I set up a CTL 2go netbook with Edubuntu 8.10 linux, in order to get to know these platforms better.



Edubuntu used to be a separate linux distribution. Now it's a package of applications installed on top of Ubuntu. The Ubuntu 8.10 install went smoothly. I download and burned Ubuntu 8.10 to a CD, used the CD to boot up a PC I have, and then ran the system utility that creates a bootable USB flash drive (isn't that a handy tool!). I used the flash drive to install Ubuntu 8.10 on the 2go laptop and then ran software updates. All good so far.

The bootable flash drive tool is nifty. You can use it to create an installer, a fully-featured demonstration version of the software, or even a portable computing environment to which you can even save files! It's brilliant.

I had less luck with Edubuntu at first. I downloaded the ISO and used UNetbootin to copy it to the flash drive and make it bootable. The drive wouldn't boot the machine (missing kernel file). I tried just mounting the ISO and running the software from the 2go hard drive. No luck. Finally, I took the machine to work, burned Edubuntu to a CD, and ran the software from an external CD drive.

I'm still not sure what a typical home user would use to perform this installation. Then again, the typical home user wouldn't buy a 2go without an operating system! I wonder whether I could have just run the Ubtuntu software installer and downloaded the entire package online. The computer didn't actually boot off the Edubuntu CD, but it did recognize the CD as containing installation packages once it had loaded.

The keyboard on the 2go feels about 80% of full size, fine for my seven year-old son but uncomfortably small for me. Edubuntu seems to be mostly about kid-friendly software. GCompris is quite a collection of games and skills training for kids of different ages. The rest of the applications look useful as well.

I had expected greater transformation of the desktop environment. Aside from some attractive, cosmetic changes, it's just Ubuntu -- not any easier for kids to navigate. I haven't yet found the simplified desktop interface I was expecting. It's not a Theme. It would be great to make it easier for young kids to navigate the desktop.

Aside from a nice collection of applications, I haven't seen enough to persuade me to buy and configure a set of these for each of our elementary classrooms. We'll stick with used Apple laptops from our other facilities for now.

tags: ctl, 2go, classmate, ubuntu, edubuntu

In the last year, I have pretty much ditched presentation software such as PowerPoint and Keynote in favor of using a simple web browser. I have jettisoned bulleted lists and gained interactivity in my "slides." Most of my subject matter exists within a web browser, anyway. I store collections of web site bookmarks in tab groups.

Today (just before a presentation), I learned how to use the Apple remote control to switch among Firefox tabs. This way, I wouldn't have to reach for the keyboard to move from one tab to the next. I am running Firefox 3 on Mac OS 10.5.



This site led me to Mira ($15, Twisted Melon), which expands the use of the Apple remote to many applications. I configured Mira to send the Ctrl-tab keystroke to Firefox when I pressed the Menu button. You could customize different buttons to suit your preferences.


Activate Mira for Firefox.


Select the remote button you want to configure.


Specify the keystroke you want that button to perform, in this case Ctrl-Tab.

tags: appleremote, firefox, tabbedbrowsing

Four school divisions gathered to experience the inauguration together.


Beginning School


Lower School


Middle School


Upper School

Emotions in the rooms varied from solemn to exuberant. I felt a strong sense of collective experience. There was something truly memorable about witnessing this moment in history together with the younger and older people in this school.

Digital broadcast TV worked flawlessly in three locations. In the fourth, the signal was a bit jumpy, perhaps due to poor reception. Some classrooms and small groups of staff collected to watch streaming web video. The CNN feed had about a 45 second delay, perhaps because they were streaming to the huge audience they had cultivated for this event.


tags: obama, inauguration, digitaltv

This won't win the prize for the simplest, most elegant setup, but it's a practical combination of new and old technologies. This room was originally set up by a professional audiovisual installer about five years ago with audiovisual rack, long-throw projector, AV switcher, satellite and cable TV feeds, multiregion VHS and DVD players, and stereo speakers.

When the projector died, it was less expensive to purchase a Smart 680i2 for the front of the classroom than to buy a bright projector and custom lens for the rear of the classroom. The teachers also gain the Smart Board and document camera that they have wanted for some time.

