From the Desk of Mr Daniel

Microsoft released the first beta of Internet Explorer 9 on 15 September 2010. The new browser brings a streamlined user interface and a core that is more standards-compliant and faster than any previous version of Internet Explorer. With Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft is imploring us to "unlock the beauty of the web," and indeed, IE9 is a fast and attractive Web browser.

Some improvements in IE9

1. Simple User Interface: Site-centric, ensuring that the focus is on the site, not the browser.
   
    
2. Combined Address & Search Bar with options to enable search-as-you-type.
   
    
3. New Tab Page showing most frequently used pages with frequency indicator.
   
    
4. Leverage on Windows 7's Aero Snap feature for torn-off tabs to continue to show updates on web pages.
   
    
5. Improved notification.
   
    
6. Pinned sites support Windows 7's Jump Lists
   
    
7. Download Manager
   
     
8. Better Security and Web Technologies Support

2010	Upgrade to Windows 7 Upgrade to Adobe CS5
2009	Upgraded to Adobe CS4 Complete degree in Media Arts
2008	Pursue a degree in Media Arts Start Multimedia Training to a secondary school Manage LMS for a secondary school
2007	Purchased my 2nd laptop from NEC, installed with Windows Vista. Upgraded to Adobe CS3 Create my first commercial artwork. Switch my personal website to Joomla! CMS
2006	Create my first corporate website. Switch my personal website hosting to ReadySpace
2005	Graduate from my Multimedia Diploma. Create my first corporate marketing materials. Start using NucleusCMS for my personal website.
2004	Got my first laptop from Acer Started my Multimedia Development Diploma - Understand what is Multimedia. First contact with LMS from my Multimedia Diploma. Switch my personal website hosting to NewMedia Express First contact with Wordpress Blog. Switch my personal website from HTML to Wordpress. First contact with CMS
2003	Upgrade to Office 2003 Upgrade to Macromedia MX 2004 Upgrade to Adobe CS Got my first broadband Internet connection from Starhub My first personal website from IWI
2002	Start using Macromedia MX Upgraded to Photoshop 7 Got my first mobile phone from Starhub
2001	Obtained new computer with Windows XP Upgraded to Office XP
2000	Installed Windows ME. Upgraded to Office 2000 Upgraded to Adobe Photoshop 6 Switch to Starhub's Free Dialup Internet
1999	First contact with Javascripts and Dynamic HTML Upgraded to Windows 98 but downgrade back to Windows 95 due to Win98's instability. Start using Adobe Photoshop 4
1998	Come in contact with Freeware and Shareware. First contact with Software CDs. First Microsoft software: Office 97 & Frontpage 97 Home connected to the Internet using Pacific Internet Create my first personal website at Geocities. Join my first online community.
1997	Got my first computer running Windows 95. First contact with the Internet and Email at Temasek Polytechnic. Start using Winzip First contact with Graphic Editing Software: Paint Shop Pro

The Age of New Media

Each new technology creates a new environment and opportunity. With the evolution of the Internet from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, this has revolutionize the way we use the internet and change the way we learn. Since the beginning of the wide-spread usage of the internet until 2004, the internet was used for reading ad receiving content for research. After 2004, the Internet evolved into Web 2.0, with many social media websites and tools that allow the Internet users to create, contribute and collaborate contents online. Web 2.0 have also create a culture of openness, participation and contribution. The wisdom of the group now replace the expert.

This resulted in the explosion of information, the world getting smaller and social learning moving to the center stage. Learning has changed. Hence, education will need to change to keep up. Customization, Creation and Collaboration is now the new educational model. With the change, students now need teachers more than ever as teachers now becomes the facilitators of information.


The New Concept of Learning

Social media engages and motivates students to learn. It also creates many possibilities for teaching and learning. Learning is no passively constrained to a classroom or based on learning objects. Rather, learning is centered around the interest of a learner and is owned by the learner. (Personalized Learning) Students learn by involving themselves to the tasks. (Immersive Learning) Using a Computer, Laptop or Mobile Phones as a device, learning occurs through connection with other learners based on conversation and interaction. (Connected Learning)

For the first time, we are preparing students for a future we cannot fully describe. (David Warlick) Eric Hoffer mentioned that in times of rapid change, learners inherited Earth while the learned find themselves equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. Educators are encouraged not to limit the students to their own mode of learning as they are born in another era.

