Comments on: Unlearning http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/ Learning stuff since 1964 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:09:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Cathy Nelson http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28996 Cathy Nelson Sat, 29 Mar 2008 15:50:28 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28996 Video reminder...your video comment was shot with a bright window behind you making it difficult to see your face. Remember lighting when you are creating even a video comment. I know, I know, you of all people already know this and were just experimenting with the video comment feature....But others may not be aware. Video reminder…your video comment was shot with a bright window behind you making it difficult to see your face. Remember lighting when you are creating even a video comment. I know, I know, you of all people already know this and were just experimenting with the video comment feature….But others may not be aware.

]]> By: Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28990 Dean Shareski Sat, 29 Mar 2008 05:12:26 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28990 Thanks for the tips John. I use bluetooth for my mouse but if I'm in need of battery will try and remember that one. I have Flip and Perian but will look into the others. Do have an Airport as well. Appreciate it. Thanks for the tips John. I use bluetooth for my mouse but if I’m in need of battery will try and remember that one. I have Flip and Perian but will look into the others. Do have an Airport as well.

Appreciate it.

]]> By: John Larkin http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28989 John Larkin Sat, 29 Mar 2008 04:54:27 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28989 Three new macs... amazing. Persist. I use Macs at school and home. PCS when I give professional development. Your observation about the 'x' not quitting an application and the fact that the '+' does not maximise a window are the two most common symptoms of a convert. In fact, some new mac users often find their mac freezing or slowing down only to find that they have two dozen apps open. They thought they had quit the app but all they had actually done was close the window. About the battery life... that is a tough one. Switch the keyboard lighting feature off and play with energy saving settings in System Preferences. Switch off Bluetooth and any other hardware that you are not using. Apple and batteries have never had a good relationship in my experience. Just off the top of my head Dean... Install the following tools, if you have not already done so, for better video and audio compatibility: Flip 4 Mac: http://www.flip4mac.com/ Perian: http://perian.org/ [This will be installed within your System Preferences] Ambrosia software and Plasq have some great mac software. Get an Airport Express so that you can play your iTunes music wirelessly through your stereo. ^_^ Cheers, John Three new macs… amazing. Persist. I use Macs at school and home. PCS when I give professional development.

Your observation about the ‘x’ not quitting an application and the fact that the ‘+’ does not maximise a window are the two most common symptoms of a convert. In fact, some new mac users often find their mac freezing or slowing down only to find that they have two dozen apps open. They thought they had quit the app but all they had actually done was close the window.

About the battery life… that is a tough one. Switch the keyboard lighting feature off and play with energy saving settings in System Preferences. Switch off Bluetooth and any other hardware that you are not using. Apple and batteries have never had a good relationship in my experience.

Just off the top of my head Dean… Install the following tools, if you have not already done so, for better video and audio compatibility:

Flip 4 Mac: http://www.flip4mac.com/
Perian: http://perian.org/ [This will be installed within your System Preferences]

Ambrosia software and Plasq have some great mac software.

Get an Airport Express so that you can play your iTunes music wirelessly through your stereo. ^_^

Cheers, John

]]> By: Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28981 Dean Shareski Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:47:40 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28981 This is for you Allanah [riffly_video]2A5752D6FCDE11DC96DED0A456B4F508[/riffly_video] This is for you Allanah

[riffly_video]2A5752D6FCDE11DC96DED0A456B4F508[/riffly_video]

]]> By: AllanahK http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28975 AllanahK Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:19:48 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28975 [riffly_audio]FC018B1CFCA711DCBBFBD0A456B4F508[/riffly_audio] [riffly_audio]FC018B1CFCA711DCBBFBD0A456B4F508[/riffly_audio]

]]> By: AllanahK http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28974 AllanahK Fri, 28 Mar 2008 09:16:43 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28974 WOW that's flash- audio and video comments- dare I try thru my brand new Mac Book Pro- oh why not? WOW that’s flash- audio and video comments- dare I try thru my brand new Mac Book Pro- oh why not?

