Where is the line??

Like with many pieces of technology today, the intended uses for hardware or software applications do not always follow the straight and narrow. Mark makes an interesting point about camera phones being used as a way to document and perhaps even prevent bullying. On the other hand the camera phone can be the tool in the bullying behaviour itself. A quick surf of You Tube will present any number of fights and incidents of bullying of students or teachers that have been posted not to prevent the act but rather to promote it.
The concept of MySpace or Facebook started out simply enough as a way to connect with others. Now privacy issues and people with nefarious intent prise the waves.
I think it is difficult to keep up with how technology is being used and to have a common set of rules and responsibilities which govern how technology is to be used. Take for instance the case going on at the moment concerning the Ryerson student who is facing expulsion for having an online study group through Facebook. Seems to me the student is doing exactly what university students have been doing for years, except now they are doing it electronically.

eBook Online Library of sorts

I took a quick look around this site, you are right Michael there is a lot to filter through. There is however quite a bit of really neat stuff. Good links to ideas for lessons around classroom theatre, good variety of text for all ages. I think most people could find several useful links to use themselves or to pass along to colleagues and parents.

http://drscavanaugh.org/ebooks/libraries/ebook_libraries.htm

Free-Ware/Not so free applications

Great site Keethai, thanks for sharing!! I could see using this site with younger students as a way of introducing them to creating their own comics. I agree with Michael that it does have some limitations. For a fee site it is a great site. Might also want to think in terms of using this site as a warm upto using ComicLife. Students could also do a comparison between free-ware applications and those that are licensed. With all the talk of Google suites and other all access applications, having students compare functionality and reliability of free vs pay for application would be interesting.

Mac vs Windows

In my school board the majority of elementary schools use Macs, while PCs seem to be the platform of choice in the secondary schools. At present our board is at a bit of a crossroads. The board has a computer "infusion" plan on the go whereby they want to create a sustainable standard and staff/student ratio of computer workstations. The problem is that the windows based machines are significantly less expensive than the Macs. At present the board is conducting open meetings, both online and public, for staff to give their opinions for or against continuing to be a dual platform board or switching to Windows. As you can imagine the secondary panel is fine with going strictly windows, however some in the elementary panel are almost beside themselves at the thought.
Having used both my two cents are that there is often a reason that one product is much cheaper and it doesn't always relate to economies of scale.

PowerPoint Handouts-When to use them

Interesting article Christine found. I thought the point about finding time during the lecture (presentation) to "pause and poll" the students was important. This point reminds me that the presentation itself is not the message but rather a means to communicate with students. Taking time to check for understanding is important in assessing for learning.
The examples of PPT handouts in the article gave me some ideas for the future. Seems to me that it is important to understand in your own mind what it is you want your audience to go away with after your presentation before you decide on a handout format.

Keynote vs PowerPoint

In response to Mark's Post

Mark,
I used the same approach you did, started on PowerPoint then converted to Keynote. Too much frustration using PowerPoint. The one advantage that PP had over the version of Keynote that I was using, was the ability to create narration within the software. In my Keynote presentation I used GarageBand to record my narration which I then had to export to iTunes and finally embed the narration in Keynote. It sounds like a lot of work but the reality is that by using GarageBand I was also able to include some background music to accompany my narration. In the end I think the product turned out way better than if I would have used PP.
I also went on the Apple website to take a look at the latest version of Keynote and it looks like they have added the function adding narration through Keynote itself.

Keynote and Creating ebooks

I found what I thought was a pretty good, and concise manual directed towards teachers on how to use/navigate Keynote. As the author says, you can download the nearly 200 page user guide but the reality is that most users will not need that much information. I also liked the visuals that he added to the pdf making it much easier to follow. Have a look and see what you think.

http://www.mattjfuller.com/ice/Keynote_3_Book-draft_quality.pdf

I also tried making a quick ebook using Keynote and found that the only drawback was not being able to create and insert audio within the slideware. Instead I needed to use GarageBand and iTunes to record and insert audio through the media inspector creating an extra step. Not a terrible inconvenience but if all I want to do is narrate the text I believe that PowerPoint has the edge on function.