Google Drive vs Apps from Apple in the Classroom

This is probably long overdue, two months overdue, as I have been meaning to blog about my experience of using Google Drive as a teaching tool... mainly for writing.

I have tried using Google Drive in all my language classes, mainly for writing purposes. I went in without anyone to guide me and it has been a journey of sorts for me.

Week 1. In my first attempt I merely asked my students to share their files with me, meaning they were owners of their documents and I was given the right to edit their documents. But it soon became clear to me that it was no way to do things as it was very difficult to keep track of all the essays which were coming in. I blogged about my first week's experience here...

Week 2... in my reading, I came across an add-on, Doctopus which was actually a script written as an add-on for Google Sheet (Google's twin to Microsoft's Excel). What Doctopus does is it enables the students to work on their assignments on my drive. This means I am the owner of their assignments until a time when I relinquish ownership into their respective Drives. Doctopus is rather like an automated assignment mailer. Everyone gets the same assignment and I can embargo the whole class's assignments for grading. Embargo is like locking their files so that no editing can be done by the students. This is great for me to set deadlines.

What I like about Google Sheet with Doctopus as an add-on is Goobric. Goobric is an Chrome Extension which adds rubric functionality to Doctopus. It is a great tool because it enables the rubric to appear as you grade the essay. I have taken a new interest in rubrics lately because of that too. You can type the marks on each section of the rubric. And with a little work added to Sheet like formulas to calculate the total and grading it, it gives a very good feedback to students (once they understand how it helps them) and me as a teacher. My only grouse is the waiting time for the rubric to appear as if you click other tabs, the rubric will disappear. That wastes quite a bit of time for me.

If I continue using Google Drive as part of my teaching tools, I will definitely be looking into making class work (essays) as part of the overall grades. There are other add-ons like autoCrat and Flubaroo which I have tried on my own but not with the class yet because I am also trying out other apps.

Now the snags... For this to work, the teacher has to be rather competent on the computer. A good understanding of how the filing system works is very important. I think for many teachers at the moment, this issue alone would probably be deterrent enough. The next thing is typing skills. Speed typing not just helps but makes a world of difference. If you are one of those two-finger typists, it is going to an uphill task to clear 40 essays on Drive.....

....which brings me to the note taking apps on the iPad. As you can see from the picture, I have quite a few of those apps. My current favourites are Notability and Inkflow. The latest addition is Notes Plus which I just bought because they had a one day sale which knocked off 90% of the price. I could't resist it and I have just spend the whole weekend trying it out.

And of course, my girl as usual became my first 'student'. The fact that the iPad is based on finger gestures is alone to make it 'superior' over Google Sheet/Doc, I feel. Hand gesture means most people should be able to use it minus the requirements like the ability to type fast or of having a good understanding of how the filing system in a drive should be organised or even the inner workings of all these mumbo-jumbo techie terms. The add-ons require more understanding too as locating certain files can be quite a challenge.

Notes Plus... I am very pleased with this app. It is a note taking app. And it does precisely that. With either your finger or stylus, you can type, write, doodle, draw... basically, you can do just about anything you can do with a paper/pencil and a pen and more. And you can keep all your work in neat little digital notebooks which you can carry with you or store them in the Cloud. Notes Plus has a built-in browser, which means you can directly capture or import PDF files into your notebooks. It also is capable of this little neat trick of transforming your handwriting into typewritten words. This is a good feature to make your work searchable. And you can always print your work of art out too if you feel the need to touch paper or hear the scratching, scribbling, swishing or rustling paper sounds.

These apps also serve as a teaching board... much better than the traditional boards. You can draw, annotate, highlight and switch among materials with great ease. And for me who run a class with two projectors, I am beginning to learn that the possibilities are actually quite endless.

The only thing I wish for now if I can have something like Doctopus/Goobric functionalities with these note taking apps. Because somehow I feel, Google Drive is still basically doing things the old way with a new twist... We are still stuck in that MSOffice way of doing work. It's an efficient way of doing things but feels a bit sterile very often.

On the iPad, the experience is dynamic. You can be more creative. You can see more colours, curvy lines... stuff which don't make your work feels like a mechanical piece. There is order but there is chaos too, which I think can be a good thing in a learning process. Cos your work has this machine feel yet at the same time, the human touch.

Gesture as opposed to the keyboard. We have the Android tablets too now... and they are catching up with the iPad... but for now, though I like what I can do with Google Doc/Sheet, I still feel apps developed for iPad (or Android based tablets) are more versatile, dynamic which allows creativity to flow more.

And how I wish our classrooms can be equipped with iPads. That will be a beginning to a paperless school.

Caltex Fuel Your School

Got this in my mail today..... Put in the proposal in a haste the night before the closing date and today I got this email! Almost did not want to put in but sometimes because there are people working with you... well, you kinda just continue to plod on. 

I remember staying up very late that night to upload the documents and proposal.

Anyway, the least I'll get is a Certificate of Participation... 8)

It all started because an ex-colleague wanted to ask for my help to come up with a proposal for it and she went through my colleague. When I went back to school the next day, the latter asked me whether I had any ideas. And so I hatched a couple as we were standing by the field. We found another colleague who had written in a proposal the previous year and succeeded in getting a few eco-boards for the school.

And so as we discussed, I hatched more ideas. And finally we agreed to help each other out. And so, we went and got the quotations and necessary documentations done. But because I was busy, I almost wanted to just give it a miss. That is where a little nudge made all the difference. Documents were forwarded to me and both my colleagues saw me for more details of the ideas we hatched earlier.

No iPad or AppleTV for my proposal as I have been using this. Instead I opted for personal cloud computing. I have been using a WDLiveBook at home for quite some time. Found it to be convenient for storage and also accessing files even when I am not at home. And with the WDCloud app on the iPad, it really made things easy. Having everything I need for work in one place definitely beats rummaging through your bag for thumb drives. And thumb drives get left behind or dropped.

So, my proposal includes setting up a cloud in the class or class in the cloud. Either way, it is supposed to make available resources to my students. That is the main equipment, the others being a colour laser printer (I wish I can have a 3D-printer but it's still expensive now and there is still the issue of safety where the fumes are concerned) and a projector. 

Cloud In The Class.... that is the name of my proposal. Classrooms are changing. The way we learn should change to reflect the technology available to us now. Chalk and talk, static text books, teacher as the sole source of information.... well, those are yesteryear's way. Historically, the way education is done has been changing for as long as written records have been around. So there is no reason for us not to embrace the new technologies.

But I think everything is kinda cyclical. Once upon a time, when one wanted to master a skill, he became an apprentice under a master.... personalised learning. 8) Then mass education came along when the Industrial Revolution came about. There was simply not enough people to do the one-to-one thing. But now... technology has made what was impossible possible... and better.