]]> By: Carl Anderson http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28968 Carl Anderson Fri, 28 Mar 2008 06:04:39 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28968 I hear too often that we should stick with this platform or that or we should use a certain software program because our students need to learn how to use them when they leave school. This bothers me to no end and lately has really gotten under my skin. I think your footnote says it all. Skills are transferable between platforms. Of course there is always a learning curve with a new platform but in your students case it looked to be a 20 minute curve (not bad). When I was in high school we used Macs. They were Mac Classics with Claris Works and Hypercard installed on them. How often do you think I use these programs? How often did I use them in college? The fact is we can't prepare students for the exact technology skills with the exact platform they will be using when they leave our institutions because those platforms have not been invented yet. We can, however, expose students to different types of computing and different types of applications that share conventions with other similar programs. We have been using office and studio software long enough to anticipate which skills will still be needed in future programs and future platforms. If we look at current developments in IT as predictors of the future apps we see cloud computing on the quickly approaching horizon as being extremely significant. The nice thing about this category of software applications is they do not exist on anyone's personal computer, they exist online. If they are online it does not matter what platform you use to access them so long as you have a reliable web browser and a decent connection. The advent and probable future significance of cloud computing makes it possible to discard costly systems like Windows and Mac and go with an open source operating system on a cheap PC and still have access to the same programs you would on a machine running proprietary OS software. Think of the cost savings and what it could mean for schools' tech budgets. Take Apple or Microsoft out of the budget and you suddenly have a lot more money to spend on hardware. Sure, we still will probably want to have a handful of powerful machines with proprietary software installed for our power users but what percent of student use computing fits this category. I agree with <a href="http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2008/03/os-and-educatio.html" rel="nofollow">Clarence</a> when he says that sometimes all he wants is a simple OS with access to the internet and a few basic applications. I hear too often that we should stick with this platform or that or we should use a certain software program because our students need to learn how to use them when they leave school. This bothers me to no end and lately has really gotten under my skin. I think your footnote says it all. Skills are transferable between platforms. Of course there is always a learning curve with a new platform but in your students case it looked to be a 20 minute curve (not bad).

When I was in high school we used Macs. They were Mac Classics with Claris Works and Hypercard installed on them. How often do you think I use these programs? How often did I use them in college? The fact is we can’t prepare students for the exact technology skills with the exact platform they will be using when they leave our institutions because those platforms have not been invented yet. We can, however, expose students to different types of computing and different types of applications that share conventions with other similar programs. We have been using office and studio software long enough to anticipate which skills will still be needed in future programs and future platforms.

If we look at current developments in IT as predictors of the future apps we see cloud computing on the quickly approaching horizon as being extremely significant. The nice thing about this category of software applications is they do not exist on anyone’s personal computer, they exist online. If they are online it does not matter what platform you use to access them so long as you have a reliable web browser and a decent connection.

The advent and probable future significance of cloud computing makes it possible to discard costly systems like Windows and Mac and go with an open source operating system on a cheap PC and still have access to the same programs you would on a machine running proprietary OS software. Think of the cost savings and what it could mean for schools’ tech budgets. Take Apple or Microsoft out of the budget and you suddenly have a lot more money to spend on hardware.

Sure, we still will probably want to have a handful of powerful machines with proprietary software installed for our power users but what percent of student use computing fits this category. I agree with Clarence when he says that sometimes all he wants is a simple OS with access to the internet and a few basic applications.

]]> By: Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28960 Dean Shareski Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:57:54 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28960 Cathy, Already had that issue during a presentation. Still not sure I have it right. I wonder if that battery thing is true? I just unplugged. ;) Cathy,

Already had that issue during a presentation. Still not sure I have it right. I wonder if that battery thing is true? I just unplugged. ;)

]]> By: Cathy Nelson http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28959 Cathy Nelson Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:33:15 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28959 After having my mac book pro for 15 months I still havent figured out how t get my battery to last. The Dell laptop used at school seems to lat all day at work, as long as I plug it in each evening. My son seems to think I leave it on the plug far too long (which I do), and so it thinks I want it to get energy from the plug, and the battery is not being charged fully. I dont know. But I do prefer it over the Dell. Wait until you hook it up to a projector and see the screen get magnetized. Better try that out before doing a preso, so you'll know how to adjust the settings. After having my mac book pro for 15 months I still havent figured out how t get my battery to last. The Dell laptop used at school seems to lat all day at work, as long as I plug it in each evening. My son seems to think I leave it on the plug far too long (which I do), and so it thinks I want it to get energy from the plug, and the battery is not being charged fully. I dont know. But I do prefer it over the Dell. Wait until you hook it up to a projector and see the screen get magnetized. Better try that out before doing a preso, so you’ll know how to adjust the settings.

]]> By: JackieB http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/comment-page-1/#comment-28948 JackieB Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:47:13 +0000 http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/03/27/unlearning/#comment-28948 I agree it's all good. I think it's important for us (and for our students) to be able to learn to use whatever tools are available. I try to remember all the new applications <i>I've</i> learned to use over the last year or so and I'm amazed. I can't even begin to imagine what will be available in a year - let alone in ten years. "Learning, unlearning, relearning..." these are the skills we need to be "teaching" to our students. And what better way than by sharing our own process? That said - <b>I love my Mac!</b> I agree it’s all good. I think it’s important for us (and for our students) to be able to learn to use whatever tools are available. I try to remember all the new applications I’ve learned to use over the last year or so and I’m amazed. I can’t even begin to imagine what will be available in a year – let alone in ten years.

“Learning, unlearning, relearning…” these are the skills we need to be “teaching” to our students. And what better way than by sharing our own process?

That said – I love my Mac!

]]>