School's Technology Blog

Brentford CLC have been working with Primary and secondary schools to trial emerging hardware that might prove useful in the classroom or other learning environments. The digital ‘sandpit’ is being lent to schools on a two week rotation and comments on specific equipment are below:

Sanyo Xacti VPC-CS1

Early in 2010 Sanyo launched the Xacti VPC-CS1 and we've had some in to take a look at. (For details and specs see http://uk.sanyo.com/Products/View/VPC-CS1EX-B ) In summary it's a pistol grip style HD camcorder and camera and is billed as the worlds smallest Full HD device capable of taking photos. With an 8MP camera that can be used whilst video is being recorded, an SD card for storage and a pretty keen price at approx £250 its been well received by most reviewers. We've looked at this device from the point of view of student use and there's a few additional factors to take into consideration. Sanyo have packed a lot of features into a very small package and as a consequence buttons, covers, hinges and icons are small, fiddly and a bit fragile. It's not clear how well a Xacti would stand up to prolonged classroom use. Also we've noticed in poor light the Xacti struggles to capture a clear image so bear this in mind if your considering this for in-school projects. We still prefer the Flip cameras but there's some hot competition out from Kodak which we'll be reviewing soon.


New Apple MacBook

Before using this computer, I was not a huge fan of Apple computers; the macBook has changed my mind. The main positive factor is that you can choose to use Microsoft or Apple; you do however have to remember to do this as the computer is turning on as you are unable to flip between them once the computer has switched on (set up using Bootcamp- Editor). Using Microsoft is exactly the same as it is on any other computer; the fun begins when you use Apple. Apple has many programs that can be used with children. Creating music is brilliant. The children are able to create a piece of music from scratch, adding in different beats and choosing from a wide range of instruments. The program allows them to see the many different layers that a piece of music can have. There is also a program where the children can take a picture of themselves using the web camera which is located at the top of the screen, they can manipulate the picture and create lots of interesting faces. Being both a PC and a Mac this is great. We set up a ‘Big Brother’ style diary room in reception – thanks for the ideas CLC!

iPhone 3G v's iPhone 3GS

The 'newest' of the iPhone family really is head and shoulders above its previous incarnations. The speed of applications (both loading and running) has vastly increased and the new 3MP Camera with Focus is also head and shoulders above the 2MP without focus of the 3G.
The ability to Video is also new and a welcome addition.
But and the biggest negative is the Battery Life. It is and also has been horrific on the iPhone. I can barely last a whole day. Especially when emailing and twittering and using the applications that it was designed for.
Overall though - If you want to stay connected and have a device that is completely user friendly you could go far wrong than to choose either of the iPhones.

Acer NeoTouch

What can I say - At first it looked like an excellent SMART phone, but I had one main issue. In order to Sync information from my computer to the device, you HAVE to have Outlook installed.
I feel that specifying you have to buy software in order to sync the device is not very good business practice (at least iTunes is free for the iPhones) And I couldn't use the phone to it's capabilities.
But - the user interface looks very nice (windows 6.5) and I'm sure it will work well.
Overall - I couldn't test it fully as I do not have Outlook.

 

New iPod Nano (with video camera)
This is excellent! Good quality video and an MP3 player as well.

I don’t like the position of the video camera at the bottom of the iPod as it is difficult not to put your fingers all over it.

You have to use iTunes with this but we already have that on our machines for burning CDs.

Roland CD2E – CD Recorder
It is great to have a piece of kit that is as easy to use as a tape recorder. Great quality recording around a table in the classroom. Bit expensive still.

We will buy one of these as it is so easy to use. Being able to plug our electric piano and two microphones into it has been brilliant for play rehearsals.

Sony PSP
With the camera and a memory card in this is a great video device for KS2. The screen is much easier to see than the little ones on other video cameras and the quality is pretty good except in low light.

Easy to use, good quality pictures and sound. We like it a lot. Good to use for adults and children to observe their learning. We want one!!

Flip Mino – USB video recorder
Recording for one hour and plugging straight in to a computer this was so easy to use. At under £100 it is great! It does not light low light or fast movement though and the zoom is not easy.

Great!! Easy to use, easy to download to any computer. Good to video children's performance i.e. PE lessons & show at start of next lesson for specific teaching points.

The Flip HD is more than £100 but better quality.

The only problem with the flip is leaving it hanging off a USB port to charge it makes it an accident waiting to happen.

As FS already have some of these it was agreed that they are a good video recording resource, however because  they do not also take photographs we would order a resource that does both.

Kodak Zi6
We liked this more than the Flip as it has a bigger screen and takes a memory card so we can share the device without having to always download the contents immediately.

Being able to take still pictures and video is one up on the flipHD and its cheaper!

I didn’t like the two AA rechargeable batteries at first but when they ran out on a trip and I was able to buy to normal batteries Ichanged my mind.

Unlike the flip you can zoom in and then record on this camera.

Sony Reader
Like the type face but would prefer the real thing. Can we download our own texts? Could then be useful; for guided reading groups.

DAP - Digital Audio Player
Used in nursery/reception. We found it difficult to use without instructions. When we worked out how to use it and played back children talking we found it picked up too much background noise, so distorting child's speech - shame.

N96  Mobile
Having used an N95 8GB for the last 6 months and got to know its attributes and shortcomings, the introduction of the N96 begs the question, 'Why?'

The layout and dimensions are very similar, the camera does all it should but.......... would I buy it / use it?

It uses the same charger as the N95 which is good, but the PC adapter is different i.e. not a mini USB, so I need another cable. Yes I could 'Bluetooth' but that assumes the other device is able to.

The one I'm using is SIM free so putting your existing SIM card in shouldn't be a problem, however. Does the back of the case remove easily? No. Will I be able to read my SIM card to get my contacts list? No! When I select this function it only gives me my mobile number!!! So how can I call people whose numbers I cannot remember?

As for general use, all the buttons are flush fitting and not that easy to identify or use, particularly when texting. Yes this is personal preference to a degree but is this development a worthy one that improves the performance pf the phone over its predecessor?

Pleo the dinosaur
Pleo- everyone loved this resource and agreed that it can indeed be used in a cross curricular fashion, and even as a school pet!

General comments

We have decided to order a ‘Pleo’ dinosaur, the Roland CD recorder and some of the Kodak Zi6  cameras all of which the staff agreed were suitable for the age group we teach.