I recently downloaded a new app for my iPad, Pento Notebook ($2.99), that I believe can give some of the more popular notebook apps some competition. Now, don't get me wrong, I think that there are some great apps our there, but Pento takes a different approach and that is what makes them standout in my opinion.
Just like any other notebook app you can create and label as many notebooks as you like. They have all of the common tools for writing, drawing, and text insertion. Including settings to change colors and pen width. They even include some cute emoticons. But, what set this app apart is its ability to create rich multimedia notebooks.
What makes this really app shine is the "Grabber." This tool allows you to "grab" different types of media. If you want to embed a video from a web page into your notebook page you simply touch the "Grabber" on the left side of the page and select "Browser." Then browse to the URL you want and find the video. Once the video loads, by the way the browser loads very fast, touch and hold your finger on it and a menu appears with a choice to "grab" the video. Once you do that it takes you back to your notebook page and embeds the fully functioning video. You can then further manipulate its size and position, even annotate over it. This can also be done with text, pictures, etc. The "Grabber" tool bar also has a selection for Twitter that will pull up your Twitter stream and let you grab tweets and embed them as well. You have the options of using pictures, videos and music that are already on your device. You can take your own pictures or video recordings from within the app and embed them as well. When you are all finished with your notes you can save them within Pento or share a page via email, Twitter or Facebook.
Imagine the innovative uses of this in the classroom. Research can be saved, and annotated over, all in one convenient place. Students can make multimedia pages on a topic that can be shared with their teacher or classmates. Overall, I think that this is an app with a lot of potential that will spark your creativity the more you use it. I would definitely recommend adding it to your app list of must haves.
A little over two years ago myself and a small group of educational technologists in my area discussed the unconference model for professional development (PD). We all thought that it had a lot of potential and that the Edcamp unconferences cropping up around the country were really great. So, one of our group said that we should put together an unconference dealing with mobile devices, mainly tablets, that day PadCamp was born. This summer we held our second PadCamp on a beautiful August day at the Southern New Jersey shore. Over 300 educators and students, yes students, ran sessions and shared ideas and resources.
Shoot, they could have gone to the beach! It was a gorgeous sunny day and the ocean water was warm! But they didn't and that's profound. They didn't because they were "hungry" and wanted to learn and do it in a way that was productive and collaborative. So I said, "Why aren't more school districts holding their own unconferernces?" We all have gone through too many in-service days where the end result was boredom and frustration. Or, people got so "off course," due to being told what to do, that nothing productive come out of it. Many school districts have gone to the "turn key" approach to PD where a few staff members go out and get trained and then come back to train their peers. Don't get me wrong, this is can be effective, but it can be better.
Just imagine a day where the staff walks into the school cafeteria or auditorium, with a blank schedule in hand, and are asked to create a PD day that they control. I think that the thought of this makes many administrators cringe in fear. But, as professionals we have a lot to share and sharing is what it's all about. Remember, collaboration is a twenty first century skill!
The unconference model fosters sharing and collaboration. It gives a voice and platform for educators to share best practices and resources. How great would it be if the people that organize PD in school districts would take that chance? I firmly believe that people would leave feeling empowered, excited and motivated to go back and implement what they just learned. I have seen it in person and it's too obvious to not stand up and pay attention.
We are at a crossroads as educators. We are asked to teach to a test in a prescriptive manner that stifles our creativity. If we can take take come control of our professional growth and learn what we need and want, instead of going through more of the same, we can grow better professionally and our students will benefit as well. The unconference model of professional development gives you a voice and allows you to do what you do best - teach, learn and collaborate. Unconferences don't have to be technology related either, just use your imagination. So, if you haven't attended an EdCamp, PadCamp or any unconference yet please do! It's a PD experience that will be well worth your time.
A whole lot of attention has been placed on the vast array of tablet devices that are on the market right now and their potential for changing the way we teach and learn. Obviously with the release of the iPad 2 the discussion has ramped up a bit. It seems to me that the talk about how the iPad 2, and other tablets, are going to "revolutionize" education, and how they are going to replace the computers and paper texts that we are using, is a bit premature. Although I agree that the mobile computing platform is where we need to head, I still think that there is a whole lot of work that needs to be done.
Many people are talking about how the combination of apps and e-textbooks are "the way to go." There are so many great apps out there, and trying to cull your way through them can be cumbersome. Sure, there are ways to find the best ones but there are a lot that aren't viable either. I think that we are still at the beginning of the true impact of small applications that can be easily downloaded and are inexpensive and useful for the educational technology market.
The same goes for the way we are approaching e-texts. There is a big difference between and e-book and an e-textbook. An e-reader device or app works just fine for e-books because they are designed to be primarily flat text that is consumed in a linear fashion without any real interactivity. Just think about when someone is using a traditional book for study, not pleasure, they are going to interact with it in a variety of ways. They will want to do what one would do with a paper text whether it be to annotate, highlight, or "dog ear" a page. What I think we need to see are the designers of the devices, as well as the texts, look more towards interactive, dynamic and flexible content that will allow user to customize their experience. The devices also need to be able to manipulate and create content in order to enhance any lesson that they are used for in the classroom.
I am not sure that they really have their act together yet on this because everyone is so busy just trying to get a product to market that they are trying to be all things to all people. Manufacturers, software designers and publishers need to get together and come up with a model that will make a tablet and digital text something that is more than just a tool for consumption.
The tablet creators are producing for a wide-ranging audience, not just educators, and I think that is where the challenges begin. A tablet that will revolutionize the way we teach and learn has yet to be produced because that device needs to be geared towards education as well. The iPad, which I am an owner of, as well as other Apple products, is truly a great innovation with a whole host of worthwhile educational apps. But, when I stopped and thought about it a bit, I have had a device similar, yet not as small, for a couple of years now and that is my tablet PC. Yes, it is a lot thicker and, a bit heavier, but not all that bad. I have a touch screen, stylus and a keyboard. Most importantly, I can produce content in a very efficient manner. It also costs about five times more than the iPad. Big downfall!!
So, we are still waiting for that fabled device that bridges that gap between a full-blown laptop and a powerful tablet that is affordable and capable of content creation, consumption and expandability. Now, don't get me wrong we are getting there and there are a few real players out there that are worth a look. One that I think is on the right track is the Kno Tablet.
The creators of the Kno have put together two models of the device, a single slate or a double that opens like a book. It has a built-in e-reader, notebook and browser. It allows the user to interact with their texts in a way that the others don't. They have also teamed with textbook companies to deliver e-textbooks that allow users to read, write and research all in one place. Users can write notes and highlight with their fingers or a stylus. You have the ability to keep multiple notebooks as well which makes it more of an "all-in-one," device. They are also offering a Software Development Kit (SDK) and recruiting developers for an app store to build upon its features. For now, it is marketed to higher education with the idea that e-textbooks are cheaper and that it will pay for itself in the savings they offer.
Check out this video to see its features in action -
In my opinion, and I want to hear yours, the concept of the Kno is good, but it is still a device that is primarily for content consumption and notation. Sadly, the producers of the Kno have halted production and there is a lot of speculation as to why. Some have speculated that the company is going to concentrate on developing their software and will team up with a better known hardware manufacturer for more market exposure. So, the future of the device is yet to be determined.
While we wait for that one device to come along that satisfies all of our educational technology needs it sure is fun to watch and see what innovations will take place. Early adopters need to give feedback to these companies and in turn they really need to reach out to consumers, educators and students. These conversations will continue to drive the innovations and really solidify the tablet's place in the educational market.
So, my question to you is this: "What features do you want to see in a tablet that could "revolutionize" education?
