IPod technology

The iPod Touch - a revolution in education has begun!

Don't be surprised if this or something like it replaces the white/black-board in education. And this means any incarnation of the whiteboard blackboard concept. You might like to look at | one laptop per child or | a review and consider the implications. Look at the way information will be shared between the computers (called mesh networking)- you will be astounded. This device (and the iPhone and future products like them yet to appear) are about to revolutionise education. So don't get too attached to whiteboards, they may become white elephants.

What about this idea? Call me old fashioned and sentimental but, the thought of all those students preferring to talk to their desk seems a bit off beat to me...

It's already begun! Check out http://www.iband.at/ . Now what about |this idea from Sharp as the next display technology for an IPod?

What is an iPod Touch?

• It is a personal device- this is critical!
• No non human implements are required to make it work - one finger connected to a brain works well
• It is intuitive...it is intuitive...it is intuitive.
• It will be easily used in a social computing environment
• It actually works better for people with smaller finger tips! It has a good size and looks "gorgeous"(Apple Hype), fits in a shirt pocket or handbag or lunch box - the first handheld programmable calculator from HP (the HP-25) had as it's primary design goal "fit inside an engineer's shirt pocket!)- get the idea, people first.
• It handles video, audio, images, full size web pages (you have to use it to believe it!)
• It is robust - a 5 year old would have no difficulty using it (what are instructions for?)
• As with the Apple Mouse (one button) it answers the question; What's the least number of moving parts required. Answer: there are two: ON/OFF and MENU (that's it!)
• Students will use it "cos its mine!"- even though it comes in only one colour- black

• Simple way to provide two-way interaction with learning material - not so much a limitation of the device as a limitation of web browser technology. OK this one is down - Safari 3.1 has arrived.

• Direct iPod/iPhone to iPod/iPhone data exchange - it does have WiFi but no means to manage the exchange. But wait! Check out ServersMan

I guess we have a full house!

What's (currently) missing

Not much!

Update: 2010-04-07

The iPad is real. It is a game changer for education. Despite the comparison with everything else technology, most people do not see what it is. The iPad is a personal interactive whiteboard- and more! All hardware and software comparisons with desktop computers, laptop computers and netbook computers is futile.

It probably is closer to a mainframe terminal or thin client (Apple style) than anything else except it is wirelessly connected. This style of device is what educators have been wanting for a very long time. Apple have managed to shave, and shave, and shave the weight and up the display power beyond expectation. Make no mistake this device required a huge convergence of several key technologies and for the iPad to become real it depended on one critical factor: weight. I saw this convergence almost there with the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air must have sent shivers down the spines of everyone else (including the OLPC crowd). It proved Apple had the critical weight issue under control. The iPad proves they have the cost issue also under control.

What makes the iPad different is that Apple changed many paradigms at once: weight, type of processor, type of display, battery technology, manufacturing process… and so it goes on. By the end of 2010 it will have yanked everyone else totally out of their comfort zone. It will be as if they have to start al over again.

And for education… We can now give students something legitimately useful to them that they will intuitively understand. Now we can all get back to the real business of education.

Crystal ball gazing - 20 years ago

Finally, in 1987 I wrote: "I think that WIMPS* is a dead-end concept!" Ian W. Parker, "Do it Yourself- Micro Problem Definition Languages", Proceedings of the 5th Annual Conference of NSW Computer Education Group, p 178

• WIMPS - windows, icons, mouse, pointer, selector. The iPod removes mouse at least and (embedded) windows and selector (menu) depending on your interpretation.