Microsoft Office 365

Senin, 31 Desember 2012

Day 27 – IE 10 The best of both worlds on a Windows 8 Tablet

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 27

Monday, December 31, 2012

This may come as a surprise to some, but the new Internet Explorer 10 is the best browser for use on a Windows 8 tablet. I say a surprise because Internet Explorer has been losing marketshare to the Google Chrome browser for the past couple of years but that trend may now be reversing with the introduction of IE 10 on Windows 8. One of the strengths of Windows has always been end user choice of using best of breed applications that best fit the job. In recent years Internet Explorer has become maligned as the browser that is old and behind the times but the new IE 10 has been modernized with a redesigned interface for Windows 8.

Like many things on this Windows 8 tablet Microsoft has taken the hybrid approach of introducing new elements while maintaining backward compatibility.

Internet Explorer 10 in Windows 8 is no exception, IE 10 also has this dual personality.

First, if you access IE 10 from the Start Screen you will be using the metro-style version of IE 10. The metro-style version provides a new interface for the browser that is “chromeless”. Chrome, (not the Google Browser), in this case means getting rid of all the menu and address bars that you normally see at the top of your browser. This presents a very clean look that gets the ugly interface controls out of the way. If you want to see the controls again simply swipe down from the top (or swipe up from the bottom) of the tablet and you will see the address bar at the bottom of the screen. At the top of the screen you will see a thumbnail of each browser window you have open. There is a + sign in the upper right hand corner if you want to open another “tab”. Tabs appear as thumbnails in the metro-style version of IE 10.

There is also the traditional “Desktop” version of IE 10 that you can get to by going to the Desktop of the Windows 8 tablet and tapping the Internet Explorer icon located in the lower left hand corner of the Desktop.

Remember, the Desktop on Windows 8 does not have the Start button, it uses the Start Screen in its place. This is one of those “who moved my cheese” moments that some have a hard time adjusting to and lament its removal. Get over it, the Start button is gone in Windows 8 and once you realize that and get on with your life you will find the Start screen much more efficient and customizable.

In the past I have split my browser time about 50/50 between Internet Explorer and Chrome. Since using the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T tablet I have changed that percentage to about 90/10 using Internet Explorer about 90% of the time. For the 10% of the time I use Chrome it is for some of the Chrome apps that I use. The great thing is I have a choice and I am now finding IE 10 to be the better solution for me on a Windows 8 tablet.

The biggest reason I favor IE 10 ninety percent of the time is that I like the new clean “chromeless” (no pun intended) look. IE 10 also supports pinch and zoom when using either the metro-style version or Desktop version of IE 10. Google Chrome on the Windows 8 Desktop does NOT currently support pinch and zoom.

The second biggest reason that I like to use IE 10 as my primary browser is that I still run into a lot of websites that use Adobe Flash. The metro-style version of IE 10 does not support Flash but the “Desktop” version does.

Tip: There is a nice shortcut when you run into a website that needs Adobe Flash. You can swipe up from the bottom of the screen, click on the “Wrench” icon and select “View on Desktop”. This opens the website you are currently on in the metro-style version of IE 10 into the “Desktop” version of IE 10 that DOES support Adobe Flash. I use this little shortcut a lot when I need to view Flash content. Many educational videos and screencasts are still delivered via Flash.

Confusing? Not really, don’t make it any harder than it is. You have two styles of the IE 10 browser for use in Windows 8. The metro-style version is available from the Start Screen and has a clean “chromeless” look. The “Desktop” version of IE 10 is available from…. wait for it, the Desktop. Use whatever style of IE 10 you like, again it is great to have a choice. Instead of ignoring the millions of websites that STILL use Adobe Flash you have an alternative to view the content if you need to. This is another case of the hybrid approach Microsoft is taking to maintain backward compatibility until the new technologies meant to replace Flash catch up with new software capabilities like HTML 5.

The best of both worlds, old and new.

Because the Samsung Ativ 500T tablet uses the x86 processor I can also install and use Firefox and/or Chrome browsers in addition to IE 10 if I would like.

Choice is good, so is this tablet.

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.
http://eiu.edu/itc/

Minggu, 30 Desember 2012

Day 26–Practical choices for playback of flipped classroom videos on a Windows 8 Tablet

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 26

Sunday, December 30, 2012

We are living in amazing times. It is now possible for anyone to have access to world-class educational materials at the click of the mouse, or in the case of the new Windows 8 tablets, at the touch of the screen. The educational materials delivered over the Internet now take many forms including web pages, ebooks, PDFs, audio, and increasingly video.

The flipped classroom is all the rage in many education circles right now and a large part of the flipped classroom is assigning videos for students to watch, but how will they watch them? How will you get the video content so it is accessible to all students, even those without Internet access at home?

I spent much of the day watching video training materials in the MP4 format on my tablet that I had previously downloaded to my Desktop PC. It is time for me to once again sing the praises of the full-size USB port that is available on the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T.

The cloud is a great place when it works but you are often limited by the bandwidth capacity available to you. If the Internet is slow or not working at all, the shine quickly wears off cloud-based computing. I could have uploaded the videos to my Skydrive account and then downloaded them to the local storage on my Windows 8 Tablet but I probably would still be waiting for all of the uploads and downloads to finish sometime next week. There was a faster way.

Don’t believe me? I live in the practical world of making technology work to improve the teaching and learning process for students. I am always thinking about scale, how to scale something up to make it work for a class or 30 students, or a university of 10,000 students. Sure, anyone can come up with a project that will work for an individual, but how will it scale? Let me provide an example.

Today I copied over six videos that were previously on my Desktop PC to a USB thumb drive. Each file was a MP4 video of about two hours in length. The average file size was 2GB each so I had about 12 GB in total for about 12 hours of video. Roughly about 1GB in file size for each hour of video content. Do you see the problem?

