There's an App for That! (App Store Volume Purchasing Program)

EME5050 - ABC, Week 11

I can remember when Apple first came on the scene in education and they actually were putting their computers into the classrooms (for FREE)!  The first computer I came into contact with was an Apple II-e and I thought I had died and gone to “technology heaven.”  Believe it or not, but that little machine (along with my little dot matrix printer and the emergence of the Internet) inspired me to move from being a lowly little elementary school teacher into becoming a “digital diva.”  I am now an MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) and as we speak, I’m in pursuit of my Master’s in eLearning from UCF.  Putting their technology in the classroom (for FREE) was a genius marketing strategy back then, so when the iPods and iPads burst onto the scene, it appeared that Apple had again “given education a gift.”  This post will point out how the old saying “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” has come to apply to purchasing apps from Apple.

The reason we thought we were being “given” something when the whole iPods, iPads, and apps deal came along was because Apple said we only had to purchase an app one time, and then if we had the devices (meaning iPods and/or iPads) to put it on, we could sync it on up to 999 of them.  When we first heard this “deal of the century” in my school district, we immediately thought we were misunderstanding because it was just “too good to be true.”  We then became both curious and cautious, and because we had to know more, we consulted the “Apple rep” for our district for clarification.  Sure enough, he confirmed that it was indeed true.  Our rep told us that as long as we legally purchased an app from the iTunes Store, we as an educational institution could then sync it on up to 999 devices if we possessed them.  This was a phenomenal deal, and when you paired it with the iPod and iPad, it felt like a “marriage made in technology heaven!”  Unfortunately for us, the honeymoon was short-lived and now there has been a “wrinkle thrown into the mix.”

This wrinkle is called the “App Store Volume Purchase Program.”  Don’t get me wrong that I now think the whole iPad, iPod and apps scenario isn’t a “priceless” educational technology for 21^st century students in a 21^st century world.  It’s just the deal now isn't as “sweet” as it first was  because we no longer have the flexibility of purchasing an app once and then being able to legally sync it on up to 999 devices.  Those days have come and gone.  I’m not sure why, and I wouldn’t be so bold as to try and explain why Apple made this change.  All I will do is say that we are fortunate to be able to use iPods, iPads, and their corresponding apps to help educate our students to be well-rounded citizens in this technology-drenched century in which we live.  It is our job as educators and technology leaders to make sure we use our budgets as wisely and efficiently as possible.  I still believe Apple is providing us with an unprecedented educational opportunity and our students are going to be “the better for it.”

You’re probably curious yourself about this new program for purchasing apps in volume.  The following is a link to the web site that explains everything very clearly – Apple Store Volume Purchase Program.  As you will see, this new purchasing program is still a “sweet deal,” and it makes the old saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” come to mind.  I’ve always like applesauce myself, so I like to think of it as, “When life gives you “Apple,” make applesauce.”

Digital Storytelling for the Virtual Classroom - Part 2

EME5050 - Reading Reaction #5

As I continued to learn more about digital storytelling this week, and I was completing our course readings and viewing a host of online sources on the subject, I began consciously looking for ideas that would help me plan a digital storytelling project that would work for virtual school teachers.  Our school district will be launching our new virtual academy this coming 2011-2012 school year and I will be working directly with the teachers on curriculum and training.  It is to my delight that this particular graduate course on the fundamentals of technology in education is helping me learn how to teach others to use the power of digital storytelling with students.  As you read further, I hope you will like my ideas for the first digital storytelling project I would like to see our virtual teachers use with their students to kick off the new 2011-2012 school year when it begins in August.

If you’ve ever taken any online courses for professional growth, in-service training, or undergraduate/graduate training, you realize there can be a “disconnect” if the virtual group isn’t drawn together in a personal way from the very beginning.  That is why I’ve decided to help our new virtual academy teachers use digital storytelling with their students to create a presentation that will help introduce themselves to the teacher and their classmates in the class.  It would basically be an “All about Me” presentation in which the students share information about themselves that will help the viewer “get to know them a little better.”  As far as connecting to a specific curriculum, I think this type of project could be modified and used effectively in most any online course.  Our virtual academy will be a K-12 learning environment, so the age level of the particular students in the class will also have to be taken into consideration.  The main purpose of this project is for the students to share meaningful information about themselves that can serve as a great “ice breaker” at the beginning of the course, and can also help bring the different entities in the class together as a real “class.”  It could be made to work for any grade level or curriculum area.  For this project to be successful, I believe there should be flexibility as well as established guidelines to follow.  Our virtual school will be presented using Blackboard Learn which is our district’s LMS (Learning Management System).  The students will share their finished “All about Me” digital stories using the Discussion Board section of their specific online class.  This way they can view one another’s presentations and then can interact with one another by posting comments, asking questions, etc.  There will be three different programs available for the students to use to create their stories.  They will have the option of using either iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, or Photo Story 3.  The students will also be asked to incorporate photographs of themselves into their presentations, and they will have the choice of either scanning and uploading still photos or using digital photographs.  Music and narration will also be part of the presentation and the students will have a choice of how to incorporate the two.  There will be a list of specific requirements for this project, but once these have been met, the students will have the flexibility to add additional elements if they would like.