To start off, educators can:

1. Learn about Web 2.0
   Understand the concept of Web 2.0 and how it can impact learning.
    
2. Lurk / Participate
   Try out new social media tools. Lurk around to familiarize yourself before participating.
    
3. Experiment with different Web 2.0 tools
   Not all social media tools are suitable in all teaching and learning environment. Review the learning needs and the objective carefully before deciding of the tools can help you achieve the learning needs and objectives.
    
4. Make education a Public Discussion
   As learning is now immersive and connected, educators are encouraged to create a learning community in the class where knowledge emerge from conversations.
     
5. Teach Content Production
    Introduced various tools to the students and get them to create content through engaging activities.
    
6. Guidance on Assessing the Right Content
   Offer guidance and advise on selecting the appropriate contents and how to deal with unappropriated contents.

References:

Social learning (social pedagogy). (2010, March 14). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21:30, July 18, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Social_learning_(social_pedagogy)

Open & Collaborative Learning. (2010, April). Slideshare. Retrieved 21:30, July 18, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/courosa/open-collaborative-learning

Collaborative and Co-operative Learning. (2010, June). Slideshare. Retrieved 21:30, July 18, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/timbuckteeth/collaborative-and-cooperative-learning-the-how-and-the-why

Trends and Impacts of E-Learning 2.0. (2010, March). Slideshare. Retrieved 21:30, July 18, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/Downes/trends-and-impacts-of-elearning-20

E-Learning 2.0 - Why the New Tools. (2010, March). Slideshare. Retrieved 21:30, July 18, 2010, from http://www.slideshare.net/Downes/elearning-20-why-the-new-tools

Microsoft has changed its approach to naming operating systems (e.g XP, Vista) and is using an internal numbering system. The current Windows Operating System, Windows 7, is the 7th release.  Hence the replacement for Windows 7 is expected to be called Windows 8. Microsoft normally release a new OS every 3 years, so Windows 8 should be launched in 20011/12, approximately 3 years after Windows 7.

Many Windows Fans are already creating concept videos on how the interface and user experience will be like. Take a look and vote which concept do you like by using the commenting system below.

I attended the product launch of Microsoft Office 2010 on Monday evening (14 June) at *Scape Youth Park after my training at Kaplan. The event started at 6pm with Office 2010 demonstration competition, followed by the product launch at 2010hrs. After the launch, there is a prize presentation ceremony for the competition held earlier. There are also a of Jamming session and some games along the way and the event ended with a luck draw.

Had a wonderful time but I actually hope to see more product demonstration to showcase how Office 2010 can be used innovatively. Discount vouchers could have been included in our goodie bag for the purchase of Office 2010.

Office 2010 Professional version is available to all students studying at MOE schools at an attractive price of SG$128.40 from Singpost. The retail value is SG$758. So hurry get your student pass and purchase the latest version of Microsoft Office today!

Be a part of the online activity by visiting this website and join the Facebook page and Twitter.

In 2007, the iPhone reinvented the phone. In 2008 the iPhone 3G brought faster 3G networking and a revolutionary App store. In 2009, iPhone 3Gs is twice as fast and brought up new features like video recording. In 2010, the iPhone 4 is the biggest leap forward since the release of iPhone.

~ Greg Joswaik, VP iPhone Product Marketing.

 

 

With so much improvements to the interface, features and camera, this will be my next mobile phone (cum MP3 player!)

The upcoming Firefox 4, to be released in Oct 2010, took a few cue from Chrome and Opera. The interface has been simplified and greatly influenced by Chrome and Opera. Once again, Google is leading in web technologies

Something UI designers have known for a long time is that the simpler an interface looks, the faster it will seem. The less the user has to take in with their eye, the quicker they can process it and the quicker the entire application will seem. So we’re actually looking at making our interface faster by changing the way it looks.

~ Mike Beltzner, Firefox Director

Take a look and compare:

Part 1
Join Russell Brown as he shows you how to use Content Aware Fill, just one of the great new Photoshop features in Adobe Photoshop CS5.


Part 2
Join Russell Brown as he continues to talk about the benefits of Adobe Photoshop CS5's new Content Aware Fill feature and how to get the best results from it.

