Using Video to Reinvent Education

A few months ago, I wrote a review of the academic website, Khan Academy, and while I still have the love-hate relationship with the website itself. I have a new respect for it's founder and namesake. The man in question, 'Salman Khan,' is a really good public speaker, and quite frankly, has really good ideas. 

My issue with it, and this is partly my fault, is that the user has to find another person with an account on the website in order to find direct support. Since I signed up on my own without having access to a coach's ID, it has felt a lot like 'MyMathLab,' but without the $100+ cost for an access code (and at least MML has built-in support!). 

But at any rate, anyone should watch this TED talk. You will definitely be glad you did. Here is the link below. Feel free to get the discussion and insight going in the comments section following the article, as well.

http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_reinvent_education?language=en  

Guess I don't Need the Roku 3 After All!

One thing I discovered after I set up my phone was the Roku Mobile App. This allows your smartphone to be able to search for items based on a person's vocal commands (it seems as though everyone has jumped on this fantasy-turned-reality feature of technology!). It has been a nice feature to have, even with just using Google Now to search for items without having to type meticulous items on a smartphone's on-screen keyboard.  

Prior to this, the only way I would have been able to use this functionality would have been either through newer streaming boxes, such as Amazon's FireTV or the newest generation of Roku 3. Since I have an older Roku 2 XS with a few firmware upgrades, the only feature I can't do with the phone is play games, however, considering that I needed batteries to use the remote to set up my phone, it's not too bad having a spare remote available. 

Anyway, I just discovered today that the my smartphone's Roku Mobile App allows the user to use voice search. I haven't taken too much advantage of this yet, but that may change in the near future. On another note, I have previously used 'Google Now,' which is Google's answer to Apple's Siri and Microsoft's Cortana. If a person has a microphone either built in or attached to their computer, and is using Google Chrome, then Google Now can be enabled on their computer's installment of Google Chrome, but that's another blog post. 

Between Voice Search on my Samsung S3, and game buttons on the Roku remote, the only features I am missing from a new Roku box are "easy access" buttons that instantly take a user to Amazon, Hulu, etc., and the presumably faster processor. However, the trade off is that I can use my existing box on any TV with A\V inputs, and I still have the important features, like the Game Remote, Ethernet, as well as MicroSD and USB storage options.

Roku Voice Search using the Samsung Galaxy S3

There was Something I was Supposed to do Today....

One of the apps that I forgot to add to my list of must-haves for an Android device is called 'Remember the Milk.' Now, I understand what you might be thinking, and no, it's not a grocery list app. I actually checked with my brother on this one, and the one that does fit that particular criterion is called 'Out of Milk.' 

This one, on the other hand, is more of a daily planner app, or "task scheduler" that  the user can set different tasks for, as well as have corresponding reminders set for each task in question. After I had my phone set to factory default, it was actually one of the first apps I installed (after the Roku app). I haven't got a chance to get to know it very well, but I have high hopes that at some point I will probably have said opportunity, especially if I enroll at a college somewhere (most likely Aurora or Denver if I do end up pursuing the X-Ray technician field). At any rate, the interface for the app is very simple, probably to the point where it makes Microsoft Outlook seem like a "Power User's" best friend. 

Overall, I would definitely recommend it to a new Android user, and when I was looking for different examples of pictures, it looks as though it is compatible with iOS as well.   

An example of the interface of 'Remember the Milk' I can only assume from the lack of branding that these are either devices that didn't get branding permission in the examples, or they are Nexus devices.

Introducing: The Next Big Thing (of 2012)

Around the end of July, I wrote about how great having an iPhone would be. Well, a month and two weeks have passed since that writing, and I have finally jumped on the smartphone "bandwagon." After Emily returned from her sister's wedding, she brought a Samsung Galaxy S3 with her, and told me that instead of an iPhone (or other new phone for that matter) that I would be able to use this instead. At first, I was hesitant, because used hardware has a tendency to wear out faster, plus I had heard about Samsung's "proprietary" software flaws, so I was skeptical at first.

Along with said post, I included five apps that I would be interested in, as well as a particular smartphone case. My Samsung S3 already has a protective lid for the screen, and therefore, that would be one less accessory that I would have to purchase, which, retrospectively, is definitely a positive.

Front of Samsung Galaxy S3 (cover on)

The other nice thing about this phone, is that it has Google Play pre-installed. The first Android device I ever had was a seven-inch tablet that I bought at BigLots for only $100, and came with the Amazon Appstore. Later on, after I lost the receipt, I sold it to Second Time Around for around $40, because they said they could only sell it for $60. Needless to say, after this first Android experience, I was fairly skeptical. 

