Hangin’ with the Cool Kids

K–12 educators commune at Macworld conference

By Lauren Barack -- School Library Journal, 2/1/2007

As techies assembled in San Francisco last month for the annual Apple love-in known as MacWorld, educators also filed into the Moscone Center to drive home the link between technology and teaching.

The 2nd annual Macworld K–12 Educators Symposium, a January 10 event sponsored by the educational nonprofit Computer-Using Educators, provided insider tips on podcasting, gaming, and using other technologies to enhance learning in the classroom. Attendees were especially amped about Apple’s newest releases, including Apple TV, the iPhone, and the software package iLife, which they believe will pump new energy into schools.

“I can’t tell you how excited teachers and students are about using iLife,” says Monica Beglau, executive director of eMINTS National Center, an educational development group for teachers. “The ease of it is just amazing and giving them the tools to make digital products like movies, media presentations, and Web sites helps them reach out to the external world.”

Beglau was one of several speakers at the symposium, which also included a presentation by WebQuest guru Bernie Dodge, who offered a session on using simulated gaming worlds to lure students to their lessons. Another speaker, Wesley Fryer, author of the ed-tech blog Speed of Creativity, posted his presentation on his site, along with classroom worksheets for teachers who couldn’t make it to the actual event. “I always believe the more people you share with the better,” says Fryer.

Fryer spent some time in the Macworld exhibit hall playing with Apple’s latest toys, including the iPhone and Apple TV, which will allow video to be sent wirelessly to a television or tuner—or from a school library media center to a classroom.

“Probably the most exciting thing with Apple TV was just playing with the menu and seeing that the third choice, or so, down was podcasts,” Fryer says. “I’m a big advocate of students creating content and this is huge.” According to Beglau, the biggest challenge to using Apple TV in schools is going to be getting providers to create educational content suitable for classrooms, and then letting teachers know where it’s available. “Not only do they have to get it out there, they have to help teachers understand how to incorporate it into a learning experience,” she says.

The iPhone might be even trickier to apply in the classroom, says Beglau. “There are so many complications with phone in schools, but I think this could be a tremendous opportunity for the wireless capability, in a contained situation,” she says. Fryer agreed. “The iPhone is a full OS X computer,” he says. “Here’s convergence.”

Fryer also fell head over heels for a new simulated game called The Movies, from game maker Lionshead. Players create their own animated movies and can even add voiceovers and watch their creations lip-sync to their words. The films can be exported to Lionshead’s Web site, where budding auteurs can share their work. He says, “This is a very empowering tool for a student. They can use this [game] to easily create stories for a bigger audience.” Which is why the game is being held firmly in the hands of his nine-year-old, noted Fryer.

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