Saturday, May 31, 2008

Parents speaker louder than ever

Parents Speak Up Louder Than Ever. Kingswood
College of Arts in Hull gains an unprecedented response rate for their
mobile phone parent consultation.

Read more

OnePoint Surveys work with Kingswood College of Arts in Hull to
gain an unprecedented response rate for their mobile phone parent
consultation. The college sent a mobile phone survey to 159 year
7 parents and within a day received 54 completed surveys (34% response
rate). This is a dramatic increase on previous paper based
consultations where the college has received just one or two responses
from the parents from the entire school.

http://www.onepointsurveys.com/box/news18.aspx

mobile web predictions 2008-2009


one persons prediction do you agree or not ? Got any other suggestions.
  • Increasing numbers of people accessing the Internet on their mobile phones
  • Mobile advertising surges ahead.
  • Shift from messaging to Internet for data usage on mobile phones.
  • Mobile commerce of physical goods will come of age.
  • The PC and mobile will become closely linked.

http://suresh-mobileweb.blogspot.com/2008/05/mobile-predictions-for-2008-2009.html

May edition of Tech news available

Becta's regular lo0k at whats tech in education is out now for download with amongst other things analysis pieces on:
  • Context awareness
  • Handheld games consoles
  • Robots in education
  • Online reporting
download it at
http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=13669


Tech news pages on Becta website are on my links panel

Desktop Asus

Thanks to Ian Stewart for this. Desktop eeepc ?



Asus Ebox



http://crave.cnet.co.uk/desktops/0,39029426,49297099,00.htm

Friday, May 30, 2008

death of the computer lab ??

Interesting piece but up to you if you think its true

http://chronicle.com/free/v54/i38/38a01301.htm.

worth a read.


Thursday, May 29, 2008

MID or Smartphone call them what you like its all getting interesting

As Engadget puts it "iPhone vs. HTC Touch Diamond vs. Xperia X1... Fight!" Its all getting interesting as I have been predicitng for a while.

The killer device like the killer app for mobile doesnt yet exist and probably never will. But the tipping point in functionality moved on by the Iphone is being caught up and some would say surpassed ( Iwouldnt of course pass comment) by other device manufacturers devices and specifically device specifications.

Worth a read a love the visuals
.http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/29/iphone-vs-htc-touch-diamond-vs-xperia-x1-fight/

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Mobile web the new cash cow

Interesting piece of work by juniper research . Does make me think back to a economist article that the mobile web is the hope for making money from the internet !
worth a read.


http://www.juniperresearch.com/shop/viewpressrelease.php?pr=91

Beyond Blogs Newsweek points to social media

Interesting article reflecting on an original article three years ago on how blogs would change your business
. The year was 2005, and the story was "Blogs Will Change Your Business."

this update is worth a read.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_22/b4086044617865.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index_dialogue+with+readers

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Frontline sms now this is such a cool use of technology

Discovered this via the great podcasts from the www.theworld.org The World is a co-production of the BBC World Service, PRI and WGBH Boston.

I listened on the train ride back home from a great but wet and stormy weekend in Southwold courtesey of my Ipod Touch .

One of the pieces was about frontline sms http://www.frontlinesms.com/what/
developed and promted by Ken Banks and colleagues http://www.kiwanja.net/
I first heard of Kens great work through Mike and his name check on theworld podcast made my ears prick up .

Ken also came up again the silverback guerilla mobile phone game http://www.theworld.org/?q=node/17534 working with flora & fauna international who ironically I used to work with two of there ex staff Martin Hollands and Mike Appleton.

so loads to listen to look at go on !!!

Mobile phone ingenuity in Africa

well what a nice post for me combining my interest in development issues and mobile technology to items of interest on this post. With a recycling and possibly benevolent hacking.

http://www.afrigadget.com/2008/04/15/mobile-phone-ingenuity-in-africa/

Firstly dual sim
This product has two SIM card slots in a single phone - primarily to
support price sensitive/prudent consumers who wish to optimise their
call costs by maintaining SIM cards from two different phone operators.
As in many countries - calls to a customer using a different Ghanaian
operator cost slightly more than those on the same network.

Dual SIM card in Accra, Ghana

http://www.afrigadget.com/2008/04/15/mobile-phone-ingenuity-in-africa/

The village phone project in Uganda is also trailed well worth a look

http://www.janchipchase.com/blog/archives/2007/01/village_phone.html

whats interesting in the role of Nokia actually looking at how users are using phone rather than telling them what to do with them.