For this training I have found some really good online resources for the virtual teachers to review in order to be able to help their students create their “All about Me” digital stories.  First, I think they would benefit greatly from viewing some examples of digital stories and I’ve found the following online resources for them:

• Scott County Student Digital Stories
• The Art of Storytelling
• Digital Story Telling

Besides viewing examples of good digital stories created by students, the teachers in this training will also need to choose which media to have their students use to create their “All about Me” digital stories.  Therefore they need to know as much as possible about iMovie, Windows Movie Maker and Photo Story 3 so they will be able to assist their students as they complete their projects.  Below are links to online resources that are actual tutorials for each of the three different programs and the teachers will be able to use them to learn for themselves how to use the programs effectively.  These tutorials will also be great resources for the virtual teachers to use with their own students as they have them complete their “All about Me” digital stories.  

Online Tutorials for Windows Movie Maker:

• Getting Started with Windows Movie Maker
• Windows Movie Maker Tutorials - How to Use Windows Movie Maker 
• Windows Movie Maker 2  

Online Tutorials for iMovie:

• iMovie HD
• iLife '11
• iMovie 2 - Atomic Learning 

Online Tutorials for Photo Story 3:

• Create Your First Photo Story 
• Using Microsoft Photo Story 3
• Microsoft Photo Story 3

For this particular training I will be creating my own “All about Me” digital story to use as an example for the training participants to have as a resource.  During this training, they in turn will be asked to create their own “All about Me” digital stories to use as examples for their students when they are working with them on this particular digital storytelling project.  The purpose for using these types of teacher-created resources will be to try and help the students create the types of digital storytelling projects that were envisioned at the inception of this training. 

Digital Storytelling for the Virtual Classroom - Part 1

EME5050 - Activity Reflection #4

This week in our graduate course on the fundamentals of technology in the classroom we have been exploring the integration of digital media and some of the educational software applications that are available for classroom teachers.  One special area of emphasis has been on digital storytelling and we were asked to create a presentation on the benefits of using digital storytelling in the classroom.  I chose to create my presentation for virtual teachers to help them learn why digital storytelling will work for them and their students just like it will for teachers and students in the traditional "on the ground" classrooms.

Below is my presentation that I embedded here in my post, and I'd love for you to take a look at it before we go any further.

Digital storytelling for the virtual classroom

View more presentations from rpaine5758

This week our instructor introduced us to two new programs that can be used to create presentations.  The first one was called Prezi, and the second one was called SlideShare.  I chose to use SlideShare and I found that it was pretty easy to use.  First, I created an account at the SlideShare website, and then I created my presentation using PowerPoint.  The next step was when uploaded my presentation to SlideShare where it was automatically converted.  Once the conversion was completed, I was able to obtain the embed code that I needed to embed it here in my blog.  


I tried working with Prezi, and I really liked the effects you can create that make parts of the presentation "zoom in" and "zoom out."  I ended up choosing SlideShare because I want to learn more about Prezi before I try to create something that will be presented to others to view. 


I really learned a lot about digital storytelling this week.   As I created my PowerPoint presentation I found quite a few beneficial online resources, and I learned about two great presentation programs I can use in the future.  Please make sure you view my presentation again and take a look for yourself at the web sites I shared both within the body of the presentation and also within the references.

Choosing a Software Program That Gives Me the "Most Bang for My Buck"

EME5050 - Reading Reaction 4

In this post, I will be reacting to what I read this past week in our textbook, module, and supplemental content links about computer hardware.  I will also share how familiar I was with the “inner workings” of my computer prior to completing this week’s activity in which we were given the following scenario to work through: 

Scenario:

I am a classroom teacher and I have one only one computer in my room that is connected to the Internet.  This morning my principal, Ms. Johnson, came to my room during my planning and offered to purchase one academic software program for my classroom.  She told me that I could spend up to $1,000 and she emphasized that I will be responsible for demonstrating how engagement with this software impacts my students’ learning. Ms. Johnson gave me a list of online software catalogues and she said I needed to give her my selection by the end of the day.  One other point she made was that there is no money to upgrade my classroom computer, so I must make sure the software that I choose will work on it.  

