Prezi

A quick mention for Prezi, an online presentation tool that's based on zooming in and out on text and pictures.

Describing it doesn't really do it justice. I've played with this tool for a bit and, although there's an art to it that I don't really have as of yet, these presentations can be very effective. I like this Prezi that discusses the concept of these presentations and how to best deliver them.

There are free and fee-based versions, detailed here. The differences are in the amount of disk space online, privatizing content, removing the Prezi watermark and the use of an offline desktop presentation development tool. As a teacher, you could use start with the free version and could allow students to do the same. I would recommend viewing a few sample presentations, as users are aching for something that catches the eye a bit more than the standard presentation. This tool can be very effective to zoom in on ideas, walk across timelines, create online flowcharts, etc. It's definitely worth a try!

Adobe ConnectNow

If you're looking for a web conferencing solution, it might be worth experimenting with Adobe ConnectNow. I tried out the 'free' version with a co-worker today and was fairly impressed with the results. Most of the details are on the page linked, but a few points of note:

* The free version is for up to 3 users, including the host. There are fee-based options for additional connections

* There's no need for attendees to register or to have any software other than Flash Player

* In a single interface, I can see the presenter's screen, hear the voice, view a webcam and participate in a chat

* Remote desktop capabilities are there as well

I'm sure there are other products available and there may be other features of this product that I didn't experiment with but, for some of the interactions that I have, I could see where this product could be quite useful. It's worth a look!

"Should I Apply for Internal Connections?"

It's early February, which means "E-Rate Form 471 filing" to the K-12 CIO community. I've had several districts ask me or speculate aloud regarding whether to apply for Internal Connections (Priority 2 funding) for their schools. It's a difficult question and I'm never in a position to say "don't apply", but we can certainly look at the data to speculate on the situation.

E-Rate Central does a great job of this in a recent newsletter. In it, there's an interesting graphic that details the past three funding years, the amount of rollover funds and the Priority 2 funding threshold. Their chart states:

Funding Year 2007, $650M rolled over, P2 threshold 81%
Funding Year 2008, $600M rolled over, P2 threshold 87%
Funding Year 2009, $900M rolled over, P2 threshold will likely be 70-78%

I thought I'd look at some of the cumulative USAC data a different way - all data approximated and keep in mind FY 2009 is still being funded:

Funding Year 2007, $1.4B total P1, $482M P2 90%, $463M P2 80-89%
Funding Year 2008, $1.6B total P1, $641M P2 90%, $208M P2 80-89%
Funding Year 2009, $1.4B total P1, $432M P2 90%, $399M P2 80-89%

That same E-Rate Central note above points out that there's only about $500M available to be rolled into FY 2010 at this time. I suppose that could grow slightly, but there are other factors at play. With the economy as it is, discount levels have risen for many districts. There are more 80% and 90% schools, which is going to mean more school districts at a cumulative 81% and above.

My theory (and it's only one person's opinion) is this: School districts see that the FY2009 P2 threshold is going to go below 80%. They also see that they may have a higher discount level for the first time (or first time in years). Those factors will likely combine to produce great demand in the higher discount levels. Add that to the amount of available rollover funds (which will be similar or less than FY2007/FY2008 levels) and we could see an FY2010 P2 threshold above 80%.

This certainly doesn't mean "don't apply", but the historical numbers presented don't support another year of sub-80% P2 funding. We shall see.

Are you creating content or consuming it?

As devices change and prices continue to inch downward, I'm becoming slightly more convinced each day that more and more school districts will attempt to put some type of technological devices in the hands of every student. I've been involved with several school districts as they discuss the pros and cons of such thoughts and novels could be written on the factors that should be considered as this topic is bandied about.

Make no mistake - I think the most important question that could be asked when considering a device for a 1:1 initiative is something along the lines of "what does the end result look like in your vision" or, put a bit more bluntly, "what do you want users to do with it?"

As different devices are being evaluated, that needs to be a focal question. While I may be oversimplifying the topic a bit with this post, one theme to be considered when evaluating devices is whether the device is built to create content or to consume it.

Consider, for a moment, smaller devices. Here are netbooks from Dell, HP and Lenovo. While not having a 'netbook', Apple has an iPod touch and the coming iPad that you may have heard a little about. Are these good or bad for education? Are they good or bad for 1:1 consideration? These aren't the right questions. Depending on what you want to do, these may be great or terrible devices. Apple execs might quibble with me on the iPad and who really knows since the device hasn't been released yet, but I would generally state that these devices mentioned are fine for most consumption of content. Teachers and learners need to consume vast amounts of content. We read books and articles, watch videos, review (and maybe take?) notes. All of this is well and good and, if this is what you envision your students doing with these devices, then items in this category might be worth consideration. **SIDE NOTE** Though this is another topic for another time, districts need to consider warranty and how long they expect users to carry these devices. Most devices in this category do not carry a lengthy warranty as a standard and this is well worth considering.

Your more powerful desktops and notebooks carry a higher price tag, but they are generally considered better for creation of content. I won't bother with all of the links, but devices in this category can contain many of the following features: fast processors, large displays, webcams, high-speed wired and wireless ports, multiple USB, Firewire and SD connectivity options, high-end graphics cards, long battery life, built-in DVD burners, large hard drives and/or solid-state drives and on and on and on. You may need some of this, all of this or none of this. At times, teachers and learners may be asked to create and edit videos. Manipulating large video files and keeping them in memory can be very resource-intensive. Some engineering software like AutoCAD requires powerful specifications for the computers to run the software.

This isn't to argue for or against one category of device. The point here is to ask the right questions when making a large decision like this. Districts need to have that instructional vision and determine ahead of time whether that device being carried around will be used primarily for consumption of content or creation of it.