Does the iPhone Have To Be Exciting Anymore?

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't need the iPhone to "wow" me anymore. Ever since the iPhone 4S, I've been sufficiently "wowed." Apple could cease to innovate and I would be fine for a long time. Really.

Today, my iPhone is the computer in my pocket: it's the tool that lets me email, do word processing, sync with my computer, store files in the cloud, shop online, play games, browse over half a million apps -- it's my camera, HD camcorder, calendar, the list goes on. 

Last week, my home-modem stopped working. For a couple days, my iPhone was my family's gateway to the internet thanks to WiFi hotspot mode. And it's also my phone.

All I have to do is reflect on how it used to be. I was that guy who tethered my Nokia cell phone to a Palm IIIc back in 2000 using a custom cable I found online. I remember spending hours on the phone with Verizon's level 2 tech support until I could once-and-for-all configure my phone and PDA properly so I could access the web. I'll never forget what a thrill it was to be able to send an email to my Uncle in Korea from my tethered PDA while walking around the Ontario Mills Mall in Southern California. 

I hope Apple and its competitors keep pushing the envelope. Keep improving battery life. Keep making Siri understand me better. Improve the maps. I still want my flying cars, robotic housekeepers, and my vehicles to run on garbage but when it comes to innovating my iPhone, I'm content. 

3D Printers: When Will They Be Commonplace?

A New York school teacher emailed me in regards to an article I wrote for InformationWeek on 3D printing and asked me to direct him to some resources that I believed might help him in his quest to write a grant to acquire a 3D printer for his classroom. He also wondered if I was aware of any professional development opportunities, noting that he could not find anything. So, here's what I told him: 

I'm heading to New York this week to ice skate in Central Park with my daughters, but I'm also going to make a pilgrimage to the first ever Makerbot store on 298 Mulberry St., NYC.

Here's a link to Thingiverse: http://www.thingiverse.com

My favorite "things" are hybrid building blocks created by "UCK" -- though they're not really "blocks." A dad wanted his kid to be able to play with legos, tinker toys, duplos, lincoln logs, etc... in a "cross-connected" way, so he made adapters! Depending on the building system, they might be part lego and part tinker toy... Brilliant. 

One more company I keep tabs on is FableVision -- they're working on a 3D fabricator. They also offer a 2D (paper/card stock printer/perforator) with software for making 3D cutouts, which is pretty intriguing.

Regarding staff development opportunities: You and I are it! I mean, not literally, but this is such a young and vibrant frontier that your observation of a "lack" of PD opportunities is exactly the point: there is a huge void because it's so new. Whoever steps up and offers PD first will stand to make a huge impact, a few bucks (and a name for him/herself). Not that it's about glory or cash, because it's obviously not, but basically, 3D printing is just so new that there really isn't much out there yet. 

When these boxes are $100, or free, it'll be as silly as asking for PD to operate inkjet printers. No one asks for that because their uses are so commonplace and "obvious." 3D printers will be the same way in the next few years -- I'm certain.

What do you think? Is 3D printing the next big thing? How are you using 3D printers in the classroom?

Back on Blogger

I'm back on Blogger! I like the improvements to Blogger since my migration almost three years ago, such as the new "pages" buttons and the updated templates. Squarespace offers a very capable service, but it's more than I need. If Squarespace is the Ferrari of the build-your-own websites, then Blogger is the Kia -- and I'm the proud owner of a Kia, so that should explain a lot. Bad analogies and all, I'm back on Blogger.

I'm teaching at a new school in the Fall. I'm part of a team that's launching a new middle school (seventh grade this year, and 8th grade next year) in my district. I'll be teaching video production, digital photography, and robotics. We will be starting the year with lots of cool technology, but as excited as I am about the content we will be able to create, I'm even more excited about all the new relationships I get to build with the students and staff.

I just finished reading "Tuesdays with Morrie" at the recommendation of my daughter. I want to appreciate people the way Morrie did, and at the end of my life, I want to be loved like he was. Biggest takeaway: Love each other or perish. 

ISTE 2012 San Diego

I've been blogging and producing video over at EdTech Magazine: Focus on K-12's website, covering the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2012 conference held in San Diego.