I think learning has never been more fun than now... even at school, I am trying out so many things.... my good friend keeps encouraging me to blog about it as a way of keeping record and also to remember. I keep procrastinating. I should really get down to it and blog more again...

Anyway, today's email was nice. 

On A Day When My MacBook Died On Me

One can start a day with great plans, a long list of things to do… and the anticipated satisfaction when all is done. Then you sit down to wake your computer up. And plug in the cable to charge the iPad… I am always one who prefer a state of preparedness. So having my iPad charged to the max makes feel 'better'. I like my payung ready at all times if I can help it... 8) But all plans no matter how well thought out can go awry....

I plugged in the cable… and almost immediately, the familiar whirring of the computer stops. That was when I looked up and stared momentarily at my darkened screen. It took a moment for my brain to process an ‘Ooops!” and almost immediately too my hands started to toggle the MagSafe power adapter. Everything seemed fine. The next logical target was the power supply. Nothing wrong there too. No matter what I did, the MacBook remained dead as a doornail.

But the surprising thing this time around was even though I was perturbed, I wasn’t very agitated. Maybe age has caught up. Maybe I am more settled. Maybe it’s easier to get a replacement now. Well, there are many maybes… I sent out a message that my Mac had died! Well, we are social creatures in need of connection, especially when certain moments hit. My Mac dying seemed important enough... LOL!

The day passed… it felt kinda long but there was a steady stream of people into my room and that sort of drew my mind away from the 'loss'. But as soon as the bell rang, I was off to Switch. Got to AS Mall, lugged my heavy bags to the outlet and then plonked my computer on their table. Service was prompt and the guy there tried to see to my problem. He took my charger while I plugged out one of their display units.

The charger I plugged in seemed to work fine…. but.... then the yellow light on the charger faded into nothing right before my eyes. I took it out, toggled it, put it back...Nothing! Then I plugged the charger back to its original computer. The darn light came back on again. I took it out… put into mine. This time, it stayed green. I pressed on the button and my Mac came back to life momentarily, as in the logo lighting up being the only sign of life. And then it promptly 'died' again.

By then the sales assistant had come back. Told me my adapter worked fine. I asked him what could be wrong. He mumbled something about the battery being totally dead, which could not have been because the Mac was fully charged when it died. I asked him whether they could do anything. He told me I needed to send it to the Service Centre in Penang. And since I bought it online, I had to do it myself…. I thought as a premium reseller, they had to take my unit and send it for me… charging me, of course. But... no can do.

Well, I was a little riled up by then, but not because of what that guy said but because I need my computer. Minus a computer at work feels kind of debilitating. I told him I needed to order one but not from them since Education pricing from Apple gives a substantial discount. No way I was going to buy from them if they cannot offer me a goodwill service in my time of need, for one which I would have happily paid if it could be resolved then.

Anyway, I lugged my Mac to my friend’s place, thinking that I would try it out again before making my order. To cut the long story short, it takes a very little convincing (but I still needed that little push sometimes) for me to open it up. So armed with the WWW …. (yup! hurray for WWW! Who needs technicians when you have the treasure trove in the WWW?)... and some screw drivers, we opened up my dead Mac. I read the instructions, watched a video, well parts of it… but all from the WWW and removed the battery….. Then we plugged the MacBook back on. The familiar whirring sound came back.. the lights started blinking… and the screen came alive. So much for the need of a trained technician!!!! The dead Mac was resurrected.

And so, here I am typing this out on my resurrected Mac. I probably will need to get a replacement for my current Mac as it is rather slow now. But at least for now, it is still alive and clicking away. I am also feeling a little comforted that tomorrow my ‘trusted companion’ will still be accompanying me to work. 8) I rarely go to work without it.

Learning how to solve a problem is so easy these days. There are so many ‘teachers’ available out there. If reading the instructions is not enough, there are always the instructional videos. And if those are not enough, you can always send a SOS for help. Someone is very likely to answer your ‘distress’ call. But while the instructions and the tools are there, a more important ingredient to make this work is our attitude. The attitude of wanting to learn, try, explore and not being afraid to fail trying…. those are even more important. A great deal of learning takes place when they are there.

Today, I had all the learning models at my disposal.. blended, flipped, personalised, etc, etc. I collaborated too... Sometimes a little 'collaboration goes a long way in achieving greater things. I have always believed that no man is an island. We need people... We can do way better if we can learn to cooperate, collaborate... One of the best ways to become better is to share. Elon Musk has recently become one of those people I admire because he opened up his patents for Tesla's electric cars. It's free for all to use, adapt, modify. His goal... the demise of the gasoline cars!!! 8)

Education is one thing… but learning??? Well, I had a meaningful learning process from this episode. My learning environment was blended. It was a mix of prior knowledge and multiple platforms as resources. It was flipped because my instruction did not come the traditional way. And I had an amazing personalised learning experience because the whole episode served a need that I had. To top it all up.. I am still learning. Yup! Lifelong learning at work here too. 8)

Isn’t that awesome? On a day, too, I resolved an iPad problem for a colleague too!!

 

Pirate Box...

Traditional is subjective. This is a continuation of the last post. Time at school to really try out new stuff is not something that I have in abundance. With less than ideal teaching periods and classroom size, it is hard to keep up. Most of my free time is spent either marking students' work or seeing students. That means whatever I try... it is mostly with 'stolen time'. I need to be fluid too. A lot of the stuff I do are not the norm. And I rely a lot on whatever I pick up from my readings and also intuition. That means I improvise as I go along.

This is my pirate box. It's not something I made on my own. Other Half is constantly trying out stuff and sometimes I am the recipient of what his projects after he is done trying. In the pic is the TP-Link's TL-MR3040. PC Mag reports it as one of the lightest modem routers around. You can read all about it here. A pirate box??? It sounds like there is a romantic notion attached to it.... perhaps even something illegal.

Lol! Mystery, adventure in the air.... But I tell my students that my pirate box is my very own internet. This means I don't have to depend on the world wide web. Firmware required to hack the router is available on the net. Just follow the instructions given and you get your own pirate box. My good friend did just that and now she has a working pirate box too!

The physical setup is rather simple. A modem router (the TP-Link) and a thumb drive. Mine is a 32GB white mini which fits rather snugly into the design of the router. The whole thing is really quaint and being battery powered means freedom from power sockets... well, a short one. But these days, with solar powered battery packs, the possibilities are endless.

I have started using it in my class... In the coming months I will probably be using it to complement my lessons. It will be very useful when you don't want to be bogged down by internet connection issues or if you don't want your students to wander off to other sites in the net during class time. It saves time too as you can put in the guided and selected resources for students as reference. Schools like mine run on very short teaching periods... 35 minutes and if I minus the travelling time to get to the lab.. I have very much less time than the officially prescribed one.