My first step in the process of locating just the right software for my classroom was to take a look at the hardware specifications for my classroom computer.  I wanted to make sure that my computer system would meet the requirements of the software that I decided to purchase.  The following are the specifications for my computer:

• OS – Windows XP SP3
• Processor speed – Intel ® Core ™ 2 Duo CPU @ 2.40GHz
• Memory (RAM) – 1.58 GHz, 3.45 GB of RAM
• Screen resolution – The screen display I usually use is 1280 x 800.
• Video card – Mobile Intel ® 4 Series Express Chipset Family (Integrated with the motherboard)
• Removable media options – DVD-R/CD-RW; four USB ports

Since I only have one computer in my room, I’ve decided I need to purchase software that could have multiple uses.  Below are links to the three different online catalogues my principal gave me to look at:

• Academic Superstore
• JourneyEd
• K12 Software

After looking at each of the different catalogues, I went back to the Academic Superstore catalogue because I decided I wanted to purchase Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 with Total Training for Office 2010.  It is regularly $539.95, but because my school district has a volume licensing agreement with Microsoft, I can purchase it for $89.95 which is an 83% discount.  Is that awesome or what? 

I’m glad that I did a little research on the hardware specs for my computer before I started my search.  When I saw the system requirements for Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010, I knew that it would work on my computer.  This software requires Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 and my computer is running Windows XP SP3.  It also requires a processor of 500 MHz or higher, and since mine is an Intel ® Core ™ 2 Duo CPU @ 2.40 GHz, my computer processor is fast enough to support MS Office Professional Plus 2010.  The memory requirement is 256 MB or higher and my computer has more than enough memory.  There isn’t anything special needed for the video for this software, so I wasn’t too concerned about my video card.  Before completing this particular activity I was already familiar with the “inner workings” of my computer.  I know that my processor is 32-bit and my original idea was to purchase the Adobe’s Master Collection CS5 Institution Edition (Win) for $998.95.  Unfortunately this program requires a computer with a 64-bit processor and since mine is 32-bit I knew right off the bat that it didn’t meet the requirements.  This particular software normally sells for $2,599.99 a copy, but because of my district’s volume licensing agreement with Adobe, I could purchase it at a savings of $1,600.05 which is a 62% discount.  Another reason why I’m familiar with the hardware of my computer is because I’m a former network specialist so I’m tuned into “what’s under the hood” when it comes to computers.

As I stated earlier, I want a software program that can give me “the most bang for my buck.”  I believe Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 is that program because it includes the following Office applications:

• Access
• Communicator
• Excel
• InfoPath
• OneNote
• Outlook
• PowerPoint
• Publisher
• SharePoint Workspace
• Word
  

In addition, when I purchase this particular program from Academic Superstore I would have unlimited access to eleven hours of in-depth tutorials that would help me learn how to use these programs.  This would assist me greatly with helping my students use the new programs that will be available on our classroom computer.  I also believe that because there will be so many different applications I will have ample opportunity to use it with my students and will be able to demonstrate the impact it will have on their learning.

As far as getting the software installed on my computer there shouldn’t be any problems because I’m one of the faculty members at my school who has been trained and granted “elevated privileges.”  That means I am one of the “go-to” people at my school who can install software on our school computers, so my installing software programs has become a quotidian occurrence.  Besides, my principal came to me about purchasing this software in the first place, so there shouldn’t be a problem with the installation.

That was a brief explanation of how I would react if my principal gave me $1,000 to purchase a software program for my classroom computer.  Now I’d like to share some of what I gleaned from our assigned readings from our textbook, the Week 7 Module, and the supplemental content links we were given.  Everything pertained to “hardware for educators” and I was pleased with how current and up-to-date the information was.  I am fairly knowledgeable about computer hardware due to my experience as a network specialist, so I was also appreciative of how thorough the information was.  There was a Special Feature at the end of Chapter 4 of our text and it reiterated that one of the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS-S) states that “students should be able to demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations” (Shelly, Gunter & Gunter, 2010, pg. 268).  I believe that because I already have a “working knowledge” of computer hardware, and I have such great resources from this course I will be able to help my students attain this standard.  In order to be able to make informed decisions about technology, they need to have a good knowledge base.  It also goes without saying that they will need to be able utilize their current technology knowledge as they learn about new technologies in the future.  In the earlier scenario I was a classroom teacher, but in reality I am a trainer for K-12 teachers.  I believe the same goes for adult learners and that the information I have taken from this week would be very beneficial to them as well. 

All I have to say is that it would be great in this day and age to have the option to purchase a software program for my classroom that cost up to $1,000.  Unfortunately, “those are the things dreams are made of.”  I’m not sure when our economy or the state of public education will bounce back, but I am hopeful it will be very soon.  Meanwhile, it is up to educators to make sure their students are equipped to make the right decisions when it comes to computer hardware and software.

Reference:

Shelly, G., Gunter G., & Gunter, R. (2010).  Buyer's guide:  How to purchase computers 

     and mobile devices.  Integrating technology and digital media in the classroom

     (Sixth ed., pp. 252-268).  Boston:  Cengage Learning.