Many families have data plans that have a bandwidth cap of 5GB per month. So today, if I had downloaded the files over a metered network connection I would have gone over my data cap by a factor of 2 in just one day, not good, and potentially expensive as there are overage charges. And that was just me, multiply that by 30 and you can see the network tubes clogging before your very eyes. USB thumb drives are inexpensive, a 16GB USB drive now costs approximately $10 each. For about $300 you could have one for each student in the class. A USB thumb drive gives the student the flexibility to use the USB drive on their computer/laptop at home, or on a tablet if it has a USB port like the Ativ 500T.

To get around some of the long download times many videos are available via streaming services like YouTube and TeacherTube that deliver the files on an as needed basis bit by bit. This prevents the delay of downloading the entire file before you can watch it. You still need to be aware of bandwidth caps and the fact that the more users you have watching a video over the network at any one time the slower the experience will become for everyone. If you watch a video multiple times, every time you re-watch it, it will continue to add to your total data usage for the month.

I think we will be living in the hybrid world in the near future of using both online cloud resources where it makes sense and using local storage and processing as a necessary fall back in cases where the “way of the cloud” is slow or not available. The Skydrive application is a great example of this allowing for files to be stored locally and synced up to the cloud so that multiple devices can have access to cloud storage.

But there is also a major flaw in the hype around cloud-based computing and storage, bandwidth caps. The cloud is often times limited by bandwidth caps here in America and even as we make great progress with new computer hardware and software the network is becoming the weak link. This is particular true in rural areas of Illinois where many families lack affordable broadband access. Watching flipped videos is simply not an option to many students in our local area due to lack of affordable broadband access at home.

My Ativ 500T tablet uses USB 2.0 which has a transfer rate of 480Mbps. This is great as it provides me the capability of copying large files to a USB thumb drive and plugging it into my Windows 8 Tablet and play directly off the USB drive. More improvements are on the way in the Windows 8 Tablet space. The new Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet coming out in January uses USB 3.0 which is capable of copying files at 5Gbps. That is approximately a 10 fold increase in performance. If you are doing a lot of content transfer of large file sizes you might want to consider the new USB 3.0 capability on new 64bit Windows 8 tablets now available. I do not mean to bore you with the details but just want to make you aware that from a practical perspective you need to be thinking about the logistics of moving large files around for students to access.

Watching the videos from the USB thumb drive worked great and I have watched two of the six videos today. Using a USB thumb drive is very convenient and I can constantly copy new content onto the removable USB drive or get multiple drives to save content different types to each USB stick.

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

http://eiu.edu/itc/

Sabtu, 29 Desember 2012

Day 25–A Fun day exploring the Play To feature from a Windows 8 Tablet to a Xbox 360

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 25

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Part of the fun during the holidays is getting new gifts and being a little self-indulgent. Today is one of those days for me as I have been setting up a new Xbox 360. Those of us with older children will understand that a few of the family gadgets have a way of wandering out of the household once a son or daughter goes off to college or leaves the nest. Such was the case with “our” former Xbox.

So, today I purchased a new Xbox 360 to catch up on what all the youngins’ are doing. Since I am conducting “research” I needed to have the hardware to test some of the new features of Windows 8 both on Tablets and on PC’s.

The biggest useful feature for educators on the Xbox 360 is the new “Play To” feature that allows you to wirelessly share media content (music and videos) to the big screen.

I have only had my Xbox connected for a couple of hours so I am still trying to figure things out but “Play To” is very easy to use. I already have it working with my new Xbox connected to the HDTV. I am connected wirelessly to my home network with my tablet and also wirelessly to the Xbox. You must be on the same wireless subnet for the “Play To” feature to work.

I connected the Xbox 360 to my HDTV with a HDMI cable so both the video and the audio are carried by one HDMI cable out of the Xbox and into the HDTV. I opened up one of my TechTalk4Teachers podcast episodes on my Samsung Ativ 500T Tablet that is running Windows 8 and began to play the podcast on the tablet. I next swiped in with my right thumb to bring up the CHARMS bar and selected DEVICES. One of the choices under DEVICES was XBOX. When I selected XBOX the audio and video from my tablet was transferred to the HDTV and begin to play. I could still use my tablet to pause, rewind, and play the audio but the output was going to the HDTV. Pretty Cool!

I can think of all kinds of educational uses for the Play To feature. If you have a Xbox connected to a projector or HDTV in the front of the room you can easily share media to the big screen from yours, or your students, Windows 8 tablet. This is somewhat similar to airplay but only works with media, you cannot mirror the screen to the Xbox, yet.

All in all not a bad setup for a couple hours of time with a new Xbox and Windows 8 tablet. It looks pretty amazing seeing the screen from an 11.6 inch tablet up on a large screen HDTV. And the sound, the sound is phenomenal if you have a good set of stereo speakers as is common with many home theater setups.

Now I need to get to work on creating some videos to share some of the things I have been learning about how Windows 8 and the new Windows 8 Tablets benefit teachers and students. Once I have the videos on my Tablet I can use “Play To” for displaying on the big screen. Who brought the popcorn?

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.
http://eiu.edu/itc/

Jumat, 28 Desember 2012

Day 24–Listening to Podcasts with SlapDash and Xbox Music on a Windows 8 Tablet

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 24

Friday, December 28, 2012

One of the activities that I try to make time for every day is listening to one of the many podcasts I subscribe to. What is a podcast? Think of it as a radio show that you can download and listen to at your convenience. There are podcasts available on almost any topic you can imagine and there are many created by fellow educators. I tend to favor audio podcasts as I can listen to them during my commute to and from work. It took me a while to find a Windows 8 podcast client but I recently found the SlapDash podcast app in the Windows 8 Store that meets my needs. It comes in a free version supported by advertising or a paid $1.99 app that eliminates the ads.

