iPad App review: HaikuDeck

Replace PowerPoint presentations with HaikuDeck and get your students to do the same!

A touch on the PR/marketing side, but this HaikuDeck blog has some great ideas for how HaikuDeck can be used in the classroom. HaikuDeck searches for images that use Creative Commons licenses (other copyright-protected images are also available in the app as well) and thus are free to reuse. This presents a good opportunity to introduce the concept of copyright to your students, but enable them to find images on the web that they are allowed to reuse in their own work.

In fact, here's a HaikuDeck presentation I put together on how to search for Creative Commons images using Google image search. You can use this as a guide to do what HaikuDeck does and replicate it in a known presentation platform (e.g. PowerPoint, Keynote, etc.).

The app developers are currently trialling a web version of the app, so eventually this approach can be taken with any class, regardless of the technology the students have access to.

Even if you don't want to use or encourage your students to uses this app, the blog has a list of tips for improving presentations. Perhaps you can find a way to reinvigorate your lecture slides? If you do, please share!

If you have any questions about Creative Commons and copyright, email Ruth Jelley.

STiLT: iPad app advice for students, by students

http://ipads.nths.net/students/

Students from New Trier Township High School in Illinois have created a fantastic resource for students taking part in their iPad program, and made it available to the public (thanks guys!).

The STiLT (Student Technology Leadership Team) site is great for first-time users and more experienced students. It features:

• General Information: start at step one, with instructions on setting up your iPad, creating Apple IDs, backing up and restoring setting, and introducing the Cloud
• Apps: find out about useful apps for education, such as Explain Everything, DropBox, Google Drive, Pages and more

It's written in a very useable and respectful style. The target audience is high school students, but I'm recommending this site to our students, our staff and to my mum!

Nice one guys!- I'm looking forward to the forthcoming 'Use iPads to...' section.

See it yourself here.

eTextbook usage study in California

The authors surveyed students over two years to monitor their attitudes and usage of eTextbooks prescribed for their courses/subjects. I found this article enlightening for a number of reasons, including its demonstration of different types of arrangements for eTextbook provision for students. Both publisher suppliers in this study, while requiring students to subscribe to access the texts (presumably for a fee), they provided enduring access for the students after the completion of their studies. Perpetuity of resources being a particular interest of mine in this field, this grabbed my attention.

I'm sure many who have been involved in the MLDP trial will gain some insight of their own from this article, hence I am sharing with the group here.

International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning: Journey to eTextbook Affordability

iPad App review: SlideShark

SlideShark is a free mobile app to show PowerPoint presentations from the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. It keeps the animations, fonts, graphics, hyperlinks and videos intact while running from your iOS devices. 

Key features:
* 100 MB of online storage free (with option to buy more).
* Offline access to presentations. 
* You can see your slide notes, timers, animation counter and next/previous slides when presenting from your iPad.

(by Nauman)

iPad App review: Doceri

Doceri is a free professional iPad interactive whiteboard and screencast recorder with sophisticated tools for hand-drawn graphics and remote desktop control.

I just tried some of its features and they look fabulous. This app has got 5 stars in the App Store...

Here's an nice review of this app: http://tinyurl.com/DoceriReview

Enjoy...!!!

(by Nauman)

Ebooks on iPads- Library training session, Bundoora campus, 9th July.

iPad Stand

 Some rights reserved by Veronica Belmont

Ebooks on your iPad - too easy!

La Trobe University library has more than 350,000 e-books!

Come and find out more about them, and how to access them on your iPad. We will provide the tea, coffee and nibbles.

Class times: eBooks on your iPad

Tuesday 9 July

Session 1 - 9.30 - 10.30 am

Session 2 - 3 - 4 pm

Please, bring your iPad. All classes in Library Training Room 2.17

Borchardt Library (Melbourne Campus)

Book online now at latrobe.edu.au/library/training or contact Annette O’Brien, a.obrien@latrobe.edu.au Librarian, for further information.

iPad in Higher Education Symposium

 iBook created following the Symposium by Sarah Midford

On Friday 28 June the eLearning team joined with a team from Apple to conduct a one-day staff development symposium on the use of mobile learning devices at the city campus at 360 Collins St. 

This symposium included sessions on iBooks, iTunes U and apps for teaching and learning, and was attended by academic and professional staff from all faculties as well as ICT. After the positive feedback to this symposium, we're planning our next event!

Stay (i)Tuned for the FBEL eLearning team's favourite apps for teaching and learning, as featured in the Musical Chairs session at the Symposium- we'll be posting a brief introduction and our reviews here on the blog.