21st Century Educator

Just started watching some of the live sessions at NECC. Steve Dembo and Will Richardson just finished a great session on Ustream. If like me you can’t get to NECC check out this embedded Ustream feed for any live action at NECC…. Will be looking into Ustream a bit further and trying to work out how I can use it for a presentation I am doing in a couple of weeks time.

Well you would have to have been sleeping under a log for the past week to not have heard about Apple’s new iPhone 3g. I myself was waiting in anticipation for the release of the much rumoured upgrade. Being in Australia we have not seen it come to our shores yet (minus the few 1000 unlocked ones), so it was exciting to hear that Australia will be receiving the new device on July 11th.

After watching the WWDC Keynote address I was particularly interested in the educational applications for this device. I have embedded a youtube clip of the two educational applications that have been developed. Both these applications are for higher education, but both demonstrate exactly what is possible with learning on a mobile device.

WWDC Medical Apps for iPhone Demo

While I am sure the device will open itself up to some wonderful learning applications, I think there is more to it as a learning device. The addition of GPS and high speed access anywhere anytime is truly a reliseation of what has been somewhat of a innovative educators dream for many years. I remember back when I was finishing my degree in 2001, talking about this idea of anywhere anytime learning and always being connected. We didn’t really understand that idea as wireless technologies were just not to the standard we see today. While many of these technologies have been available in similar devices for a while now - none have seemed to have been as functional and as easy to use as the iPhone.

So what will be the greatest challenge if this device is embraced as a learning device? Well probably that very thing. This device is a very open device and it allows levels of users access never really seen before. How will our schools manage this? Will we lock it down or just ban it all together? Or will we have a serious discussion on how we can create a learning culture that embraces the amazing possibilities of such a device. Gone are the days of schools being able to manage what students see at school. It is now too easy for a student with one of these devices to view and access any content they want. Therefore, it is obviously going to be something that we as educators and schools will have to embrace and decide how we will guide our students. Once again this is a school culture issue and probably another example of the desperate necessity for schools to embrace the change and begin developing ways in which they will handle such technological change.

I can see this device being used for incredible educational purposes. Having access to learning resources in your pocket, being able to connect with experts in a number of different ways all from one device. Mobile blogging has finally been demonstrated as something that will be easy to do with this device. Imagine having a group of students on a field trip all reporting back to another class at school using a device like this. I guess it is time to wait and see how these technologies are utilised and if they will be embraced.

Late addition - Second life running on the iPhone

Here is an iwb being put to good use in a computer lab - behind the projector screen. Why do we have these things in computer labs? Anyone care to answer that one?
Blogged from my phone

A day in the gold coast hinterland

Originally uploaded by Brett Moller.

A day in the gold coast hinterland

Forgot to mention in the last blog about the Sunday program this morning that tried to have a go at hillsong church. Nice timing just before the conference. We watched it this morning before heading out. It had very little substance and really didn’t “uncover” any sort of misconduct or dodgy doctrine. They carried on about church being too close to politics and the whole money thing.

Same old same old….. Problem with the view that church shouldn’t influence politics is that if they don’t someone else does. So we even have Christian’s influencing politics or something that comes out of secular humanism. The prime minister opens the new church building and suddenly there is up roar because it looks like he agrees with them!! The program tried very hard to paint a picture of a church that was money and power hungry…..

Interesting thing is that I don’t think the interview with Brian Houston worked in attempting to make this sound like something bad. He openly admitted the huge amount of money that goes through the church, and he admitted that the government supports some of their charity work. However, he nailed the point home when he stressed that it was a non for profit organisation that used the money to help the needy.

A big church brings in big $$ and uses it to reach others with a positive message of hope!! Oh no they must be stopped, before more people get their lives back on track!!!!

I think all this story will achieve is some publicity for the church that will spark an interest that may bring people to church. Oh and that may be a problem too…. as we can’t have people spending their time in church instead of on the streets wasting their life away!!

(please not the tone of sarcasm in some of these comments!!!)

Linda and I have arrived down here in Sydney for Hillsong conference. The flight down was late but it worked out ok in the end as we could get into the hotel as soon as we arrived. Today was time to hit the shops. We had to walk about 20mins down to the shopping mall. Linda had a ball looking through every shop in Pitt st!!

We then caught a train out to see a friend from uni. CJ and her husband Nick recently had a baby girl. She is very cute and spent most of our lunch sleeping. We then spent some more time shopping through chatswood mall!!

Linda let me sit here with my laptop while she is adjusting the length on some new jeans. We can’t wait till tomorrow night!! It will be great!!

Hey, we are just finishing off packing for hillsong….. it is 2:15am and we leave in 7 hours. Can’t wait for the conference to start. Praying that it will be a time that we can get challenged and refreshed!! The boys and I are going to try and do some podcasts. Stay tuned and make sure you leave comments so we know someone is listening.

Cheers,

Brett

1 week to hillsong. Linda and I are really excited abou the conference this year. I had my heart set on getting to NECC conference over in the state, but money was just too tight. NECC is the worlds largest Educational Technology conference. I have been reading about it and following it for the past 4 or so years. However, I am still really excited about hillsong. It is just going to be awesome. Should be great heading down to Sydney with all the gang from church. I have been before, but never with a group of friends. Linda has never been before so she is a little unsure of what to expect. Will keep everyone up to date as we head down. We are heading off on Saturday to get a weekend away before the big week!!!

Brett