Anyway, I recently went paperless with the pirate box. My first try. I uploaded my listening handout and got my students to view them via their chrome books. There is no need to keep listening exercise printouts. What the students did was basically log into my pirate box network and downloaded the PDF file. They basically read from the screen while the audio texts were being played. My second try was ebooks in pdf format. I had this whole collection of books about the solar system uploaded into my pirate box. I plan to use this as a form of digital library in class for students who finish their work early and have a little extra time on their hands.

I can see quite a number of uses for the pirate box in class... apart from ebooks and digital handouts, there are podcasts, video clips. Even the chat box might find some use.

As for other applications... This would be great as a content provider for camps, meetings and conferences. A small private network, dedicated to a specific purpose, for a specific group of people. A private network can be very useful at times.

It's about time we start BYOT/D. Engagement and relevance. Our textbooks are too static for that. The world is moving and changing so fast. I was just telling my kids today that when I was their age, we learned that creatures who lived in the deepest parts of the oceans were not were evolved... primitive and all that.

I have learned in the past year that there is an amazing diversity of marine life in the deepest oceans. The thing is these creatures have not made themselves available in the past cos the submersibles sent down have been chasing them away with their clunking sounds. And I didn't learn that through the papers or books... I could go on and on about the new things which I have been learning of late... Technology does make a difference.

I taught my boy almost 10 years ago about the rovers on Mars. Then somewhere along the way, I lost touch. I recently took another look at the topic and to my amazement so much has been achieved in less than a decade. We are now knocking at the possibilities of landing humans on Mars... Never dreamt of that happening in my lifetime.

Like I mentioned in my last post. I am luckier than most. I have a supportive head who gives me lots of room to try. And I have a friend who shares my enthusiasm in using technology in the classroom. It is nice to be able to exchange notes... collaborate.

Projectors Epson EBW-18 and Epson EB-1776w

I finally bought my own projector... A slim and sleek Epson EB-1776w. It's the one on the right in the picture below. The one on the right is it's bigger sistah.. The Epson EBW-18. A friend bought it not too long after mine. Just so happened that the projector she was using at school went on its last legs. And she didn't want to be without a projector to use in class and so she dug into her own pocket and bought her own.

As to why she did not ask her school to buy her a new one... It's supposed to be difficult for schools to purchase such things. In a supposedly technologically dependent world today, schools are still not allowed to buy gadgets or electronic tools with the funds. She could repair the old projector that was on its last legs but we were told by the technician that it was not worth it. Anyway, teachers like her who dig into their own pockets to buy a projector for use in school are rare... People usually will buy if it gives them a tangible return.... like so many other things in life.

I am going to start with my EB-1776w. I am more fortunate. I have a boss who has been very supportive of my foray into the use of technology to aid teaching in class. I recently requested a new projector and was given a EBX-18. The main difference between EBX-18 and EBW-18 is of course the native resolution. EBX-18 has an XGA, 1024 x 768. Both the EBW-18 and EB-1776w come with a WXGA, 1280 x 768. Basically it means that you get a wider screen. Both projectors come with a 3000 ANSI lumens bulb, which means you get a bright projection.

One of the thing I like about the EB-1776w is its size. This is an ultra portable projector with many cool features. It auto corrects the projection you put up, meaning, if once you press the Screen Fit function, it would automatically adjust the projection. No need to fiddle with the buttons. I find that quite cool.

Apart from that, another feature which I like is the Split Screen function. Basically this means that I can use 2 devices at the same time on the projector. I have tried my iPad, connected via the VGA cable and MacBook via the USB cable simultaneously. My iPad would be on the other projector. What this means basically is I can have up to 3 different inputs running at the same time. Nice.

I am still in my early stages of exploring with the use of multiple inputs in class. This is has just been made possible recently after my boss allowed me to convert an unused computer lab into a class. In the coming months, I hope to incorporate the use of Chromebooks in the my classes. I am still reading up, thinking thorugh, hatching ideas of how to go about it as this is something which has not been attempted in my school. My students seem excited too.

Tools like projectors, tablets, computers are great tools to use in class. They make lessons come alive. They tickle the senses and cater to those who need more than just printed words to get moving. However, they are still just tools, I believe. What makes a lesson come alive, or inspire a student to move in certain directions... I think is the teacher. Teaching is an art which also requires constant rejuvanation, resupplying, resourcefulness and so on. And I think that is something which many of us have failed to realize in our quest to churn out students who can score the A(s). Learning is a process. And like many processes, it needs time.

And I think it's a shame that schools have not upgraded all their old projectors to the newer generation ones. I think it's a shame that there is so much control over what can be or cannot be bought using school funds. I think it is a shame that the budget is not decentralisd. I think it is a shame that we still think education is like a production line. I think it is a shame that we have so much bureaucracy. I think it's a shame that many of our Principals feel that they are the smartest people around, the way they force it on the teachers.

I attended a Taklimat (briefing) on PISA recently. And even before the briefing began, this authoritative lady from the Ministry told the teachers sitting at the back to fill up the front places. And that started an 'standoff' in the minds. What these education officers who is in their lofty office chairs failed to take note is.... If their presentation is interesting enough, if they are able to ignite the fire and passion in the audience about the subject matter, by the next session I am sure everyone of us would be clamouring to sit in front. That is what is lacking in our schools too....

Instead, we had to sit through a most boring round of what sounded to me like babbling... The stats could have just been printed out and given to us.... Sigh! This is just an example of what is happening at school too.... Relevance. Being given relevance and providing relevance.... The state of education system... We hear lots of barking but actually very little progress is made because at many points, too many things are crumbling... And sometimes I feel some quarters seem to want it that way. Ignorant and dependent fools are way easier to manipulate. Thinking fools tend to burn themselves and others along with themselves...

Changing Classrooms...

I've just realised that I have been 'in' school for almost 40 years! And in almost 39 of the 40 years, the classroom has not changed much. You have 40 odd desks and chairs and the chalkboard. Students sit in rows and teachers come in and go out according to the periods. Each period is between 35-40 minutes. Students go to various rooms or labs for certain subjects like Science or Living Skills. The latter used to be known as either Home Science or Industrial Arts.

Over the years, special media rooms came about. These are rooms with projectors. I was one of the earliest in the district to start such a media room. I started with a digital projection panel. Power Point was used in class. But I wasn't such a keen user myself because lesson preparations were just too much work. But over the years like everyone else I was a big fan of word processors and spreadsheets. And so, I became quite an adept user.