To see what I've been up to and check out our exclusive coverage, including guest interviews with some of education's brightest minds as well as reviews of some of the most promising products in the exhibit hall, be sure to check out some of my videos and blog posts. Leaders talk about BYOD, STEM, Professional Development, Social Media, Cloud, and the Flipped Classroom.

Animoto Revamps iPhone App

Animoto, the company that made watching slideshows bearable, has revamped their iPhone app for even more amazing videos on-the-go! New features include the ability to select from multiple video styles & add text; preview and edit video before it's produced; more ways to share, including sending videos via text message; easily upgrade to Animoto Plus within the app; and the ability for users to see all their Animoto videos from Animoto.com on the app and vice versa.

So Long, iWeb, RIP

I'm saddened by Apple's decision to discontinue iWeb, Apple's website development application. When Apple introduced iWeb in 2006 as part of its iLife suite of applications, I was looking for a simple platform to create and host a website of my own for a video production company I was starting called Action Touch Media. Earlier, I had experimented with Dreamweaver, a more professional website creation software applicaiton, but it was complicated and I didn't have time to master HTML. In contrast, Apple's drag and drop UI, beautiful templates and seamless publishing to MobileMe proved to be the ideal solution for me. In June, 2011, when I released my Stick Pick app, I had built my support website entirely using Apple's iWeb (not realizing iWeb's days were already numbered).

Although Apple plans to continue supporting iWeb and MobileMe through the end of June, 2012, I decided to cut my ties a little early. I have enjoyed iWeb for the better part of half a decade, but this week, I chose Blogger, a product and service of Google. Stick Pick's new support website is live, and the links have been updated in Stick Pick version 1.02.

I hope Apple decides to revive iWeb. Perhaps they will merge it with iCloud. Regardless, I chose Blogger for my new support website for several reasons: 1) Google seems committed to supporting the platform; 2) having used Blogger in the past, I'm familiar with the user interface; 3) Blogger's service is free; 4) You can now have multiple and easily navigatable pages with tabbed menus; and 5) it can be updated from the cloud! RIP iWeb.

What iWeb did well:
-iWeb offered a WYSIWYG UI; no knowledge of HTML required. You control it all: design and content.
-The Ecosystem: Integration with iLife applications
-One button publish to iDisk
-Ability to embed: YouTube and Paypal buttons
-Blog with comments
-Beautiful templates that made it look like you are a design expert.
-Ability to Customize

Of course, iWeb did have its limitations:
-You couldn't publish or update from the cloud; always had to be tied to your machine to publish updates!
-The problem with cool templates was that everyone began to use them and they all started to look the same.

Will you miss iWeb?

Weekly Email to Parent Challenge

Rachel Elliott, @TechmoRachel, a teacher specializing in assistive technology for exceptional learners in Calgary, Canada, is the inspiration for this blog post with her great idea.

Yesterday, I happened to notice her tweet. She said:

"Today's weekly email to parents suggested teaching students the spectrum keyboarding skills with Dance Mat Typing."

It wasn't really the suggestion she gave to her parents that caught my eye and imagination, it was the fact that she writes a weekly email to her parents. That got me thinking... Within a few minutes, I had drafted and sent an email to my entire staff of over 40 teachers, with the subject line: Weekly Email To Parent Challenge. Here's what I wrote:

I came across a tweet by a teacher I follow who writes a weekly email to her students' parents. I thought it was a great idea so I thought I'd share it. It doesn't have to be long-- even if it's just a homework tip, reminder about an upcoming event, or a couple sentence summary of the topics you taught during the week -- maybe a part of the social contract you're focusing on...

I guess now I need to send a note home and ask my parents for an email address...

I'm gonna write my first one to my students' parents next Friday. Who's with me? *chirp*chirp* Nothing long winded or fancy... Just a quick little burst. Maybe short and frequent is better...? -- it'll be more than I currently do :)

Respectfully yours,

-Buzz Garwood

Earlier today, my principal had this to say:

What a great idea.  I have been talking about getting release time for teachers to call parents about progress Reports; how sweet would it be if the majority of that could be done electronically?  For those parents with Internet access... it would be a great way to communicate.

How do you communicate with parents? Comment below and share your great ideas.