What I like about the SlapDash app is that I can subscribe to podcasts manually as most are not listed in the Slapdash Catalog. Many of the podcasts I listen to are from “grass roots” producers by educators all around the world. Many of these producers have never gone to the trouble of submitting their podcast to directories like SlapDash, Zune, or iTunes. If you cannot find a particular podcast listed in a store catalog then you will need to subscribe to it manually using the RSS feed for the podcast.

Cindy Rich and I do a bi-monthly podcast called TechTalk4Teachers. We have added TechTalk4Teachers to the iTunes and Zune catalogs so you should be able to do a search and subscribe from there if you use one of those services.

If you do not you can still add our podcast manually by adding the following RSS feed to subscribe:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/techtalk4teachers

The SlapDash app provides an attractive display of our past episodes and I have included a screenshot of the TechTalk4Teachers feed below:

The other discovery I made is that the Xbox Music app also plays audio and video podcasts that you have stored locally on the tablet. Since a podcast is nothing more than a MP3 file with special tags the new Xbox Music app will play any non-DRM MP3 file. There is a secret in that you need to store the files in subfolders on the hard drive under the Music folder. This discovery makes it very easy for me to copy my vast catalog of podcasts to the Music folder and have all podcasts copied there available in Xbox Music on my Windows 8 tablet.

By the way Xbox music is a fantastic app and now provides 10 hours of streaming music for free each month. There is also a music pass that costs $9.99 per month for unlimited streaming from a music catalog of millions of songs. The Xbox music service provides a very attractive user interface and plays photos of your favorite artist/band on the screen as you listen to the music. It really looks great connected to a large screen HDTV while playing your music. Of course, this being Windows 8, you also have your choice of other services like Pandora or Spotify if you prefer those services.

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

http://eiu.edu/itc/

Kamis, 27 Desember 2012

Day 23– Three Productivity Revelations about using a Windows 8 Tablet for Educational Use

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 23

Thursday, December 27, 2012

I am still experimenting with different workflow solutions to explore productive uses of my Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T Tablet in an educational setting. This is the first tablet that I have used that is capable of handling most of my day-to-day work activities with little compromise. I also use Apple and Android tablets but this Windows 8 tablet meets most of my daily needs better. This tablet is compatible with all the applications I use daily without the need for finding “workaround apps”. Add to this the flexibility of a USB port and compatibility with student management systems and you have a versatile tablet with few limitations.

I have had three big revelations about the production possibilities this Windows 8 tablet offers. The first revelation is that since this tablet can run x86 programs I can run the full version of Office 2010 and millions of other x86 programs in addition to thousands of new apps made available from the Windows Store. Having this dual personality is a huge benefit, not a hindrance.

The second revelation has been the extreme value of Skydrive and having access to Gigabytes of files stored in the cloud when working across multiple devices. I can easily move between my phone, PC/Laptop, and tablet and have my files accessible from anywhere there is an Internet connection. The ability to store files locally and sync back to the cloud using the Desktop Skydrive application is an added bonus for offline work when no Internet connection is available. Nice!

The third revelation has been the need for a keyboard to get real work done.

For everyday consumption tasks like browsing the web, checking email, keeping up with Twitter and Facebook postings, and taking handwritten notes using the S Pen with OneNote I am perfectly satisfied with using this tablet without a keyboard. With more than ten hours of battery life the Ativ 500T is my goto device, especially in the evenings as the tablet form factor makes it particularly useful on the couch for browsing and keeping up with emails.

I am getting closer to a workable solution for keyboard input as I have created homemade wooden stands that prop up the tablet on a desk so that I can easily use a full-size wireless keyboard to type with. I am writing this post with the Logitech K400 wireless keyboard and I do not feel the limitations as I do when I use the onscreen keyboard. Since this tablet has a full-size USB port I just plugin the USB wireless receiver, turn on the battery powered K400 keyboard and start typing away. Alternatively, I could use a Bluetooth keyboard as Bluetooth is built-in the Ativ 500T.

The two little wooden stands that I made have solved the problem of using the tablet with a wireless keyboard. It is now more convenient and therefore I use this setup more. The wooden stands were so handy I made another set for my Nexus 7. Since the stands are made in two pieces they are adjustable to hold my 11.6 inch Windows Tablet and also work just as well on my 7 inch Android tablet. I have provided a picture below to show the setup I now use at home. Pretty handy and practical!

I am much faster at typing with a wireless keyboard and I do not feel the frustrations of a cramped onscreen keyboard. The trackpad on the right side of the Logitech K400 keyboard is also handy for using the mouse in “Desktop” mode and also with two-finger scrolling when browsing the Internet.

With the wireless keyboard I have all the keys available on the full-size keyboard that I have grown accustomed to over the years including CTRL, ALT, and the Windows Key that I so often use in combination with other keys as keyboard shortcuts. This is particularly helpful when in Microsoft Word where I have become very efficient using keyboard shortcuts. Common shortcuts I regularly use include: Ctrl+C Ctrl+V Ctrl+P Ctrl+S Ctrl+Z Ctrl+Y as well as the arrow keys, Alt+Tab, PageUp, PageDown, Print Screen, and all the Function keys.

Add to these the new Windows 8 shortcuts of using the Windows Key (the one with the Windows Flag between Ctrl and Alt on most Keyboards) press Win to go to the Start Screen, Win+C=Charms, Win+I=Settings, Win+X=Power Menu, Win+Q=Search Win+P=Second Screen, Alt+Tab or Win+Tab to cycle through open apps

More Windows 8 Shortcuts can be found here:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/new-keyboard-shortcuts#1TC=t1

It may seem like a little thing but it is really nice working with a full-size keyboard that I do not have to switch back-and-forth all the time between alpha-letter mode and the number and special character mode.