Last year I started using the iPad in class. Back then my classes would be held in the normal classrooms and the media room. But after a while all my classes were held in the media room. The reason was, the iPad had become my board, mind map tool.... There was just so much that I could do with it. There would be new discoveries every week. The only limiting factor seemed to be my imagination. The more I used it, the more I extended my horizon. I bought many apps too. Some of the apps are just amazing. I have been able to acieve so much more. The best part is I feel less tired too. Being in an air-condition room helps too, I supposed. But not having to write on the chalkboard is one major energy saver.

Classroom should have such facilities. We have an interactive whiteboard at school too but I think the iPad wins hands down. We have this other We Present WiPG 1000, a wireless interactive presentation gateway which I tried once. I gave up because I couldn't run anything from its mobile app. The iPad is easy. It's mobile and preparing lessons on it is a breeze. With an Air Print enabled printer, preparing handouts is a breeze.

I have been able to use timelines and mindmaps in my history classes. I have been able to interspersed lessons with different media. Editing movies on the iMovie app is a breeze. I downloaded the movie 'The Railway Children' and edited them into 5-6 minutes clips for each chapter. My students can remember the story line so much better. With my MacBook as a standby, I have two 'assistants' with me in my class. Well, it's 3, and maybe 4 if you count my iPhone and iPod Touch.

I have brought TED speakers as my guests in class and a host of other contributors. I can do many of this with the laptop but none of them is as mobile as my iPad cos even 20 minutes of wait to pay my bills means I can prepare a couple of worksheets or part of a lesson. Teachers should embrace such technology. School heads must make an effort to equip classrooms with such tools.

The time has come for us to seriously consider BYOT or BYOD. Some schools have been supplied with Chromebooks in the mobile cart but I suspect many schools have yet to be able to use it in the manner it should. Lack of know how, rush to finish a still very exam and content based syllabus, a rigid curriculum.... these all play a role.

We keep talking about the need to keep up with times. Blended, Flipped, Personalized, Project Based Learning concepts... We are still slow to adopt and adapt to them. The field of education is changing at a very amazing speed... But we are still not able to unlearn the things that we have learned or learn what is new. That, makes us the new illiterate generation.

 

iPad in Class

I started using the iPad as a teaching tool sometime this year. I have actually been using it off and on in my classes ever since I first bought the iPadto show stuff or copy exercises onto the chalkboard from the many ebooks that I carry in my iPad. And that was about 2 years back, if memory seves me right.

Anyway, Airplay on AppleTV made it possible for me to project whatever that is on my iPad onto the screen. And to get my school onto this bandwagon.... one day, I brought my AppleTV to school and hooked everything up. Then I asked my Principal to come and have a look. From there, I got the green light to get a set for the school. With that, I moved most of my classes to the room to have their lessons there. And the last few months have been an experience of sorts, one which also allowed me to embark on a journey of discoveries.

One of the best discoveries was this app called Doceri. Doceri is basically like the chalkboard in class. I guess I could likened it to a chalkboard on steroids! Lol! It is now one of my main teaching tools. Having it in my iPad means that I can now prepare my lessons anywhere, as long as I have my iPad with me. And I am one of those people who carry their iPads almost everywhere.

I can do stuff on it which one could only dream of a decade ago on my iPad. Back then, they would require a certain amount of knowledge in animation and sound softwares. And that was daunting enough for many. With Doceri, the animation that I made below took a mere half an hour.... Could have finished it earlier if I had not been that fussy.

I have been able to engage students with other apps that allow me to manipulate timelines, use videos, mindmaps and images. And the best thing is lessons become clearer and I am less tired. Cos now, I don't have the write the same stuff on the chalkboards of a few different classes. I have better eye contact with students too. Lessons become easier to digest because lessons can get very visual.
I convinced a good friend of mine to give this a try. Unlike me, she had to bring her own devices. Yet she persisted and our experiences have been more or less the same in terms of student response. I was an early adopter with the use of the computer in class many years ago. But I abandoned it because it was too much hassle. This shows promise.

The last few months have been a time of discoveries. I have been able to adapt and adopt ideas and try out new stuff in my classrooms. I have also learned that with the iPad, very often our own imagination is the limiting factor. My school will be setting up more of such facilities. I have shared my experiences twice with my colleagues and once with teachers from another school (at the insistence of another friend).

There are some still with the Luddite mentality that technology does not offer much benefits. I think not. Technology is a great enabling tool. However, it's only as effective as we make it to be. To do so, we, ourselves will also have to undergo our own transformations and change of mindset. To make it relevant, we have to relearn ways of doing things.

Life is about constant rejuvenation.... a story of the old passing to make way for the new... I guess technology is one of the agents if rejuvention in the field of education.... 8)

Me and Technology in Education

I've had my share of involvement in the introduction and use of technology in education. In my early years of teaching, I had the good fortune of working under a visionary Principal. I was a young gungho rookie and he was looking for someone to carry out some new ideas that he had in mind. So with the support of the school's PIBG, we embarked on an ambitious programme to introduce new technology to the school.

I bought a digital projection panel for the school. It was the first in the district and many schools came to have a look how it was used. The panel is placed on a regular OHP and then hooked to the computer. That of course is 'primitive' by today's standards. But we could project anything from the computer to the screen. The only setback was it was only in 3 colours. However, it was a cheaper alternative than a projector. Projectors cost a bomb those days.

In the ensuing years we went on to create a network for the school. Routers were big and cumbersome those days and a colleague's daughter donated two old sets which she brought back from the US. We bought our own crimpers and did the wiring ourselves. By then, the Internet was already a source of information. We learned as we went along, from the technology itself.

Then I had the good fortune to be involved in the planning and design of computer labs at a time when computer labs were a rarity. With about 700k funding from one of the banks, we embarked on an ambitious project which included computerized Braille gadgets for the visually impaired students. It was at this time too I got involved in web development, using HTML. I spent a many hours working on content as well as the webpages, putting in 10-14 hours at work sometimes.

The lab project was my last foray before a break from all techie stuff for about a decade. It was a good break though, looking back as it gave me time to focus on my boy. However, I continued to keep abreast with the changing trends... Those were also days of PDAs - Sony Clie, HP Jornada, Palm Vx, Palm m500, Palm 505, Tungsten T... And through it all, I found great joy in reading from them. My world had always been a connected and mobile one, even right from those early days. My first Harry Porter book was read on a Palm.

Then a couple of years ago, I switched over to the world of Apple. It started of with a MacBook. Over the years, more Apple products entered our household... Actually, the first Apple product which we bought was an iPod Mini. Anyway, ours is now a household of Apple products - iPod Shuffle, iPod Touch, iPad, iPhone, iMac, MacBook (Pro)... The tablets have become part and parcel of our lives.

