Technology Enhanced Fieldwork - Superlinks #1

Back to the occasional series of the mid-week link up with interesting blog posts and Twitter updates found on the internet in the last 7 days.

* Thanks to Chris Thomson from Netskills for linking to this blog post by the Guardian about shooting and editing videos on smartphones. Click HERE.

*Thanks (again!) to Chris Thomson from Netskills for linking to this update from Flickr about Geofences, very useful for anyone using location data on iPads and Smartphones. 

* Mashable's take on why iPads won't revolutionise education...yet. Do you agree with this?

* Aurasma - Could this be the future of QR codes? We'll be trying this app out in the next fortnight and blogging our findings.

* Save our fieldwork petition from the Field Studies Council - if you value outdoor education centres, please consider signing this petition .

We'd love to hear any comments you have on these technologies, especially if you have used any of them. 

Re-launch of our project website

If you are a regular visitor to the Enhancing Fieldwork Learning website, you might have noticed some changes taking place. Our new web developer Ben has been putting together an improved version of our website. The most significant change is the problems/resources section which we intend to update regularly as new resources are created.

We hope to bring you regular updates and resources via the blog and the website. Interested in technology? Don't forget our showcase event, see more information HERE.

Test

Testing

Showcase Event Report 1

The Enhancing Fieldwork Learning showcase event took place this past weekend at Margam Discovery Centre and was a great success. Thank you to everyone who participated for making it such a good event.We hope to update the blog and website over the next few weeks with resources, links and comments from participants.

A taster of the event can be seen on this video produced by Chris Thomson from Netskills. The video was both recorded and edited on a Smartphone and took approximately 30 minutes to edit using Vimeo software (free).

Enhancing Fieldwork Learning from Chris Thomson on Vimeo.

Upcoming Conference Talks and Workshops

At least one of the Enhancing Fieldwork Learning team will be available to talk to at the following conferences and workshops where an oral presentation about the project will be given:

Teaching and learning for GEES students, Birmingham~ 30th June - 1st July

Effective Learning in Biosciences, Edinburgh~ 30th June - 1st July

Personal Learning Environments Conference, Southampton ~ 11th - 13th July.

Royal Geographic Society Conference, London ~ 31st August - 2nd September (Chairing and presenting: Enhancing Fieldwork Learning)

University of Chester Staff Conference, Chester, 14th September, 2011.

Enhancing Fieldwork Learning Showcase Event, Port Talbot, 16th-18th September, 2011 ** Click HERE to find out how to participate.

ISSOTL Conference, Milwaukee ~ 20th-23rd October 2011.

Using Livescribe in fieldwork

Livescribe pen and paper (Source)

Livescribe is an interactive Smartpen which allows you to take notes and record audio at the same time.

For a full demonstration, see the video below.






The Livescribe 8Gb Pulse is the most recent release of this Smartpen and costs around £160.


The pen makes use of special paper which can be purchased in notebooks for approximately £20 for 4 notebooks, not too much more than a standard notebook.

The benefits of using Livescribe in fieldwork are particularly apparent when interviewing.  Data can be quickly analysed and audio can be rapidly replayed in the field, which allows students to synthesise the data and identify areas which may require more data collection.

Upon loading the text and audio into the desktop version of Livescribe, the handwritten text is searchable. 

We expect this to be a key tool for enhancing fieldwork accessibility for students with additional needs.

We will be trialling the pen with a group of students in the next week or two who are visiting New York as part of their human geography programme, so check back for a update later this month.

Mid-week link up

Two useful links for Technology for Education enthusiasts this week:

• 2010 Horizon report - emerging technologies and their potential impact on higher education
• ECAR Study - the influence of IT on college life.