The iPad Mini Rumors Continue

     Steve Jobs may not been a fan of the idea of a mini iPad, (Too small to be a tablet and to big to be a smartphone) but there is obviously a market for a smaller iPad.  Take a look at the tablet market.  Most successful tablets are in the 7 inch range.  The question seems to be, "Do you want mobility or do you want screen size?"  I used an iPad when they first came out because of the coolness and sexiness factors.  I switched to a MacBook Air because I found if I had to carry a device the size of an iPad, I might as well have a fully functioning computer in hand.  Away from work or home, my iPhone is my computer.  For me, the iPad is just too big for what it can do. 
     Four of my classrooms are equipped with iPod Touches as part of a 1-to-1 initiative.  Cost was a major consideration when the project was initiated.  The iPad was just too expensive for our budget. The only complaint I have about the Touches is the screen size, although it does not seem to be an issue for the kids. I have found these devices work more effectively in our 20th century classrooms (student desks, print media, notebooks, papers, school supplies) than giving each kid an iPad or laptop.  I know, I know, we need to reconfigure our classrooms if we are going to transform education, but the iPad Mini would be a device to help bridge this transition to the 21st century.  I can't wait to take one for a test drive.
     You can read a post written by Tom Kaneshige in CIO.com below:

http://www.cio.com/article/711178/The_iPad_Mini_A_Late_Game_Changer_?page=2&taxonomyId=3052

25,000 iPads & iPods - Is Everything Bigger in Texas?

 Check out this posting from THE Journal about the McAllen Independent School District  which is rolling out a huge 1-to-1 initiative.  The district will be providing mobile devices to every single student, teacher, and administrator in their district.  Combining state, federal and private funds and taking a fresh look at how budgets are prioritized, the district is putting their money where their vision is.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/07/11/meet-the-district-rolling-out-25000-ipads-and-ipods.aspx

The New and Improved Rubric

After receiving feedback from folks all over the world, I have made some several revisions to the widely adopted Evaluation Rubric for iPod/iPad Apps. In the coming weeks I will be launching a formal study as a part of my doctoral dissertation research at Johns Hopkins to empirically validate the rubric.  You can find the revised rubric at the following link:

https://www.box.com/s/2a70214763a4e0fef802

If you encounter difficulty accessing the rubric, please email me and I will send you a PDF.  I have traditionally used EmbedIt, but apparently they are no longer accepting embeds, so I'm trying a new system called Box.  Thanks and I'll keep everyone posted on my research.

If you are unable to access the rubric via the box link, try this one:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KKm3Ls_jIg8s0_rXcFmVqbXiZtvFb0nr54BzFSOl_SY/edit

Apple - Seducing Folks Since the Days of Adam and Eve

Why is it any Apple store you pass by anywhere in this country is always crowded with people playing with the latest and "sexiest" technology?  Read the post from Forbes.com and find out.  Everything about the experience is designed to make you buy and then remain loyal to the Apple brand.  There is even a app to calibrate the ideal viewing angle of monitors for customers.  Was Steve Jobs a genius or what?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/06/14/why-the-new-macbook-pro-is-tilted-70-degrees-in-an-apple-store/

300 Rubric Requests and Going Strong

I received an email from a research assistant working at the, are you ready for this, University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia.  Now as a student, who wouldn't want to go there? It marks the 300th formal request to use the Evaluation Rubric for iPod Apps from folks all over the world.    It is being used in school systems, agencies, universities, and by individuals from all over the planet.  And that's just the formal requests.  How cool is that?

With such a large and diverse group of folks using the rubric, I am getting ready to launch a formal research project as part of my dissertation research at Johns Hopkins to empirically establish content validity for the rubric.  If have requested permission to use the rubric and happen to be reading my blog too, look for a formal invitation in the coming month.  I have also had requests to publish a list of top apps using the rubric.  Look for that list to be in an upcoming blog (once school gets out and I have a little more time on my hands).  Thanks again for your interest in my blog, in the rubric, and most importantly in your work to get mobile devices into the hands of students.

Read All About It - It's In A Book!

The Evaluation Rubric for iPod/iPad Apps was just published in a book entitled, "A Complete Guide to Rubrics" by Dr. Audrey M. Quinlan, Chair of the Division of Education at Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania.  Pretty cool.  The book is a great guide for anyone designing or using rubrics from elementary through high school.  The ISBN number is 978-1-60709-674-0.  Happy Reading. 

Things Are Always Bigger In Texas!

Let's hear it for McAllen Independent School District in Texas for what might be the largest deployment of IPads and IPods in the country.  This week they are distributing 6,800 devices with the hopes that every one of its 25,000 K-12 students will have their own device by next year.  Talk about BYOD on steroids.  Assuming they are an affluent district?  Wrong! Two-thirds of their student population is economically disadvantaged.  One thing that is obviously not at a disadvantage in McAllen - visionary leadership.  You can read the piece from ABC news below:

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/texas-district-embarks-widespread-ipad-program-15804858#.T00Lt3F9m6E

IPad 3 and/or Mini IPad Releases

Have you heard about the New IPad 3 scheduled for release early next year?  There is a lot of talk about the IPad 3, as well as possible release of a smaller IPad.  I'd be first in line for an IPad Mini.  As much as I like working with IPods in our classrooms, I hate having to pull out my glasses to read the screen or enlarge the text to the point I can't read a whole line of text.  Check out the latest rumors at:

http://www.periscopepost.com/2011/12/apple-to-launch-smaller-ipad-next-year-maybe/

Leap Pad or IPod?

$200+ for a $99 plastic toy that you have to insert cartridges in to expand?   And people are paying it, left and right.  I really do love capitalism, don't get me wrong.  I'm just mad at myself for not buying a case of them on Black Friday.  To all of those parents willing to fork out over $200 dollars for $99 toy, consider an IPod.  Invest in a OtterBox to protect the screen and go wild at the App Store downloading dozens of free apps.  You'll even find 11 Dora Explorer Apps with the most expensive being $2.99, much cheaper than the $19.99 plastic cartridge variety.  Okay, Apple, I want 10% from every IPod you sell as result of this post.  Okay, I'll take one ITunes download.

MIssIssIppI - A state with so many I's was bound to adopt IPods and IPads

Here is a story about several school systems in Mississippi who have adopted IPods and IPads.  While several have gone all in in terms of adopting the use of mobile technologies, it's interesting to hear one school system's leader who is still "looking into piloting the implementation of IPods in areas that we feel will benefit the students." While some kids are using the latest technologies everyday in one district, another district right next door talks about the use of technology to reach and engage students as being part of "the future educational experience."  No, you're wrong!  It's part of their current educational experience, just not for the 7 1/2 hours they are in YOUR schools.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20111127/NEWS01/111270337/Districts-equip-classrooms-latest-technology?odyssey=nav%7Chead