Is Microsoft Office Finally Arriving For iOS?
Rumors have been circulating for quite some time that Microsoft is working on a version of Office for your iOS device. If you’re inclined to believe some screen shots that have recently been circulating, the release may be imminent.
Handling of Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents has been a question mark for users since the iPad was released in 2010. Apple has iWorks whose handling of MS Office created documents has gotten mixed reviews. Many 3rd party suites are available and some like Documents To Go and Quickoffice are more than adequate, but there’s still a feeling that many organizations and users alike aren’t taking the iPad as a serious business tool because of MS Office’s MIA status in the App Store.
It will be interesting to see if these latest rumors are true, and if it finally pushes the iPad over the top in the Enterprise.
Have you been waiting on purchasing an Office Suite for your IPad/IPhone? Will you buy MS Office if it’s released? Will this finally allow you to leave your laptop behind?
How to See the World While Traveling for Business
Business travel can be your favorite perk or your job’s biggest pitfall. That really depends on your opinion of travel. But whether you love racking up those frequent flyer miles or dread consistently packing and unpacking, making the most of your time away is something everyone can benefit from.
So rather than killing downtime on business trips by playing Angry Birds, instead use your smartphone to experience the city that surrounds you.
Location finder apps like Around Me and Poynt are available on most smartphones. They use your current location to identify restaurants, bars, theaters, shops and almost any other attraction or point of interest in your area. Poynt also includes user reviews to help determine your best options. (more…)
Mobile Learning in 2012
The future of technology lies in mobility. From iPads to smartphones, users want to access their information and connect with each other from any location. This goes for technology in schools too.
The Education Publishing blog put together its top 10 trends and predictions for mobile learning in 2012:
- Increased proliferation of tablet and smartphones in the market, forcing schools to relent and allow devices into schools. (In 2011 40% of teens had a smartphone).
- Improved broadband access to account for increased mobile tech use.
- A surge in “bring your own device” (and the need to accommodate for it) in schools as students use their own mobile tech for school and home learning. (more…)
NASA’s Virtual Snow Globe
The Weather Channel is predicting snow for New York on Christmas Eve, but NASA’s latest release lets you see what parts of the world had white Christmases over the past decade.
A 36-second video on NASA’s Earth Observatory website highlights the globe’s snow activity through rapid-paced images shot from Space.
Kindling the Fire With Children’s Books
The Kindle Fire has a plethora of features to play games, watch TV shows and movies and share pictures that put it in a league with leading tablet devices. Add these to its affordable price tag and the Fire poses a serious threat to the iPad. But Amazon’s latest move shows that it is returning to its roots to give the Kindle even more of an edge over competitors. (more…)
Microsoft Office is Coming to the iPad
The rumor mills have been churning ever since The Daily reported that Microsoft plans to bring its Office suite to Apple’s iPad. This move would bring together the world’s most popular business software with the most successful tablet on the market.
With no other tablet, save Windows devices, currently running MS Office, the new Excel, Word and PowerPoint apps will give the iPad yet another serious advantage in a field it already dominates. And tapping into the iPad’s overwhelming popularity can only help Microsoft gain favor among Apple’s zealous fan base. (more…)
Turkey Tech – 5 Sites for Thanksgiving Lesson Ideas and Activities
Thanksgiving is approaching, and the shortened school week will have kids pining for turkey, football, family and a four-day weekend. So keep their minds focused on school using fun and interactive games and activities that also serve up a helping of history.
Free Technology for Teachers has compiled a list of five websites that offer great resources for teaching about the first Thanksgiving and its long history along with other activities involving turkey and all the trimmings.
1. National Geographic Kids provides history about the holiday, from the first Thanksgiving feast to traditions that have developed over the 400 subsequent years, like the Turkey Pardon.
“Each year at Thanksgiving, the President of the United States receives a gift of a live turkey (along with an alternate in case something happens to the official turkey). At a White House ceremony, the president traditionally “pardons” the National Thanksgiving Turkey and the alternate turkeys, allowing them to live out the rest of their lives on a farm.”
A list of fun facts about the holiday is accompanied by games, quizzes and offline activities appropriate for elementary age students. 
2. ABC Teach is a great resource for teachers looking to spice up their yearly Thanksgiving lesson with activities and games. The site has numerous free lesson plans, coloring pages and offline games that are designed for elementary school use.
