Ryan Collins

🕹ī¸ Do Something Great! 😄

Author: ryan

  • Low tech and high tech communication – eTech Ohio 2008

    [![The audience #4][]][]At the eTech Ohio Technology Conference this
    past February I presented on different ways a person can communicate.
    Some ways were very low tech (writing a letter, using the phone), and
    some ways very high tech (using Grand Central to control incoming calls,
    social networking with del.icio.us or Twitter). I’ve finally gotten
    around to tagging the sites in del.icio.us (thanks Alvin!). I
    used the tag etechohio08.
    [Creative Commons License][] photo credit:
    steveyb

    [![The audience #4][]]: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48889119834@N01/2333117533/
    “The audience #4”
    [Creative Commons License]: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/
    “Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License”

  • The iPod Touch Trial

    I’ve ordered three iPod Touches to be used in a trial at the high
    school, middle school, and elementary level. Stealing some ideas from
    John Schinker, I’m putting forth the following questions for the
    participants to answer:

    Does this device work well enough to have a place in our schools?

    How could this be used effectively with students?

    What limitations are there that would affect its usefulness?

    Are there solutions to overcome those limitations?

    What technical hurdles would have to be overcome to make the use of
    these devices successful?

    If we were to start using these computers, what could they replace?
    What could we buy fewer of to make this cost effective?

    Are these durable enough for student use?

    Is the iPod Touch too complicated / different / cumbersome / annoying
    to be used in this environment?

    I’ve started to come up with some ideas on how they can be used. My main
    goal to start is to focus mainly on communication. I’ve setup the
    Prologue theme for WordPress, and am currently recruiting teachers to
    try it out. I’ve also installed the Elgg.org Open Source social
    network software at the HS and am investigating ways that it can be used
    in the classroom.

    What are some of the important aspects that you can see implementing
    with a 1-to-1 program?

    p.s. I’m trying out publishing from Google Docs, let’s see how well that
    works!

  • Google Reader and the iPhone/iPod Touch

    Using my RSS reader of choice Google Reader, I’ve discovered two ways to
    use it on my iPod Touch. If I navigate to:
    http://google.com/reader/m I get a slightly different interface than
    using http://google.com/m#reader. The former address gives me a nice
    icon when I add it to my home screen, but the latter address works
    better on my touch.

    Does anyone know what the differences are? Why can’t I get the nice icon
    to add to my home screen with the second address?

  • Beware of that Firewire port!

    There is a new technique that allows an attacker to unlock a Windows
    machine or login without a password    . This vulnerability also affects
    OS X    . Right now the hack currently requires a Linux laptop, but it
    could conceivably make its way to modified iPods.

    To protect yourself you’ll need to disable Firewire in your PC BIOS, or
    on the Mac you will need to set the Open Firmware password.

  • Day 4 with the iPod Touch

    The honeymoon isn’t over yet with the Touch. The battery so far hasn’t
    had a problem lasting through the day, and that is with me using wifi a
    lot! The keyboard is interesting. As long as I keep typing the
    autocorrect really does its thing, making email and this post pretty
    easy to do. I do have problems typing certain characters, but I think
    that is a combination of me learning and the case I have.

    I ordered a couple for the district and will have a couple of teachers
    trying of our in their classrooms.

  • The iPod Touch

    I picked up an iPod Touch on Saturday, and am I impressed. I have been
    testing out the Nokia N800, but when it comes to Internet usability, the
    Touch wins hands down. Surfing is very, very usable.

    I’m still getting used to the onscreen keyboard, but it is already a lot
    better than the N800. The question I have remaining, “Is the touch more
    useful I’m the classroom than the Asus eeePC?

  • eTech Ohio Conference 2008 thoughts

    The conference took place over a week ago and I’m still trying to get my
    head wrapped around all the information I collected! I did learn one
    very important thing. My ID badge this year said Librarian/Media
    Specialist, and I learned that it makes it a lot easier to walk through
    the vendor area. They didn’t seem as interested in talking to me. 🙂

    I’m hoping to get more things put together and online. I still have to
    collect the notes from my session and put them online, and also to tag
    them into del.icio.us (thanks Alvin!).

    Every year I go hoping to take away one new thing to get excited about,
    but that is getting harder to do. Technology in education has become
    such a commodity that the break throughs are getting more and more
    uncommon. I’m also torn with the problem of too many choices. It’s hard
    for me to focus on one thing, I want to implement them all!

  • Low tech and high tech communication

    This is a test post from the eTech Ohio 2008 Conference.

  • eTech Ohio conference and Twitter

    I will be trying to Twitter as much as I can at the conference. You can
    follow my updates under [http://twitter.com/mr_rcollins][] or you can
    follow me under twitter.

  • eTech Ohio Technology Conference

    After reading John’s blog post yesterday, I realized that not only
    haven’t I posted anything, I haven’t even begun to look at what sessions
    I want to go to at the eTech conference. Since I present at 8:00am
    Monday morning, I’ve been more focused on that.

    Through the Online Conference Planner I’ve begun to setup the sessions I
    want to go to, and I will be publishing my calendar through Google
    Calendar    .