The teachers are all ready to use the equipment to analyze language materials from all kinds of sources with their students. We should see some great applications of technology to curriculum come out of this Spanish and Mandarin Chinese classroom.

tags: smartboard, multimedia, classroom

I continue to wonder at the gulf between the needs of our student laptop program and Apple's recent laptop releases. No kidding, they have won the heart of our kids, what with 80% of incoming ninth grade students choosing Mac over Lenovo both this year and last. At the same time, we have seen hardware repairs go way up, as kids drop the Macs, and they crack, dent, and break. I am a solid Apple enthusiast, but I also run a school technology program with pretty reasonable needs.

In recent years, we have cautioned parents and students away from the Aluminum MacBook Pro. Aluminum is a soft metal (it makes great foil and not so good jewelry). Most of our students (and teachers) who have the aluminum laptop have suffered dents and warps, some of which have increased stress on internal components and caused them to fail.

Now we have no plastic Mac to sell (at least once Apple's inventory of white MacBook is exhausted). I recognize that the new aluminum case is cut from a solid piece of aluminum, but how will it withstand impacts? Will it still dent and ding? Will the hard drive, located right at the corner, take the brunt of the blow? I want to see crash test ratings!

The new glass screen face is another point of concern. We already experience cracked plastic screens, and now it's covered by a layer of glass?



Let me be clear. This is not our students' fault, but their families get to foot the bill. If I had to move my computer from room to room ten times a day, mine would probably also get dropped or stepped on as well. Congrats to Apple for producing a machine likely to win the hearts of home users, graphic designers, and college students. That's not enough for our students. We need toughness, too. Why won't Apple produce a school-appropriate laptop?

Our "Mac tax" is currently $300. Families pay that much more to purchase a MacBook compared to a similarly equipped ThinkPad T61. The ThinkPad is more solid and comes with both a four-year warranty and accidental damage protection for the price. For the MacBook we start with a higher base price, pay a premium to get a four-year warranty that you can't buy in stores, and then charge another fee to fund a limited, school-sponsored accidental damage protection program.

As the economy tightens, families are not going to accept this different much longer. We may end up with two tiers of laptop purchase, a Mac for those who can afford it, and a ThinkPad for those who want a tough machine for the money. I'm glad that my son is only in first grade.

tags: macbook, thinkpad, laptopprogram, onetoone

Here's a shot of the Mahlum Architects offices, where I am waiting for our 9:00 meeting for the Catlin Gabel Creative Arts
Center. Note the central tables for discussion and sharing documents. The staff rearrange themselves periodically so that architects sit with their project teams.

Today, we take planning for data and audiovisual support to the next level. We are seeking to plan for future capacity without exceeding the budget, include flexible audiovisual solutions for classroom and gallery space, and ensure sufficient power everywhere for the laptop program.

To start the project, we will need to meet specific fundraising goals this year.

The Flip Mino has the potential to be useful in our school, especially for students creating work for immediate review or sharing. The Flip seems highly compatible with efforts to encourage student construction of knowledge, visual literacy, and multiple forms of representation. I can see teachers and students using these devices to practice foreign language recitation, interview subjects for a variety of purposes, and gather material for oral history projects. I can imagine huge impact during our international trips. With a portable digital video recorder, students could turn their view outward, collecting sounds, scenes, and interviewing people to include in a presentation or learning portfolio upon their return. Multimedia art students should have a blast with the devices.

The device is small enough to take along anywhere and starts up quickly. User controls are simple, especially the big red record button in the middle. The price ($145 at Amazon) is twice that of a small digital audio recorder, about right in my opinion to gain video in such a small device.

The Flip has the potential to remove barriers to using video in classes, as the Olympus WSM-300 did for us with audio this past year. The relatively low cost makes it possible to put devices in the hands of students more often. The small size makes it easy to carry a device off-site or package a class set. You can keep the camera on you more often, since it slips into a pocket.

One huge key is the USB mass storage feature. Like the Olympus audio recorders, USB connectivity is built into the device. This eliminates the most time-consuming step in conventional video capture -- transferring footage from camera to computer. Now, one can transfer footage as a simple file copy or using The Flip's proprietary software. Each Flip comes with its own software installer on the device. If you want more control and flexibility, open the INSTALL folder and run the 3ivx installer. You will gain the ability for QuickTime Player (Mac) to open these compressed AVI files. An open-source decoder also exists.

In my one-day test, 2GB storage was more than adequate. I shot here and there during a three hour visit to the amusement park -- 25 short clips in total -- and only used 500MB.

