Products – Work With Hope

It’s Been a Long Time…

…since I have written a post, and a VERY long time since I’ve written about my personal passion, the net book.

Without being too cocky I do believe that I called this one right. The net book (or as they call it on BuzzOutLoud the not-book) has taken the market by storm and is quickly populating Starbucks everywhere.

I’ve been asked by several teachers and parents to recommend a netbook. Though I don’t feel comfortable recommending a specific product, I want to write a scenic overview from which you can take whatever you want.

Though several companies make these machines (I am waiting for the Fisher-Price netbook any day – the Pampers netbook?) i think there are three main players and two alternates in the field. Here are the big three in no particular order:

1. The Asus eee PC

Asus was first to the game and have developed the form to where it is now. The most confusing thing about the eee is that they have released SO MANY MODELS! One needs to look at the stats very carefully when ordering in order to get what you want.

The eee is available at Amazon, where you can probably find the best selection and good prices. If you are impatient, it is also available at Target, though they will only have one or two models

2. The Acer Aspire One

Full disclosure here, I have not yet touched an Aspire. I have included it in this discussion based primarily on reviews I have read and the general reputation of the machine. Depending on model, the Acer is probably the least expensive for a quality product. The Acer can be purchased online and at Walmart stores as well as all the usual online sources.

3. The Dell Latitude Mini

Dell was later into the netbook field, but they have entered with a strong machine. The keyboard is probably the most comfortable of the three. It is slightly more expensive than the others, but still a great deal. I haven’t seen this machine available anywhere but directly through Dell, so you can’t try before you buy (of course we have one here if you want to look at it).

There are two other names in the field, the MSI Wind and the HP Mini-note. I

We’re Ready for WCEA/WASC

Overheard in the LeVecke center:

Shiny New Chrome

I follow several technology sites which help me to keep up with the latest developments in hardware and software. Much of it is just noise, but once in a while I see something that seems to be important both in what it does and what it means in the world of tech development.

This week Google released the first significant new browser in some time. The new browser called CHROME is currently only available for Windows, though versions for Mac and Linux are expected soon. I downloaded the beta release and installed it on several machines including my office computer, my home computer and a few of the Eee PCs.

In a few words…I LOVE it. It’s simple, and fast Fast FAST. It seems very compatible with most pages and web applications (Acceditation Plus won’t load on it…which probably speaks in its favor). It works with a tab design similar to Firefox, but the tabs run as independent programs, so if a web page or app. won’t load or crashes, you can close that tab and the others continue running.

I don’t want to take too much time describing and analyzing Chrome, so I’m including two links.

This first link is to a short (5 minute) video demonstrating the key features of the program:

http://demogirl.com/2008/09/02/screencast-tour-of-google-chrome/

This second link will take you to the Chrome download site:

http://www.google.com/chrome/

Why is this important? The fact that Google is releasing its own browser emphasizes its committment to “cloud computing.” In this model, the browser takes the place of the operating system, and applications run on web pages rather than on local machines. This further supports the development of new UMPC’s (or “netbooks” as they seem to be called now).

Give Chrome a try.

Another Alternative

The HP Mini-Note and the Eee PC

I’ve just received a demo unit of the HP Mini-Note, another UMPC (Ultra-mobile PC). This machine is slightly larger than the Eee PC, about 10.5″ x 6.5″ and a little less than 3 lbs.

There are several differences immediately apparent between the two machines:

The keyboard of the Mini-Note is significantly larger than that of the Eee. The manufacturer claims that the Mini-Note’s keyboard is 92% the size of a normal keyboard. The touchpad is also larger
The screen is also larger. The Eee PC has a 7″ screen and the Mini-Note has a 9″ screen.
This version of the Mini-Note is significantly more powerful than the Eee. It has a 1.6 GHz processor and a built-in hard drive. It is also running Windows (Vista…ugh!) and MS Office rather than Linux and Open Office (It also has a heftier price at $750 compared to $399 for the Eee)

It’s too early to give a review yet, but I’ll do some experiementing and let you know what I think.

Two Interesting Developments

I regularly follow about a dozen technology-related blogs. Most of it is a mind-numbing bore (I can’t bear to read another analysis of the Microsoft/Yahoo deal!). However, occasionally I see something of interest. This week I saw two things that might have real future implications for our program at Mater Dei.

I’ve actually been hearing about this for a while, but this week I saw this short video demonstrating a projector built in to a cell phone. I’m not sure about the classroom implications for this, but I like the idea that presentation will become more portable and less formal. Here’s the link (luckily this video doesn’t get blocked by school filters!

