Review: Ask3, a Free iPad App by TechSmith

I'm a big TechSmith fan. They have produced some great software titles, are strong supporters of education and teachers, and are a Michigan company!

I'm always eager to see what they will come up with next. A little over a year ago TechSmith developed ScreenChomp, a screencasting app for the iPad. This year, they continue their push into mobile computing with a brand new iPad app called Ask3 (free).

Many teachers are familiar with with saying "ask three, then me;" a common ploy to encourage students to help one another and reduce their reliance on the teacher as only person who can answer a question in the classroom.

The Ask3 app attempts to enable that same philosophy through technology. Ask3 is a mashup of a screencast and a threaded discussion board.

The first great thing about Ask3 is the fact that students do NOT need an email address of any type in order to use it! This is a step ahead of many apps! Teachers setup a class and generate a unique 5 digit code which students use to get into the appropriate class.

There are three things you can do within Ask3: Create, view bulletin board, or view class.

Create: Starting with a blank canvas, you can add a photo and annotate that photo with lines, arrows, and simple shapes. Pres the record button to capture your annotations and audio narration in real time. Upload when complete.

Bulletin Board: This is where you can see what has been shared with the class. Students can watch posted videos and add text comments to the recording. The neat thing is that the text comments are linked to a specific part of the timeline, allowing students to ask a question related to a specific part of the video.

If a text comment isn't enough, students can begin their own screen cast recording, drawing on the screen and ask their question verbally instead of through written text (great for more complicated questions!). Like the text comments, these video responses are tied to a specific segment of the original video timeline.

Class: simply shows who is currently a member of the class and provides the unique class code.

Ask3 has great potential to encourage collaboration between students and instructors. The Flipped Classroom was a very popular movement in 2012. Many teachers have flipped their classrooms already. Watching video lectures at home isn't very collaborative or interactive. Ask3 provides a powerful way for students to ask questions while watching the lecture and would enable instructors to respond outside of the classroom, or provide a running list of questions to be addressed the next day during class. Furthermore, students can respond to each others questions, either answering them, helping out a fellow student, or confirming that they had the same questions as well. In any case, Ask3 can turn the solitary drudgery of watching a pre-recorded lecture into an engaging class discussion, outside of the classroom!

Ask3 has only been publically available for a few months. It's a great MVP (minimum viable product) right now. Here are some suggestions on how Ask3 could be improved.

Drawing: 

• Allow text input. My screen handwriting stinks! 
• Allow multiple screen "pages" so that I can switch back and forth between several diagrams. 
• Allow video insertion via the iPad camera. I would love to start by giving a personal introduction where students can see my face. 

Bulletin Board: 

• Better "threading": I would like to see, at a glance, how many comments were made on a video. I would love to be able to expand the comments to read them all at once and even to play attached videos. 

Classroom: 

• Ability to click on a student and see how many comments/videos he/she has posted. 
• Ability to block or remove a student from the class. 

General Suggestions: 

• Where do these videos go? It would be great if they would link up to my screencast.com account. 
• Ability to upload/share an existing video? 
• Ability to access Ask3 from a computer (web app/extension?)
• Plugin integration for popular LMS' (i.e. Moodle, BrainHoney, BlackBoard, Haiku, etc)

iPad \\ Chromebook Showdown

This past week I presented an iPad vs. Chrombook comparison to a group of librarians and technology specialist in Wayne County, Michigan. 

Thanks to those who provided their thoughts on the device debate. If you have an opinion of your own, please feel free to express it by leaving a comment! 

The Textbook Evolution Has [Finally] Begun!

Apple's announcement that it will begin supporting and encouraging the development of digital interactive textbooks has caused a considerable stir in the educational community. The stir is not just hype as Apple's decision marks an important shift in the publishing industry which has been woefully slow to adapt to and take advantage of emerging technologies.