For some reason, converting the files from compressed AVI to MOV. I am not sure whether the problem lies in the AVI conversion, the special compressed format that the Flip uses, or my slow G4 Mac!

The Flip software offers buttons to quickly post video to YouTube and other video web sites. I haven't yet tried them, but this could be a way to quickly get a movie into FLV format for the web.

For a $170 video recorder, the quality is excellent. A couple of weak points are the audio levels and zoom. In my single day of use, I found the audio pickup a tad weak, though it should be fine for interviews and other classroom applications. I also found the image too fuzzy at 4x zoom -- it may be digitally enhanced.

I wish that the Flip had multiple folders for organizing stored clips, in the manner that the Olympus digital audio recorders do. Then, two students could share one device but keep their work separate.

Flip makes less expensive video recording devices, but only the Mino has a rechargeable battery. I would like to avoid the impact of disposable batteries, even though a dead rechargeable device will then be useless for the remainder of that period. Now I need to seek a device to charge a dozen USB devices at once.

How long before this level of video recording is a standard feature on cell phones, in the way that still cameras have recently become?

Here is a sample I shot today at full size and converted from 3IVX to QuickTime H.264 at 1000kb/s in order to retain as much as possible the quality of the original shot. Or, you can download the 3ivx version directly.



tags: video, flip

Reading edutech blogs, one might think that the iPhone is the only mobile platform out there. As a happy BlackBerry user, I have resisted the urge to try out what is apparently the greatest device ever. Nonetheless, running a school tech department, I felt an obligation to at least try one out. Fortunately, we came into a free iPod Touch as a result of our annual, huge order from Apple.



Before you get too excited, let me state for the record that the iPhone is a more capable device than the Blackberry. It can do more (and do it better). Its graphics are superior, the screen is larger, and the glass keyboard isn't as bad as I thought it would be. The camera shoots better pictures, and you can watch TV shows on it. RSS and Twitter text is more readable and easier to navigate.

Now that we have got that out of the way (phew!), let us consider a different question. What functions do I need in my mobile device?

On my Blackberry, I run:

1. Phone
   
2. Mail
   
3. Calendar
   
4. Address book
   
5. Notes
   
6. Tasks
   
7. GMail for a hosted domain
   
8. Google Maps
   
9. TwitterBerry
   
10. Facebook
    
11. Google News
    
12. NewsGator Reader (RSS)
    
13. Opera web browser
    
14. Camera

In other words, I can interact with practically all of my information sources from this device. I can blog, twit, photo, and so on. I can pay attention to either work or personal mail, depending on the day of the week. I suppose I could play music, but ever since I shortened my commute to 5 min, I don't need to. When consuming information, I prefer text to audio and video, or at most a page of text supplemented with other media.

I paid $0 for the Pearl with a new AT&T service contract.

Adding the handheld to our school BlackBerry Enterprise Server took about 5 minutes.

I recharge the battery every other day.

To download new BlackBerry applications, I typically just Google what I want and download it from the manufacturer's web site (i.e., like any other download). Click Install, and I've got the application.

iPod Touch

I spent about 20 minutes trying to determine whether I could avoid registering the product with Apple and still download the 2.0 software update. I could not.

$9.95 for the software update for a device we just purchased? I couldn't just pay the fee and download the software. I also had to create an iTunes Store account in order to pay the fee.

Applications are only available through Apple. That seems scary. Every installation requires my iTunes password, even for free products. Why?

Apple says that they now fully support mail for Exchange servers. Except that it doesn't work for me. Microsoft Entourage can access our Exchange server great through HTTP. Why can't this iPod?

If I want push email, we have to install an Exchange ActiveSync server. I doubt this is as simple as Apple's diagram might suggest.



Let's focus on teaching and learning

It's easy to get seduced by all the gadgetry out there, but this takes time away from our main purpose of building capacity to support teaching and learning. I'll stick with the BlackBerry (for now).


tags: iphone, ipodtouch, ipod, blackberry, pearl

I got my hands on two mini laptops at ACPE this week, the CTL 2go PC and the HP 2133 Mini Note PC. Along the same lines as the ASUS eeePC and the XO, they promise to provide a low-cost device that is suitable for basic classroom use. The HP appears to be just a low-cost version of a regular laptop, whereas the CTL 2go sports a carrying handle and rugged case. The 2go is also less expensive: $379 for the Linux version. The HP keyboard is nearly normal size, whereas the 2go has small keys. While I am sure that these fit kids' fingers just fine, will they have any difficulty adjusting from full-size and small keyboard formats?

