Tag Archives: apple

Apple iPad vs Microsoft Surface: A Comparison

The Technical Interns did a comparison review of the iPad and the Surface tablet by Microsoft. Here is what they found:

After playing around with both the iPad and the Surface, I have notice some key similarities. First off, both of these devices require an external adaptor in order to connect to a projector. Also both devices have roughly the same battery life and background display resolution. There are also some important key differences; I feel that the Surface is more similar to a computer than a tablet. When you first open the surface, you will notice that PowerPoint, Word Excel, and Windows 8 have already been installed. The Surface provides you with the option to leave the Windows 8 App Screen, and select the generic Windows PC Desktop. This change allows for PC users to feel comfortable using the devices as both a computer and tablet. The Surface will also allow its users to connect a USB device directly into the tablet for easy file storage.

On the other hand, the iPad feels less like a computer and more like a tablet. The iPad comes with FaceTime, iMessage installed when the device is delivered. These two applications allow for easy communication between fellow Apple products, without many problems similarly experienced by Skype. Not only does the iPad have a sleeker looking design, but its camera clarity is far superior to that of the surface. The application market for the iPad is also much larger than that of the Surface, which allows for a greater gaming and tablet experience. All in all both devices are great, and it comes down to how you desire to use your tablet. If you prefer to use it as a second computer, than I would suggest purchasing the Microsoft Surface. If you are looking for something to take quick notes on and use for presentations, I would suggest the Apple iPad

Spring 2013 Update

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A little more than a month into the 2013 spring semester, the Center is busy as ever supporting several programs and courses. The second semester of the iPad semester loan program is underway, with three courses participating, each from different disciplinary areas. I am looking forward to receiving faculty and student feedback on the value of using an iPad as part of their coursework and in some cases, in their school-based placements and clinical settings. Last semester, the feedback from the undergraduate students was, for the most part, positive and many found the iPad to be an important tool to complete their course work. Results of the end of the semester feedback survey showed that 70% of students agreed or strongly agreed that using an iPad in university-based coursework made the class sessions more interesting and 65% agreed or strongly agreed that the iPad was beneficial to their teaching and learning experience. What about the other 30 – 35% that did not respond favorably? The majority were neutral in their response and those that disagreed about the usefulness of the iPad represented under 10% of the responses to the survey. Classes participating in the loaner program this semester will also complete an end of semester survey and a complete report will be created from the results of all surveys. The report will also include some insight into using the Apple Volume Purchase Program to buy bulk apps, management of the apps and iPads using Apple’s Configurator, and some thoughts about Airwatch, the MDM (Mobile Device Management) that the Center is using to establish course profiles, enforce security measures on the iPads, and track iPad usage.

In addition to the iPad program, the Center will once again be host to the 5th Annual Faculty Technology Showcase on Friday, February 22nd from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in rooms 133D and 133E Erickson Hall. The event showcases instructional technology innovations and applications by faculty from across the MSU campus and brings together representatives from IT Services to address a specific hot topic in the MSU technology landscape. This year, the topic will be the shift from ANGEL to Desire2Learn and representatives from IT Services will be present to answer faculty questions about making the transition from one to the other and about additional features that will be added to Desire2Learn later this year. All presentations are set up as digital poster sessions so attendees can wander around at their leisure to speak to presenters about their topic. There is no need to pre-register for the event and lunch will be provided for the first 100 attendees.

Lastly, mini-workshops for CEP416 students will take place during the two weeks after spring break, covering the topics of SMART Boards, Jing, Weebly, Mobile Video, and Google Apps. Registration for the 30-minute workshops will be opened up to the college at large and a link to the sign up form will be posted after February 28h.

Productivity Apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android phones

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EVENT: There’s An App For That: Productivity Apps to Keep You Organized

DATE: Friday, April 22nd ****CHANGED

PLACE: 133F Erickson Hall

TIME: 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

SIGN-UP: http://bit.ly/dTuRA4

OVERVIEW:
Chances are many of you have any one of the devices mentioned in the title of this blog post with you all the time, somewhere at home, or are considering purchasing one of them. Apple is dominant in that market, but phones built on the Android platform (and soon more tablets) are popping up in the hands of consumers. Productivity apps on both platforms make tasks like file sharing, group texting, to-do lists, document editing and collaboration, voice-to-text recording, and project management seamless and convenient. Many of the apps are linked to cloud based applications enabling users to access their folders, files, and to-do lists on their mobile device or any computer connected to the Internet. In this hour-long session, apps like Evernote, Dragon Dictation, DropBox, GroupMe, and Wunderlist will be demonstrated. In addition, I’ll touch on some PC/Mac applications that also help with productivity.

Still to come…

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Still to come for the Spring 2011 semester will be presentations on iPad and iPod Apps and on Moodle. Dates will be announced soon for April. As a follow-up to the previous post about the Google Apps, sessions were held just before and after the December holiday season to introduce Google Docs, Google Calendar and Google Sites to a variety of people in the College of Education. Many people did not know about the collaborative functions of Google Docs and were surprised to learn about the multiple calendar and privacy functions of Google Calendar. A repeat of the same content will be held during Spring Break and during the week of March 21st to grab folks that could not make the sessions offered in December and early January. To sign up for the sessions, go to this Google Form to see dates and times.

I am always looking for new ideas for workshops and fall semester colloquium topics and presenters. Please take some time to make a suggestion or two using this quick survey. You’ll need to log in with your MSU Net ID to fill it out.

Lastly, I’ll be attending the 2011 MACUL Conference in a couple weeks and I’ll be sure to post about the great presenters and ideas that seem to always come out of the sessions and workshops. There are great things happening in the K-12 world with instructional technology, with some very creative and innovative teachers out there doing their best to integrate technology into their lesson plans to prepare the next generation of learners.

iPad resources and reviews

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The Center has one iPad that the Technical Interns in Education have been busy exploring in the past few weeks for the best free Apps and even some paid Apps for education. This project will continue throughout the summer with the goal of having a Brown Bag presentation before fall semester or early into fall semester. While we’d love to have more iPads for College of Education faculty to check out and begin their own exploration, the iPad is in high demand across globe and they are currently on back-order along with the various accessories for the iPad. Hopefully by the time fall semester starts, we’ll have a couple more floating around for checkout.

In the meantime, we’ve put together some resource links for the iPad including app reviews, app recommendations, and reviews of the iPad. Also, TIES Andrea and Molly have created a video review of how to use the iPad and some of the apps, including the iBook reader. Lastly, Mashable.com has an article on Steve Job’s address at the D8 conference in Los Angeles this week addressing the phenomenal growth in the sales of iPad and if tablets (like the iPad) will someday replace the PC. In it, Jobs is quoted saying, “When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks. But as people moved more towards urban centers, people started to get into cars. I think PCs are going to be like trucks. Less people will need them. And this is going to make some people uneasy.”

NY Times: David Pogue iPad Review

Engadget iPad Review

Mashable – 10 Must Have Apps

iPad Apps for Education from ISTE