Safety Tips when Blogging, Fun Apps and This Day!

Today we completed Ex 4 Safety Tips when Blogging by using Safari and a search engine to find at least 3 safety tips. This was a useful exercise as it was good to be reminded that not everyone uses the net for the right reasons. Next we did Ex17 Fun Apps! when we enjoyed using the Virtuoso App and practised playing the piano keyboard! For part of this exercise we also played a game of draughts using the Checkers App. Finally we completed Ex 21 This Day and answered questions from 'This Day in History'.    This was another interesting session when we experimented with using different Apps.    

Emailing and care of iPads

Firstly, we discussed the 'Care and Maintenance of your iPad'. Then we went onto Safari and set up our gmail account.  Next we completed Ex 16 'Emailing from your iPad' when we sent an email to Joy about 'My Progress'.  Then we sent an email to another class member outlining the Apps that we found useful at home.  Then we completed Ex 20 'Advantages and Disadvantages of Using an iPad'. Finally we were shown how to delete our gmail account from the ipad so that it couldn't be accessed by other users.

Reviewing blogs and their uses

Firstly, we began the session by exchanging our blog spot address with another student.  By doing this, we were  able to read each other's posts and then post a comment ourselves. This gave us an insight into how other students viewed the course.  Next, we then did Ex 5 List Common Uses of Blog Accounts (5 uses). Finally, we completed Ex 14 Maps which was useful to see distances, find directions and times between places. This was an interesting and informative session.

iCloud vs Dropbox 11.03.13

iCloud vs Dropbox  11.03.12

It has been some time now when the shift from local storage to cloud storage began. It started with enterprise solutions, which could only be accessed by corporate personnel, and eventually it became a commodity that can be accessed by anyone in the hierarchy. Of course, cloud storage was always available to be purchased, but it began to become popular when it was available for free, however, small the size was. The introduction of Dropbox took it further by providing the ability to share seamlessly your files and folders across the devices you use. As of today, Dropbox services are available across platforms and even in mobile platforms. Last year was a significant year of change when key players like Google, Microsoft and Apple got in to cloud storage competition. It’s not that they didn’t have cloud storage, but they didn’t have a smooth OS level integration before. As of now, Dropbox, Google, Microsoft, and Apple have become common competitors in the market with their individual strengths and weaknesses. Let us compare the services provided by Apple iCloud and Dropbox today. 

Apple iCloud                                                                                                                                            Apple iCloud was introduced last year with the release of Apple iOS 5. It was seamlessly integrated with Apple iOS as expected and had a mixed reception from consumers. The fact that it was deeply integrated with the OS was proved by the fact that everything you do on your mobile device will be synced with the iCloud. You take a snap, it’ll appear in the iCloud; you download a file, it’ll appear in the iCloud; you buy a new song, it’ll appear in the iCloud; likewise you get the drift. In fact, I’ve seen reports on an iPhone thief been caught because of iCloud since he was careless to take snaps from the stolen iPhone and those were directly uploaded to the owner’s account. If you are used to Dropbox like structure, the main difference with iCloud is that it doesn’t appear as a separate folder. Apple iCloud rather acts like a repository for different applications, which creates hidden files and folders inside Library directory. As any Apple service, iCloud sync is only available for Apple devices, unlike other popular cloud storage options. The free storage cap is at 5GB with the ability to purchase additional space at a cost.

Dropbox                                                                                                                                                         

Dropbox started with a simple idea in 2008, Drop Box has led the idea of cloud storage because of its innovative influence. They made it possible for us to use a native client to access / share anything we wanted across any platform with a single click. That has been the push behind many who are using Drop Box. The fact that the user interface is very intuitive makes it a valuable service to have in any business solution pack. Drop Box supports the web interface along with generic clients for Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. It also has efficient native clients for Android, Blackberry, and iOS. This vertical integration across cross platforms has given Drop Box a lot of competitive advantage over other such services. Although this is the case, Drop Box will have to innovate more and introduce some new and integral features in order to keep the service at the top as it is now with the competition we see from the technological giants.