Although both models offer a Windows option, I can't believe that the computers would remain useful for more than a couple of years running Windows XP on an underpowered processor. With Linux, we would have to learn to manage Linux on the desktop for the first time, but the machines would likely last longer. We would also have the opportunity to choose a Linux distribution with a super kid-friendly user interface. We will evaluate and purchase a handful of these devices next year with an eye to purchasing classroom units by next summer. I would like to hear your experiences with inexpensive, classroom laptops.

tags: ulcpc, acpe08

I have learned that wireless access points don't die -- they degrade. Both at school and at home, WAPs become flaky in their old age, so that the wireless network exhibits problems easy to attribute to other issues such as channel conflict. I just upgraded our wireless access point at home after weeks of "a wireless error occurred" messages from our Macs. Thankfully, the new one has made our access point happier again, even though the marketing "RangePlus" gimmick still does not allow wireless to reach all the way to the bedroom (must be a PC thing). Our new AP: Linksys WRT100. The old, which served us well for years: Netgear WGT624. I also went a step further with wireless security this time, using WPA instead of WEP, locking down admin access to wired computers only, and only allowing known MACs online. I wonder whether manufacturers are actually pushing people away from WEP, since I couldn't quite get how to correctly configure encrypted WEP keys. If we ever have a 802.11n device in the house, this device is apparently compatible.

tags: wireless, 802.11g

Who do you believe?

E-Cycle Environmental

E-Cycle Environmental practices a no re-sell policy of any of the electronics we process through our organization, regardless of functionality. Obsolete electronics have no place in the modern economy for numerous reasons:

-Very few organizations will except donations
-Computers only a couple of years old are obsolete
-Companies can invest in new electronics for minimal cost
-Used electronics are usually very unreliable
-Obsolete electronics take up valuable square footage
-Obsolete electronics are tremendous liabilities

FreeGeek

FREE GEEK receives donated used computers and refurbishes them with care. They are then "adopted out" to volunteers in exchange for 24 hours of service in our recycling facility. We call this the "adoption program," and anyone willing to come down and work is eligible to join us and adopt a machine. The computer systems we create, called FreekBoxes, are loaded with the GNU/Linux operating system and other Free Software.

Any computer equipment, working or not, can be donated to FREE GEEK; we will repair and reuse what computers we can. Non-functioning computers and scrap will be recycled responsibly. Computers that are deemed obsolete or broken are demanufactured and separated into their basic components. FREE GEEK then finds a local industrial recycler to process the materials.


tags: ewaste, recycle

Apple has done it again. They join the ultraportable laptop party ten years late and still manage to leapfrog the competition in a single bound. Could this device take off in schools? Let's take a look.

I love the LED screen concept. Less energy consumption + no mercury or arsenic = longer battery life and less hazardous waste. I'm glad to see serious innovation in screen technology reach a mainstream laptop. Same for the solid-state hard drive. Though it's too expensive to become a popular choice, it's a sign of further innovation to follow. Neither innovation is likely to change school adoption dramatically, unless we start offering only models that meet certain sustainability benchmarks.

I hope Apple has made the case of more rigid stuff than that of the MacBook Pro. The say it's "anodized aluminum," which if not alloyed with another metal, will bend and warp easily. This could easily put increased pressure on internal components, causing the hardware to fail readily. In a school environment, our MacBooks and MacBook Pros are already extremely fragile relative to the tougher ThinkPads we also own.

People are bummed about the sealed case and internal battery. In our school, I know of no user who carries a spare battery. Typically, users purchase just one battery and then ride it until its performance is no longer acceptable. As long as it's not a bear to open the case, we should be able to replace batteries just fine.

Oddly, ultraportable laptops are not very popular at our school. I'm not entirely sure why. One would figure that, with so much to carry around, both students and teachers would appreciate the lighter weight and smaller size. A full-size keyboard definitely helps. Very few users like typing on smaller keys for long. Maybe it's the cost. Or the slower processor. Or the smaller hard drive. Or the lack of expandability. Or maybe our users are mobile but not "ultramobile," so they don't need an "ultraportable" computer.

