Episode 17 Notes! and Office 2008 and ICE Conference

Episode 17 is online!

During the episode, as promised, Mark Millard and myself discussed the recent MacWorld conference, focusing on iPhone and AppleTV, which were announced at the keynote.
How could these new technologies be used by classroom teachers and higher ed faculty?

(As a side note, these Steve Jobs keynotes are often emotional experiences for those watching. Check out "Why Apple Makes Me Cry" at:
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,72473-0.html?tw=rss.index)

We also discussed various software packages that I picked up in the two exhibition halls:

• Toon Boom, Mac/Windows/Linux animation and storyboard software
• Toast 8 Titanium, Mac disc-burning software
• Slick Transitions & Effects, Mac special effect plugins for iMovie
• Civilization IV, a Mac/Windows history/politics simulation game
• Sims 2, a Mac/Windows people simulation game
• SubEthaEdit, a Mac text editor with synchronous collaboration features
• Profcast, a Mac program that allows you to convert your Powerpoint and Keynote presentations into screencasts/videocasts.

Sadly, we ran out of time to talk about a couple of products. First was Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac. Big news about it seems to be that it is compatible with the new version recently released for Windows, which has a new document format. Like the iLife programs, the new version of Word focuses on the use of templates to create documents. There is a new interface item called the "Elements Gallery" which has templates available for various parts of the page, like headers and footers. It also has a new kind of view, called "Publishing Layout" which helps with desktop publishing projects (sounds kind of like Apple's Pages). Here are some links with news about Office 2008:
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=2382
http://www.tuaw.com/2007/01/17/macworld-2007-show-floor-showoff-microsoft-office-2008-for-mac/
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2007/jan07/01-09Macworld.mspx

Indiana Computer Educators Conference

I'll be presenting on the topic of Integrating Podcasts into the K-12 Curriculum at the Indiana Computer Educators conference in Indy. I'd love to see some "Teach with Tech" listeners there. Find out more at: http://www.iceindiana.org/conference.aspx

Keep on listening!
Chris

Episode 17: MacWorld Report, and Internet-based Activities

Well, I'm back from the whirlwind adventure that is MacWorld Expo, the annual conference for Mac users! I'll be talking about it in the next episode of the podcast, episode 17, which I hope to record in the very very very near future. Again, our guest will be Mark Millard, from Indiana University's Teaching and Learning Technologies Centers. A lot to cover in the half-hour or so, including an educator's-eye view of the new iPhone and AppleTV. How could they be used in your teaching? I have some ideas. We'll also be discussing interesting new software I discovered at the conference.

Too often, students use the web only for the passive gathering of information. Research on the web is fine, but let's not forget the other capabilities of the Net--to facilitate communication and cooperation. The site below lists a wide range of "collaborative projects, virtual field trips, educational games, and other interactive activities," such as virtually following a sled dog team across Arctic Russia, watching peregrine falcons grow up in New York City, adopting a local pond and sharing info with other schools, etc.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/archives/interactivity.shtml

Keep listening,
Chris

Greetings from MacWorld!

Hello from sunny San Francisco, California! Checked in at the MacWorld registration desk this morning and got the cool red MacWorld totebag, ready to fill up with goodies from the exhibition hall. Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning is the keynote, in which Steve Jobs will be announcing Apple's new products, hardware and software, for the year. Rumors are: an iPhone (though not with that name), more info on Leopard, new versions of iLife and iWork (including spreadsheets)...but there undoubtedly will more "insanely great" stuff announced that we don't even have any clue about. I'll be giving a wrap-up and commentary in the next "Teach with Tech" podcast episode. Which should be online next week!

Cheers,
Chris