No Service Need Something to Communicate with the Outside world

So I finally got to put to the test the Google Talkatone app because during August 4th through the 9th I was in Hamilton NY and my phone had no cell service. I was able to log into the app on my ipad and communicate with the outside world via telephone though. This came in handy because we had to immediately get an updated budget to the US Department of Education for the ASAP Grant that we have and I had to communicate via my ipad entirely. I was able to email back and forth with my assistant and then dictate to him what the conversation should be with the program officer which was easier then continually emailing him. I has to call him numerous times telling him what to do with the budget and how to modify it so that the budget cuts from the government funding could be included and the budget modifications for the current year could be included. It was later sent to the US Department of Education and approved. The only problem that I still have is not being able to manipulate the spreadsheets sent to me. I can't view the formulas or edit them in any of the free apps that are available. I will bring this issue to the CTLT coordinator again.

iPad to the rescue...sort of!

So I have done enough iPad bashing to prove I am an android guy.  That being said I will now say something nice about it.  I was recently stuck in a lab where my cell service was, let's just say, less then stellar.  I was able to still make a phone call to a vendor from the tablet under wifi.  The sound quality was excellent and the person on the other end had no issue hearing me.  Sure, I could have done this from an android device but I was impressed with the sound quality on the iPad.  I will say I think it might even be slightly better then the android I own personally.  Now if only I could figure out how to multitask on it I would be a happy man.  

My original idea of sharing this tablet in my class does not seem to be a possibility, unless I first remove my email.  I would not want to give a student a divide with my work email attached and not stand over them watching every little thing they do.  

I read a Blog post on this blog Bout using the iPad to present at meetings.  I wonder if they have made a decision about the use of the projector cable or Apple TV.  Either way I would love to see something in place before school starts up.

Lastly, I love the fact that I have my text books loaded on this device.  It means I will always have them with me for student questions and student help.  I love the fact that I do not have to carry 2 text books and a lab manual to and from school daily

Planning for the Fall Semester

I want to use the I-pad to help my non-native speaking students achieve greater reading fluency. I do have some students over the summer who could benefit, one from Haiti and two from the Dominican Republic. However, all three have very little free time to come to my office and read passages on the I-pad, since they all work full-time jobs and the classes meet at night, when the kids are already exhausted. I really admire their stamina and determination, and I don't have the heart to make them do extra, uncredited work, no matter how beneficial. The extreme heat has sapped everyone's energy further. To sharpen my I-pad skills in the meantime, I've been downloading apps my students might enjoy, as well as those I can use in my English 310 tech writing class. During the regular semester, I can't imagine anyone would turn down an opportunity to browse on the I-pad, but our students tend to have full lives with little time for extra work. Thus, I plan to sweeten the allure with some vocabulary games and literary magazines. Hey: fun comes with an educational subtext!

Has the Ipad changed your life yet?

I went to a meeting recently to discuss a web site redesign project. It was in a boardroom attended by about 10 people including myself. When I got there, the presentation was on a big screen in front of the room and was controlled by a laptop. I didn't bring my ipad because I wasn't running the presentation and it wasn't school related. But I wondered whether the ipad would have been a good substitute for the laptop in this setting. Seeing how I found that it wasn't in a previous post.

When I got home I did some research and found some interesting articles. I wanted to share them. Here is a link discussing using the ipad for presentation and apps you can use for same. Here is a link to an articles for the ipad apps that can be used for presentations in the classroom and for teaching. Here is a link to an article for some that are free! And here is a link to an article from a teacher who swears the ipad changed her life. While I am very happy to have the ipad, It hasn't changed my life yet…still searching...

Compliance Checking

I am also a few days late in blogging about my iPad activities but I didn't have anything to blog about until now.

I still only continue to use the iPad for meetings. During the summer there are not a lot of activities going on where I can use the iPad for other more exciting items. I will be able to do some exploring hopefully on new apps soon. Yesterday we had a day long meeting which we listened to presentations and learned about activities related to one of the largest grants on Campus. At this event a consultant working with the Department of Energy attended and needed to do a compliance check with some of our records. I was able to pull up the Department of Labor Wage Determination that guides the project and he was able to train us quickly on comparing certified payrolls with this determination. This allowed us to confirm that we have met the required guidelines which are necessary for this contract and we can also bring this information on to the sites where these wage determinations are used and show the contractors. The iPad makes everything portable and we are able to save paper and can easily send the link to the contractor.

The iPad has replaced my personal laptop which I was using for work purposes. It is easier to carry back and forth so that I can complete emails at home and do research related to grants etc.

I still need to work with the CTLT to determine if the Apple Store App called numbers can be purchased and downloaded for us to use. Also we need to determine how the updates can be done and pushed to our iPads so that when there is an update for an app that the IT Department downloaded it can be done behind the scenes.

iPad Gang...HELLO!

ithank CTLT for the opportunity to work with the ipad.

ifinally here to blog even though several 7ths of the month have passed.

ilove the iPad...it is sleek and cool.

ifeel a bit like a hipster.

icalled Jill O'Sullivan, and have called the office.

ihaven't been on any trips abroad lately.

iwant to try talkatone from overseas to save $$ when calling home.

ivacationed in west virginia and loved the weather app---thunderstorms all week.

iuse email, but my subfolders don't seem to load.

idownloaded tumblr app to blog. will update next time

iconfess

iblog from my desktop...it's a mac...does that count?


isorry!! :-)

Hello everyone! I am sorry that I am posting a few days late.   I have been taking some pictures and videos with my iPad at the lab.  The images are so clear.   I am trying to obtain a visual library of laboratory procedures commonly used as well as images of isolated bacterial colonies.   I have also photographed identification and drug susceptibility panels and the images are so clear that I will easily be able to design an assignment and have students read the panels and report results.
  I have also located a Facebook page that has links to free microbiology content online.  I will be investigating this in the upcoming weeks as well.