Chanatown

Article first published as Accessory Review: Portable Sound Labs' iMainGo 2 and iMainGo X on Blogcritics. When you think of headphones to use when listening to an iPod, those little white earbuds come to mind. If not listening on your own, you may plug into a fancy speaker dock, but what do you do when you're on the move? You want a battery powered speaker system that will give you the Watts you need to keep the party going, right? Well, the folks at Portable Sound Labs (PSL) have you covered, and I got a chance to test out two of their portable speaker systems, the iMainGo 2 and the iMainGo X.

Earlier this week, I took the time to update my page of samples for Alternatives to PowerPoint and included Blabberize, Pixton, and an updated VoiceThread. I focused on a few reasons why each web based tool is a great alternative as well as a few shortcomings for each. I also didn't completely bash the slideshow editor and instead focused on giving students ideas for how they can improve their presentation skills and make sure that they focus on strong visuals, coupled with an engaging, organized and enthusiastic delivery. For more thoughts on Teaching and Learning Technology,  please consider subscribing to the RSS feed or through email . Facebook fans - get the latest posts, thoughts, musings, and giveaways. Give us a "Like" today.

It's presentation week for me, as I co-led an in-house learning strand on Monday for our school, followed by a 2-hour workshop at IETC on Wednesday, and tomorrow it's off to NCTE for a 1+ hour workshop on Tablet PCs. Although I'm looking forward to some turkey and time on the couch, I wanted to reflect for a brief moment on my presentation.

I'm currently at the Illinois Education Technology Conference (IETC) in Springfield, IL. I'll be taking notes on several sessions throughout the next two days. Similar to my experience at  ISTE 2011 , I'll be using Cover It Live to record these notes. The following is the live feed (or if you're reading this after the event - the archived feed) of a conference session presented at IETC 2011 titled "Live @ IETC 2011 - Managing and Teaching with Tech Toys"  The session took place on Wednesday, November 16, 2011. For more thoughts on Teaching and Learning Technology,  please consider subscribing to the RSS feed or through email . Facebook fans - get the latest posts, thoughts, musings, and giveaways. Give us a "Like" today. <p><p><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=1a7...

I'm currently at the Illinois Education Technology Conference (IETC) in Springfield, IL. I'll be taking notes on several sessions throughout the next two days. Similar to my experience at  ISTE 2011 , I'll be using Cover It Live to record these notes. The following is the live feed (or if you're reading this after the event - the archived feed) of a conference session presented at IETC 2011 titled "Holding Students Accountable with an Online Classroom"  The session took place on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. For more thoughts on Teaching and Learning Technology,  please consider subscribing to the RSS feed or through email . Facebook fans - get the latest posts, thoughts, musings, and giveaways. Give us a "Like" today. <p><p><p>&...

I'm currently at the Illinois Education Technology Conference (IETC) in Springfield, IL. I'll be taking notes on several sessions throughout the next two days. Similar to my experience at  ISTE 2011 , I'll be using Cover It Live to record these notes. The following is the live feed (or if you're reading this after the event - the archived feed) of a conference session presented at IETC 2011 titled "Transforming Teaching and Learning Through iPads: Chicago Public Schools"  The session took place on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. For more thoughts on Teaching and Learning Technology,  please consider subscribing to the RSS feed or through email . Facebook fans - get the latest posts, thoughts, musings, and giveaways. Give us a "Like" today. <p><p><p>&amp...

I'm currently at the Illinois Education Technology Conference (IETC) in Springfield, IL. I'll be taking notes on several sessions throughout the next two days. Similar to my experience at ISTE 2011 , I'll be using Cover It Live to record these notes. The following is the live feed (or if you're reading this after the event - the archived feed) of a conference session presented at IETC 2011 titled "Discover your Inner Rockstar with SMART Boards!" The session took place on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. For more thoughts on Teaching and Learning Technology,  please consider subscribing to the RSS feed or through email . Facebook fans - get the latest posts, thoughts, musings, and giveaways. Give us a "Like" today. <p><p><p>&...

Congrats again to our first ever raffle winner, Clayton B. who picked up October's prize of a VStream PC to HDTV device. With under 20 entries last month, the odds were definitely in the reader's favor. This month, we're pawning off not one, not two, but three iPad cases.  They are as follows: 1) The NavJack iPad Executive Planner (White) - this one's a beautiful portfolio style case for the original iPad, reviewed on this blog earlier this year . 2) The SofShell for iPad 2 (non-Smart Cover) - Just reviewed this month , this sticky skin will keep your iPad from slipping off tables, chairs, and your Porsche. 3) Aluminum Keyboard Case for iPad 2 - this one generated some buzz when it came out , and I purchased one with my own hard earned money. Unfortunately, I didn't care for it, mostly because it didn't stay snapped shut in case mode. Still, the keyboard works well and overall, I appreciated the design. All three products are in Like New condition, all ...

Article first published as iPad Case Review: SofShell for iPad 2 on Blogcritics. The next time you're taking a ride in your Porsche 911 and accidentally leave your iPad on top of your car like we've all done with a cup of coffee, rest assured as your $500 tablet will still be there when you're done with your trip to the store. So says the folks at SofShell , makers of this unique case for Apple's iPad. I recently tested one of their products and although my Porsche happened to be in the shop during testing, I could tell that my iPad wasn't going anywhere when it was snugly held in the SofShell. More thoughts after the jump.

Last year, I wrote about some of the more underutilized features of Discovery Education Streaming . Part of the reason for teachers (understandably) deciding to not use the classroom manager and assignment builder tools was the cumbersome task of entering all of their student rosters. For this school year, Discovery made it convenient for schools to upload bulk users and automatically have them sorted into classes for each teacher account. For a quick look and review, follow me after the jump.

Article first published as Exclusive Preview of TheBlu: Where Art and Entertainment Meets the Ocean on Blogcritics. What do you get when you put the ocean onto the Internet?  According to several computer programmers, animators, artists, and the director of MIT's Media Lab, it would look something like this: I was treated to a private demo preview of TheBlu, a new artistic venture that combines art and entertainment, and had a chance to chat with one of  TheBlu's  co-founders, Neville Spiteri.