Thank you Mr Jobs

As most people would be aware I am not a fan of Apple, or indeed anything Mac and I get frustrated with people, like my two daughters, when they got their iPhone 3’s, who kept saying “look what my iPhone can do”. HELLO PEOPLE, my 3 yr old Android phone has been able to do that……... for 3 years as it happens! And how about that clever Steve Jobs “inventing” the iCloud last year when I had been using the cloud via Google docs, Gmail, Google calendar, Blogger, Picasa etc for the best part of seven years. 

Every day I have a story like todays: this morning I had a staff member come in and tell me about a friend’s school that has gone down the Mac path and they have this amazing software that allows them to record their screens and record their voice at the same time. Now I know I was using Capture Cam and Camtasia back at Swinburne University in 2004 and I also know since I have been at this school we have had Camtasia Studio on the staff and student notebook image for at least 3 years. I would also take a guess that in the past 3 years perhaps 3% of staff may have even given it a go. I've also been using JING  for at least 4 years now and it's so easy...and FREE.

So not to sound like a cranky old witch, I’ve decided today to look at the positives of the Mac invasion into the lives of many, who previously were luddites or perhaps just digital fugitives. My job is to promote the use of technology as a tool to achieve learning outcomes. Whilst people don’t consider the resources they already have access to, (and really how can they know what they don’t know) thanks to Mr Jobs and his marketing department, they are seeing friends and family (grandchildren have the biggest impact!) using Macs (iPhones and iPads) and are realising just how powerful and useful some of these tools might be in an educational setting….AND everything that they have been able to throw at me, so far, we’ve been able to offer in our P.C. environment except the Mac apps of course. Whilst we start preparing our environment for B.Y.O.D. we hope that down the track devices like iPads, Android tablets, and all smartphones, will be used at school to supplement the schools 1:1 notebook program.

So whilst I can often be heard cursing the power and might of the Apple marketing department, I do also need to thank them for opening the eyes of so many people who have lived and worked in technologically advanced environments for years, but who have been in denial up until now. So thank you and R.I.P. Steve Jobs.