Village Phone setup in rural Uganda


Monday, May 26, 2008

2gether08

Now I cant make this I am elsewhere but its going to be great so book yourself on contribute debate . Steve Moore the unconference facebook king is yet again driving this great event forward for Channel 4

copy below

http://2gether08.com/about/

2gether 2008


Solving bigger problems

2 – 3 July 2008


Rochelle School

Shoreditch

London E2 7ES


Digital innovations are changing our world, the way we perceive it and our notions of what is possible ….


But are we doing enough or being imaginative enough to harness the potential of internet, mobile and games technologies to:


  • promote social progress,
  • improve the quality of our public life,
  • enhance our collective well-being and happiness and
  • tackle the most intractable problems facing the world at the outset of the 21st century ?

The first 2gether Festival will bring together over 300 radical
innovators practical visionaries from a wide range of fields to focus
on how using digital technologies we can generate real social benefits.


2gether is not just about wise words and rousing presentations. A
defining hallmark of the Festival will be how we frame problems and
work towards solutions. This will begin on-line, in advance of the
Festival and continue during and after the event.


Imagine what we might be able to achieve…


Who will be there?


An eclectic mix of technologists, policy makers, campaigners, TV
producers, software and games developers, designers, politicians,
digital innovators, writers, bloggers, social entrepreneurs,
philanthropists, leaders from charities, NGOs and leading players in
the marketing, PR, cultural and creative fields as well as anyone else
who believes that creative use of emerging digital technologies can
generate solutions to society’s most pressing problems.


Format


Our Festival will include a mix of structured content featuring a
showcase of world class speakers and panels, other more
self-organising, conversational sessions with lots of opportunities and
spaces for people to mingle at their leisure.


We will also be hosting ‘open space’ facilitated
conversations, brainstorming sessions, pecha kucha micro-presentations,
short films, musical performances, a big party and a few surprises!


There will also be “white spaces” to include time and
physical space, that participants can use to develop creative inputs
into the event. These could focus on specific issues, for example
climate change or education, or genres for example, serious games, and
many more experimental interventions.


These will make the most of the ingenuity and expertise of those
present and the opportunity to showcase ideas and solutions that have
been developed in the weeks before and during the event.


2gether will include an opportunity to meet the nominees for the inaugural UK Catalyst Awards, the presentation of the 10th anniversary New Statesman New Media Awards and the launch of Channel 4’s new public service pilot fund 4 Innovation Public.


Personally I might make the party !!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

EEEPC in a different form is it coing soon ?



Asus hint at eeepc in a different wrapper

http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/23/asus-vaguely-hints-at-alternative-eee-form-factors/

It could look like existing asus pc foorms as above

Friday, May 23, 2008

Anyone for Google sites and the APT STAIRS Project

Google apps has been around for a whole and Trinity University Dublin has been using it with students staff in an educational context fro quite a while.

But this is another project I just been made aware of a really interesting project. The APT STAIRS project is an acronym for Appropriate and Practical Technologies for Students, Teachers, Administrators and Researchers.

They are using JISC funding to run six demonstrator projects across the six Bloomsbury institutions. These demonstrator projects will examine how the latest online collaborative tools (Google Docs) can engage all users in supporting and developing learning, teaching, administration and research.

The Bloomsbury Colleges comprise six internationally renowned HE institutions within the University of London. The Colleges collectively have over 15,000 undergraduate and 14,000 postgraduate students (HESA 2005/05).

They are using a range of google services google docs, calendar mail etc .

Going to be exciting to see what outcomes and impacts the project have.

http://sites.google.com/a/jiscapt.net/project-plan/Home

What interesting on the same day I became aware of Google sites uptil now available for business and institutions only is now available for http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/google-sites-now-open-to-everyone.html

going to have a goodl ook at this over the weekend and get back to when Ive had a good luck. But initial looks like it takes integration and prsentation of google services to a new level but I could be wrong !!




I will see how well it works on my ipod touch as well.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Learning at Work Day



presentation I am giving at work later today as part of learning at work day.

same prsentation in sldr using powerpoint slides exported as jpegs to flickr and made into on screen prsentation using slidr


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

And a different way of seeing same slides using splashr picking up the content from flickr

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Handheld Learning 2008

When doing a bit of site maintenance I noticed I had the link for Handheld Learning 2007 in my links in the side bar . Well I have updated it worth keeping an eye on it regularly because I know its being updated very regularly . http://www.handheldlearning2008.com/

plus of course its in the sidebar !!

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Xacti camera is it waterproof !!

See photo evidence from teachmeet one Sanyo Xacti in a pint glass of water. Thanks Tessa for the photo!


