ConnectED

Sony Soloist- Creating an ACR Exercise

In this video we explain how an Automatic Comparative Recording (ACR) Exercise is created. It is a means by which a set of pre-recorded questions can be played to the student, an answer recorded and then saved them for further reference.

Sony Soloist- What is an ACR?

In this video we explain what an Automatic Comparative Recording (ACR) Exercise is. It is a means by which a set of pre-recorded questions can be played to the student, an answer recorded and then saved them for further reference.

Vlog It- basic video recording

This is a great tool that we would highly recommend to people who want to easily structure some simple video creation. It is essentially an auto queue whereby you can type or cut and past text from other sources in, arrange images along a timeline, then record and save a video file. This is a great way of creating a file for Automatic Comparative Recording (ACR) exercises for use with Sony Soloist and Virtuoso in MFL.

Sony PSP- Mind Quiz Video

Click on the button below to play the video:

Sony Soloist- Basic Use of Video

Many of our clients are now moving away from the traditional language laboratory model with Sony Virtuoso to a more multimedia rich experience. For example with Sony Soloist (the student digital comparative recording software) the student can finitely interrogate a video file. Have a look at this 6 minute presentation on how at its most basic Sony Soloist can manipulate video files.

Mind Quiz on Sony PlayStation Portable

Watch the YouTube video click here.

Whilst we have been working on how the PSP's non-gaming functionality can be used to good effect in the classroom many people have been asking about what game titles area available for the PSP that may be used for teaching and learning. Several games platforms have taken on the "Brain Training Route" with varied titles and Mind Quiz for PSP would also fall into that category.

We have developed a way by which the video from the PSP can be  captured and made available as demonstration and training videos. This is relatively easy using a composite out lead for photos, video and web browsing but for the higher resolution you need to use a component out lead but then there is all the added complication of capturing the component video.

Anyway enough of that have a watch of the video on YouTube and look out for some of the other titles that we will review and also voice over with some instructions. Here are a few:

Gitaroo Man Lives
Activision Hits Remixed
Passport to... Paris
Passport to... Barcelona

 

Upcoming Events- Multimedia Teaching, Sony PlayStation Portable Workshop

We have organised a number of events over the coming months that you may be interested in. Have a read of the list and click through to find out more information:

28th February 2008, Clifton College, Bristol-
"Multimedia teaching in Modern Foreign Languages"

12th March 2008, Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood, London-
"Multimedia Technologies for Teaching, Learnging and Collaboration"

16th April 2008, Birmingham area, venue TBC-
"Sony PlayStation in Education, the practise so far and sustainable future"

30th April 2008, Terra Nova Prep School, Alderley Edge-
"Multimedia Teaching"

Hope to see you at one of the above.....

New Linux Laptop announced

You will have no doubt heard a significant amount about other small form factor Linux Laptops that are on the market and a considerable amount of people will be trialling them. We have been working with Ink-Media for nearly two years looking at this market and how we can bring to fruition a small form factor device that can provide students and teachers with easily accessible computing and with pertinent applications but which also has a low total cost of ownership and easy support model. We think that we have achieved this in the Ink-Media IIex sub-notebook design. The one pictured on the right is running Windows but the preferred option will be Ubuntu Linux. We are ready to provide demonstration units in the last week of February and start shipping orders shortly after. We have already had interest from over 160 schools as a result of the very low key showing that we gave at BETT. For more information and to express interest please email [email protected] .

Futurelab Article on Sony PSP at Longwill School, Birmingham

This article from Futurelab highlights the work that has been taking place at Longwill School for the the deaf in Birmingham. Some very good and interesting ideas about the pedagogical use. Links from the ConnectED website, click here.

Picture: Alison Carter from Longwill and Richard Healey from Birmingham East CLC.

Rising Stars on a Sony PSP

In order to try and make available as much content as possible on a Sony PSP we have been looking into how established ebooks can be transferred. A really simple way is to say whatever document that you may have as Jpegs and then save this folder into the PHOTOS folder on the PSP. For example a really simple ebook could be made available from established resources by saving a PowerPoint as Jpegs. When done in PowerPoint go file Save As.. then change the file type to jpegs and a folder with 1 Jpeg per slide will be created in order. Copy and paste this into the PHOTO folder and these can be browsed. Click on the image to launch YouTube video.