After a gap in my posts I have returned. My blog up until now has been about Netbooks and Cloud Apps. If you have been following over the last eight months I have been discussing if Netbooks can be used in the classroom.. I even went as far as taking my MacBook and locking it up to only use my MSI Wind. I started this with the article post called, Using the Wind to Get to the Clouds. It turns out that Netbooks and Cloud Apps are viable functional tools for not only the classroom but potentially a school. While using my MSI I found out that I could use it do all of my typical school work whether it was with Cloud Apps or Open Source Apps. However, when using Cloud Apps bandwidth became an issue. My school I would imagine consumes a typical amount of bandwidth during a school day, but when several students began using various Cloud Apps simultaneously we crushed our our bandwidth.
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Last week I had the opportunity to discuss with a group of teachers in my school about Netbooks and Cloud Applications. See my school is in a unique position right now. We are in need of moving closer to a perceived vision of what the 21st Century Classrooms are supposed be. Not to mention we are in need of new computers as well as a new model for replacing our existing computers. Currently there is no known policy for computer replacement except when one breaks completely you try to find money to replace it. Over the last few years I have steadily been replacing our outdated machines but at a snail's pace in comparison to what is needed. This year I am finding myself in a strange place where I am almost excited when a computer breaks. That means I can use it for parts. That however is not a good place to be. We need to move past our current status of outdated and non-functional. That doesn't sound very 21st Century. Maybe that isn't the correct phrase at all, 21st Century. What happens when we are past that? Then what? A different phrase is needed and I feel that 21st Century Skills and Learners just doesn't fit. These are more Forward Thinking Skills and Forward Thinking Learners.
A friend of mine knew I was a looking for a different OS for my 
and and a few weeks ago sent me to gOS. Which stands for 
What a great day today. I was at a district workshop for technology integration into core subject areas. Today it was for Math and Science. Well, we were using Logger Pro and all the different accessories for collecting data from several sources. So, to make a long story short you can also purchase a hand-held device that will allow you to collect and analyze data in the field. It would just be cumbersome to take your full-on laptop into the field with all the potential in the world to have it damaged. The hand-held , Lab Quest, is in the neighborhood of $350+. This seems like a great place to substitute the MSI Wind as the tool for the field.
Do you want to save money with your technology purchases? If you are a teacher reading this blog you can probably raise your hand. Well, Cloud Apps are seeming to be a highly logical solution for schools (at least to me they are) as our current economy is not bouncing back as quickly as we would like. I work in a school and am very familiar with the numbers of computers schools typically have for say a student population of 500. Let's say your school has 68 student desktops that are 9 years old, 30 student laptops that are 7 years old, and 26 teacher computers that are 7 years old. They will probably need replaced in the next year or so because let's face it you have spent enough time polishing the brass on the Titanic. Many of them are probably so slow that student and faculty frustration is reaching a high. So, let's take a look at three options for laptops and software.
If you are like me you are married to your applications: iMovie, Sketchup, iPhoto, Fireworks, and many others. I have always loved the next great application that could outperform others in the same class. However, in the present economy I am a bit more married to saving where I can. Whether I am purchasing for home or for work it is my duty as an American to get the best product/service for the least amount of money. It just so happens that I am finding that I can replace my current applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ...) at work with free cloud applications and save my school money. Saving money with free cloud apps and netbooks for students will hopefully free up the money that is needed to support my human infrastructure with the appropriate staff developments needed.
Have you ever felt like the documents on your computer needed to be protected the best you could.How many feel that their own computer's hard drive is the safest place? I have a friend that works in computer security and most likely has his documents encrypted for the reason that if his computer would ever be stolen his documents could not be opened. Security is very important especially when you are dealing with student work and student information. I know that one of the big concerns in my school district is that others will be able to access the data we store in clouds. So, I found a blog article that was written by Huan Liu, 
I would like to start today's blog post off by saying how much fun I have had over the last few days writing about something I am so excited about. Over the last month I have done so much research and testing that it feels like I may have found the end of the internet, but I know that there is more to learn, develop, and create. This must be a similar feeling to what the person in 
In getting ready for my sub today I wanted to type my Lesson Plans in Google Docs. So, I created a general template so that the next time I need to generate plans I can fill in the blanks of the template and be ready to go. What would be really great is if the school district was widely using Google Docs. Then all I would have to do is share my plans with the sub and not have to worry about printing them out or emailing them to my front office secretary to give to my sub. I think that the next thing I will do is get my Tech. Assistant to setup her Google Docs so that I can begin sharing with her. It will also give her the option to collaborate and make changes where and when needed.
ok...Today went well again. I started out my day checking and responding to emails then creating a short list of Cloud Apps for some people in my school district. The same list that is in my most recent post, -
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