I am the director of a fully online school. For the past six months I have been researching digital curriculum. I was interested in using digital textbooks instead of the typical self-contained course such as those produced by Florida Virtual School, K12/Aventa, etc. A few publishing companies offered such books, but this is what I discovered:

• Few of these digital texts were truly "interactive." They ranged from PDF documents to websites. 
• No one seemed to have an established pricing model for their ebooks. One company told me that in order to purchase their eBooks I would need to purchase a copy of their traditional textbook and they would throw in the eBook (evidently I was just supposed to store several hundred textbooks in a closet somewhere). 
• None of the sales reps that I spoke with were knowledgeable about their eBook line. At the 2011 Virtual School Symposium, one of the largest textbook companies didn't even have the foresight to showcase their eBook at the conference or bring a sales rep who could speak about the books. 

If left to themselves, the publishing companies would have delayed the move toward digital textbooks at all costs. The similarities between the textbook companies, the music industry, and the newspaper industry is striking. Their lack of innovation and protection of [past] huge profits is disappointing. Here is the result of their "visionary" thinking:

• Apple is now the #1 seller of music in the United States. It essentially controls the music industry. 
• The News industry has seen a drop in everything: subscribers, circulation rates, and advertising revenue. Strong digital competitors like the Huffington Post and the Drudge Report are gaining traction, and significant ad revenue, against traditional outlets. 

Apple is poised, once again, to disrupt a bulwark of capitalism. Clearly, Apple's success indicates that innovation and creativity are more valuable than balance sheets and a love of "tradition."   

While I'm not thrilled at the proprietary nature of Apple's new textbook initiative, I give them credit for pushing the big textbook publishers into the 21st century. Without Apple's clout, it may have been another 12 years before we saw significant improvements in the textbook publishing model.

My hope is that Apple's investment into textbooks will encourage/force other platforms to develop similar ecosystems. Ultimately, I would love to see an open source platform emerge that would allow textbooks to be traded between devices.

Apple has succeeded in accomplishing more for American business and consumers than the federal government or traditional industries. Apple has its bruises, and I  certainly don't want to be a uncritical of a company that makes obscene amounts of money while ignoring unacceptable working conditions in China or being a monopolistic bully in the cell phone market. These faults aside though, I'm grateful that Educators have such a powerful ally in Apple who can move things forward when nothing else can.

iPad vs. Chromebook [Your Thoughts]

I teach at a school that has a 1:1 iPad program. I am also a Google Certified Teacher and Trainer and have been following the development of the Chromebook closely.

I was fortunate to receive one of the Chrombook Beta devices Google sent to users in early 2011. I am also the owner of a Samsung Chrombook which I use when I am traveling.

Having used both the iPad and the Chrombook extensively, I am torn between the two devices. Each has some awesome features from a beautiful interface and a wonderful app ecosystem (iPad) to powerful collaborative abilities and always available internet connectivity (Chromebook).

Several schools and individuals have asked for my recommendation as they weigh hardware purchases for the coming school year. I'm torn. Which device would you choose?

There are lots of angles to consider these two competing devices on:

1. Ease of use
2. Cost
3. Maintenance
4. Available Apps
5. Owned vs. Shared
6. Portability
7. Battery life
8. Connectivity

Please weigh in! If someone asked you which device they should purchase as a 1:1 device, which would you recommend? What was the deciding factor for you? 

The iPad Loophole

This year my school gave iPads to all of our high school students. We were one of the first in the state. It's been an exciting year full of surprises and learning.

During the first semester some of our creative and talented students found an interesting iOS loophole that gave them unfiltered access to the web. The trouble stems from Apps that, instead of storing their help documentation locally on the device, pull in their help documentation from the web. To the average user there is no difference between the two methods, however some students discovered that by clicking through the help files, they could navigate to a Google search page and then to any website on the internet. Some apps featured only small help screens, while others, such as the Google Earth App, featured a full screen web browser.

Facebook accessed through the Google Earth App

Twitter accessed through the Screen Chomp App

Over Christmas break we were forced to remove the following apps, all of which contained this loophole.

Grace to you
Billy Graham
Touch Bible
Logos study bible
Powerone calculator
Loan calculator
Halftone
Doodle buddy
Showme
Google Earth
Screenchomp
italk
Christianity Today
Word reference
lynda.com
PBS
super 8
Words with friends

It's unfortunate that security and safety frequently conflict with creativity and learning. 

