Education Nation 2013 on NBC

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/education-nation/education-nation-2013-summit-n15296

This web page shows a bunch of video clips of speakers and events at the Oct 2013 Education Nation summit in Washington DC.  It has some interesting things and just wanted to share it.

Save iPhone photos to Google Drive/Photos

On my Android it was easy to set up all my photos to back up on Google.  To do the same on the iPhone you need to install Google+. 

Once you install the Google+ app for iPhone you can them have all your pictures (in camera roll) get saved to Google Drive.  To set your iPhone up, start Google+ (and log in) and choose Photo, as shown below.

Next go into 'Camera and Photos'.

Then choose 'Auto Backup' to turn it on.

Lastly, turn Auto Backup on, and I turned on 'Full Sized Backups' so my images would have the best resolution.  To save on my data plan I choose to backup photos over Wi-Fi to save some of my data plan bandwidth. 

I think that is it....my iPhone now backs up my photos automatically to Google to ensure I have a backup, and so I can access those images on Google and it's apps, like Blogger. 

I also created this post in the iPhone Blogger app. 

The Dark Side?

As my son puts it, I finally came to the Dark Side.  I now have an iPhone.  My Android was having battery issues and my daughter upgraded her iPhone, so I am using her old iPhone4 for now, just checking things out.

Upon doing some security research, I've discovered that the iPhone is much more secure - because of recent updates to iOS7, but primarily due to the closed nature of how iPhone allows apps to be developed.  As much as I'd prefer the easier open development method of Android (Google), one thing Apple has done with it's closed structure of app development is to make sure, for the most part, that apps are clear of viruses and spyware.  As an end user, I was fairly comfortable in the risks involved as an Android user, but I can see if someone is not as comfortable using technology, it would be much safer to have an iPhone.

A recent report stated that Android exploits/attacks went from 200 in 2012 to 743 in 2013.  These are primarily similar to Windows infections, by programs pretending to valid programs so users install them, but really they are Trojans attacks (hiding malicious code in something that seems useful).  The Android OS is secure, but it the lack of control and checks over apps that is the issue.  You have to rely on the truthfulness of the developer, which in this day and age you can not always trust.  As a tech person, I could 'double check' some of the apps if not from a reputable, big name developer to make sure I was limiting my risk, but the less savvy user may not feel comfortable doing that.

I still have a Kindle, and love it, but will check out the iPhone for now.

The first thing I noticed is that Google has a bunch of apps for the iPhone, and it seems pretty well integrated.  It seems Google (and I have to give them credit for this), has decided to develop it's own apps to integrate with the iOS so that iPhone/iPad users can take advantage of the Google apps line.

Hopefully more to follow shortly....


 

Kindle Free Apps Today - Appstore Birthday

It's the Amazon Kindle Appstore's Birthday and they are giving away free apps that you normally have to pay for.

One people might be interested in are: POLARIS Office, SketchBook Pro, PrintHand Mobile Print Premium, mSecure-Password as well as a few games.

 Go the the Appstore and look for the icon banner at top of page. It good only for today (Saturday).

MISO Conference

Here is the link to my presentation at the 2013 MISO Conference:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1EsNVpvCyT5x8d7Hx3u79dhdbTXXNRMOFS34sbuw7qc0/edit?usp=sharing

Or easier: http://bit.ly/16mP4kj

My presentation:
Part 1) Review of 1:1 inititives (and why a school might do so)
Part 2) Review of options (Kindle, Nook, Chromebooks, Tablets (Android & iOS), etc.
Part 3) Overview of websites to refer to for info, and apps available for Android and Chromebook.


Here is a survey on this session.  Please take this to help with feedback....

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey , the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Cyber Safety Workshop

Yesterday I attended a great workshop on Cyber Safety put on by the University of Hawaii College of Education.  Speakers were Lauren Mark, Truc Nguyen, and Chris Duque.

It covered guidelines schools should follow, legal ramifications and laws, digital citizenship, various sites and tools that are common for cyber harassment to occur on, online safety contracts, acceptable use policies, cyber security and other topics.  The goal is to inform people and start some Cyber Safety Awareness task groups at schools made of faculty, parents and possibly students.

When I get a copy of the slides I will share them here, along with other sites of interest.

-------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------
Facebook: CyberSafety808 (search for this page) - relates specifically to Hawaii
State of Hawaii web site on Cyber Securty: http://ags.hawaii.gov/icsd/cyber-security/

Here is a good list of Cyber Safety and Security blogs: http://stopthinkconnect.org/blogs/

GMail Labs

When you go into settings on Gmail there is a Labs section.  It has add-ons for Gmail that are still in the 'testing' stages.  Some of these can add needed features that many people would like to see in Gmail.  Many people moving over from Outlook may be used to a preview pane, which Gmail doesn't have, but that you can  enable in the Labs section.