A Brief Comparison Between iCloud and Dropbox

• The support for cross platforms differs between these two storage options.

	Web Interface	Windows	Mac	Linux	Android	iOS	Blackberry
Drop Box	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
iCloud	Y	N/A	Y	N/A	N/A	Y	N/A

• The prices of the cloud storage options differ depending on the size that is offered.

Storage	Drop Box	Apple iCloud
2GB	Free	-
5GB	-	Free
15GB	-	$20
25GB	-	$40
50GB	-	$100
100GB	$99	-
200GB	$199	-

• Dropbox is more mature compared to Apple iCloud and has efficient synchronization between a wide variety of devices and operating systems.
• Dropbox uses the folder structure to synchronize and manage the cloud storage while Apple iCloud arranges it in an application specific way.

Conclusion

In a consumer’s perspective, Dropbox can be considered as the best available solution as of yet. Especially, if you have a lot of devices running on a lot of operating systems; Dropbox is definitely your choice. If you are running on a tight budget, then again Dropbox will come to save you and give you more cloud storage for the same price ranges. So what about Apple iCloud? For starters, 5GB is given free anyway; so, we recommend you enjoy the additional cloud storage. Further, your apps might use iCloud to sync, so it’s all the more reason to keep the free storage. However, looking at the yearly prices both services are offered, I think you can make a clear decision on which service to migrate in to. I almost forgot; this is something I’ve seen many times recently after Apple iCloud was introduced. A lot of non-technical personnel find it hard to work with iCloud while they intuitively embrace Dropbox because of its intuitive folder structure. That might be one way of putting the difference between these two in layman’s terms.

Read more: http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-icloud-and-vs-dropbox/#ixzz2NARX4KNP

BBC News App, Organising your Life, Using Contacts and Reminder Apps

Today we started with a brief discussion about Ex 8 Using the Camera - Historicial Wrexham and looked at the interesting photos we took using the Camera App last week. Then we completed Ex 11 - BBC News App and chose two top stories.  We read the stories via the right hand pane and swiped up to read the whole story; we also increased the font size using the accessibility feature. Then we completed Ex 9 - Organising your Life, Using Contacts and Reminder Apps. Using the Contacts App, we entered contacts' names and mobile phone numbers and had fun taking their photos! We deleted one contact and edited one contact with a new mobile phone number and closed the App.  Finally, using the Reminder App, we set up 4 reminders for appointments during the week, on different days, and closed the App.  This was a very useful and enjoyable session.

Using the Camera - Historical Wrexham

Today we completed Ex 8, Using the Camera - Historical Wrexham.  Firstly, my class partner and I reviewed our research on our chosen historical building, the Horse and Jockey pub! Then we visited the pub to take photos and make a video. Before we started filming, we asked the landlord for permission and he recognised me as one of his former teachers so was really helpful with us - he gave us the QR code for the pub and some more information!! We soon discovered it was quite difficult to focus the camera on the iPad, read the script while making sure that our finger wasn't in front to the lens!! However, we managed to make a couple of videos and take some photos of the exterior and the interior of the pub.  When we returned to college, we completed Ex 12 - The Home Screen, the Dock and Default Apps using the iPad 2 text book to help us. During the week, I'm hoping to practise taking photos and videos to try and improve my technique!

Using the Virtual Keyboard and Notes App

Our tutor, Joy showed us how to open a new tab on the screen (so as not to disturb the page already visible) and how to close the tab when we'd finished. Then we continued with Ex 5 'Using the Virtual Keyboard and Notes App'.  We typed in incorrect words and learnt how to correct them.  Then we learnt how to select, copy and paste text and also revised how to close the virtual keyboard and delete a note.  Next Joy discussed Ex 8 'Using the Camera - Historical Wrexham' and asked us to Google information on our chosen location for next week - Debs and I decided on the Horse and Jockey pub. Finally Joy showed us how to take photos and videos.