Note: I understand that many educators are advocates of teaching students to browse the web safely instead of blocking access to social media and other potentially useful tools. While this is a noble goal, the reality of life as we know it includes the fact that the majority of schools block Twitter, Facebook, and other potentially useful sites. This post is not meant to be a discussion of internet freedom, but a report on a potential security loophole in iOS devices. 

iOS Apps for Educators

Next week I will be leading a webinar for some middle school teachers to help them better use their iOS devices as professional learning tools. I have found my iPad and iPod touch to be a valuable organizational and learning tool in my professional life. Rather than relying solely on my own experiences, I would like to ask for your input regarding your favorite professional learning applications. To submit your nominations, please complete the form below. I will post the results following next week's  webinar.

(Sorry that the form is cut off. Apparently adjusting the width of a Google form doesn't dynamically scale the form, it just cuts of the remainder! Click here to access the original form)

Skype on the iPad

For many, Skype has become a essential communication tool. Using Skype on the iPad will not disappoint!

Last week I was collaborating with my friends from the Google Educast, a weekly podcast produced by the EdReach network. We hold semi-regular conference calls to discuss upcoming shows, using Skype as our communication platform. Typically I use my Macbook to connect, but this time I decided to try out my iPad.

The large iPad screen provides ample room to view and respond to instant messages sent via the Skype messenger. The call quality was exceptional despite the WiFi only connection. I was also very impressed by the quality of the microphone. Those on the other end of the line had not trouble hearing me. I tried listening and speaking with and without the use of earbuds without noticing any significant difference. I was very pleased that speaking without the earbuds did not result in any distortion or feedback looping as it frequently does when using other computers.

For voice conferencing I would highly recommend the use of Skype on the iPad. Download the Skype App for free from the iTunes store.

Teaching Search on the iPad

Despite the "magic" of the iPad, it has been difficult to find classroom applications that are easy to implement given the constraints of a 50 minute class period and the unpredictability of 25+ students, wireless connectivity issues, etc.  The 1:1 iPad program at my school has required creative thinking and realistic expectations.

One assignment that has great potential is using the iPad (or any other mobile web-connected device) to search the web. Searching is a skill that must students are ill equipped to do effectively. This is how most students search the internet:

1. Type in the exact question you are trying to answer. Typically this is copied directly off of a worksheet or some other class hand out. Little or no thought is given to the construction of the search query. Just type the question in the box.
2. Look at the first 1-4 results. If the answer isn't given in the snippet on the search page, then it probably isn't there. The average student will never scroll through search results and will certainly not visit page 2. Frequently the "answer" that is found is incorrect or inaccurate. Few students actually verify information by looking at a second or third source.
3. If the answer is not found, it's not on the internet.

The method described above is NOT effective. Searching is a critical thinking activity that requires students to analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information. These are the higher-order thinking skills listed at the top of Bloom's Taxonomy. If searching is a critical thinking activity, why not incorporate it into your classroom? Here are some suggestions.



The presentation below was collaboratively built on the invitation of UK Educator Tom Barrett.



The presentation below was collaboratively built on the invitation of Blogger and EdTech Consultant Benjamin Friesen

iPads in the Classroom Conference Photos

Here are some photos from the iPads in the Classroom conference sponsored by MACUL.

2011 MACUL iPad Conference

This year the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) sponsored one of the nation's only educational technology conferences focused on the iPad. The limited number of registrations were quickly filled and many were place on a waiting list.

I was proud that my school was able to host the pre-conference workshops on the Thursday before the full conference. Our facilities held up well (as did our wireless network) and a lot of learning took place.

I led a 3-hour pre-conference session entitled "Google on the iPad." In this session I outlined which Google tools work brilliantly on the iPad and which ones I would not attempt in a classroom setting due to instability. Friday during the conference I led a 90 minute truncated version of my 3-hour workshop.

There are more and more schools rolling out 1:1 iPad programs or iPad carts throughout the country. Many of them, I fear, are doing so with out really thinking about what their teachers and students will actually do with them. Some things, the iPad does incredibly well (digital media creation). Other things, it is an absolute nightmare at (i.e. getting media off of the iPad to edit elsewhere).

If you are interested in learning more about integrating Google tools (search, docs, calendar, sites, moderator, etc) in an iPad environment, I would encourage you to explore the resources that I created for my presentation.

10 Ways to Quickly use the iPad in your Classroom

I put together the first 10 ideas. Click here to open the presentation below and add in your own!

