Making the device your own

[Marcus Twyford]

Our school has recently made the leap to provide not only iPads as an available technology to classes, like the laptop carts and desktops in labs, we have also committed to giving out iPads to students as they arrive in the 9th grade year.....

As I am digging for content and apps that fully utilize the adoption of the new technology, I can't help but think of the 'geeks' that will blaze new trails in the use of the device.  Why the geeks?  Geeks are celebrated for not only learning about something - but fully engrossing themselves in all the possible ways of using something, and the many ways that were not developed or intended......  We laugh at the comment 'geek' but stand beffled at those who have figured out how to wire a keyboard to an iPad, or Sync an iPod touch to an iPad, or whatever...  What can the early adoptrs teach us about how to use the device, but more importantly - how will they, using social swarms or other underground networks, drive the evolution of the device - or perhaps move away from the device.

 

My frustration was realized yesterday when i went to my local MAC store.  the geniuses are perhaps mislabelled - and should instead be called MAC MONITORS, like those who in days passed wore the 'HIT ME FIRST" vests when we got on and off the busses, they reminded us of the rules and what we can and cannot do.  "NO RUNNING!!" the hall monitors would shout, "SIT DOWN" says the student bus MONITORS.

It was the suggestion that if they (MAC MONITORS) didn't know something about the device (or multiple devices - I had and how I already use the device - that I couldn't do what I am already doing.

< I Carry two laptops, an iPAD, and iPOD touch, a mini document scanner, a document camera, and countless USB, SD and microSD cards, and adapters, 30pin, and video adapters for my mobile class kit> 

Don't get me wrong - MAC certainly has a place in the technology market, and has always embraced and supported the K12 educational realm, but has not perhaps been as receptive to the Geeks outside the realm of MAC MONITOR world.  

But...I am not going to go entirely MAC, I will still carry a PC laptop or CHROME book, and will stil hold onto my droid phone.  But the report cards that the MAC MONITOR takes home will continue to report "DOESN'T PLAY WELL WITH OTHERS."  As teachers of technology - we are always looking for 100 different ways to teach the same thing, and find cheap computing solutions that allows everyone to play in the sand box - whether a CHROME book, that incorporates open source community, the Raspberry PI (Still waiting for my beta to come to me....nudge-nudge, wink, wink, say no more!)

The point is - that as technology providers come and go - and companies realize the new economic model of mobile computing lies in 'fill the device pricing gap with a mobile apps market place" - ie Google buying Moto... etc) - Apple will not always stand out front....

....and more and more - K12 embassadors and preachers, like Tom Whitby, Couras, and Andy Schwen, who are giving teachers a little Nitrous - put us in the ring and may begin to promote the next device that plays well with others and allows a little tweaking to make it work with keyboards, or open up to a little modding - without jailbreaking the device or destroying the warranty.

 

I realize I am not going to change production lines of the device - but  - like all things we can change in the world - Economics is at the heart of everything - schools will speak with their $$$ - and if you don't allow us to truly own and adapt the device, how will we heartily adopt it as an indispensable learning and consumption device?

[Marcus Twyford]

Hi Sanjay - 

Thanks for the post - 

I have purchased the Fire and a Droid Tablet (Pandigital) Recently to make similar comparisons.

More to follow.

[Sanjay Mehrotra]

Jeremy/ Marcus,

Good discussion.

Do you have any idea if the kindle fire android tablet would be open for modifications and OS control would be available to third parties, so we can adapt it for in classroom use? On a 1 on 1 mode.

Thanks
Sanjay

[Jeremy Dorn]

I agree with you. Ever since the first iPad was announced I was grumbling that it wouldn't truly work well in schools. You can likely go back and find my occasional posts out right demanding Apple start putting Admin control for iOS into their current Mac Admin tools.

 

What makes iOS and iPads attractive is that you don't need to be a geek to use them... as a user. At the same time Apple is making us geeks who are incharge of making these non-geek friendly bits of techno-bling working with currenty methodology and systems go crazy. We are forbidden from tinkering and filling the gaps that are almost grinningly obvious from our prosective.

 

I woudn't blame the Geniuses Bar folks. While trained techincans and mostly fairly smart people, they are not the developers we need access to. Apple is buidling a beautifully vertically integrated indivdual consumer device. Which is great, arguablly that's want we want and are respnoding to by going ape bannan nutters for iPads. Finally something so easy to interface with even our most technophobish staff and students can use it. The problem... it's vertically integrated into their systems, not ours. That is the underlying problem. Syncing serivces are tied to Apple's servers, geard to a single user per device, per account.

 

What we need is a way to have that vertical integration of syncing and behind the file mangment, distribution, and contorls in our hands at the classroom, school, and district levels. I don't see Apple offering this. We also need users of different devices to be able to interact directly with each other and not go though and intermediary 3rd party server each time. Again something we aren't seeing out of Apple. What is most maddening is all the parts are right there. From OSX Server through iPads and Apple TVs, and yet they won't work together they way they need to.

 

Android should be our savoir here. It can be bent and twisted and tuned to do everything Apple is doing with iOS... but it's a geek's mess. Only Amazon seems to be working on making a slick non-geek friendly front end with a powerful backend, but again its not one we can use or control locally. Although I want to see the new Nook Color in action.

 

Arguably this is what it's coming down to, who has control. As the "adminins" of eduction we demaind the control. Afterall the Teacher has been the admin of learning for a long time. Web 2.0 took much of that control way and put it in the hands of 3rd parties. The Cloud (and iCloud) is an outgrowth of that. Over all control is being take out of the "consumers" hands and as schools we are being treaded as if we are just another normal consumer.