And this is where I find it most amazing, of how the tablets is transforming education. Recently, I brought my own Apple TV from home and hooked it up to the old projector at school. Other Half had to go searching round town for a HDMI-VGA converter to enable it to be hooked up to the VGA projector. I showed by Principal and asked him whether I could start one at school, He gave the okay and I've had the most enjoyable and liberating time teaching these past two weeks with the iPad.... minus the trailing wires or the need to be confined to a small space.

I believe that we need to bring the world into the classrooms. Many of our textbooks are archaic. They are static too. The world we live in is evolving at a dizzying pace. Many of our students are bored at school. We are losing many kids too to this along the way. Many laments that our graduates lack many skills required at the work place.

Learning should take on new dimensions. We should focus on skills like analytical and critical thinking. We should teach our students to fish and not wait to be given the fish. Our system spoon feeds them to a point of debilitating them. We should begin to focus on personalized learning. For that to work, we need to inspire. We also need technology to assist us in monitoring individual progress.

I've had the most amazing response so far. I am beginning to see sparks of interest in some of my students' eyes. I find it amazing that some of my most laid back students are now the first to come to the room where I carry out my lessons. I find it incredible that I can move from one display to another with minimal fuss. There are so many great apps which have enabled me to bring the world into my classes. And apps like Doceri which mimics the real life interactive white board with many added plusses have increased efficiency, added educational value and made lessons interesting. It glaringly overwhelms the chalkboard. And oh... minus the chalk dust too! 8)

I have seen how technology evolves, right from those days when my alma mater bought 10 sets of XT machines. Those computers came with monochrome monitors. I learned BASIC programming on them. Then when I was in uni, bro bought his computer, an AT 286 PC with a composite monitor...

I think many of us would have not imagine that we would one day be swiping and tapping screens with such ease on tablets such as the iPad. It has indeed been an amazing journey and I think it's going to get even more amazing...

The Technology That Divides

There is so much technology everywhere now. We are all so high tech compared to a generation ago. A lot of the tech stuff that we have now would have been science fiction stuff in those days.

I was in my teens when we got our phone and I think most of us felt that the house phone was an awesome thing to have. I remember World Cup 1984 when my friend and I would call each other during the matches in the wee hours of the morning. And there were other wee hours too when we would sometimes sneak the phones to our rooms or we'd sneak to the phones tot talk. The urge and yearning to talk were great those days... still is. I used to earn Mom's admonishments once in a while when I was caught during those wee hours.

But the phone back then offered us so much opportunity to keep in touch with our friends. I used to get so much talking pleasures out of it. It enabled us to connect with our friends... And being teens, it was a great way for us to continue yakking past curfew hours.... 8)

Fast forward 20 years... we now have so many apps and gadgets for us to stay connected. Instant messaging, social networking apps like FaceBook, Twitter.... and the other gadgets like the iPads, Galaxy tabs, etc which has made computing and staying connected very mobile and convenient. We are supposed to be a very connected society. Everyone seems to know what everyone is doing, the holidays they have taken, food they have eaten, people they have seen and so on... even your emotions are not sacred...

Yet.... this technology which is supposed to make us closer seems to be doing the opposite. I saw a newly married couple at a coffee shop a couple of days ago. They were there for quite a while... Yet the whole time I was observing them, I noticed that hardly any conversation was going on. Instead both were preoccupied with their smart phones. Both were communicating but it just wasn't with each other.

Families go out for dinner and we see the same thing. Everywhere, you see gadgets which are supposed to connect us, yet they seem not to be bringing us any closer. We seem to holding many conversations yet many of these conversations are just surface conversations. We seem to be doing a lot more of those communicating stuff but they just don't seem to be bringing us closer to each other. An ongoing effort to project an image seems to be the focus of some, I feel, sometimes. It's quite easy for the art of conversation to get lost in all these.

We broadcast our statuses. We 'talk' incessantly into the cyber world. We project our image over the internet. But many of us have become poor listeners. We 'talk' so much that we have forgotten how to be good listeners. I find this to be true in many of my classes these days. Kids just don't know how to listen. And I don't know whether it's also due to too much stimulus from the media. There is just so much media content everywhere now.

Technology is supposed to enhance our lives. Yet I am not sure whether it's enhancement that I am actually seeing because I notice that it seems like it's doing quite a good job at dividing us and making many of us drift apart unknowingly.... all the iProducts and its wannabes.

Prius C

I learned about hybrid cars many years ago but back then it was not available here. Protection for our local car has resulted in the government imposing hefty taxes on imported cars. Then when they did become available about 3 years ago, it was prohibitively expensive. Believe it or not, trying to go green in Malaysia is not exactly easy. There are so many taxes in place to protect our local car industry that I feel we are getting the shorter end of the deal. Proton has been around since 1987. For more than 20 years, we've had to pay more for less. And the end doesn't seem to coming....8(

I was convinced even more so to do my part for the environment after listening to Jane Goodall on TED. And 2 years ago, the government announced a temporary tax break for hybrid cars below 2000 cc. This will end in 2013 if no more extension is given or I suspect, if Proton starts producing hybrid or electric cars. Then, early this year, a new but smaller Prius C was launched. A few months ago, I found out that the local Toyota Service Centre is now able to service the car. Before that, the nearest centre was in Penang. We test drove both models and decided to get the smaller Prius.

 

Okay, what I like about the Prius C. It comes with lots of cool stuff. The first which goes without saying is the fuel consumption. One tank easily lasts me for the whole month, and even beyond. No more going to the petrol kiosk every week. Don't like the fumes at the petrol kiosk. Prius C meets the stringent California emission laws too. So I know I am getting more for less. I know the extra paid for the car will never quite make up for the fuel but it's nice to know that I am reducing my carbon footprint. Anyway, I find it amazing that it's 36-litre tank can get me all the way from JB to Alor Setar (almost 800 km)!

The second is the smart key system. It took some getting used to, but to be able to just walk up to the car, open the door, press a button and then start driving is quite, quite convenient. No more rummaging through the pockets or handbag for the key. The car is super silent too. The only way you know that the engine is up and running is the dashboard lights up. There is no familiar roar of the engine. If you listen hard enough, you might just notice a silent whirring sound. The car glides almost very silently under low speeds of below 40 km. If you are on foot, you might just hear the sound of the wheels crunching the gravel on the road. Many a times, I see my students being startled in the morning when they realize that a car was coming up behind them. Lol!

And locking is just as easy. One swipe or touch on the door handle and the car locks. Keyless entry has been around for quite some time but it's usually found in the more expensive cars. We used to eye it in the Nissan Latio 1.8 a few years ago.