There are rumors going around that HP is going to release an ultra-mobile PC similar to the eee. Here’s the link. Though the article discloses no details, I was intrigued by this quote from a source at HP, “you won’t even need to consider this purchase. You’ll buy it like a handphone without a thought”. If we get to that price point (probably between $200-$300) the computer becomes a “disposable” commodity. The other interesting thing for me was the claim that this new machine will offer significant improvement in battery life; music to my ears!

Well, I’ll be watching for these products. If you see things that you imagine having a school-side application, post the URL here or on the Ning site.

Confessions of a Fanboy

The term fanboy is used to describe an avid enthusiast, one with blind loyalty too his or her chosen subject. In the field of technology, this term is often associated with early adopters, those who are quick to acquire and embrace the latest technology. It can be used pejoratively in a “boys with toys” sense, though many early adopters proudly claim the title.

I suppose that it’s no secret that I am intrigued by new technologies. I enjoy reading about new gadgets and new software, and I get a charge out of learning all the capabilities of a new machine . Many of you have experienced my annoying insistence on showing everyone whom I can find the latest piece of equipment or software. I appreciate how polite you are, smiling and saying, “That’s great,” probably also thinking, “Humor him, and he’ll go away.”

I struggle myself sometimes trying to determine what is a spirit of innovation and what is geeky admiration for all things shiny. I am very aware of the suspicion with which some view enthusiasm for technology, and I understand it. There have been many mistakes and misjudgments along the path of educational technology, and much of what passes itself off as educational software is little more than games in school clothes. It is much safer to maintain an ironic disdain for technology because most things will not succeed.

However, not succeeding is an important evolutionary step. The first projection cart I ever made carried a desktop projector and monitor, and overhead projector, and an overlay that allowed the computer image to faintly be seen on a screen. It weighed over a hundred pounds and was a monster to move from room to room. I was very disappointed, but that cart taught me things that I used in the first rolling projector carts and the eventual classroom AV systems that we have today.

As we contemplate radical change like integrating laptops or other computing platforms into our academic programs, I think we all have a healthy fear of failure. The stakes are very high. The last thing I want is a bunch of expensive white elephants cluttering student backpacks and lockers. I’m not suggesting that we plan for failure of course, but we have to be willing on at least a small scale to experiment with the untried.

So I think we need to continue to be fanboys and fangirls. Personally I prefer the label avant garde. It sounds much artsier and it captures better what we are trying to do. Avant garde artists push the envelope of what is acceptable. Many times they go down wrong alleys and dead ends, But other times they discover the tools and ideas that shape the future.

Reflections on Micro Computing: An Ode to My BlackBerry

I wrote all the earlier entries in this blog on the eee PC, since I want to see how practical it is as an editing tool. However, for this post I’m writing on my BlackBerry Pearl. The keyboard on the phone is not nearly as easy as my desktop (or even the eee). I suppose I’ll have thumb cramps by the time I finish, but I’ve been thinking a lot about the BlackBerry recently, and I decided to let form match theme for these reflections.

I carry this phone with me all the time. Recently I’ve become more aware of all the things it can do:

1. All phone functions (duh!)

2. It can take and send (somewhat poor quality) pictures

3. It syncs with my school calendar

4. It has all the usual utilities like a calculator, address book, and note pad

So far all pretty ho-hum, but as a smart phone the Blackberry has a whole second set of capabilities:

5. I can send and receive email from my school and home accounts. BB is known for this “push” email which comes directly to the phone

6. I can access the Internet. The browser shows full pages, and I can zoom in to read and work on any section I want. I also use a reader to quickly access and read new stories and articles from my chosen sites

7. I can access and operate my home and office computers. I can bring up either desktop and operate the mouse and keyboard. This isn’t the best way to run a computer, but it’s great if I need to access a document or run Aeries.

8. I can load PowerPoint files and send them via Bluetooth to a projector. When I’m doing presentations, I don’t have to bring a laptop

9. I can edit documents and spreadsheets. I wouldn’t want to write the WASC report on the 20 key keyboard (though I could purchase a portable Bluetooth keyboard)

10. With the media player I can listen to music or podcasts and watch videos and movies. The small screen isn’t optimal for video (the movies with subtitles are really tough!), but I found it a lifesaver on the plane

11. I can use Google maps for directions. In fact without a GPS the program can identify my location on the map with 1000 yards throug triangulation of cell towers. I can also quickly find the nearest Starbucks!

So, what’s the point of all this? I suppose what I’m suggesting is that all this computing ability is and will be carried around by our students ALL THE TIME.

What are we doing to prepare them for this?