This makes it easier to see what an email may contain. 

I also liked the feature to add the Google calendar gadget to the inbox so that I can quickly see what I have on my calendar for the day.

Chromebook - Remote Control a PC

A Chromebook is very easy to use, light and quick to boot up...thus making it much easier to take with you.  As easy as it is to use, because of my job I need to use some specific software program, which are not web based and require a Windows computer to run.  There are just something things that a Chromebook can't do for me, such as run Windows only programs.  But there is a workaround......Google's Chrome Remote Desktop.

There are over 1.5 million users for this Google built plug-in (not a third party vendor).  What it allows you to do is remotely log in and control either a Windows or Mac computer.  Both computers need to have Chrome installed and the Chrome Remote Desktop app installed.  When you run it, it will ask you whether you want to set it up to control the computer remotely, or whether you want to connect to another computer to remotely control it.  You can not remote control a Chromebook yet, so remote trouble shooting of a Chromebook is currently not available with this app.  This feature should be coming soon, but for a Chromebook user who wants the ability to run a Windows program while on the Chromebook, this meets the need.  I'm been testing and setting up my Windows machine so that when I travel to Oahu later this month, I can just take the Chromebook and still do all my work like I'm in the office.

When using the app, you can go full screen or stay in browser window.  The graphics and look are much easier to read in Full Screen mode, but I assume if you need to jump between browser tabs, you would be better to view in the Chrome browser tab.

 
If you have a desktop PC, and are looking to be more mobile (or work from home/on-the-road) then this app via the Chromebook is a great tool.  There are other remote control apps avaiable, but this one is from Google so you can trust them a bit more than some unknown 3rd party vendor, but if you need to remote control a Chromebook and do remote troubleshooting on a Chrombook, you will need to look elsewhere.  A possible option is 2x Client for RDP/Remote Desktop.

Beware, others give you a free trial, but will cost you a fee to use after the trial period.  Chrome Remote Control is free.

Chromebook Update

It's been a few months since my last update, but I've been busy using the Chromebook.

It is such a convenient device (typing on it now). It boots quickly.  It is just as fast at starting up today as it was 4 month ago.  If I didn't need certain apps that need Windows, this would be a perfect laptop replacement.  It is very light and portable.  It  does not heat up as much as a laptop, so you can comfortably keep it on your lap, which I haven't done with my laptop in quite awhile.  It would be perfect if it had a DVD drive, but that is not what it was designed for.

The only drawback is the keyboard, but you can get by most of the shortcomings if you get used to it's shortcuts....it is a bit more cumbersome than a regular keyboard, but it is designed with a small footprint in mind.

It will be hard to use it as a primary computer, but for some people it will be possible.  It is a great little device and so easy to use.

TeamViewer: Works nicely on Kindle Fire

I tested out TeamViewer today.  This allows you to remotely control a computer over an internet connection.  I have a desktop that I had setup that will allow me to remotely log in so that I can 1) access certain programs from home (and on a tablet, that won't normally run on a tablet), or 2) log into a school computer to check on the network, application or connection issues remotely.  I probably use this feature 3-4 times a year, but it is still good to have that ability when needed.

When I had the iPad I used TeamViewer and while it worked, the screen orientation never quite fit, so I never got to see the whole desktop - so it worked, but it felt clumsy on the iPad.  On the iPad I ended up using SplashTop.  I would use it if I needed to access Outlook or a Windows specific program. But now most of my apps (email, etc.) is web based so it's not as necessary for me to use a remote control program from my tablet.  However, I thought I'd try to see if TeamViewer was better on the Kindle - and it was!!!!
The computer I connected to control was a Windows based PC.

I was surprised that I could see the whole desktop, it was much easier to use than I remembered on the iPad.  Using the touchscreen to control a desktop isn't the easiest, but will work in a pinch.  When you first log in, you see the whole desktop, but then you can zoom in and out as needed.  It was a fairly simple process to control the desktop from my Kindle.

TeamViewer is free for private use or you can purchase it for a business.  If remote access is needed, it is a slick too that you can add to your Kindle arsenal.    I hope to try out SplashTop soon to compare.

Samsung Chromebook Initial Review

Got to preview a Samsung Chromebook.  Here is my initial review, after trying it for an evening.

First thing I noticed (as I was typing) is that the keyboard does not have many of the standard keys one might be used to on a laptop/desktop.....such as a print screen, delete key, page up, page down, end key, no function keys, and home key.  For some this might not be a big deal.  For me, who is very dependent on moving around with the shortcut keys in documents, it is noticeable, as I have to now move around with the arrow keys.  I investigated some of the possibilities.....

Backspace - removes whats to the left of the cursor (regular backspace key).
Alt-Backspace - performs the function of the delete key - removing to the right of the cursor.
Ctrl-Backspace - removes the WORD to the left of the cursor.
Shift-Backspace - seems like a regular backspace key function.