Monday, May 19, 2008

Mobile 2.0 lands in Barcelona

amongst the teachmeet stuff Mobile 2.0 conference thanks to Bob for sending me this.. Anyone going !!!






http://www.m-trends.org/2008/05/mobile-20-europe-conference.html

visualiser forum

From teachmeet the great the excellent visualiser forum. Some great video clips around improving practice.
http://visualiserforum.blogspot.com

teachmeet



--
Andy Black

"Where Technology and Pragmatism Meet"
blog http://andysblackhole.blogspot.com

"One can resist the invasion of an army but one cannot resist the invasion of ideas" Victor Hugo.

teachmeet

http://andysblackhole.blogspot.com



http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=628488082

Saturday, May 17, 2008

SMS Burma Donations by SMS

Thanks Mike for pointing this one out !! from 160 characters.org UK mobile operators have have set up a SMS donation shortcode for the
Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to support the Burma / Myanmar
disaster appeal. Text D0NATE to 83696 to make a £1.50 donation.


http://www.160characters.org/news.php?action=view&nid=2583

Well done uk mobile industry

from Sky


Stephen Fry on the BBC for Dec

So go on get your cash going somewhere it can make a difference victims dont choose the regime they live under !!!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Mobile Mondays London anyone want to push for mobile learning focused event !!

Hi All
Ive been in touch with Dan at mobile Monday promoting an idea of a mobile Monday meeting focussed on m learning. Anybody else keen to get involved ?

Just noticed the Finnish chapter are ahead of us http://www.mobilemonday.fi/event/mobile-learning-need-and-tools

will keep blog readers posted !

Burma flood mapping on Google Maps

Now how about this for stunning using of technology its shows the physical toll of the recent Cyclone Nargus but not the terrible human cost

http://maps.google.com/maps/mpl?moduleurl=http:%2F%2Fmw1.google.com%2Fmw-earth-vectordb%2Fmyanmar20080507%2Fmaps%2Fmapplet.xml&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=16.87,95.4&spn=2.170925,3.273926&z=8

or tinyurl http://preview.tinyurl.com/3s7xv3

Computer Weekly Blog IT awards

Computer Weekly are holding a on-line vote for best IT blog under various categories and you can win £50 Amazon voucher just for nominating . Now not suggesting you vote for Andysblackhole but then again.

The link for the blog awards nomination website can be found at :-



http://www.computerweekly.com/blogawards.htm

Facebook Privacy issues video on YouTube

Now I don't subscribe to conspiracy theories much ? This video on YouTube outlining privacy issues relating to Facebook is worth a watch . As usual no comment but make your own mind up. I do use Facebook extensively . Thanks to Zatz forwarding this video via Facebook of course.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

embedding video in blogger via email

How cool is this a video sent as an attachment direct to my blogger account it embeds video in blogger page in a player cool eh !!

Constable Road street sale a very web2.0 event

Well how about this for a very web 2.00 event . Last Sunday about 20 houses in our street each had there own simultaneous garage sale organised by word of mouth and email .

Local photographer and street resident Andy Hendry took these pics and has for the first time used Flckr Ive embedded the shots here slide www.flickrslidr.com

now cutting edge it isnt but isnt it a nice project !! Great Photo's by the way Andy


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Is unlimited really unlimited vodafone 500mb data tariff

From a correspondent re data tariffs on vodafone

the report is as follows

I wanted clarification on the cost of data thereafter on the 500mb.


I had a very interesting conversation where they said that it was an unlimited bundle, but they have to state a cap as nothing in the world is truly unlimited, but they can use the word unlimited so long as they state a price per MB thereafter. What is really interesting here, and I have it in writing from them, the cost per MB thereafter is actually £0.00p – so truly unlimited !!


so get using that data tariff other tariffs providers are available and do check the small print !!!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

3M mini-projectors set to land in / with Samsung phones later this year


Mobile projectors here we come 3 years after toshiba bought out the stunning FF1.

samsung are bringing out pico projectors
http://www.engadget.com/2008/05/14/3m-mini-projectors-set-to-land-in-with-samsung-phones-later-th/

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Texting cost interesting statisitc but is it the full picture

From the metro this morning.
text messaging cost four times as much a receiving info from hubble space telescope .
It costs £85 per MB form hubble and mere 595km form the earth.
1 Mb at 5p a text costs £375.

now this might be not the whole picture but an interesting if unsupported stat all the same.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Clark Quinns New draft white paper on mobile technologies, the devices and the networks

Clark has kindly put a draft white paper out on mobile tech ,the devices and the networks and asked people to comment. Its worth a read and I am sure Clark would welcome your comments white paper can be found here.