The dashboard is cool too. I learn that my driving style is generally quite economical but there is room for improvement. It has all these charts, graphs and information to tell you that you are driving right (or wrong). I find myself trying to improve my scores very often. Driving becomes like a game cos the charts keep score - you get instant gratification. People go for that these days, the instant thingy.

The sound system is good too. And the best thing is I can plug in my iPhone and listen to whatever that I've stored in them. Current flavour is TED. I've learned new stuff like liquid metal batteries, birth control, how an engineer repaired his own heart, releasing creativity, the Arab Spring and even the uniqueness of the tissues that make up a male anatomy. LOL! And they are delivered by the best in the world, MIT professors, thinkers, movers and shakers of the world! I know I will probably be moving on to something else soon but to be able to plug in and learn while I drive. This morning I listened to Jamie Oliver talk about food. Awesome!

Safety wise this small and compact car comes with 7 airbags. So I guess that makes it safer than most cars, The space at the back seats is quite narrow but that should be quite okay with me since most of the time, it's for me to drive to work and to be my gal's driver. BTW, it's silent only when it runs on electric mode. At higher speeds, you hear the engine sounds. It took some getting used to, pressing the Power On button and not hearing the whir of the engine. When you power up, the electric motor kicks in, hence the lack of an engine roar.

The Prius C is a compact car but it's zippy enough. We actually tested its bigger bro, the Prius V but settled on this because we thought the latter felt sluggish, though it comes with even more cool stuff. Price wise there is quite a hefty difference too.

One more thing I learned from the salesman... in towns away from the bigger cities like KL or Penang, Prius C doesn't sell well. It seems people still want size for the amount paid for the car. Spending more for the environment - still a long way to go.

Fooling Around With Bento 4

Bento is a database app by Filemaker. A year ago, we bought it because I wanted to be able to build my own database to make my work easier. Thinking that Bento might be the answer, we bought the app. But I wasn't able to do much with it cos It was rather limited. And so, I left it there, sitting in my iPad, untouched after the initial tries.

For no reason, I fiddled around with Bento again a couple of days ago. That was when I found out that the old Bento was no longer available for the iPad in the App Store. Filemaker had decided to sell Bento 4 for iPad as a new app; that means no free upgrades for the existing Bento owners. 8(

A quick read-up of the new Bento was promising. Words like 'standalone', '4-star rating', 'aiming for the heavens', 'completely redesigned', etc, etc were glitzy enough to make one think that the product must be good. Of course, when I bought the first Bento, the marketing lines were glitzy too.. So, this time I was more sceptical. Anyway, I had a little extra time at work today because the students had to go for some ceramah... and after fiddling with it, have to say that the new Bento 4 is a vast improvement from its older sibling.

Yup... many of the descriptions are true this time. The interface is easy to use. Also, being written for the iPad HD retina display makes viewing a really pleasant experience.

I decided to build my class database as part of my fiddling around. Must have something meaningful to do to learn meaningfully. I had to build everything from scratch since I couldn't find a Malaysian sample to work from. Over the last 2 years, I have found the iPad to be a more constant and consistent work companion than my Record Book, Register, workbooks, etc. Those books don't follow me everywhere but my iPad does, well, almost everywhere. As a result, I can now do quick reviews regardless of where I am. The iPad has become a teaching tool which has made my work easier. If at all our MOE wants to look into improving teaching practices, it should start looking into developing apps for us. Tablets are marvellous teaching aid and tools, but with the proper and right stuff.

Being the class teacher of one of the most problematic classes in Form 5 means I have to deal with a high rate of absenteeism. And one way of keeping this problem in check is to hound my students unceasingly; which means that my records must be easy enough for review to enable quick action. Quick action here refers to Warning Letters being sent out on time and as soon as the criteria is met.

What makes this Bento nice is you can have tabs. This particular tab above is mainly to keep track of the attendance so that Warning Letters can be sent out ASAP. When you have a class of students where at least half of them have a penchant of skipping school, monitoring the letters can be quite a headache. By this time of the year, it's at Surat Amaran 2 for some. I have actually been using the spreadsheet, Numbers to keep track of students' exercises as well as attendance.

It's unfortunate that Bento on iPad does not print. It would be another icing if it has a relational function too. But that would mean that Bento iPad can truly stand alone, and not be the stripped down version of its famed sibling, Filemaker. And if that happens, how would Bento 4 for Mac sell? Business sense rules in the end... So I guess, I'll have to wait for those features to be added. Eventually, it will come to the tablets.

Right now, Bento iPad is awesome enough to make people salivate for the desktop version. And that costs $29.99.

Well, this is a different sort of Bento for a change. I used to prepare all these bento sets for my kids to take to school. One container with many goodies. This Bento is like that too... it contains enough goodies for people to build personal databases.

Anyway, till July, Bento will be offer at $4.99. After that it'll be $9.99. An error of a purchase which turned out to be a fun learning experience.

Nearpod.... 1Malaysia Pad.. Proton

I came across Nearpod a couple of weeks back in one of the articles that I was reading. The review of it was very good and so I downloaded it. The verdict... Yup! It's good. This app turns the iPad into pods that communicate with each other. Thought the name was quite cool. Many years ago, we tried to use classroom management softwares in our computer labs. The concept was good but in many schools it never quite did take off.... teachers did not know how to use it and the learning curve seemed too steep for many, classroom size, infrastructure limitations, etc, etc... Then the iPad came along but I think we've not quite tapped into its potential. As usual we're rather slow in keeping up.

Anyway, Nearpod works in that same capacity, except that it's super mobile! We are no longer tied to the computers at the desk. I tried some of the modules that they have prepared and found them to be impressive and fun. Pictures, movies, quizzes, mini tests at the end of each lesson and mark tallies are all available. There are 2 apps actually, the Nearpod Teacher and Nearpod Student. Works like a presentation. Teacher-pod determines what appears on Student-pod. Quite amazing! The pods communicate with each other via wifi!

The nice thing is each student is able to view everything close up and take the assessments, and the teacher will know which student still have issues with the topic taught. What the teacher has is basically a set of slideshows with assessment tools incorporated. And the results can be printed. And we know how easy it is to print stuff from the iPad. One can develop their own teaching units by using the tools available on the Nearpod website. And one more thing. This is one more reason too why we should have just continue teaching Math and Science in English... resources, information, new knowledge, they're mostly in English. In Indonesia, the teaching of Math and Science is going bilingual. We took one step backward..... and someday, who knows, maybe labour market connection will be reversed....

Which brings me to this....

Our 1Malaysia Pad. The 1Malaysia tagline is actually beginning to feel like some cheap marketing line. Why the Proton car picture? Well, I think at RM999, and running on the older Android Gingerbread 2.3, it's overpriced. Thailand is getting tablets for their students at $81 (that's less than RM300) per unit and with superior specifications, running on Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest OS.