Ctrl- Right Arrow - moves one word at a time to the right.
Ctrl-Left Arrow - moves one work at a time to the left.
Alt-Up Arrow - moves to top of document.
Alt-Down Arrow - moves to bottom of document
Shift-Arrow - Highlights text in that direction.

Ctrl-SwitchWindows - does a screen snap shot - since not PrintScreen key this is a new key function to learn.

The 'ports' on the back of the chromebook are:
- A MicroSD card slot. I think this is the solid state drive.  I assume it's a regular microSD card.
- Two USB ports (one is USB 3.0 and one is USB 2.0)
- An HDMI port to connect to external devices.
- The power port.





There is an SD expansion slot on the left side that is empty, so you can add more storage or input camera cards to read pictures off of.
There is also on the left (near the SD slot) ONE port for headset/microphone. Must be multi-purpose like on a phone and is not TWO seperate ports for headset & microphone.  I like that.
That's all the ports.  Seems like that would be good enough for most users.

Other Stuff:

The screen is easy to view and seem sufficient.  Might a bit small for my taste if this were my primary machine, but for short-term use (like writing this blog entry) it is fine.

With the touchpad you can do two finger scrolling (is it multi-touch?).
When you have a USB mouse plugged in, the touchpad takes a second to 'wake-up' and recognize you are using it.

The video seems very nice.  I watched a couple of YouTube videos and they quality was very good, especially if you watch in full screen mode.

The sound coming thru the speakers was very loud and clear.  It was better than I was expecting.

Printing:  How do you set up a printer.  Seems like it needs to be done via the settings with Google Cloud Print....something I'll need to look into.

Battery Life seemed very good.  I used for two hours testing and only used about 40% of the battery life.

An Odd Function:
When you start to close the chromebook, the screen shuts off and locks the computer, when the screen comes down to about a 30 degree angle.  It basically shuts down before you close the chromebook fully.















I was moving the chromebook on my table and just closed it a bit to more easily move and it powered off the screen and I had to log back in when I opened it fully.  Not a big deal either, but odd.

Google Incorporates better Email integration with Calendar

Google has added the ability to click on a date/time in an email and it will show you what other events you have that day and you can then click the Add to Calendar button to have it put in your calendar with a link to the email.  I've been waiting for something like this feature for awhile, so I know it's fairly new.  In the past if there was  date and time in an email, you could set an appointment by clicking on More, but it rarely imported the date or time - so it was a pain to re-type in everything.
This new feature worked the first time I tried it :-)

It's nice to see Google not rest on it's laurel's and keep adding useful features.

Here is what it looks like in the email when you click on an date/time:

In the calendar item, under which calendar you are inputting it into, it now shows Source.  You click on source and it will bring up the email....cool feature.

Rita Pierson - TED talk "Every Kid Needs A Champion"

I just love this TED talk and wanted to put it here just so I can find it easily.  This lady is funny and inspiring. This is a great video to help teachers get thru the last month of school and inspire them......and a great one to start off the school year with.

Updating/Jailbreaking an iPhone 3GS

I had a iPhone 3GS with no SIM card, and so I jail broke it last summer.  I have not gotten around to using it a lot, so it's been sitting in a drawer for a few months.

When I turned it on today, it said I could update to a new OS.  Because it is jailbroken, when up you update the iOS, it is unbroken....I forgot this until after I had started the iOS update to 6.  However when the iPhone connected to install the new OS, it went into a reboot cycle.  The apple could come up, stay on that screen for a few seconds and then reboot.  After doing some research it seems that Apple does not support the firmware for iPhone 3GS and that this is a common problem.

To fix this the only solution seemed to be to download and run the latest version of redsn0w for win.  Later I came across another possible method using a program called evasi0n.

Running redsn0w allowed me to get it back to iOS 5.1.1.

I wanted to see if I could get it to iOS6 somehow, but could not get it to work.  redsn0w supposedly has an tethered jailbreaking method, but I could not get it to work....will try again later.

The reason I wanted to get this old 3GS working again is that I wanted an iOS device in case I needed to try out some things for work/education.  With my using a Kindle Fire HD, I won't have another iOS device to test item on.  With a jailbroken device I can still get apps from the iTunes store to test out.

I have the following devices: Windows 7 Dell Laptop, Kindle Fire HD, Motorola Droid Razr and now an iPhone3GS.

Kindle Task Bar Keeps Disappearing

I had a problem with the task bar (accross the top) randomly disappearing.  It would sometimes come back for 1 second and then disappear again.  

After doing some research and playing around with things.....all I had to do to fix was go into GMail program and make sure to turn off notifications for all my accounts.  Once that was done it seemed to work beautifully once again.  

Taskbar did not disappear again.