Even tighter integration between Indesign CS5, Dreamweaver CS5 and Flash CS5. Dreamweaver now supports Wordpress Theme development and Flash now allows creation of iPhone Apps.

Microsoft is wrapped up development work on the next version of the Office family, including Office 2010, SharePoint 2010, Visio 2010, and Project 2010. The products were release to computer manufacturers and Microsoft is holding a launch event on May 12 in New York. will Microsoft Office 2010 will hit store shelves in June. PC makers are also allowed to load a slimmed down Office Starter that users will get for free on new computers.

Among the biggest changes in the new version of Office is the fact that Microsoft will release separate browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Businesses will be able to host the Office Web Apps on a SharePoint server, while consumers will be able to get free access as part of Windows Live.

On the desktop side, Microsoft is adding the first 64-bit version of Office as well as other changes including video editing in PowerPoint, photo editing in Word, and an improved "paste preview" function.

As reported on CNet Beyond Binary

One of the biggest requests we get of Photoshop is to make adding, removing, moving or repairing items faster and more seamless. One feature of Photoshop CS4 makes retouching photo painless.

Introduction

Social media websites like Facebook and micro-blogging services like Twitter have become apart of our daily online activities which some of us cannot do without. It gives us an opportunity to communicate with our friends and contacts either real-time or offline. These Web 2.0 tools have offered another alternative to communication and entertainment.

Most, in fact, all students, have a Facebook account. Since they are spending a bulk of their online time on Facebook, it makes sense to leverage on these Web 2.0 tools in teaching and learning. As the main purpose of Facebook and Twitter is to allow its users to communicate, it can be used in education by:

• Understanding your students, their thoughts and ideas.
• Release announcements related to lessons.
• Giving instructions.
• Connect with Alumni
• School marketing / corporate communications needs.

Using Facebook & Twitter for Educational Activities

Here are two ways Facebook can be use in education:

1. Student-Teacher connection – accounts of students and teachers can be connected together when they add each other as friends. They will be able to see each other’s wall posting. This is useful for disseminating announcements or instructions.
    
   By connecting to each other, teachers will be able to have an alternative communication channel with students. Students will also see another side of teachers and be able to understand each other better.
    
2. Facebook Groups or Facebook Pages – Create a online study group using Facebook Groups to build a community of students for a particular subject/CCA/Interest.
   
   Facebook Pages can be used as a public profile to connect to all students & alumni to generate awareness.
   
   More information: Facebook Page vs Group
    

Twitter can be use in education in the following ways:

1. Student-Teacher connection – accounts of students and teachers can be connected together when they follow each other’s accounts. They will be able to see each others’ tweets on their Twitter timeline. This is useful for disseminating announcements or instructions.
    
   Like Facebook, Twitter can be use as an alternative communication channel between teachers and students.
    
2. Educational Twitter accounts - Twitter accounts like Dictionary.com, National Geographic Channel, Discovery Channel, Channel News Asia offers information feeds on various topics like languages, geography, history and current affairs. These will be useful for students in their independent learning.  
    
3. Subject specific discussion – Twitter accounts can be created for a specific subject for student. Such twitter account can be used by students to post their notes, findings and discussion when they are outside school on a fieldtrip. As students are restricted to a character limitation of 140 – 250 characters, they have to be precise and concise. This is perfect for mobile learning and independent learning activities.

Information posted will be quickly visible to your students once they login to their Facebook or Twitter account. As contents posted on these social media website are able to be shared by the users, your announcements and instructions can be easily reached out to your students when they re-shared or re-tweet the information to their peers.

Leveraging on the power of Facebook and Twitter

Both Facebook and Twitter have their strengths.

1. You can combine their usage together for convenience and ease of use – You only need to tweet to Twitter and the post can be reflected on Facebook Wall. See this post for more information. (Includes Blogger integration)
     
2. You can use Seesmic Desktop client to manage your Facebook and multiple Twitter accounts.
   
   

Conclusion

By embracing Facebook and Twitter to teaching and learning, we have an alternative mode of communication with our students. However, it is to note that Facebook and Twitter can be distracting and may rob student’s social, interpersonal and interaction skills. Hence, it can be use as one of the tools in education but not a sole learning platform.

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This post is created using Windows Live Writer