We already have the free Netbook programme in place; give free hardware but till now, cannot really be used in classrooms cos there is no program tailored for it... And there have been so many reports and claims of abuses too.

By the way, a 16GB iPad 2 with wifi is only RM1099. Go figure why students should buy a 1Malaysia Pad and save only RM100, mind you, with an older OS. If it's RM300, then it's an okay deal. It seems there are certain quarters in Malaysia who think that Malaysians don't mind paying more for anything, everything, like what we've been paying for our cars because of Proton. Our ringgit has such little purchasing power and we seem not to care.

And recently, Tun M said that Proton needs some more funds and time. Once upon a time ago, Proton had the Koreans for company in the upstart bandwagon. Seems like we're still stuck on the wagon while the Koreans have sprouted wings and flown off. They have become world players. And we're still proud of our jaguh kampung status. And guess who has to pay for the upkeep of its seemingly PR status on the bandwagon? Yup! The people.

At every level we are paying more. Those who can only afford Proton pay more for it. Those who can afford other makes pay more too. We keep paying and paying.... and now they say they hope to sell this 1Malaysia Pad for RM999! Defies logic! Almost the same amount of money, one gets peanuts and the other gets a Wagyu steak.

So will there be real quality and success without real effort and hard work? I guess not..... unless we consider rip-offs, short changing as success.....

A 16GB iPad 2 at RM1099 from Apple; support and quality assured. 1Malaysia Pad? Anyone's guess.... but remember, it's running on old OS, some newer apps might not run on it....

How A Story Gets Told In 140 Characters

Launched in 2006 Twitter has changed how news travelled and told. If Gutenberg's printing press liberated feudal Europe and enabled the emergence of humanism which freed the people from the clutches of clergy, the slew of social networking tools in the past 10 years has also brought about a liberation of sorts, one that feeds real time information to the people. If anything, it has negated usefulness of the old media. The Twitter world is always abuzz with happenings. Articles, comments and opinions, you find them all on Twitter. I resisted using Twitter for sometime until recently and after jumping on the bandwagon, have found it to be quite amazing.

News go online. They go viral and the 'next change' comes as fast as the real thing. The following is a compilation of tweets about Khalid Ismath, a young man who was one of the 49 wanted by the police for questioning regarding Bersih 3.0. I picked this because the event unfolded and concluded within a day or so and I find this amazing. It's nothing like the traditional news reporting that I'm used to.

A little more background. This young man turned himself in supposedly for some questioning but found himself arrested. And Twitter allowed followers of those people involved to keep us with the development live. I could follow the story from beginning to the end. Now how awesome can that be. The Italic words in green are my comments.

This is one of the earlier tweets about the young man's situation after arrest.

Haziq Abdul Aziz (@HaziqAbdAziz)5/5/12 6:55 PMKhalid bgtau yg dia mungkin direman utk 4-5 hari. Pmbetulan : dia dtgkap krn dsyaki membelasah sorg anggota polis semasa

Before the night is over, we follow that a candlelight vigil was being organized for him. Again this goes viral.... It's a no wonder today's regime can no longer control the amount and type of information that filters through. It's just a gargantuan task!

