stephen reck - technology&education

iphoto.

iphoto is a program that comes pre-installed on every mac. it is used to import, organize, edit, & publish photos. like most mac products, iphoto is extremely easy to use & makes a professional looking product. if you have macs in your classroom, iphoto should be your go-to application for any projects requiring photographs either imported from the web or taken by your own students.

mobileme.

welcome to cloud computing. cloud computing is seen by many as the way we will use computers in the near future. no longer will software applications be housed on a computer's hard drive. instead, programs will be housed & accessed online through a web browser. mobileme is a service provided by apple that houses several web applications, online backup storage, wireless synchronization, & many other features. this service stores information in a "cloud" & pushes the information to your cell phone, computer, or online portal. the service costs $99 a year & it can be a teacher's best friend.

apple profits.

the new york times reports that apple has recorded its best nonholiday quarter in the company's history. pc shipments declined 3 to 5 percent while apple reported an 18 percent increase over its previous quarter.  the introduction of iphone 3gs & mac price drops have been cited as a major factors in the company's success. it's also important to note that steve jobs was absent from his ceo duty for the quarter (march - june). the record success is further evidence that apple has one of the best management teams in the industry.

podcast with garageband.

currently in summer school, students are making their own podcasts. a lot of teachers i know use podcasts as a way to replicate lectures or they present professionally created podcasts to students. in my opinion, this is poor use of a powerful tool. the purpose of technology in the classroom is not as an additional toy for the teacher, but as a learning tool to be operated by the student. there is much talk about the importance of building 21st century skills & technological literacy. these goals cannot be achieved if the student is not an active user of technology. i understand that access to a class set of computers is frequently not a possibility, but it is important for us to encourage student use of technology whenever possible. podcast creation is one tool i find to be extraordinarily engaging & meaningful.