3. Kaboose offers Thanksgiving themed games as well as jokes and riddles for kids.
Who isn’t hungry at Thanksgiving? The turkey because he’s already stuffed! Get it?!
The site has features for parents and grownups as well. Like recipe ideas and tips for Black Friday shopping.
4. James Hollis at Teachers Love SMART Boards has developed an excellent list of Thanksgiving lessons that can be done using a SMART Board or other interactive whiteboard. He also gathered a wide selection of resources teachers can use to enhance their SMART Board Thanksgiving lessons like animated puzzles and holiday quizzes.
5. Larry Ferlazzo’s “The Best Sites to Learn & Teach About Thanksgiving” list offers more than 50 Thanksgiving lesson resources. It includes everything from e-books about Columbus, to web adventures starring the pilgrims, to History Channel videos and archived slideshows of the Macy’s Parade.
All of these sites can be used in the class or at home. Give them a try and let us know what you think. Do you have any favorite websites that you use each year to teach the story of Thanksgiving?
Search Gets Personal
From the creators that brought us Siri, the humble personal assistant, comes a humble “personal discovery engine.”
Trapit, the latest release from the CALO project, is challenging dominant search tools like Google and Facebook with its learning technology that personalizes search results and discovers what you like based on your online behavior. The site’s key feature – the learning capability it shares with its sister, Siri – enables it to return search results that reflect your personal preferences. (more…)
Keep Up With the NYC Marathoners this Weekend Using the Mobile Spectator App
The ING New York City Marathon is this weekend, and the New York Road Runners have teamed up with the developers of MapMyRun to create an app that allows spectators to track specific runners, receive news reports and find out about events and entertainment occurring along the route.
The NYC marathon attracts more than two million spectators annually and runs through all five boroughs. So, if you have someone in the race, or just plan to cheer on the runners from the sidelines, you’re definitely going to want to check out the Mobile Spectator App.
Users can track runners by searching for their names, bib numbers or teams. Their locations throughout the race will appear on a map. And even If they’re not following a specific runner, the app is still a useful guide for fans. Other tabs within the app identify the locations of live music along the race course, mile markers, shops selling official merchandise and the locations of stores like Dunkin Donuts. If they opt in, users can even receive offers for discounts.
The app is free for iPad, iPhone and Android smartphone users, or users can pay $2.99 for premium content, which includes the ability to track up to 10 non-elite runners.
There is also a course guide, tips for the best viewing locations and news and weather updates. The Friend Finder feature allows people to track runners, who carry their phones, even when they are off the course. The runner has to opt in to Friend Finder, but it’s a great assistant for reconnecting with friends and family in the post-race chaos.
Network Outsource will be using the app to track five runners from the Institute for Community Living (ICL) team. ICL, a not-for-profit agency that assists 9,000 adults, children and families with psychiatric disabilities, intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities and/or histories of homelessness, is competing in the race to supports its Health Living Initiative.
The ICL Health Living Initiative is a 360-degree approach to incorporating wellness into one’s life. The organization provides a set of tools to engage its clients and fellow service agencies through staff training, food demonstrations and weekly exercise programs. One of the many initiatives was the creation and distribution of a Healthy Living Workbook, which educates readers on how to care for mental health, choose healthy foods, take medication, use the emergency room and take care of teeth.
Supporting TEAM ICL in the marathon is just one way to contribute to the organization’s efforts to improve the health and wellness of individuals all over New York City. We will certainly be cheering them on, and we encourage you to do the same.
If you would like to make a donation to TEAM ICL or learn more about the runners, who all share a deep connection to the organization, visit their website.
Trick or Tech
It’s that time of year when everything seems to go bump in the night. But these geo-location apps can make Halloween a little less scary for parents as they send their little monsters out into the neighborhood in search of treats.
Trick or Tracker is an app for Android smartphones that sends updates to parents about their kids’ location. The parent selects an interval of time (15 minutes, half hour, etc.) and receives a text message as each interval passes with the kid’s location.
Parents can also set up a geo-fence and get an alert if the phone leaves a defined perimeter. This tool is only effective if the trick-or-treater keeps his phone by his side. Stashing the phone in a bush will lead to updates that continuously report that stagnant location. (more…)
