First Exposure

I traded my iPad for a 3G model last week so this weekend was my first real attempt at figuring some things out. Besides reading tons of reviews, here are some of the things I managed to do:

I downloaded and explored some free apps: Epicurous, NYT, Google, TED, The Weather Channel, iBooks, Amazon Kindle, Dragon, Tesla, a periodic table END PTE, and neu.Notes.

Here are some thoughts on some of these:

Epicurous: If you are not familiar with their website, it is an interactive cookbook and search engine. I really like the interface and it will make you a shopping list for each recipe. I am sure that I want to take my ipad shopping with me, but at least I can check off the items I do not need to buy off of the list. I can definitely take my iPad to the kitchen as Flaurie had done. I also like the way she transfered her recipes from her computer to her iPad.

Good recipes as well.

Kindle App.

I have not tested reading my Kindle books on the iPad in the sun yet, but in room light, it is a nice experience. I don't know yet if I will try to sell or give away my kindle. Traveling with both might be redundant.

Neu.Notes is a fun but limited (and free) doodling/notetaking app. I think that playing with this app made me realize that I do not agree with Steve Jobs that we were meant to write with our fingers and I will be exploring the purchase of a stylus. I read lots of reviews on these and I think I settled on one but need more input. Any advise?

I also downloaded Pages and tried it out. I am so far impressed, but will post more specific thoughts in another post

Cooking with my Ipad

I download a lot of recipes from the internet and have been working hard to limit the amount of printing I do. Sometimes I shlep the laptop into the kitchen area and
work right from the screen. This has not been too comfortable.

So I was thrilled to figure out the following process using my Ipad:
1. email myself a copy of a recipe (in Word) from my laptop
2. open the email on my Ipad
3. convert the Word doc to a Pages doc
4. use my keyboard stand to prop up the Ipad, just like the
plastic recipe holders I never got around to acquiring
5. my slow-cooker, barbecue short ribs are ready for dinner!

I was pleased to figure this out, because I had initially imagined having
to re-type recipes. The conversation from Word to Pages, was lovely.
Even the photo transferred well.

- flaurie s. imberman

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Surprised by Joy - By Ryanne Saddler

To be clear, I told myself that I signed up for the iPad User Group because I wanted to test drive a less expensive and more portable option than laptops for the sake of our students. The last thing that I want is more time in front of a computer screen in my life right now, so I wasn't sure how this would work out. Before I got my device, I decided to disable my Facebook page (reduce distractions) and determined that I would limit myself to WiFi and the 16G model. After all, I want to have the cheapest version to see just how well it can or cannot meet my, and my students' productivity needs. That is still a work in progress: TBD.

What I hadn't expected when I stared all of this was to be surprised by joy. (Yes, I am borrowing the phrase from C.S. Lewis.) A bit of context first: This summer, when I had the leisure of time for reflection, I made a list of activities that bring me deep joy. The list consisted almost entirely of simple pleasures. At the time, I was shocked and dismayed to realize that my daily routine over the past few years has included fewer and fewer of these activities.

The iPad has brought the joy of literature, music, new ideas, creativity, beauty, and more, back into my life. Thanks to the iPad's portability, I can comfortably commute to work once again, there by welcoming back yet another simple pleasure - walking.

By Ryanne Saddler

Sent from my iPad

Film Created on an iPhone

Below is a film short that was shot and edited entirely on an iPhone 4 (that is the story, at least).

I share this because because I think it represents the potential of mobile computing devices. Just a few years ago such capabilities were tied to the domain of expensive desktop and laptop computers...it is incredible to think of what is now possible on highly mobile devices like cell phones!

-submitted by Matt Montagne


Apple of My Eye from Michael Koerbel on Vimeo.

Posting from Blogpress

I downloaded the $2.99 blogging application, Blogpress, for my iPad over the weekend. It is a universal app, which means that it will run on both an iPad and an iPhone for the one time charge of $2.99. My aim is to try and write most, if not all, of my blog posts at this space from either my ipad or iPhone.

So far my impression of blogpress is positive-I give it three stars out of five. It is easy to insert images stored in the ipad's photos program (the image inserted in this post is a quick little sketch that I created on my iPad with art studio). Images may be resized in the post and left, centered justified with relative ease.

Adding labels to posts is done directly in the app as well - you'll see that I added the tags iPad, blogpress, and appreview to this post. The app allows you to select labels already used or you may add new ones. I like this feature...it serves as a tag dictionary of sorts, which can be quite useful when working in a group/community blog like this one.

One thing I like to do in blog posts is create hyperlinks to the ideas that I'm referencing. It isn't readily clear to me weather or not it is even possible to create hyperlinks in the app at this point. If it isn't possible, I might consider downgrading my review to two stars.

I can't give this app a ringing endorsement by any chance. At the end of the day it might be just as easy to post directly via the iPad/iPhone email application.

-posted by Matt Montagne


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Welcome to the Castilleja Mobile Learning Group Blog!

Welcome to our group blog for our mobile learning community. We intend to use this space to share reflections, software/hardware reviews, potential ideas surrounding mobile learning in the classroom, etc. Subscribe to our blog via email or RSS along the right hand side of the page. Thank you for reading and contributing to this space!

-submitted by Matt Montagne