At one point, I had considered trying a "third-party" mobile operating system, such as Ubuntu or Windows Phone. When I first strongly considered Ubuntu, it could be installed directly on top of Android, thus being able to "dual-boot" in the same respect that Wubi allows with a PC without harming the primary partition.

Back of Samsung Galaxy S3

After Ubuntu and Android parted ways, I strongly considered Windows Phone. My first pick of a device for this OS was the HTC One M8, and I had also noticed that I would be able to do work on it because Microsoft Office came preinstalled on the device. I thought for sure that I had a winner.

After some convincing, I eventually changed my mind again, and decided that the iPhone would be practical. For only $30 (after contract) I would get a phone with around 32GB of storage, and (presumably) a fairly stable operating system. However, once the events in paragraph one took place, I took the time to get to know the Samsung Galaxy S3.  

Well, before it was activated and reset, I was able to get familiar with Android Kit Kat (v4.4 of the OS) and overall, it felt a lot more stable than the tablet that I used to have. Now that I have it all to myself, I have already been able to find some decent apps for it. I have listed my top five choices (this is partly because I have only installed that many so far) and I feel pretty good about them.

I have now included five free apps from the Google Play Store that I feel will be very beneficial. As I get more acquainted with the phone, I will probably make another list, but here it goes:

Front of Samsung Galaxy S3 (uncovered)

5) Microsoft Office Mobile Click Here

If creating and editing documents on a smartphone doesn't bother you, then I would say go for it. It's also a nice way to get Genuine Microsoft Office while giving Microsoft the "financial bird." A word of warning however, is that if it asks, then you will probably have to download each individual app separately. From what I can tell, these are Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneNote, and Outlook. 

4) RTD TransitWatch Click Here

This is a really handy way to use public transit without having mountains and mountains of bus schedules scattered throughout the house. However, considering that it only covers Colorado, it will be pretty useless if the user lives in another state.

3) Pokemon Shuffle Click Here

This is a nice little puzzle game released by Nintendo, originally for the Nintendo 3DS. This also happens to be the first place where I downloaded and played it. Playing it on a mobile phone has felt like a slightly different experience, however, this is mostly because the Samsung S3 does not have a stylus included with it. However, it still feels like a quality ported game.

2) Roku Mobile App Click Here

I initially downloaded this before I had the phone reset, and ironically, I couldn't set it up with my box until it was set up on the Wi-Fi with the remote it came with.  All in all, it's nice to be able to use because I can leave the remote aside and not worry about whether or not I should use the wrist strap. The only downside is that it doesn't allow me to play games. I assume this is because the firmware on my Roku is convinced that I do not have a game remote attached.

1) LDS Gospel Library Click Here

This comes in quite handy becuase it reduces the amount of books one has to carry on Sunday. The most recent update to it is really nice because in the past, the user had to download each book in the library individually. However, the most recent version allows the user to access the book instantaneously without waiting to download each one. I used the app in the past on a previous tablet, and I feel that the new feature is a major improvement.

As I get more apps, I will probably make additional lists. For now, however, this is a good solid start for most new Android users. The build of the Galaxy S3 is very nice as well, and I look forward to getting to know it better.

New Furniture! :)

A couple of days ago, someone that lives in our apartment complex (and got us the recommendation) was packing up for a move, and offered us a few pieces of furniture that she did not want to take with her. One of them was a desk that had a very nice looking wood finish on it, and the other two were a matching pair of bookcases that, at first glance, I thought that they merged together to make a changing table. 

So anyway, we go to pick up the furniture in question, and it is interestingly quite heavy, especially considering that all of the pieces do not have anything stored on them at the time. Besides the obvious "holy crap, this stuff weighs a ton!"), my first reaction was something along the lines of a comment on how nice looking it is. Once we get the furniture over to our apartment, either Matt or Emily ask me if I would like to use the desk for my computer instead of the white table that I was using at the time. After studying it for a couple of minutes, and trying to picture how it would look, I accepted the offer and we moved it next to my bed, not exactly facing the window, but instead facing the wall with the smoke alarm. 

To take precautionary measures, I decided to turn off my computer first because I heard once that if you move a computer while it is running, then there is a chance that if the computer is shaken, then the mechanical components of the hard drive will cease to function because of the friction from being shaken. I also unplugged everything from the wall because that way there would not be as much resistance from my electrical outlets, including the USB ports.

All in all, the table is actually the perfect height. I also noticed the horse-shaped drawer knob on the right-hand standalone drawer, and considered it to be a nice touch, even though it did not match the other four knobs on the left. The only caveat is that I have to be careful when adjusting stuff so that I do not scratch the wood finish, which is a perfectly reasonable request.

     

Godfather, there's a horse on my desk! Why?!