Source:
Nagel, David. (12 November 2010). LogMeIn Launches Free Meeting App. Retrieved from
http://thejournal.com/articles/2010/11/12/logmein-launches-free-meeting-app.aspx
LogMeIn is a software developer that has created a meeting screen sharing system that is called join.me. There has recently been a pro-version of this software established as well. The idea of join.me is to allow users is to use this desktop app as a way to chat, screen share, and be allowed control on another participant's computer. The software to host up to 250 participants involved in meetings and doesn't require any type of registration to use. The pro software of join. me includes several different features such as personalized meetings, tools for scheduling meetings, and one role to multiple participants. The original join.me software is free to use, while the pro version is $29 a month and both require specific Internet engines such as Internet Explorer, Chrome, or Firefox.
The reason why I chose this article for this week is because I really see potential with it. I feel that this software would be a really great asset to public school staff in more ways than one. My immediate thought was that this would be great for a staff meeting. When I thought about it a little more, I thought that it would be great for department-specific meetings as well. Instead of meeting after school or on weekends for certain classes or meetings, these could all be done via Join.me software through the Internet. I feel that this software has potential to reach all levels of public schooling and could possibly branch out to several schools within a county participating in meetings through this software.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Jumping Off the Technology Treadmill
Source:
McCrea, Bridget. (4 November 2010). Jumping Off The Technology Treadmill. Retrieved from
http://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/11/04/Jumping-Off-the-Technology-Treadmill.aspx?Page=1
This article actually had nothing to do with exercise. The "technology treadmill" is jargon used by a California school district. Charles Kanavel, the director of technology for this school district in San Jose wanted to find a way to get rid of the desktop computers in the schools. Naturally, this process would cost a lot of money, around $550, 000 in order to replace all the desktop computers. To save on costs and to incorporate a much more unique learning environment, Kanavel's research taught him about desktop virtualization. Desktop virtualization allows several users to maintain a desktop on one computer. After narrowing choices down, Kanavel decided to go forth with XenDesktop, which is just another type of software for this process. Over the past year, computers in the school district have been converted over, and most should be completely converted by the start of the 2011 school year. Number-wise, this San Jose school district ended up saving about $250, 000 by investing in desktop virtulization. This software also minimizes the work on older computers with older hard drives. As far as student feedback, Kanavel reported that there have been minimal problems or complaints with the desktop virtualization, and has been successful in science labs, math classes, english classes, and other subject areas.
I have to admit that I was very confused after reading this article. The whole idea of desktop virtualization sounds complicated. I do not know if I would be interested in investing time and money into this type of technology for schools, let alone pitching it to the Board of Education. I just feel that this would be a more difficult thing to train teachers for, maybe less for middle and high school. I cannot even begin to think of how I would incorporate this into an early childhood classroom. Regardless of my apprehensions, I always feel that it is better to be aware of these different softwares and approaches to enhancing technology into the different schools. I commend Kanavel for taking the risk and investing the time and money into finding something new and affordable to better meet the needs of his school district.
McCrea, Bridget. (4 November 2010). Jumping Off The Technology Treadmill. Retrieved from
http://thejournal.com/Articles/2010/11/04/Jumping-Off-the-Technology-Treadmill.aspx?Page=1
This article actually had nothing to do with exercise. The "technology treadmill" is jargon used by a California school district. Charles Kanavel, the director of technology for this school district in San Jose wanted to find a way to get rid of the desktop computers in the schools. Naturally, this process would cost a lot of money, around $550, 000 in order to replace all the desktop computers. To save on costs and to incorporate a much more unique learning environment, Kanavel's research taught him about desktop virtualization. Desktop virtualization allows several users to maintain a desktop on one computer. After narrowing choices down, Kanavel decided to go forth with XenDesktop, which is just another type of software for this process. Over the past year, computers in the school district have been converted over, and most should be completely converted by the start of the 2011 school year. Number-wise, this San Jose school district ended up saving about $250, 000 by investing in desktop virtulization. This software also minimizes the work on older computers with older hard drives. As far as student feedback, Kanavel reported that there have been minimal problems or complaints with the desktop virtualization, and has been successful in science labs, math classes, english classes, and other subject areas.
I have to admit that I was very confused after reading this article. The whole idea of desktop virtualization sounds complicated. I do not know if I would be interested in investing time and money into this type of technology for schools, let alone pitching it to the Board of Education. I just feel that this would be a more difficult thing to train teachers for, maybe less for middle and high school. I cannot even begin to think of how I would incorporate this into an early childhood classroom. Regardless of my apprehensions, I always feel that it is better to be aware of these different softwares and approaches to enhancing technology into the different schools. I commend Kanavel for taking the risk and investing the time and money into finding something new and affordable to better meet the needs of his school district.
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