Test Drive: Blogger App

Blogger, one of the top blogging platforms on the web, has recently been receiving some love from Google. Recent updates include an interface refresh, and new mobile views. Without a mobile app, however, blogging from small screens has has always been difficult.

This month, to the delight of iPhone users all over the world, Google announced the launch of their Blogger App. The App promises to make adding photos and managing multiple blogs easier from mobile devices.

This post is currently being written on an iPad 2. Sadly, the App released by Google is an iPhone app, not a dual iPhone/iPad app. As a result, I am being forced to use my iPad vertically instead of taking advantage of the wider screen.

The image above was taken on my iPhone and inserted into the post from my camera roll. Editing a post from multiple devices is easily accomplished from within the Blogger App. Geotagging is another feature included in the App.

Common blogging essentials are still notably absent from the app such as the ability to insert links or media other than pictures, and rich-text editing.

Thanks, Google, for pushing out a Blogger app. It is a considerable improvement, but there is a long way to go before the mobile interface is truly full-featured.

Google Drive and the iPad: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Note: this is an updated version on the post I wrote in June of 2011 when both the iPad and Google Docs (now Drive) were relatively new. This has been one of my most popular posts with over 11,000 views, underscoring the importance of both the iPad and Google Drive. 

Looking for a way to increase your productivity, collaborate with others, and access your data across multiple devices? It's time to combine the beautiful design of the iPad with the productivity super powers of Google Drive!

The integration of Google Drive on the iPad isn't perfect but it is far better than it was a few short years ago. The purchase of QuickOffice by Google and the subsequent redesign of Google Drive has made iPads and Google Drive much better friends. There are some things that work really well, some things that work sometimes, and some things that don't work at all.

Google Drive App Collection

To use Google Drive effectively on your iOS device, make sure you have the four Drive Apps (all free) installed.

Google Drive | Google Sheets | Google Slides | Google Docs

The Google Drive App

The Drive App represents the biggest improvement to using Drive on your iOS device. With this app you can view, organize, and explore your existing Google Drive files.

Touch the "i" button on any document or folder to see who has access, see the revision history or organize, delete, or share the document (screen shot at right).

"Slide" the screen to the right to reveal the drive menu and settings. The Google Drive app supports multiple Google accounts, making it easy to switch between your personal and school documents.

Google Drive supports offline file access, but you must select the files you want available offline. At this time files must be selected individually; you cannot select an entire folder to be offline (you can select all of the files within a folder).

The Google Drive app is NOT designed to edit files. Selecting a doc, presentation, or spreadsheet will open the related app or prompt you to install it. All editing of docs, sheets, and presentations are done within the dedicated app.

Viewing non-Google files is about as good as you would expect. Image and PDF files open in view-only. Video files (.mov, .mp4) can also be opened and viewed (Yay!). Other non-standard file types (PhotoShop, InDesign, etc) will not open but can be organized, renamed or opened in a supported app on your device.

Google Drawing remains an anomaly as it is the only native Google Drive file that cannot be edited. Drawings can be viewed through the Drive app.

Another great addition to the new Drive app is the ability to upload photos or take photos directly within the app. The Drive app can access your camera roll and Photo Streams, making it a great way to backup or move photos from your device to your computer.

The integrated camera app provides a way to quickly snap a picture (so long document scanner!) of a document or important information and organize it into your Drive files.

The Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides Apps

Selecting a documents, spreadsheet, or presentation within the Drive app will open the related app for editing. The editing of Google Drives files has greatly improved with the addition of the stand-alone apps.

The real-time collaboration (the best feature of Google Drive) works as expected, allowing you to edit a file in real time with other individuals regardless of the device you are using. There is no longer a lag with collaboration as there has been in the past

The individual Drive apps now also support basic document sharing functions. You can view collaborators, add new collaborators, and get a shareable link without leaving the file you are editing.

While the Drive apps are much better than the used to be, there are still some issues you should be aware of:

No Table Support in Google Docs
Google Docs does not support table editing. Tables will display in preview mode, but you cannot make any edits to a table.

