Louise von Randow: Thinking ICT

Marimba!

December 17th, 2007

Well, it’s been a while since my last post… to be honest, I’d just got a bit distracted in real life. Things have been hectic here. It’s been hard to find my laptop and check that we have some connectivity after deciding on paint colours, door handles, bar stools, unpacking furniture and so on. Moving house when you’re 8 months pregnant is an experience. Thankfully the weather has only recently decided to get completely summery.

So, one has to disregard what I wrote last time about the iPhone. I got one for my birthday. It’s lovely. I didn’t really want to wait for the second gen. I was just putting on a brave face.

While it is lovely but you have to be committed to this iPhone ownership thing. Bit like getting a pet really. It’s not just for Christmas (or your birthday, or whatever). For example, I have to make sure I don’t let the slippery little blighter tumble out of my handbag or hands when I make a lunge for it. You also have to be aware of where you put your handbag because, while it’s backed-up regularly to my laptop, you don’t want to have to ask another US based friend to send/bring another one into the country. But the hardest thing to do is resist the big UPGRADE button in iTunes. Whatever you do, don’t touch that button!

As I’m a lover of lists, here’s the good stuff about the iPhone:
- it looks amazing
- it works super intuitively
- it syncs seamlessly with my laptop
- it takes better pictures than I’d thought (the camera is better than my old Sony)
- you can’t txt and drive (safety feature!)
- the spontaneous “iPhones on the table!” moments in bars

Things that are a bit “first gen” and need to be worked out:
- inconsistencies in the user interface
- not being able to send group text messages
- not being able to receive pxt

Things that you need a tame hacker for:
- making it work on the Vodafone network (and being able to manage the updates)
- installing software to make your phone cooler e.g. editing music to be your cool new ringtone, alerts that let you know that you’ve got a voice message waiting for you

So, as the end of the school year approaches and life gets a bit more cumbersome, I think this may be my last post in some time. I’m not sure how this whole at home/maternity thing will go. Maybe I’ll be back to work quick smart? Who knows?

Simon inspired me to reflect on this past year but then it got hot and I needed to have a lie down. Being a facilitator this year has been challenging. It’s taken me into some neat schools and allowed me to work some amazing teachers. It’s been a great change of pace from classroom teaching. I have missed the kids but I love working with teachers too. I guess that means that there are loads of opportunities for me when I’m ready to go back to work.

I hope you’re counting down to the end of term and realising you are going to make it. As my mother-in-law says: this is the time of year you can lose you best friend. So some end of year advice: don’t be late for duty but if you are, be quick smart about getting a choccie bar into that person’s pigeon hole!

Merry Christmas and I hope you have fantastic break.

Entry Filed under: Education