There is one more area in this grand experiment that I need to tryout as I did not buy the snap on keyboard that is an accessory for the Ativ 500T tablet. I need to do this so I can report my findings back to this blog. The Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T has a $749 retail price including the keyboard and I thought I could save a hundred dollars and get by without one. But, now I want to explore the functionality of this tablet WITH the keyboard that was designed for it. I am getting along quite well with my Logitech 400 keyboard setup at home but it is something else to carry with me if I think I would need it at a meeting.

Finding the right combination of accessories and setup options takes some time but is worth the effort as every addition is increasing my productivity to get more work done.

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Rabu, 26 Desember 2012

Day 22–Family Safety Options on a Windows 8 Tablet

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 22

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

I have been writing and thinking about the new Windows 8 tablets through the lens of an educator and also as a parent for the past three weeks. One thing that has been bouncing around in my head is how much, if any, control a parent/guardian should have regarding the use of a computer/tablet by their children inside the family home.

This is a question that often gets glossed over by gadget sellers but is an extremely important issue for educators and parents to at least give some consideration to.

As 1:1 programs are increasingly being considered across the country there should at least be a discussion about the potential side effects that introducing an always connected device into the lives of our students may have. Sure there are a lot of good things such a device can offer but there is also a darker side. There is evidence that symptoms of Internet addiction may occur in 8-12% of children using the Internet.

A couple of years ago the American Academy of Pediatrics posted some advice for parents regarding Internet use and warned about the possibility of Internet addiction. I have posted a link to the article below:

Internet addiction a real problem for U.S. kids

http://aapnews.aappublications.org/content/31/5/26.5.full

The article mentions some common sense advice to parents including monitoring and limiting Internet usage, not placing a computer in a child’s bedroom, and being aware of mood swings or other compulsive behavior. It also mentions that you should seek professional help if you see warning sides of Internet addiction with your child.

Schools have been required to provide Internet safety protection measures for years based on state and federal laws including the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

http://www.fcc.gov/guides/childrens-internet-protection-act

But what happens at home? Most likely there is little or no Internet filtering and every parent makes their own parenting decisions related to Internet use. As mobile smartphones and tablets become more parents will need to setup their own guidelines for use at home.

What tools are available (if so desired) by a parent wanting to limit Internet access at home?

Actually on the Samsung Ativ 500T tablet there are several tools built-in to Windows 8 to filter and/or limit Internet activity.

A couple of days ago I wrote about multiuser accounts and the value of setting up a separate account for children to use. This account does not have access to your own apps and account settings. It turns out there are additional things you can do from simply limiting time blocks that a child is allowed to use the tablet to white-listing Internet sites that are the only sites they are allowed to visit.

I have provided a link to a Microsoft post about the Family Safety features available in Windows 8 (x86 versions):

Keep your family safer
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/family-safety#1TC=t1

The family safety article explains how to setup time limits of use, web filtering and monitoring. Some will say that kids can easily bypass some of these measures and that may be true. This is a family decision and some will choose not to, but it is good to know that there are options out there for parents that may want to have some method of adding an additional layer of protection other than just unfettered Internet access to the devices that end up in our childrens hands.

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Selasa, 25 Desember 2012

Day 21– Easily Share Photos from Phone to Tablet to TV on a Windows 8 Tablet

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 21

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

First of all Happy Holidays to everyone and I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year. Today is a very special day as many are celebrating Christmas Day.

Many pictures will be taken today to share with friends and family. There are many ways to take pictures including digital cameras, mobile phones, and now tablets with built-in cameras. I prefer to use my mobile phone as it is more portable (I almost always have it with me). I also do not like to look silly holding up a big 10+ inch slab of glass taking pictures and possibly blocking others view. If you have ever been to concerts where some people hold up their tablets to take a photo or video you know what I mean.

Mobile phones are great for portability but sometimes a 3.5 inch screen is just too small to do your pictures justice when showing them off to others. I found an easy way around this limitation as I use my Windows Phone to take pictures and upload them to my Skydrive account. It is possible to setup my Windows Phone to automatically upload every photo to Skydrive when I take a picture with my phone. I sometimes do set it up this way, but I prefer to be more selective in what I upload to my Skydrive account so I usually just upload only select photos on demand to Skydrive.

If you have been reading this blog you probably know where this is going. I can access my Skydrive account on my Ativ 500T tablet and have immediate access to my photos taken on my phone that were just uploaded to Skydrive. You do have to have an Internet connection to do this but once the photos are uploaded to Skydrive I can easily show them off on my tablet on a beautiful 11.6 inch screen.

The pictures look so much better than on a small smartphone screen. One better, because the Ativ 500T has a microHDMI out I can easily connect it to my HDTV and share my photos in near real-time (there is some delay for uploading the photos to Skydrive depending upon your Internet connection speed) but once uploaded the photos can be displayed on the TV for everyone to see.

I do not recommend uploading your photos to Skydrive unless you are connected to local WiFi connection. Uploading photos over a 3G or 4G connection may eat into your data cap and possibly result in overage fees. I have not tried the Skydrive app on Android or iOS but I would think this would also work on those devices.

You can later share your pictures on Facebook or Twitter if you so choose or send an email with a link to the picture you want to share from Skydrive via email.

To send a link via email on a Windows 8 Tablet do the following:

With the picture open in Skydrive, go to the Charms bar, select Share, then Email. Type in the email address of the recipient, type a short message and then press send. The email will be sent to the recipient with a link to the picture on Skydrive. The advantage to this method is there is not an attachment so you do not have to worry about sending large file sizes through email systems as some have file size limitations.

So there you have it. Take a photo on your phone, upload to Skydrive and then access it on your Tablet connected to your TV for the entire family to enjoy. Now if there were just an easy way to make a movie out of all those photos, stay tuned.

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Senin, 24 Desember 2012

Day 20 – Multiuser logon to the rescue with a Windows 8 Tablet during the Holidays

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 20

Monday, December 24, 2012

One of the inevitable circumstances of having a tablet around during the holidays is that more than likely a family member will want to use it. If you are like most tablet users you have your own customized way you like to have your apps setup and displayed. On the Windows 8 Start screen it is very easy to organize the Live Tiles to your preferred order. It is also very easy for someone else to mess it all up in just a few minutes. How can you protect your precious app setup, not to mention your personalized account settings, documents, and email? With a Windows 8 tablet it is easy as Windows 8 supports something called multiuser logon.

This situation is also extremely common in schools that routinely share devices among several different students each day. Using different accounts is one way to protect each individual users settings, documents, and email.

Some tablets do not have multiuser accounts and therefore anyone using the tablet can easily see all email accounts, apps, dropbox files, and other documents stored on the device. If you are one that checks the boxes to "Remember Passwords" then anyone you hand your tablet to also has access to these accounts.

Signing in with a different account other than the one you regularly use is one way to prevent others seeing your documents, settings and accounts. It is also very helpful if you have children in the family as you can setup a special account for a child and only give them access to the apps that you want them to have access to.

To setup a different account in Windows 8 simply go to the Charms bar and select Settings > Change PC Settings > Users > Other Users > + Add a User

You have a choice to setup a user with another Microsoft account or you can do what I did and setup a “local user” account. To use a local account you will have to select Sign-in Without a Microsoft Account.

There are on screen instructions that walk you through the process that do a nice job of explaining the different types of accounts. If you select a local account none of your settings will be synced from other devices as it is only “local” to this tablet. This works very well for a child account and Microsoft even adds a way to limit apps for children accounts with some family protection settings.

Setting up a new user was very easy to setup on my Samsung Ativ 500T tablet. Here is a link that explains more about how to create additional User accounts in Windows 8:

http://www.howtogeek.com/121975/htg-explains-microsoft-accounts-vs.-local-accounts-in-windows-8/

To switch accounts from one user to another all you need to do is go to the Start Screen and click on the user account picture that is currently logged in (located in the upper right hand corner of the Start screen). You can then either select Sign out or click on the name of the user account you want to switch to. You will be prompted for the password for the account you are switching to.

This is actually a fast way to change users and protect your working account from others that may want to also use your tablet. If you have a picture password setup as I do you can use picture password to log in.

As you can see multiuser logon has very practical applications for families as well as in school settings. Enjoy the Holidays and your new Windows 8 Tablet!

Keep on Learning,
Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Minggu, 23 Desember 2012

Day 19– Consumption or Production with a Windows 8 Tablet

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 19

Sunday, December 23, 2012

I find myself picking up the Ativ 500T tablet as my first choice for checking emails, browsing the web, viewing my Twitter stream, and for watching videos or listening to audio podcasts. Why? I think mainly because of the instant on, long battery life, and the ease of holding the tablet in front of me in a nonintrusive way. As long as I do not need to type a lot of characters then I reach for this tablet.

The Ativ 500T tablet is also much larger than my mobile phone so I can see things more clearly. If I need to type longer documents I can connect a Bluetooth keyboard and this is not difficult to do BUT it is something additional to do to get into production mode. Since I already have an Ultrabook, a Dell XPS 13, the Ultrabook is my go to device for more intense work (I am typing this post on the XPS 13).

Perhaps this is just from years of habit and my own bias but I do not think so. Most of the people I know that use iPads have a case with a Bluetooth keyboard. From a fiscal perspective an iPad is just as costly as a laptop when you add the accessories like keyboards and cases. If we are going to accessorize tablets why don’t we just go the Ultrabook route?

It is the battle between consumption and production and I find myself torn between device types based upon need. These things are still sorting themselves out and in the Windows 8 world there’s a lot of experimenting going on with a variety of form factors. There is the Lenovo Yoga that is a laptop with a touchscreen that folds completely over to go into tablet mode. Lenovo also has the Thinkpad Twist that is more like a traditional Tablet PC of yesteryear but with an updated touchscreen to support the Windows 8 touch-first interface. There are also coming to market 7 inch and 10 inch touchscreen devices that will run Windows 8. These are just the hardware choices. There are also different levels of choices in software; Windows 8 or Windows RT and with processors; ARM, Clover Trail or Core i3/i5/i7.

Then there is the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T Tablet that I have. I have been using this tablet for about three weeks now and I must admit it is mainly for consumption. The one exception is when I use OneNote to take handwritten notes that are very valuable in an electronic format. I did not purchase the snap-on keyboard that comes as an accessory with this tablet but I think I may based upon the number of times I reach for a keyboard. There are just too many times in my work life when I need to have a keyboard for data input. I am use to the transformer format as I have had an Asus Transformer Android tablet with keyboard for a couple of years now. The Asus Transformer is where I first realized that a touchscreen and a laptop form factor makes a lot of sense even though there are many naysayers out there (mostly the people that have never used such a device).

You know what is odd as I reflect back on the last three weeks of using this tablet?

I do not find myself wanting or needing many apps. I have downloaded a couple of game apps, the Skype app, Skydrive app, and Kindle app that are my go to apps that I feel I need and regularly use. I have also downloaded a handful of educational apps but nothing I couldn't live without. So right now I feel this tablet is meeting my needs in the way that I am currently using it.

I think we will begin to see more combinations of Ultrabooks with touchscreens in the market to address the consumption/production dualopoly of use cases. Many devices will have detachable keyboards to give users the freedom of choice of how they want to use their tablet. If you do not want the keyboard then simply detach it while you are in consumption mode. The other benefit of a snap-on keyboard is that it makes for a clamshell type device that protects the tablets screen.

Well, those are my reasons for considering getting the Ativ 500T keyboard. We will see if I talk myself out of getting the keyboard in the next few days as I head to the stores for some after Christmas shopping.

Keep on Learning,Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Sabtu, 22 Desember 2012

Day 18 – Time off for some family time

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 18

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Today was a light day of use for the Ativ 500T tablet. Most of the day was spent in preparation for a family Christmas dinner. I did use the tablet to check in on my Twitter account throughout the day and browse the Internet but that was about it.

The other thing that I am doing tonight is uploading some photos to my Skydrive account from tonight’s activities. I can save my photos taken from my mobile phone directly to Skydrive by simply selecting the photo on my phone and then selecting Save to Skydrive. This is very handy for sharing photographs (and other documents) with others.

Having access to my photos from my phone, tablet, PC, or any other computer that is connected to the Internet is one of the huge benefits of Skydrive: Any file, anytime. It makes it very convenient to have access to your files in the cloud.

Having my photos on Skydrive provides a backup of some of the better ones as well as providing the ability to share with other family members. To share a photo from my Skydrive account I simply go to the Pictures folder, navigate to the picture I want to share via Skydrive, and bring up the Charms menu (swipe in with my right thumb – select Share).

With the picture displayed select the SHARE from the Charms menu. One of the choices is MAIL so if you select MAIL you can type in the email address of the recipient you want to share the picture with and then press the SEND icon. You can type in a short message if you would like. A long URL is generated to the shared picture that the recipient can click on to get access and display the picture.

The recipient does not have to have a Microsoft account as the link is a URL that Android and Apple users can also access. This is of huge benefit as it is very unlikely that every member of your family will have only one type of mobile phone. Skydrive plays nice with others.

Keep on Learning,

Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Jumat, 21 Desember 2012

Day 17 – Getting real work done with a Windows 8 Tablet

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 17

FrIday, December 21, 2012

Today was a long day. It was the last day at work before I get to take a few days off to enjoy the holidays. I had a ton of work to complete today before taking a few days off.

One of the projects I am now working on is updating inventory for technology replacements within our college. We use an aging inventory analysis to keep our equipment up-to-date and equipment is turned over on a routine basis. Each year we replace approximately 25% of our inventory to keep things fresh and also so we do not get hit in any one budget year with a huge dollar amount of replacement charges.

This proactive management of inventory keeps our faculty and students on the leading edge of technology use to improve the teaching and learning process. It also reduces maintenance costs and prevents end user frustration as older equipment is replaced before things begin to breakdown and equipment goes out of warranty.

To do this I have a large spreadsheet with computer numbers and room locations to check inventory. With over 500 devices to manage within our college this is no small task. One of the huge benefits of this tablet is that it runs the full version of Office 2010. This tablet is not limited, I use the same standard office applications that I routinely use on my regular PC. I had a co-worker help with some inventory tracking using an iPad but the iPad app could not read the larger spreadsheet files we were working with. Many apps are crippled, as was the case with this app that only allowed for up to 50 items in a spreadsheet. That is a limitation that is not practical to get routine office work done.

Being able to take the tablet with me from room to room made it easy to check and update inventory. The lightweight and long battery life gave the tablet an advantage over a laptop that I normally use. Because it is compatible with our business systems I can also login to access and edit reports needed to get the job done. The Samsung Ativ 500T tablet has easily handled the heavy office applications that I use in my day-to-day work.

There is a hidden and non-glamorous side of teaching where it is often necessary to buckle down and write that report using Word, or update that spreadsheet with Excel, or create that presentation with PowerPoint, or grade those papers using the digitizer Pen that comes with this tablet. Because the Ativ 500T uses an x86 processor it can run all of the major Office programs that have become de facto standards and does not suffer the limitations of the app world. The apps are there if you need them, but so are the full blown applications.

A long day, but a productive one.

Keep on Learning,

Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Kamis, 20 Desember 2012

Day 16 – Using Skydrive with multiple devices including the new Windows Phone 8

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 16

Thursday, December 20, 2012

One of the benefits of storing files in the cloud is that the files can be accessed from multiple devices anywhere there is an Internet connection. When you use your Microsoft account to login to Skydrive you can have up to five different devices tied to a single account for free. I use Skydrive on my laptop, tablet, and now mobile phone. I have already spoken about using Skydrive on my laptop and tablet so now it is time to talk about how I use my tablet in combination with my new mobile phone.

I recently upgraded my mobile phone from Android to Windows Phone 8. In looking around at the current mobile phone landscape and comparing features between Apple, Android, and Windows Phone I chose Windows Phone 8. Why? Well I have used Apple and Android devices for the past three to four years and each has their strengths and weaknesses. I was ready for something different, something new and innovative, and something more than rows of static icons. Since I have been using the Samsung Ativ 500T tablet daily the integration between my tablet and Windows Phone 8 is a natural transition between the larger form factor tablet and the smaller mobile phone.

I received the Nokia Lumia 822 and called my carrier for activation about a week ago. I tied the Lumia 822 to my outlook.com account that I also use on my tablet. My new phone automatically linked to my contacts, calendar, and Skydrive content including documents and pictures. The “Live Tiles” on the Lumia 822 Windows Phone lit up with my Skydrive content. The Live Tiles on my phone are similar in look to the Live Tiles on my Windows 8 tablet but they are different. This provides a consistent look and feel that is constantly being updated so the look is constantly updated. Windows Phone 8 looks similar to Windows 8 for PC’s and tablets but the phone OS is a different OS than Windows 8.