Thoughts on the eee PC: the not-so good

As I said in the earlier blogpost, though I’m in love with the form factor of the eee, I do have some concerns about it as a machine and as part of a school program. Here are the main things I have seen using the machine for about a month now:

The size doesn’t bother me at all. I have no trouble viewing applications or web pages. Likewise, I don’t have any problem with the smaller keyboard (of course I’m not a touch typist…I don’t know how difficult it would be if I were). I don’t like the fact that the screen is significantly heavier than the keyboard. It works fine on a table top, but when I rest it on my lap, it continuously falls over, often causing me to make typing errors. I correct this by putting a book underneath which helps.
Another good reason for the book is to keep the heat of the machine from burning my legs! I wonder about the overall power efficiency of the machine, since it gives off a lot of heat both underneath and through the keyboard. It doesn’t become uncomfortable, but you do feel the heat through the keys on your fingertips after typing for a while.
Probably partially as a result of this, the battery life is poor. The book claims that it should be good for four hours, but I get closer to three, less if I am doing significant wireless work. I’ve read on another blog that a new version of the computer will come with three batteries which will help, but that’s more weight to carry and more charging to remem ber.
The touchpad (like most touchpads) is temperamental and hard to use. Attaching a mouse makes the machine MUCH easier to use.
The video card is not particularly robust. When I try to stream video from the web the video pauses often while it is loading the first time. I ran a side-by-side test with one of the wireless laptops currently used by teachers, each streaming a 20 minute video. The Toshiba played the video without a pause, but the eee was constantly pausing to load more data. Now, there are workarounds for this, once the video is downloaded it plays without a problem, and you can always download a video ahead of time, but I wonder whether this would become a hindrance over time.
The lack of a CD/DVD drive doesn’t particularly bother me, though this might cause some compatibility issues down the line. If a textbook or reference was only available on CD, it would have to be converted to another media. I also wonder whether we would have issues with software that teachers really want that would be unavailable for Linux.

To have students get an eee PC would by necessity mean a scaled down machine, not one designed for high-level graphics. Rather it would be a tool for writing, research and other basic classroom uses. I’m not sure whether this machine will meet our needs (the first edition certainly doesn’t), but I do think it is something to watch as we examine other machines.

“The great thing about a computer notebook is that no matter how much you stuff into it, it doesn’t get bigger or heavier.”: Bill Gates

The eee PC: A Few Initial Observations…The Good

The eee PC from ASUS is the little laptop that I passed around at the meeting last month. I presented this as one of the possibilities for future student use. I want to be careful here. I’m not suggesting that we jump to this machine (or any other device). Rather, I was pointing out that there are several interesting developments in the portable PC market, and as we do an overall analysis of our program, we should be looking at everything out there.There are five things that attracted me to the eee for student use:

The size and weight: The machine measures only about 6″x9″x1″ and weighs about 2 lbs. One of the objections I have always had to the traditional laptop is that it is not practical for students to carry and store a heavy machine that won’t fit into a locker.
The stripped-down ease of use. Well over 90% of student computing is simple application use and Internet access. The eee is specifically designed for these tasks. The Open Office software is comfortable for any student who has used Microsoft Office and the Open Office program opens MS Office documents and saves in these formats. Though Open Office does not have all the functionality of the Microsoft product, the average user would be very hard-pressed to find anything lacking. The built-in wireless makes Internet access possible anywhere on campus (or in a Starbucks!).
Portability of data. The eee shifts the paradigm of computer from data storage unit to a processing unit. Since the machine has virtually no hard drive (only 4Mb, 2 of which is used by preinstalled programs), Documents will primarily exist on memory sticks, SD cards, or on the Internet. This new model better fits an evolving image of technology where we have universal access to our data (I carry documents back and forth on my cell phone).
Cost: The $400 price point (this is the retail price before any special school deal is reached) seems so much more reachable for parents than the $1000 or more that would be spent on a well-equipped laptop. At this cost, as student could use the machine for two years and then perhaps upgrade for 2 years.Connected with the cost would be the possibility of using the machine to replace other costs. I’m thinking mainly about textbooks here. I don’t think that “reading intensive” subjects like English, social studies or science would lend themselves to online textbooks (I could be wrong here…personally I don’t like to read books on a computer screen, but this may not be as true with our students), but math could easily be adapted for a digital format, available on a memory stick (or better still online). It would be easy to make the case for a machine like this if we could say that students would save $100 or more a year on textbooks.
School Curricular Program: One of my biggest fears about going to a laptop program is the pressure it would place on teachers in every class to use the laptops incessantly…even for projects not best for suited to them. The small laptops would be easy to carry and have available at a second. This could replace some of the trips to the Multi-media labs, which are currently impacted because (with the exception of 503 and 209) they are the only place where Internet or application based project can be done.

Those are my initial positive reflections. I will be following this up with a discussion of some of the not-so-positive things about this machine (I was going to do this all at once, but this post has become ENORMOUS!.But what do you think about a program that would involve student laptops? Are there points that I am missing (I’m sure they are)? How do you feel as a teacher about this? How would you feel as a parent? as a student?

“Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.”

–Stewart Brand