Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Never before have I been so interested in an announcement aimed at the education-sector as I was with last week’s announcements from Apple.  Having children has changed that, just as they’ve changed many aspects of my life.  When the iPad was first announced in 2010, I put together a short list of areas in which it could be affective, and education was one of those.  With the launch of iBooks Author, the iTunes U app, and the updated iBooks 2 app, that opportunity has been cemented.  However, the educational benefits of the iPad have shown their face long before this announcement.

I read a post earlier this month questioning why adults are amazed when children, even as young as 2 years old can pick up an iPad and use it with ease.  Surely these are superior children that possess Mensa-quality intellect and will be running the country by the time they’re 7!  As much as I’d like to think that, again speaking as a parent, I no longer believe that’s the case.  That’s not to say I don’t think my children aren’t intelligent (or even above average). The truth is, the iPad is easy to use.  Period.  As I’ve written before, I’ve seen both of my kids use the device, navigate through the screens of apps, find their favorites and use them with ease.  So simple, so elegant, so…what’s next.

The announcements from Apple, iBooks 2, iBooks Author, and the refined and retuned iTunes U (making it’s app debut) are all amazing elements when you look at them on their own merit.  But it’s when you lump them all together that a truly-inspired vision of what the future of education could be.  While the approach from Apple locks schools into one platform and one device, it’s an approach that I’ve not seen rolled out on such a promising scale.  These items aside, I’ve seen my own children use the iPad as more than just a gaming device, but rather an educational tool.  My youngest son has two favorite apps, AlphaTots and TallyTots and after using them he’s now able to easily recite the alphabet and count to 20.  What’s the draw to these apps?  They’re engaging, they’re entertaining, and they’re able to present lessons in an easy-to-understand format.  Who knows what role, if any, the iPad (or similar devices) will play in education, but it appears to off to a good start.

Monday, December 26, 2011

So you got an iPad for the holidays but you aren’t quite sure where to start with it?  Here are a few great resources that can help you get the most out of your new iDevice.

Podcasts & Video Tutorials

• iPad Today
• We Have Communicators
• iPad Guided Tours
• iPad Tips & Tricks
• The iPad Show

General iOS Tips and Info

• TUAW
• MacWorld
• iLounge

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

With the launch of iTunes Match I’ve encountered one of the first Apple products/services that has truly baffled me.  It’s not the service itself that’s causing the confusion, rather the signals that it sends me.  First, a little background information.

All (or most) of your music in the cloud.
While it’s not the first cloud-based music service to hit the scene, iTunes Match is the one that makes the most sense to me (thanks to years of iTunes purchases coupled with a steadfast dislike to purchase multiple copies of music just to have them available on multiple devices).  Other offerings from Google and Amazon let you stream your music to your computer or mobile device for easy listening but they can take a while to upload content that wasn’t purchased through their services.

iTunes Match takes a slightly different approach where you can access not only your music purchased from Apple, but also any of the other music you might have added from other sources such as ripped CDs or Napst…eerrr…friends.  The difference comes in where Apple is only scanning your library and matching this music and granting you access to (usually) higher-quality version of music that you have in your library.  You can upload songs that aren’t available in iTunes which can mimic the storage-locker-style approach that both Amazon and Google have taken.

Say what?
Signup for this service is straightforward, I’ll admit that right now.  The confusion and mixed signals sets in after the matching process begins, and in some cases fails.  The error messages that Apple has implemented aren’t very “Apple-like”.  They’re confusing.  They don’t give the whole picture, or even a snapshot for that matter, of what the real issue is.  In addition to the cryptic error messages, Apple has brought new iCloud icons into play that, unless you have a legend for, you have no clue what they mean.  Thankfully Apple has shed a bit of light on this issue.

Issues and interface inconsistencies aside, I’m loving iTunes Match, though it keeps sending me mixed signals.

Quick Tip
The November 19 episode (#143) of We Have Communicators makes mention of a MacWorld article that explains an iTunes column sorting option that is extremely handy when dealing with iTunes Match music.

“One way to cut through the confusion is by turning on a new view option in iTunes. Choose View -> View Options and check the iCloud Status box. This will add a new column to your iTunes list detailing the status of every item in your library.”

- Jason Snell of MacWorld.com

A very handy tip indeed!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Children don’t have any preconceptions or expectations when they encounter something for the first time. This is all-too apparent when I watch my two boys (ages two and five) use our family iPad. Not to take anything away from the simplicity of the device, but I’ve shown countless people the iPad, demonstrated it for individuals of all ages, and the results are as varied as the individual experiences.  Nothing compares to the experience of placing one of these devices into a child’s hands.

They seemed to understand how it worked only moments after touching it, and appeared to have mastered the basics of navigating it after a minute or two.  I’m not exaggerating either (as tall as this tale sounds now).  Some trial and error was up next, figuring out what each of the chicklet-shaped icons would do, what apps they would launch and what entertainment they would provide.

After the first few apps were launched, they both had established a pattern of how all apps worked.  The app they chose to base this belief on was Angry Birds.  Close, but not apps are made equal…regarding their navigation.  The kids would each adapt their use after finding out that Angry Birds doesn’t control the universe.  After seeing that, I made sure I was paying very close attention to their facial expressions.  I wanted to see if either of them would express frustration or would become angry if something didn’t work the way they expected (or wanted) it to.  To my surprise, they appeared happy and delighted to be puttering around and making the screen come alive.

As they get older and the tools and technology that they encounter become layered and burdened by expectations, I have no doubt that they’ll get mad at the outcome of some interaction.  It’s inevitable.  But as the world continues to move and become more fluid, there’s hope that these instances will be few and far between (along with the hope that they’ll help usher in the next wave of gadgets and gizmos).

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

If you’re one of the many, many people that purchased the iPhone 4S last Friday, you’ve no-doubt played around with Siri.  While this feature does have some useful and potentially beneficial uses, there’s the irresistible urge to find out just how much information and thought Apple and the Siri team have put into this service.  The answer: A whole-heckofalot.

These are a few of my PG-esque queries.

For more virtual assistant hilarity, check out S#!tThatSiriSays & S#!tSiriSays.com.