The big payoff is that I can access any Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or OneNote file stored on Skydrive on my phone!!! I have been taking handwritten notes using my Ativ tablet regularly for the past couple of weeks. I have OneNote setup to automatically save to Skydrive as I am taking notes. At the end of the day or anytime I do not have my tablet with me I can access my Skydrive documents from my Lumia 822. This is working out very well as I almost always have my mobile phone with me at all times and therefore I have access to my entire library of documents saved on Skydrive 24/7. Stop and think about that for a minute, wouldn’t it be great as a teacher or student to have access to all of your class notes on your phone? Yes please, information at your fingertips. This has very practical benefits for teachers and students and provides for an amazing productivity boost that matches the Skydrive marketing slogan -

Skydrive: Any file, Anywhere

Keep on Learning,

Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Rabu, 19 Desember 2012

Day 15 – Skydrive application versus the Skydrive app

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 15

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Yesterday, I wrote about the Skydrive app that is included as part of Windows 8 and is available from the Windows 8 Start screen. What the Skydrive app allows you to do is access your Skydrive files but ONLY when connected to the Internet. Even given this limitation the Skydrive app is incredibly useful.

You will need a Microsoft account to utilize Skydrive. I signed up for my account at outlook.com and you also get other benefits including an email account, contacts, calendar, and access to Office Web Apps. Of course, policies need to be pre-approved for the use of Microsoft accounts with students, just like with Google and Apple accounts. Each school will need to come up with their own policies related to the use of external accounts with students.

The idea behind the Skydrive app is that you have access to your files online but none of these files are stored locally. This has the benefits of not taking up local storage so it is very useful for devices that do not have large hard drives like tablets and mobile phones. It also solves the problem of accessing content when using multiple devices like a smartphone, tablet, and PC. Store the files in the cloud and have access to the Skydrive files from all devices.

For schools, students having access to a shared device but keeping files stored in the cloud allows for a clean way of keeping student data in their own separate accounts. Another advantage is being able to share devices easily between students (a budget saving plus). When using the Internet connected Skydrive app you can open files directly from Skydrive, make editing changes, and then save the file directly back to Skydrive. It works similar to a network share drive except you are saving to the cloud. The problem is that if you do not have Internet access you cannot access any of the files on Skydrive with the “app”. No Connection = Out of Luck.

For many students this will work fine as long as there is an Internet connection but some users will want to have access to files when offline and that is where the Skydrive application comes in.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could download your Skydrive files to your local computer/tablet so you could access and edit them anywhere? even if you do not have an Internet connection? The dream would be the next time you re-connect to the Internet the files you changed and saved locally could be “re-synced” back up to Skydrive. Well, time to wakeup, you’re not dreaming, you can. This is exactly what the Skydrive application can do.

Because the x86 version of Windows 8 has the dual personality of being able to run both Windows 8 apps AND full x86 applications Microsoft has developed the Skydrive application that runs from the “Desktop side” of the Samsung Ativ 500T tablet. This is a benefit of the x86 compatible Clover Trail processor that my tablet uses.

Just a cautionary note, I do not believe that the Windows RT version of Windows 8, that runs on the ARM processor, can use the full Skydrive application. If you find out differently let me know as I do not have access to a Windows RT tablet to test this.

What is really exciting for me is that once I downloaded and installed the Skydrive application on my tablet I had access to all my Skydrive files. You are given the choice if you want to sync all files from Skydrive locally or be more selective and only sync certain folders. It took a few minutes to sync my files, the more you have the longer the initial sync will take.

Another benefit is that you can access the all local Skydrive files using the familiar File Explorer interface that has been a part of Windows for years.

Just like you can save a file to My Documents you can now save a file to Skydrive\Documents on the local tablet or PC. The benefit to this method is that you can access the files locally (even without Internet access) and the edit files then save it back to the Skydrive folder on the local drive. Once you get back to a location that has an Internet connection the changed files are automatically synced back up to Skydrive in the cloud. This only works for files saved to the local Skydrive folder.

Another benefit is that you essentially have a backup copy with you at all times (on the local Skydrive folder on the tablet or PC AND on Skydrive in the cloud).

Keep on Learning,

Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Selasa, 18 Desember 2012

Day 14 – Skydrive and tablets, your link to cloud storage for multiple devices

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 14

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

I have been a user of Skydrive since its inception. When you sign up for a Microsoft account you now get 7GB of free Skydrive storage.

What is Skydrive? It is simply a storage place in the cloud that you can access anywhere there is an Internet connection. Long before Google Drive and iCloud there was Skydrive. In the past year or so, Microsoft has been improving Skydrive services and Skydrive now does many things beyond simply storing your documents in the cloud. You can now sync files from your PC or Tablet, share files with others, and use Microsoft Web Apps to access your documents even if you do not have the Office 2010 Suite installed on your computer/tablet.

One of the reasons we need solutions like Skydrive is that it is getting more and more common for individuals to have more than one device. Tablets are what some call companion devices in that they are an add-on and are not currently full-fledged replacements for laptops or desktop PCs. Because tablets are an “and” device you need to worry about how to access content from multiple devices.

It is now not uncommon for a professional to have a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, and/or desktop PC. Accessing and sharing content from device to device can be challenging and sometimes frustrating. Keeping track of different versions of the same file can be a royal pain. Microsoft Skydrive was designed to solve some of the problems of living in a multi-device world.

If you are a teacher or student you have no doubt ran into a situation where you have needed to access a file you left at school. You could have left your laptop at school or left that USB drive you use to store files you take back and forth.