Limited Editing Function in Google Slides 
It's great that we can now edit Google presentations (we couldn't for a LONG time!), but the editing functions are limited to "rich text" changes. The mobile version of Google Slides does not support adding photos or videos from your camera roll. Theme/background changes are also not available nor are transitions.

Use of the Slides app is going to be limited to minor text edits and use as a presentation device. It's hard to imagine someone creating a presentation from start to finish on a mobile device.

Commenting only Available in Google Docs App
The comment feature of Google Drive is a favorite way for teachers to provide feedback to students. Commenting is now supported within the Docs app, but not Sheets or Slides.

Google on the iPad

This past week I had the privilege of training the middle and high school staff at Southfield Christian School on how to integrate Apple's iPad with Google Apps. As part of my training I put together a Google site containing instructions, handouts, and resources. You are welcome to browse and borrow as well!

Is Apple's iCloud a Google Apps Killer?

Image: Flickr Via Dakiny

 In a word, no. Here's why.

1. Collaboration
While it is nice to be able to edit iWork projects from any of iOS/OS X device, there is no collaborative editing feature. Six people on an assortment of iDevices can't work together.

2. Browser vs. Desktop
Apple continues to develop software that is dependent upon the hardware on which it runs. iLife and iWork will become increasingly more complex and require increasingly more powerful Apple hardware (desktops, laptops, and mobile devices) to run them. This in turn, will requires a significant financial investment.

Google has taken a different approach by placing its focus on the web browser. Web browsers are free and have much less demanding hardware requirements.

Both tactics have their benefits and drawbacks. One isn't superior over the other. Only time will tell which one, if any, will become dominant.

3. User base
Apple's iLife/iWork suite is awesome. I use them all the time. My house has become primarily Mac-centric, however I do also use a Dell Laptop. Most of my extended family is entirely PC as is my school. Microsoft decided that it would launch a Mac version of MS Office which has a considerable user base. I don't foresee Apple doing this....ever.

As a result, Apple will continue to have a relatively small share of the computing market. A very profitable share, but small nonetheless. In today's keynote Steve Jobs happily pointed out the tremendous market penetration of Apple Computers. While it is indeed impressive, Apple can still only claim somewhere between 5-10% of the total personal computer market. The remaining 90-95% is owned by Microsoft.

Getting back to Google...because the market continues to be dominated by Microsoft, it's easier for the majority of consumers to jump on board with Google (which doesn't cost a dime and doesn't require any hardware or software changes) than switch to Mac, as cool as iCloud, iWork, and iLife might be.

I continue to be amazed at the quality of the products that Apple produces. I am eager to give iCloud a try. I'm sure I'll love it. I don't believe, however, that this will have a significant impact on Google nor will I be replacing Google Apps with iCloud.

iMovie on the iPad 2

I am helping launch an iPad initiative at my school and was excited to get my hands on one a couple of weeks ago. Last week I had the opportunity to try out iMovie for the iPad ($4.99) while taking 45 9th grad students on a field trip to the Detroit Zoo. Throughout our trip I took pictures and video using the integrated camera. All of the editing was completed on the fly using the mobile version of iMovie. Here are the results:



I was very impressed at the ease of editing a movie on the mobile version of iMovie. Adding, trimming, and moving clips is simple. The mobile version of iMovie is limited in terms of transitions and theme, but it is the best mobile video editing app that I have used.

The only thing I don't like about my video is the abrupt ending. Anyone know if it is possible fade out the music in iMovie for the iPad?

The Search for the Killer App

Everywhere I turn people are recommending and looking for the "killer app" that will make their mobile device more productive, fun, useful, and efficient.

Educators are also looking for the "killer app" that will enable their students to communicate, collaborate, and connect with one another

The search for the "killer app" is like a debate over the greatest athlete or movie; it will always continue, but without any consensus.

At last week's MACUL conference I appreciated this advice from Steve Dembo:

"Instead of looking for the killer app, educators should be asking, what do we want our students be be able to do with their mobile devices. Once you answer that question, you'll know what apps you're looking for." 

Here's my short list of things students should be able to do with their mobile devices:

1. Communicate with their teachers. 
2. Collaborate with other students.
3. Create things to demonstrate their learning. 
4. Find information

There are a lot of apps that enable these activities. Now that I've got my end goal in mind, I can begin selecting the apps that will best meet these needs.