Clarks blog can be found at http://blog.learnlets.com/wp/?p=326


go on have look

Saturday, May 10, 2008

It’s not all just geek talk and texts – phones are first with the news

Really interesting article that just shows how mobile is changing the face of the information landscape
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article3896667.ece

Social networking the future on mobiles

Missed this article in times but one of my roving correspondents spotted in the hard copy . I failed to get hold of hard copy but here link to online version

http://tinyurl.com/6764f2

The article looks how features becoming widely available in mobile devices will change how some use social networking sites.

Friday, May 09, 2008

vodafone unlimited data package for free

Not my words review the small print and remember other operators are available . Is this another step towards the tipping point for mobile you decide ???

Vodafone has just announced that all new and currentcustomers on monthly plans will now have an Unlimited Data Packagethrown in for free. Until now Vodafone had charged £7.50 to add theirUnlimited Data package to a monthly plan.

Of course in the Mobile Industry "Unlimited" is always finite and limited bya fair-use policy. In the past Vodafone have set this limited at a thrifty120MB but the announcement indicates that the limit has been raised toa more useful 500MB.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

Tomorrow’s Wireless World: Ofcom report on future communications technology

Thanks to Mike Short and Bob Harrison two mobile enthusiasts dare I say mobile mentors for pointing this out .

Ofcom report on Tomorrows Wireless World report on future communications technology

Tomorrow’s Wireless World scans the horizon ten to
twenty years in the future to discover potentially significant advances
and new, innovative technologies which are being developed that could
improve healthcare and transport provision.

The examples cited in areas of transport and healthcare suggest the ways wireless will be employed in society.

The annexes with graphics to support them like prtrayed below are worth a look
The Ofcom report can be viewed from the following weblink
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/media/news/2008/05/nr_20080507

The image “http://www.ofcom.org.uk/images/nr/tech7” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.



Interestingly look at how the Guardian reported the story link here

Friday, May 02, 2008

Hammersmith and Fulham BSF programme video on YouTube

If your involved with or interested in Building Schools for Future Programme you might like to to look at



you might like to look at other videos on the page. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHSdzj52Ozo

Google docs offline hits my account

Hi to Seb Schmoller who first noted roll out of offline access was a geographically biased roll out to US google Docs users. Well they just added offline access to my account and I am currently off to try it on my PC and then my Mac . Now I am not planning to dump my existing Microsoft Office and Open Office Suite on my range of devices . This addition of google doc with the help of google gears to the suite of tools available is another option.

going to give it a try and get back to you !!

Flash on mobiles

Now is this what all you mad keen flash developers having been waiting for !! Is it a firework to kick things of or a damp squib .

read the BBC story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7379575.stm

come on you mobile and flash geeks what do you think !!

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Handheld Learning event with Handheld to go !!

Some of my regular readers will know Ive been attending contributing to the handheld learning conference since its first offering at Goldsmiths back in 2005 (cant be that long ago surely !!?) .its grown a bit since then but its still a great place to see stuff and network till your jaw and your feet hurt !! they are also giving away a nintendo DS to those that register early. So go on have read through official stuff below and follow the link


Now the official stuff
http://www.handheldlearning2008.com


The conference takes place from Oct 13th-15th at The
Brewery, Barbican, London EC1 with the first day being open to the general
public. The event is about learning and examines the current and potential
future effects of the proliferation of technologies; from smart phones to low cost laptops, MIDs,
mp3 players and gaming consoles to entertainment software, virtual worlds,
social networks and web 2.0 applications.
This years confirmed speakers include, Andrew Pinder,
Steven Berlin Johnson, John Seely Brown, danah boyd, David Cavallo, Keri Facer,
Mike Sharples and Stephen Heppell.



The conference programme is already extensive in its
scope. In addition to inspiring presentations from some of the worlds leading
thought leaders and practitioners there will be plenty of networking
opportunities as well as participatory sessions and discussions.


The call for papers is open until May 30th and poster
sessions by June 20th.
Our first awards event is also taking place and we're now
taking nominations that celebrate innovative practitioners as well as
initiatives, organisations or products that have made significant impacts on
learning using mobile or ubiquitous technologies.
All "Early Bird" registrations before 31st July
will receive a FREE Nintendo DS handheld with game cartridge for use at the
conference (and to keep afterwards!). Delegates registering for Handheld
Learning will also receive a 10% discount to register for the mLearn.

2008 research conference being held the previous week in
Shropshire.


More information visit:http://www.handheldlearning2008.com