Month: April 2007

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Just noticed VidDownloader – Back Again! – Download Youtube, Google, Myspace, Break.com…videos in DIVx Avi Format which might be useful at home if you want to download youtube etc and take to school. I found that one via popurls | popular urls to the latest web buzz a useful home type page.

And an interesting looking wiki Wiki – AboutUs, this seem to auto generate a new page and content when you search for a domain name: eg SandaIgPrimary.co.uk – AboutUs. There was no page for SandaIgPrimary.co.uk when I searched for it, but the wiki pulled in information about location (based on web host), generated a screenshot and a Description. The description was interesting, as it was pulled from the about.html page, I guess the wiki software checks for an about.html (and others?) from the domain and tries to find a meaningful piece of text. I think it looks for a meta tag description first, but I’ve never got round to adding one. You can then go on and edit the information in the normal wiki fashion.

John @ Sandaig PrimaryI got to the AboutUs wiki in an interesting fashion. One of the things I do in my spare time is webmaster for The Tai Chi Union For Great Britain. I was mailing back and forth about some stuff with another member who runs a webhosting service Recursion (As I’ve mentioned recursion is one of my favourite words. Gordons blog is suitable named; The Loopzilla. From his hosting site I saw he was interested in wikis and he sent me the AboutUs wiki link. He also mentioned he was friends with Linda H who joined in with a lovely conversation with our primary 4s and links to Sandaig on her Classroom Displays blog.

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Normally in the first few days of a holiday I’d find the time to blog that I do not have in a working week.

Not this time, I spent the first 3 days immersed in Glow. There is a lot to try out. I’ve experimented with the web hosting tool, the video streaming, the meeting tool (Marratech) and participated in a few discussion boards. I’ve left various bits of feedback.

Yesterday I gave up and went for a walk and I am off for another one today. I probably need a wee break.

I am going to play a bit more over the holidays though. I don’t think it is appropriate for me to post too much here.

You can see various stuff about Tagged: glowscotland including some screenshots but glow is probably a bit too beta to talk about publicly yet.

I would like to test the tools, with others inside glow. Unfortunately I’ve not met many folk in there yet. So if you would like to meet up in a glow meet, have a yack and test glow meet a bit let me know.

Update, I rushed this post out yesterday and went for a walk leaving the post on hold, a senior moment.

Since then Tess Watson has posted a great report on Glow ?Chat? And ?Video-Conferencing?.

As Tess seems to be more in the know about glow it looks as if it will be ok to blog about the working of the beast. Tess also wants to meet up with folk in there so I’ll give that a go (see her blog for her request)

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Last week we had a couple of these mice and wireless keyboards: Gyration – ProductDetail – GC1105CKM.

I didn’t get much time to try it out but I don’t think I’ll be recommending that we get any more ‘smartboards’ for upper primary.

That is probably a bit of an overstatement but the Optical Air Mouse (should that be gyromouse?) was great. I needed to charge it up overnight but after that I just plugged in a usb dongle, pressed a wee button on the dongle and then one on the wireless keyboard and one the bottom of the gyromouse and it worked. There was some software to install but I didn’t bother (well I am nor allowed;-)).

I could then use the mouse anywhere in the classroom, either on a flat surface or by holding down a button on the bottom of the mouse in the air. (It is a WII the children shouted).

I’ve not really had time to check it out with children much other than to give a couple a quick try, but I think using it on a flat surface will do the job for most of them. It should be easy to pass the mouse and keyboard round the class to be used on desks. Using it in the air is a little trickier, you need to use your index finger to hold the under button in and your thumb for the left and right click.

The advantages should be, no need for children to move around the class to get to the smartboard, no shadow or bodies getting in the way and of course you do not need a smart board, a while bit of wall or big bit of paper will do.