Solidariti Mahasiswa (@MahasiswaMsia)5/5/12 10:08 PM@khalidismath telah dibawa ke IPD Dang Wangi sebentar td. Skrg Candlelight Vigil akn diadakn di IPDDang Wangi sbg tanda protes! Then we read that this young man has support from Occupy Dataran, a movement that has been occupying Dataran even before Bersih. The arrest of this young man has apparently become an agenda in their meeting for the night. #occupydataran (@occupydataran)5/5/12 10:55 PM#SidangRakyat Agenda(3): Kes penangkapan@khalidismath And we are told that someone was giving the details of the case to the participants that night. Supporters are being won over for the detainee even as he sat in the jail... or details of his whereabout and reason for his arrest are being shared. The tweets ensure that more audience is reached. They are also making sure people know that support is being garnered. #occupydataran (@occupydataran)5/5/12 10:58 PM#SidangRakyat Agenda(3): Seorang ahli sidang sedang berkongsi tentang latar belakang kes @khalidismath A motion of solidarity and we find that people were going to sit outside the IPD. #occupydataran (@occupydataran)5/5/12 11:00 PM#SidangRakyat Agenda(3): #occupydataran patut tunjuk solidariti kpd @khalidismath & turun candlelight vigil di IPD Dang Then the plot thickens.... tweets highlight the situation as well as what the lawyers perceive as unfair treatment to their client. If he had been guilty, they should have arrested him on the spot. Latheefa Koya (@LatheefaKoya)6/5/12 9:38 AMhari hari baca utusan! tergamam bila kita tanya knp tak tangkap masa kejadian! RT@afiqmnoor: Saya berbual dgn seorang pegawai polis By now you get the idea that Latheefa Koya is probably one of the lawyers representing this young man. She opines... Latheefa Koya (@LatheefaKoya)6/5/12 9:57 AMall i can say if we have a fair judiciary- @khalidismath will be a very rich man! utusan showed frontpage some lookalike saying its The young man is brought to the court to extend his remand but it was turned down. Almost immediately the tweets go out... che'GuBard (@chegubard)6/5/12 11:04 AMTerus LAWAN! "@JERIT02: Khalid Ismath;Polis minta 4 hari remand ttp magistrate tolak. Kemungkinan besar akan dibebaskan di IPD Dang Another (re)tweet confirming the rejection to remand him further AfiqMNoor (@afiqmnoor)6/5/12 10:56 AMReman terhadap aktivis mahasiswa Khalid Ismath tidak dibenarkan. @LatheefaKoya#BERSIH3.0 Yet one more (re)tweet from another different source Fadiah Nadwa Fikri (@FadiahNadwa)6/5/12 11:04 AMGreat job! “@afiqmnoor: Reman terhadap aktivis mahasiswa Khalid Ismath tidak dibenarkan. @LatheefaKoya #BERSIH3.0” And then it gets interesting, you get the feeling that someone might have been watching too many police stories on TV. After the remand was rejected, the lawyers followed the van which was bringing the young man back to the police station. This tweet comes complete with a picture of the back of the van as it was being followed... Nashita (@NashitaMN)6/5/12 11:14 AMMengekori van polis yang membawa Khalid dari lokap Jinjang ke IPD Dang Wangi.yfrog.com/h7u8eexj Somewhere, a supporter 'yays' the release. I am sure there are many tweets with negative stuff too. S.Gobi Krishnan (@SGobikrishnan)6/5/12 11:16 AM@FadiahNadwa @LatheefaKoya @afiqmnoor #BERSIH3 hebat. Hakim tolak dr diperalat rejim UMNO BN! More confirmations with tweeter's opinion inserted. You get added info. Nashita (@NashitaMN)6/5/12 11:11 AMDari lokap Jinjang selepas reman ditolak, Khalid dibawa balik IPD dang Wangi. Akan dibebaskan di sana. Utusan Malaysia dan And more while waiting for the release. Ah! And I discovered that his father is quite a firebrand of a character too. Nashita (@NashitaMN)6/5/12 11:38 AMDi IPD Dang Wangi menunggu Khalid dibebaskan. Teringat setahun lepas ketika kami juga menunggu di sini bila En Ismath ditangkap demo Libya. Some snippets of other information. We can infer from this tweet that they've been made to wait rather long for something that has determined by the court. Many I think can identify with this feeling of exasperation (??) Latheefa Koya (@LatheefaKoya)6/5/12 1:11 PMMajistret tlh tolak permohonan reman @khalidismath- dia dibawa semula ke IPD DangWangi-patut sudah bebas- knp lama sangat? k'ga menunggu! And the development continues. From this tweet, we learn that they waited 2 hours after the court rejected the request for remand. By now, the reader will feel a sense of injustice too. Nashita (@NashitaMN)6/5/12 1:17 PMAzan Zuhur sudah berkumandang di IPD Dang Wangi. Keluarga masih menunggu Khalid Ismath dibebaskan. Lebih 2 jam selepas dibebaskan Majistret. It gets more interesting... a spontaneous comment. I guess this might be the kind of tweet that will enrage people in quiet ways cos there'll be people who can identify with such situations. It does not paint the police in a good light at all. Nashita (@NashitaMN)6/5/12 1:49 PMBila ditanya di kaunter mana Khalid, polis jwb "dia tak ada di lokap. IPD Dang Wangi besar bnyk pejabat, kami tak tau dia di mana." What??!! And finally this... ah! Disappointment in missing the release. Nashita (@NashitaMN)6/5/12 3:25 PMKami terlepas aksi bagaimana Khalid Ismath diselamatkan bila Arul tiba. Kami keluar untuk makan sekejap. The drama ends. The young man is out. And we get the impression that this tweeter is your regular Malaysian who enjoys shopping on her weekend, just like many of us. How not to identify with them.. LOL! Nashita (@NashitaMN)6/5/12 3:36 PMSelesai drama pembebasan Khalid Ismath. Sekarang masa melayan @asiahlatif yg bersabar sejak semalam. Jalan-jalan di SOGO. Throughout the whole incident which happened over a period of slightly more than one day, tweets from people involved enabled me to keep tab. There were a few sources. In Bersih 3.0's case, the input was even more extensive. Acts of violence were recorded, speeches reported live. It is really marvellous how tweets have changed the face of news reporting, though it is also quite easy to conclude that the sway of the news' direction can be influenced too, like mainstream media. At the same time too, it is hard not to see why mainstream media is losing their credibility. The 'truth' no longer comes from only their lenses. There are just simply too many people out there, reporting as citizen journalists... and many false information too. Journalism is no longer limited to the chosen few. We become our own censors. While people can be led to believe certain things but given time, most truth usually finds their way out into the open. This is simply because it is difficult to exert control over so many sources, many who act independently. And I think this augurs well where accountability is concerned. The many independent sources will also make it easier for information to be known. If the 1990-91 Gulf War brought the war into our living room via the television, news follow us everywhere in a more pervasive and also intimate way two decades on. We were only privy to snippets of the earlier wars of the 20th century. And prior to that, it was only based on information passed down. Today, a constant barrage of information keeps coming in. The invention of digital social networking is probably heralding in another era of revolution, one where there is dynamism and fluidity and demands the constant reorganization of the mind. If it had been the traditional print, we'd have to wait till the next day, if at all it gets printed. By then the news might have gone through a few rounds of laundry before it is deemed suitable for public consumption. Call it micro-blogging, Internet SMS or Twitter or any other name. Stories can get told in 140 characters, in spurts of 140 characters that is. Interesting, isn't it?

The Amazing New Age Media

I think most of the young people won't think twice about googling for info. 7 or 8 years ago Google became a verb and the rest is the present. Need to find a recipe? Google it! Want to find out more about a disease? Yup! Google it! I even use Google to learn Mandarin. Need to find out the meaning of a word, phrase... Yup again! Google translate it! That's just the learning and knowing part! You can locate and pinpoint as well. But of course, all this can be quite scary. Between Google and Apple, they own almost everything else that makes this possible.

What I find even more amazing is the way things can go viral in a short time. The digital media has a tendency to keep things alive in a WYS format. You get to see things in ways not imagined before. CSL vs LGE debate... Never before has a debate gone so viral and with a constant barrage of commentaries, pictures and videos to add. And because of these viral ability, one ambitious-trying-to-please her political master probably never imagined finding fame in such a short time. Ms Tow Truck! LOL! I keep think of Mater in Cars! 10 years ago, only those in the hall would have seen her performance. Today, everyone who wants to see needs only a few clicks, at will. Amazing!

And the influx of news... Amazing speed they are delivered too. 1Care? It would have been bulldozed through successfully before this age of New Media. Then Bayan Mutiara land deal. Who could have imagined that the CM's office would castigate his accusers so quickly.

It would have taken ages or perhaps never for news that the former Chief Justice is now into business and just landed the contract to build a highway. Being senior appointees in the corridors of power is very lucrative, apparently. Allegations after allegations have been thrown by sources from inside and outside the country. Our very own Cowgate and even Lynas... Once upon a time, the gateway to all these information was held by only ONE. These days, the Old Media is still controlled but again and again as it has been shown, the old media might find itself facing obscurity. Twitter, FaceBook, Google, YouTube, news aggregator... the list is unending. They give the reader an other side of the coin view. The study of mass media has indeed gotten blown way out of its original size. New Age Media!! I think it's kinda cool at the moment. It's like a second Age of / Renaissance. When Gutenberg invented the printing press, he enabled the folks back then to read the Bible for themselves. That sort of exposed the sham the clergy were and it freed the people from the shackles of those who used religion to enslave the majority. This New Age media is like that printing press... Now to see whether it will herald a new Age of Reformafion.

This New Media seems to be providing a level playing ground in a different way. It's providing fodder for social uprising in a manner which defies whatever that we've studied in history. It would be interesting to compare the Arab Spring of 2011 and the Bolshevik Revolution of 1905. The manner that information has been able to get to the people.... the manner how vivid graphics are shared worldwide.

New Media... I wonder too whether it could be used to bring about changes in many of our institutions which fallen to rot of mediocrity brought about by incompetence. My little mind has gone overdrive thinking about possibilities.... LOL!