Price of iPads

Getting an iPad: What you should know  (Martin’s Money Tips 20.02.13)

Apple's iPads are, without doubt, the world's most popular tablets. Like all Apple products, though, they don't come cheap, so think long and hard before parting with your cash. "An iPad is not a pocket money purchase, so think carefully before deciding to buy one." There are four iPad models, plus the iPad Mini. The original iPad and the third-generation iPad (the New iPad) have been discontinued by Apple now, however you may be able to pick a secondhand one up cheap from eBay or a refurbished model.                                                                                                                          
The table below shows a quick comparison of each tablet's features:

Which iPad should I buy?
Model	Display / screen size	4G ready?	Chip	Storage	Price (RRP)	More info
iPad 2	9.7in screen	No	Dual-core A5	16GB	From £329	Apple iPad 2*
iPad with Retina Display	Retina display, 9.7in screen	Yes	Dual-core A6X with quad-core graphics	16GB, 32GB, 64GB	From £399	Apple iPad with Retina Display*
iPad Mini	7.9in screen	Yes	Dual-core A5	16GB, 32GB, 64GB	From £269	Apple iPad Mini*

 

iTranslate, Speak it,Safari

Today we had a visit from Tim Guy, Director of Faculty, who was observing Joy's lesson. We covered 3 Apps - iTranslate, Speak it and Safari. For Ex 13, we used the App iTranslate. We found out how to select different languages and then translated some sentences from Welsh into English (and then from English to Welsh).  This was a really useful exercise to help improve our Welsh. For Ex 10 we used Speak it!  We had to imagine we were giving directions, to a visually impaired friend, from college to home and then experimented with different voices. This was also a really useful exercise showing another use of the ipad. For Ex 7 we used the App Safari, the web browser App used to search the internet.  We had to find answers to questions about the London Olympic Games 2012 concerning ESDGC. We set up a bookmark and then deleted it. I would like to revise everything next session as there was a lot of new information today. I've discussed with Joy the possibility of using a Spelling App my Basic Skills students can use as a revision exercise.

QR codes and Notes App

Today we learnt about QR codes and Notes App but firstly we edited our blog profile, added a picture and printed our evidence. For Ex 6 we used the ipads to scan the QR (Quick Response Code). This took us to the wikipedia page about Jane Austen. Then we scanned our own codes, mine was about Sandals holidays.  For Ex 4, Using Notes app,  we made 2 notes using the virtual keyboards.  Then we learnt how to delete a note and how to save one. For Ex 3, we did various exercises using the 3 different keyboards.  Finally to close, we did 'Jiggle' again which was good revision. I would like to practise the 3 keyboards again next week.

Mousefish, Photograph App and Jiggle!

Joy, our tutor, explained the parts of a tablet computer to the group. Then we completed Exercise 1 by labelling thirteen parts of the tablet computer. For Exercise 2 we reviewed other blog accounts; we went onto the internet and accessed the website www.bbc.co.uk/blogs .The blog I chose was under 'Wales' - 'Heavy Snow for Wales'. We had to comment on the presentation and the language used in the blog. Also for Exercise 2 we completed 'Goodbye Mouse, Point and Click!' (mousefish, photograph app and jiggle!) Today we've learnt how to open, close, swipe, delete, add photos, delete photos and present a slideshow; this was much easier than using a pc. For next session, I need to practise everything and I need to borrow a tablet computer from Yale LRC to do this.

Setting up my first blog

The learners introduced themselves to the group. Our course tutor, Joy discussed the course outcomes and the learning journey. Then we set up our gmail account on Google using our mobile phone number and tested our account. Through our gmail account, we created a blog  These blogs will be used as our individual learningplans and will be updated every week
My achievement today is that I'm now able to access a gmail account and I need to practise my skills during the week.