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Showing posts from July, 2012

Apple profit jumps to $8.8 bn, but below forecasts

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Switch to HTML mode and paste the e Apple profit jumps to $8.8 bn, but below forecasts (via AFP ) Apple on Tuesday reported a rise in its quarterly profit to $8.8 billion on hot iPad sales but the results came up short of lofty Wall Street expectations, prompting its shares to dive. The profit in the fiscal quarter to June was up 20.5 percent from a year earlier and amounted to $9.32 dollars a…   mbed code over this text

LabQuest 2 from Vernier- Connected Science System

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It has been a couple of years since I last reviewed the Labquest from Vernier , so when I was able to get my hands on the LabQuest 2, I was really excited to find out about all the new enhancements in this new handheld connected science system. The LabQuest 2 is about the size of large cell phone with a high contrast screen that is powered by a high capacity rechargeable Lithium battery. The Labquest 2 has a great design and feels very solid in your hands as you use the device. The high resolution  touch screen is great for viewing when you are using it outside in the field. Vernier did not skimp on the processing power in this device and you will find it very responsive when you are collecting or analyzing data on the device. The LabQuest 2 supports all of the Vernier sensors making it easy for schools who have invested in their devices and probes. The LabQuest 2 now includes both WiFi and Bluetooth which opens up all kinds of possibilities which I will discuss later in ...

Easi-Speak USB Microphone

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Finding ways to engage students in the classroom with easy to use tools is always a challenge for teachers. But when you do find and easy to use tool that works well-its time to share. I recently had the opportunity to review the Easi-Speak digital microphone form Learning Resources and it name says it all. The Easi-Speak USB microphone has a built-in rechargeable battery that can last up to 4 hours on a charge, giving you and your students plenty of time to record. The Easi-Speak USB microphone  can be charged via the USB port on your computer and there is no need to ever have to change or discard batteries.  The  Easi-Speak USB  microphone is simple to use and is ideal for students in the kindergarten all the way up through the grades. Students can start recording by clicking the Red button on the microphone and when they are done they can simply press the Red button again to end the recording session. I had ...

Screencast: Creating a Matching Activity in Clicker 6

In my previous post I spoke about just how easy it was to create a Matching Activity in Clicker 6 with it new Wizards and thought that I would show you how quickly this could be accomplished. Likewise, my other reason for creating the screencast was to work with the latest version of Camtasia Studio 8 which was recently released. If you are doing screencasting of any sort, then you will want to take a look at the latest release of Camtasia Studio 8 . I was able to create this polished screencast with Camtasia Studio in minutes and share it with you using their on line storage component called, Screencast.com . In the age of the "flipped classroom," Camtasia Studio 8 is an essential tool and one that will make your videos shine. Please look for a more in depth review of Camtasia Studio 8 in the coming weeks.

Clicker 6 - A Whole New Game!

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I have been meaning to write about Clicker 6 for some time now, but it has been an incredibly busy spring and summer and I didn't get a chance to sit down and reflect on the latest release. Truth be told I have been a big fan of Clicker for a long time now and with the current release I am even more excited with the potential of this program with students with a wide range of abilities. Having worked with a lot of assistive technology over the years one of the key criteria for me is that it has got to be easy to use. If it takes me awhile to learn how to use a software program then I know that it is doomed in the classroom. The latest release of Clicker 6 now includes Activity Wizards which make using the program a real dream. Just this morning I had the chance to use Clicker 6 with a student I was working with who had underlying cognitive and language disabilities and within seconds of selecting a Talk About Wizard I had developed a...

Are You Thinking About a Mindmapping Conference?

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It has been a number of years since I had initiated putting together a mind mapping conference here in New Jersey, and today I was talking to my good friend and visual mapper Wallace Tait about the possibility of setting up a mind mapping conference so that we convene and share ideas. With the economy in its current state we need to bring innovation and ideas to the work that we do whether it is in the public or private sectors. What better way to  kick-start this year then by planning to convene interested participants who want to explore how we can put mind mapping to use in the work that we do. I have spoken to Wallace about the idea for an Unconference -whereby we pick a time and place and build the agenda the day of the conference based on your needs. This model has worked really well in the educational marketplace and is one that could work well for us. At the Unconference we could learn about new and innovative ways that people are using mind mapping in the w...