Untether Yourself

“We've arranged a civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology.
               -    Dr. Carl Sagan

I don't know if you're going to call this profound, but it is very cool.   Here is a tech tip someone shared with us at the eLearning DevCon last week.  You can use your iPad to wirelessly project your content to your projector.

You will need an Apple TV and use its AirPlay function (http://www.apple.com/appletv/ ).  Simply connect the Apple TV to the projector, and using the AirPlay menu connect them.  Now your Apple TV is streaming your iPad to the projector.  You can move anywhere in the room and use anything on your iPad - SlideShark, video, or anything really.

One note of caution, unless your projector has an HDMI input (many do today) you will need to get a HDMI to VGA convertor.  Keep in mind that you are going from digital to analog so a cable only won't cut it.  You will need a convertor box.  You can shop online for the best deals.  This is a good reference:  http://vga-to-hdmi-review.toptenreviews.com/vga_to_hdmivgatohdmiconvertanalogtodigital.html

There are a ton of blogs, suggestions, and apps designed for using this technology in the classroom.  Explore away.

Refresh Yourself

"Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work."
                -  Ralph Marston

June is here, and for me it’s Learning Month.  Most of our events are in the Spring and Fall, and the holidays are always present in the Winter.  This leaves Summer for me to go into improvement mode.  

I’ve written about this before, so I won’t beat it to death.  But you need to set time aside periodically to improve your skills, to better yourself.  You owe it to yourself and your employer to bring new things to the table every once in a while.

It’s a good thing for me that there are a couple of Learning conferences in June. 

This week I’m at the eLearning DevCon in Salt Lake City.  This is an amazing conference of fresh ideas and challenging BYOL (Bring Your Own Laptop) sessions.  The BYOL is a brilliant idea – there’s no expense in renting computers and students get top take their work home with them.  Setup can be challenging but is manageable.

http://www.elearningdevcon.com/ 

Back home in Silicon Valley we have the eLearning Guild mLearning Conference.  Mobile Learning is the next wave, and for most people the term is fairly vague.  These events help solidify concepts and develop strategies.

http://www.elearningguild.com/mLearnCon/content/2172/mlearncon--2012-home/

I never have to worry about learning new things at these conferences.  On the contrary, I can’t fit it all in!  Every year is a challenge to select just the right track.  It helps to attend with colleagues and choose different tracks then share the notes.