Skydrive allows me to save a document that I am working on from my PC at the office to my Skydrive account that I can later access from my tablet. Since I have installed the full version of Microsoft Office on the Samsung Ativ Smart PC 500T Tablet I have complete and full access to my Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote files on my tablet, just like my desktop PC. Once finished editing on the tablet I save the document back to Skydrive then I can access it from my office PC when I get back to my desk. If I get a call when I am away from the office and I do not have my tablet with me I can access the documents from my Windows 8 Phone. Since I have my Skydrive account accessible from my PC, tablet, and phone I have unprecedented flexibility in accessing my work files. I have grown to love this digital nomad lifestyle and my productivity has increased as a result of having access to my content anywhere and anytime.

One note of caution, do not store sensitive or confidential information on Skydrive. Be sure to follow your organizations policies on using Internet services.

Since this tablet has a dual personality there are actually two different ways to utilize Skydrive. Each way has its own strengths. I will begin with the easiest way to access Skydrive files. If I want fast and easy access to my files on my tablet there is a Skydrive app on the Windows 8 Start screen that I can use. Since I am using my Microsoft account to login to my tablet all of my Skydrive files are accessible to me from the Windows 8 Skydrive app. The benefit to this is that I have access to 7GB of files in the cloud and they are not stored on my device. This is particularly helpful for my mobile phone as it has limited storage. It is fantastic being able to access my pictures and other files from my Skydrive account from my phone, tablet, or PC. If 7GB of storage is not enough you can purchase additional storage at reasonable costs.

The Skydrive Windows 8 app is very simple. When I open the Skydrive app I see all of my files and folders that are stored “in the cloud”. If I want to open a word document that I stored on Skydrive I simple double-tap the filename and it opens in Word (remember I installed the full Office 2010 Suite on my tablet). If I did not have Word installed it would have opened up the Word Web App and I could do some basic editing but edits would be limited. Once I edit the file I opened in Word I tap on Save and the document is saved back to the cloud. No more keeping track of filenames. When I get back to my PC I open up Skydrive and select the file to open it and continue editing where I left off.

To use the Skydrive app you need to have robust network connection as you are accessing and saving files over the network. If there is a problem with the network you will not be able to access files from Skydrive since it is a cloud service. Opening large files will take some time depending upon network speeds.

That is all I want to say today about Skydrive. The Skydrive app is very simple to use and essentially can be treated like a network share drive as long as you have a strong Internet connection. But, in my world, sometimes a strong Internet connection is an oxymoron. If you have a slow Internet connection then accessing cloud storage might be frustrating, especially if you are accessing large files. Tomorrow I will talk more about some workarounds I have found when using Skydrive from this tablet that gives you offline access to your files. More tomorrow….

Keep on Learning,

Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

Senin, 17 Desember 2012

Day 13 – Using the new Skype App on a Windows 8 Tablet

A Windows 8 Tablet for Teaching and Learning - Day 13

Monday, December 17, 2012

Today, I had a scheduled Skype session with someone in California that is in my Personal Learning Network. One of the great benefits of having a PLN is that you get to meet some very smart and dedicated educators from all around the world and learn from them. Using Facebook and Twitter is great for keeping up-to-date with seeing what others are doing from snapshot postings but it is not the same as talking to someone in person. Enter Skype, with Skype you can have a face-to-face video call with anyone in the world at the click of a button, all using this tablet. Amazing!

I decided I would use the Samsung Ativ Smart PC Tablet 500T for the Skype session this morning as I wanted to see how it performed. The new Skype app has a very clean and minimalist look to it. Since I already had a Skype account all of my contacts were automatically displayed when I first logged into my Skype account, nice.

The Ativ 500T tablet has both a front and back facing camera to be used for taking still photographs, videos, and for Skype calls. I had downloaded the Windows 8 Skype app (it was free) from the Windows Store last week and tried it out with the help of one of my Graduate Assistants.

Last week when testing the app with my GA I took the tablet out in the hallway and placed the Skype call to my GA. The new Skype app allows you to change from the front to the back camera by simply pressing the camera video in the Skype call. I pressed the front facing camera display and it switched to using the back camera. I then walked down the hall so now the video my GA was seeing was from the back camera of the tablet and he was seeing what I was as seeing as I walked down the hall. Perhaps this could be of use in setting up some virtual field trips for my students in the future, hmmm.

Another scenario where this camera switching would be valuable for teachers is when we have a Skype call in the classroom and the remote caller would like to see the entire room of students. With this tablet and the new Skype app you can easily switch back and forth between the front and back camera as needed.

My Skype partner and I agreed upon a time last week and set the time for 10:30am CST today. I propped the tablet up against my desktop computer on my desk so that I would be in the field of view of the front camera. I need to find a better solution if I do much more Skyping in the future and find a case or some other type of holder. Since my Skype partner was in California it was 8:30am for him. When 10:30am CST approached I sent a Skype text message to see if my partner was ready and he was. He initiated the call and I answered it by clicking the green accept call button. I then clicked on the Video button to allow the front facing camera on the tablet to turn on for a video call. We talked about several educational technology related topics for about 20 minutes and agreed to get back in touch after the new year.

The tablet worked great for the Skype call!

The audio I heard was great and the video quality was also good. It was the next best thing to being in the same room. I did not use any extra microphones as I just used the tablets built-in microphone and front facing camera. The call was placed using only a WiFi connection and there was only one slight video stutter during the entire 20 minute call. Not bad for using a WiFi connection and having a video call half-way across the country in California on a wireless tablet that I can hold in my hand.

This tablet continues to impress. Now I can add video conferencing to the list of educational capabilities this tablet offers teachers and students that is very easy to use.

Keep on Learning,

Dr. Grissom

Tom Grissom, Ph.D.

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Day 18 – Time off for some family time

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Day 14 – Skydrive and tablets, your link to cloud storage for multiple devices

Day 13 – Using the new Skype App on a Windows 8 Tablet

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