Photoshop to prepare your images prior to importing into Flash.
* Once an item has been put in the timeline and tweened, changing it is problematic..! Any changes you make may result in an undesired tween, the removal of your tween and/or unwanted chages to other componenets of your project. This is generally a beginners problem and once you understand the way Flash operates it is easy to aviod these problems. Using labels for your keyframes and in your coding of behaviours is one of the best things to learn early on..!
Some positive aspects I discovered included:
* The flexibility and unlimited scope of the package is what really makes it great. Once you have a basic understanding, you just want to learn more and begin all sorts of crazy projects.
* Flash makes it easy to organise and find your cast of objects. The toolboxes are easy to understand and navigate.
* Although I have said Flash is quite difficult to learn, a majority of the learning involves exploring the vector graphic aspect of the software. In terms of automation, Flash does much of the work for you when producing projects.
* Support is excellent. There is a huge range of educational support for Flash, including videos, tutorials, forums, etc. Make great use of them. A collegue handed me her notes from an AIS inservice which helped me a lot.
Please feel free to comment and check out my previous posts.
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