Students and teachers lose their MacBook display adapters fairly readily. Now, they will also have an Ethernet adapter to misplace! Our collection of loaner video adapters will diversify some more.

802.11n? Not for a few years at our school. The cost of replacing all of our access points just to move up to the next wireless standard would be prohibitive. We only just got rid of our last 802.11b WAPs! We will likely get there through our regular replacement cycle.

Multi-touch trackpad? This seems a poor substitute for a tablet PC or multi-touch screen. I'm not excited.

Do I see correctly that there is only one USB port? That won't do for anyone who wants to use this laptop at their desk for very long.

High price will make it an unpopular choice for school-owned machines. I can't imagine the additional cost being worth it for faculty or staff, for instance.

Wow factor: huge. We have already seen a dramatic shift toward Macs in our student laptop program, in which students choose their preferred platform. Though the features don't scream "great for school," the dramatic lines and clean look may sway quite a few users. Ultimately, I hope our students stick with the more durable (did I just say that?), expandable, serviceable MacBook. The PC users have not gone for the ultraportable Thinkpad. Perhaps they will also eschew the MacBook Air.

p.s. Did Apple goof with the name? "MacBook Error?" "Air MacBook?"

I picked up a Blackberry Pearl today -- a nice mix of compact size and smart functionality. It also finally solves my two-phone dilemma -- when work provides the smart phone but you also need to own your own phone in order to place personal calls. The Pearl is incredibly thin, and I can do work email, calendar, appointment reminders, web browsing, to-do lists, notes, RSS feeds, maps, photos, and even music if I wish. It was dead easy to get onto our BES server at school. Best of all, I got the device for free (after rebates) at Car Toys and signing up for a new AT&T contract!

I have experienced only two quirks so far. The screen is pretty small, but I'll accept that in exchange for the ability to keep the tiny device comfortably in my pocket. GMail 1.5.1 doesn't work with my Google hosted domain, which is puzzling, since GMail 1.1.0 worked fine with my hosted domain on my Blackberry 7100i. I hope that Google is planning to implement hosted domain support on GMail mobile -- it's very handy to access work and personal email from the device but keep them separate.

I have very gradually been getting more accustomed to doing work on a mobile device. The usefulness of additional applications -- a whole suite from Google plus Newsgator RSS reader -- have really opened the door for me. I am sure that I will reach the limit soon. Nothing compares to a full-size keyboard and screen, and I'm just not that mobile compared to the classic smart phone road warrior.

Sure, I'd rather have an iPhone, but not for $400! ;^)

We're planning to take a look at Blackberries and cellphones on campus soon ... not for students, but for staff! We feel caught in a typical bind, in which the desires for innovation and cost control are in conflict with each other. My favorite innovations are cost effective (or even cost saving). For example, many of the web technologies we have introduced cost far less to adopt and support than their commercial counterparts. What about Blackberries and cellphones? The advantages are obvious. Blackberries allow us to monitor email while away from the desk, receive meeting reminders, make appointments quickly, and be available by phone anytime. However, the costs add up quickly per individual per month, when you consider the phone, minute plans, BES license, and support time needed to care for the finicky devices. It's difficult to estimate the value of intangibles when budget time comes around.

Other factors also affect these decisions. Tax laws require us to either not use the devices for personal calls or to track personal calls and then reimburse the school. Either approach seems impractical. One requires you to carry a second phone around for personal calls, and the second requires you to do a bunch of extra work to identify all of the personal calls in a bill each month. I would like to share the costs with the school, either by buying the phone and having the school pay for the plan or vice-versa. However, we don't yet know whether this is a legitimate use of school funds.

We hope to find a solution that meets the tax requirements of a non-profit organization, allows us to take full advantage of new technologies, keeps costs under control for the sake of the school, and allows phone-toting staff members to make natural choices about the use of the phones for business and personal purposes. Stay tuned in the New Year to find out what we do.

Smart Boards are another example of an exciting innovation with a high price tag. We have already committed ourselves to install ceiling-mounted data projectors in as many classrooms as we can. We would love to include Smart Boards as a standard feature in every room, but at $1500 each and considering the patchy pattern of adoption among our teachers, standardization seems undesirable. Instead, we acquire a few Smart Boards for the most active users and leverage our financial resources elsewhere.