Founder, Inventor, Creator
Can I use Microsoft Security Essentials on my school devices? Yes, but you will be breaking Microsoft’s EULA
Is this scenario supported? No
Does Microsoft want you to? No
Do I recommend it from a technical point of view? Yes, if the devices spend more than 10% of their lives away from the school premises and you have taught pupils to manage the anti-virus updates.
As you may know I’m reviewing 13 digital cameras with local Primary Schools, I’m about 1/2 way through capturing all the software procedures and decent shots of the cameras but the last 2 cameras have made me lose the will to live.
Stupidly I played with the Kodak, Creative and Flip cameras first and had a reasonably good software experience.
Then I got out the two Veho Kuzo cameras and it’s like going back 10 years in camera technology. The software is on a CD instead of on the SD card in the camera, the software sucks and requires a restart also these cameras DO NOT actually record HD or if it is HD then it is probably the worst HD footage ever shot. With that in mind I’m dropping the Veho cameras from the set and excluding them from further tests. They receive a score of F for #fail. I wouldn’t recommend either of the Veho cameras to schools.
Turns out the Toshiba Camileo P30 is in exactly the same boat. What a conundrum, at this rate I will only have 9 cameras left to give out to schools!
It looks like 2010 may be the year of Game Based Learning. With new commercial products such as Manga High hitting the shelves and already established community built sites such as Primary Games Arena it is becoming clear to me that educators are climbing over the mountain of scepticism towards using games to learn and embracing it with open arms.
I do wonder how sites like Primary Games Arena will embrace the new curriculum. Currently games are themed and have some strategy/game play built around that theme. IE you could have a Viking counting game but you couldn’t turn that game from a Viking counting game to a Tudors counting game.
I expect I will get the usual response of, “Game based learning has been relevant for years”. I don’t disagree with this but the momentum and availability behind gaming is certainly increasing.
One of the frequent arguments used to cast out the use of Mobile phones in classrooms is the lack of charger or short battery life. No longer is that an issue…