Accessories company Henge have produced what surely must be the first docking station of its kind – a Macbook docking station. We are quite familiar with the concept of docking our tech devices. Docking does a number of things for us:
1. Powers and chargers depleted batteries
2. Connects devices to a larger screen or peripheral technology for use
3. Reduces clutter and tidies cables – saving precious Teacher Office space! 
and perhaps most importantly
4. Simplifies the screen syncing process for teachers moving between classrooms 

Most of us have docks for our phones, mp3 players and the like but have you ever seen a dock for your entire macbook?

I just love the idea of this.

Take a look at the video:

I can see a lot of schools taking advantage of a simple device like this to create a smoother process for syncing teacher laptops with screens and projectors in different classrooms.

www.hengedocks.com

A report by Becta titled ‘How do boys and girls differ in their use of ICT?’ acknowledges the findings embedded in research literature. It makes suggestions as to how differences are manifested and their implications for education. The following summary of key points, taken directly from the report, is pertinent to us as teachers as we increasingly engage the use of ICT in our classrooms.

• The use of ICT in education improves the motivation and attainment of both girls and boys, though the increases are more marked for boys than girls.
• There are few significant differences in girls’ access to and use of technology within schools, but at home the differences are more marked: girls have lower levels of access at home compared with boys, and generally use ICT less.  Girls use ICT more for school work, whereas boys use it more for leisure purposes.  A large proportion of this difference can be accounted for by boys’ greater use of computer/console games.
• There is evidence to suggest that socio-economic background is more a factor for girls’ access to and use of ICT than it is for boys.
• Girls are more dependent than boys on school for their access to ICT and for guidance on how to use it.  Boys have greater experience of using ICT in the home, but the structured use of ICT girls encounter within school goes some way towards redressing the balance.
• Girls prefer social and creative uses of ICT.  They like to work collaboratively and enjoy using technology to learn, in both formal and informal contexts.  In the home, online social networking has become an extremely popular for girls.
• Although there is little evidence that girls are less skilled than boys in the use of ICT (indeed, in some areas they show greater skill), girls generally feel less confident in their ability to use technology.
• There is no evidence to suggest that ICT intrinsically suits boys better than girls; there is, however, compelling evidence that the competitive, skill-based, non-collaborative nature of many computer games (even educational ones) is de-motivating for girls.
• Whereas boys are interested in technology for its own sake, girls see ICT as a means of pursuing their interests and furthering their learning.  This may help to explain the lower number of females studying ICT or following a career in technology, but it can also mean that girls’ use of ICT is more productive in terms of learning gains.
• Overall, the evidence suggests that girls’ interest in ICT decreases as they progress through school.
• Gender stereotypes in relation to at least some aspects of technology can have a significant impact on girls’ attitudes towards ICT.  These stereotypes begin at an early age with parents and are reinforced by peers, the media and, in some instances, teachers as girls get older.  The idea that ICT is the domain of boys is particularly strong in relation to games and programming.
• The context in which girls use ICT in school is crucial to realising the benefits of technology: girls do less well when working together with boys, possibly as a result of their own and boys’ stereotypical views of technology.
• Mobile phones are more popular and more heavily used by girls than boys.
• Girls are more likely to both suffer from and engage in cyber-bullying than boys.
• Recent trends in ICT may prove particularly beneficial to girls: increasing use of social and collaborative technologies, a growing emphasis on ICT integration within subjects, and a move towards narrative and character-based games could mean that technology, both at school and at home, is increasingly aligned with girls’ interests and preferences.

The whole article can be found on the following website:

http://partners.becta.org.uk/index.php?section=rh&catcode=_re_rp_02&rid=15978

He talked about how many schools get caught up in the ‘buzz’ of technological tools and neglect to focus on the purpose; how these tools can empower teachers and students to creatively learn. Furthermore, he talks about the approach schools should take in the ulilisation of these tools to ‘bring the real world into classrooms’ and allow students to ‘access the studio, stage and community’ that technological tools provide.

Have a listen!

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/lifematters/stories/2009/2599225.htm

This week Amazon unveiled the latest weapon in their armoury to secure the electronic reading market. The KINDLE 2 is a slinky, skinny, portable electronic book-reader. KINDLE 2 gives you access to more than 188 thousand bestsellers, magazines and newspapers.  Some have described the KINDLE 2 as Amazons book equivalent of Apples iTunes music library. Never fear, for those iPhone users Amazon have already developed an app.

I was originally a sceptic. Call me old fashion but I still love the feel of picking up a good book, thumbing through the pages or even smelling the fresh ink of a broadsheet over breakfast. But I will admit there is definitely a place for the KINDLE 2.

I could ooze with enthusiasm over all the extras this device has been packed with but most importantly it could and perhaps will revolutionise how our students consume traditional academic text.

Already you can access more than 188 thousands best sellers, magazine and newspapers. The Education sector is the next obvious market.  Textbooks while sometimes a necessity are heavy, expensive, in constant need of updating and reprinting and then there is the question of storage. The e book-reader solves all of these practical problems.

One day this may be the only item on a schools book list, with individual users (students) able to customise the texts they load dependant on subject choice. The device can be used anywhere, any time.  So while you will still find me curled up with a good novel and a coffee on the weekend. Monday through Friday I’ll be bragging about my new e book reader.