What technology should be

I've often thought that technology must be easier to use in order to reach its real potential.

I love technology and am an enthusiastic early adopter....but for a lot of (most?) people, technologies like RSS, podcasting, wikis, and even wireless are too complex and require too much troubleshooting. When trying to get newbies up and running with things, I am often frustrated by the number of problems that can arise.

The power of easy-to-use technology has been highlighted for me by the Kindle. It really is a piece of technology that anyone can use. The wireless is as simple as flipping a switch (literally).

The interface is simple. The usability is high. Even the ergonomics of the device are comfortable and familiar. (It feels and works very much like a book.)

I've shown the Kindle to a couple people who aren't early adopters (including one who doesn't "like" technology), and the response has been very positive. People are blown away by the easy-to-read display, and they like the feel of the device. In showing it, I have not had to explain much; just turning it on and handing it over is enough. And, like other technologies, the content is a big driver. The newspapers are especially appealing. Reading newspapers online is convenient, "green," and cost effective, but for most of us, the traditional computer screen is not a good replacement for paper.

Add to the ease of use an integrated dictionary and web access to Wikipedia and more, and you have a pretty powerful tool.

When I think about the potential of truly easy-to-use technology for schools, I am optimistic. If teachers didn't have to deal with many instances of things that don't really work, maybe integration would have more of a tangible impact on learning.

News on a couple of my favorite tech tools

The price on the Kindle has just dropped to $359. I continue to love this device. Getting the New York Times whenever and wherever I want it is such a luxury. And the wireless has worked everywhere I've tried it, including rather remote areas of several states. I also like being able to email various types of docs to my Kindle to read when I have time.

Also, the Flip camera folks have a new model out the Mino. It is quite a bit smaller than the Ultra.

Creative has come out with their own pocket video camera, the Vado, which looks a lot like the popular Flip. I'm so happy with my Flip that I can't imagine switching, though the Vado is a bit cheaper.

Kids ebooks on the Kindle

I am very happy with how easy it is to get ebooks to the Kindle and with the compatibility of Mobipocket (unencrypted) ebooks.

The K12 Handhelds ebook library works with no changes at all (and they look beautiful -- much more readable than on a handheld).

In addition to Mobipocket and Kindle ebooks, the Kindle will read Word docs, HTML, text files, JPGs, GIFS, BMPs, and PNGs. You can transfer files by USB, SD card, or the EVDO wireless. I think this always-available free wireless is one of the best features of this device.

Stay tuned for more on how "always-available" it is as I travel around. :)

New ways to look at content and 1:1

Happy New Year! I haven't been blogging as much as usual the last month or two because I am up to my ears in a ton of curriculum we're developing for mobile devices. (THE Journal ran a nice article about using mobile devices for delivering content if you haven't seen it.) We have been developing everything from mini-movies on subjects like sight words and how to skip count for little kids to interactive ebooks on topics from world history to percents, decimals, and fractions for secondary and adult learners.

This had gotten me thinking a lot about a couple topics:

1. How electronic resources can be more effective than textbooks to engage kids and especially to differentiate instruction

2. How the future of 1-to-1 computing for schools is shaping up

I think that both of these are critical if we're going to be successful in engaging kids. I'll write more about the first topic in another post. Regarding the second topic, there are a lot of new devices shipping, including things like the XO computer, the Eee, the Kindle, the iPod Touch, etc.

I think the keys to a solid device for education are:

- Low cost (under $300 seems to be a key price point for schools)
- Long battery life (at least 6 hours)
- Multimedia capability (audio and video)
- Capacity for "real" computing (word processing, spreadsheets, presentation -- could be via Web 2.0)

There are other features that I'd rate as nice-to-have but not essential like wireless, color, durability, etc.

None of the devices above quite hits all of my "must-have" features, but they are all pretty close. The second-generation releases are likely to be there. Right now, the Eee is probably the closest, though the Kindle is the one that has my attention (in part because I think it may have the longest staying power, which is really critical to schools.) Interestingly, handhelds from Palm and HP -- which have been around for years -- already have all these features. Alas, though, they are no longer the latest and greatest. (Don't get me started venting my frustration on how trend-driven technology is, even in schools.)

Some people have said that these devices are too limited for schools because there isn't textbook content available for them. The more I think about the idea of textbook publishers putting their content on mobile devices though (something I used to look forward to, though it's probably still a long ways off), the more I don't think it's the road to a better future. It's easy to list reasons textbooks don't work for most kids -- they are huge; they are boring; there is no differentiation; there is little interactivity; the content isn't comprehensible; etc. etc.

So why would we want that same content in an electronic format?