Posts Tagged "science"
Join Twitter, Pick a Team, and Play Ball!
Individual elements exist in the most basic forms of creation. When individual elements interact with each other, we get more advanced and more useful forms of creation.
For example, hydrogen combined with two atoms of oxygen provides us with water. In and of themselves though, hydrogen and oxygen aren’t as useful.
Similarly:
- Sports teams are composed of individuals with a common goal of winning games
- Languages are constructed with alphabets, where the structure and order of each letter allows for the expression of ideas
- Music is developed with multiple instruments, all seeking to harmonize with the artist’s specific intents
- Wikipedia was a collaborative effort developed by individuals who directed their intents toward a specific outcome
- Organizations utilize mission statements to help direct the efforts of its employees towards a common goal
Without direction and specific intent, all of the aforementioned examples would be virtually meaningless and represent little more than chaos. Each are intent,organized, and structured in a manner whereby each individual element is directed towards a common outcome. Joining forces allows for a sum that’s greater than the individual parts, a phenomeon labeled as synergy.
Great. By now you must be asking – what does this have to do with mobile learning? I’m getting there.
Read MoreKinect in Education: The New Technology Focal Point?
I’ve never been more excited about the potential for a single piece of educational technology. This considered, I’m going to make a bold prediction: within the next few years, the technology driving the Xbox Kinect will be a technology focal point in our classrooms.
UPDATE (4/14/2011): Check out KinectEDucation, a new community dedicated to exploring the use of the Kinect in education.
For those unaware, Microsoft’s Kinect is a console adapter for its Xbox 360. The dual camera system will allow for gesture based gaming, in addition to voice recognition for controlling software. It’s a controller-free setup, allowing gamers to completely immerse their body into the game – arms, legs, hands, and feet.
This experience is now (unofficially) being ported to PCs by Kinect hackers. As a result of being ported to PCs, I predict that the Kinect will provide an engaging, cost effective, and intuitive experience for educators and students.
Keep in mind that this just the beginning. Once Kinect development on the PC becomes mainstream and officially supported by Microsoft, I would expect to see software designed specifically for the needs of education.
Until then, here are some ways people are using the Kinect with their desktop computers. Whether you’re a parent, student, teacher, or administrator, these videos will help gear up your imagination to dream of the implications this could have in education:
Read MoreAugmented Reality Manipulatives for Classroom Use
The augmented reality manipulatives section of my blog will provide you with many augmented reality resources to use in your classroom as I’ve done in the video below:
On that page, you’ll find augmented reality resources for the following content areas:
Read MoreWolfram Alpha App for Android Available
With the launch of the new T-mobile G2 Android phone comes the release of Wolfram Alpha for Android. Wolfram Alpha gives users the ability to search its database of knowledge by using your voice. It provides extensive data on a variety of subjects, including (but not limited to) math, science, history, health, engineering, sports, and music.
Like the iPhone version of Wolfram Alpha, it’s available for the Android for $1.99
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