TechEd; Using Technology As A Tool

Continued education is so important today and with technology, it has never been easier to do.   I would like to begin this article with a question: How many readers of this newsletter have a smartphone? As a follow up: How many of you have a ton of fun apps and games on there? Well I am no exception but what I have learned is that you can use it as a tool as well as a toy. I myself have an IPhone so I will focus on that.

Nate’s Top Apps

Overdrive

If I try and read a traditional book, it will put me to sleep. I am not proud of it but it is the way it is. So if you are anything like me, you might try and find other ways to do things.  Overdrive is an app that supports ebooks and audiobooks on your device and is connected to libraries everywhere.  Chances are you can find your library, put in your card number, password and you are good to go download some books. If you don’t have your online account set up you can go in and they will help you. I also like it because I can multi-task while I listen!

Newsstand

I like Newsstand because it allows me to keep all of my newspapers and magazines in one place. I used to try and keep all my news stuff together anyway but this just seems easier! The Newsstand app itself is a little limited but more papers and magazines seem to be added as time goes by.  I am not sure if Droid or Blackberry has a similar app (someone feel free to post an answer) but if so, I highly recommend checking it out.

Podcasts

Podcasts have been around for quite a while and I love them.  They are a great way to get shortened versions of the favourite shows or extras that they don’t put on air. You can also find them on any topic you like so if you haven’t checked them out I once again recommend it. You can get them if you don’t have an Apple product as I believe they are supported by most other platforms like droid or blackberry. CBC has some really interesting ones (I know CBC isn’t that cool but it is very interesting!) and I like sports or news shows as well. Some University departments also put them out. Which ones do you guys check out? Any recommendations?

iTunes U

iTunes U is a relatively new one but you can take courses virtually through video lectures, eBooks and notes. You can find them on a number of different topics and you can find ones from top institutions like Yale and others as well as online universities. They can be super interesting and are all free as far as I know. Has anyone else checked this out? What do you think?

TED Talks

TED Talks are amazing and are one of my favourites, there are a ton of different categories to choose from. TED Talks are (usually) short videos of talks given by leaders and innovators in their fields on a number of different topics and they really make you think.  Topics can include, medicine, collaboration, business and many more. Check out TED.com for more information. Has anyone seen any super interesting ones lately?

RSS Feed

You can set these feeds up on your PC browser or download  apps on your phone and you can choose any website and it will automatically show you stories from that site. You can also choose topics that interest you and it will pull stories from top sites for that topic.

Honorable mention to Netflix

I have tried to focus on free options but I couldn’t leave out Netflix. For $8 a month and an internet connection you can watch unlimited movies, tv episodes and documentaries. This includes a ton of TED Talk categories.

The one problem I have is that there is never enough time to stay upto date with all the books I am reading or people and organizations I am following! That, however, is a great problem to have. I look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts!