Lightning in a Bottle

One of the most entertaining devices that I’ve seen at technology conferences is the 3-D printer. Using computer files and special powders, these mechanisms create complete three-dimensional models of just about anything, from manufacturing prototypes to the contents of a dinosaur egg. (Imagine - instead of buying manipulatives to use in class, you’ll just download a file and print them up!)

Now medical researchers have come up with a pretty serious application. According to New Scientist Magazine, doctors have developed a device that can print replacement sections of bone to repair severely broken limbs. Modeled on scans of the patients own bones, the parts are created from a material that acts as a temporary support and then is grown over by real bone and disappears. It will set up a much faster recovery than current methods.

The University of Maryland and the Internet Archive have put together an online International Children’s Book Library. The library currently contains over 260 books in a variety of languages. With computer projector, you can display the books to entire class and read together (no more reading the words and holding the book up for the kids to squint at the pictures!)

The site works with all platforms, but to use the full functionality of the site it requires OS X for the Mac. (Despite the big warning on the site, it doesn’t need OS X to read all the books, however - just click on “Book List” in the upper right-hand corner to pick your book.) Many of the books are also in Adobe eBook reader format, which is a separate, quick download. Then you’ll be able to read Is Your Mama a Llama? online!

The Bend-LaPine school district in Oregon will be launching the state’s first charter online school.. 25 students have already signed up. While Oregon districts have been leaders in developing online classes for students, this will be the first charter school set up to provide the majority of the instruction online. Diplomas will not be granted for students unless they attend a minimum number of classes in person, however, becaues “part of the high school experience…is being in the classroom with other students and participating in activities at the school.”

Microsoft released the latest version of their Pocket PC operating system today, giving it the rather lengthy name of Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC. Most people are still calling it Pocket PC 2003. The improvements are mostly in areas that the user won’t see, with the major exception being increased support for WiFi wireless networking. Software for quick and easy connection to wireless networks is now built in.

The Brighthand website has a nice overview of the changes at http://brighthand.com/article/Windows_Mobile_2003_Overview.

The July issue of Consumer Reports has a comparison of 20 popular PDAs. They recommended the Sony Clie PEG-SJ20 and the Palm Zire for new PDA users, the Palm m515 and Tungsten T for current Palm users that want to upgrade, and three for users that need (or want!) more power - the Palm Zire 71, the Sony Clie PEG-NX70V, and the Dell Axim X5 Advanced Pocket PC.

The article is not available online unless you are a current subscriber, so I can’t provide a link to it. If you are interested in purchasing any of the Palm models reviewed, however, make sure to check out our discounted purchase options at http://www.edtech.wednet.edu/purchasing/equipment/default.shtml.

Researchers in Britain have developed tiny little internal combustion engines that can be used to power PDAs, cell phones and laptops. If they work out, it will have great environmental benefits as well, as it takes the amount of energy used to manufacture a battery far exceeds the amount of energy it produces. You can read about it at several sites, including here, here, and at http://www.research-tv.com/nano_story_template.html#. (The first two addresses are way to long and messy to post.)

If you’d like to receive twice-weekly updates on technology, with entertaining quotes and biographical sketches thrown in for good measure, you should try subscribing to NewsScan. I have read it for at least the last five years, and it never ceases to be informative and thought-provoking. (The only downside of you subscribing to it is that you’ll know where I get some of my links for my weblogs!)

You can read the current issue or subscribe to NewsScan at http://www.newsscan.com/newsscan/newscup.html.

eSchool News has another resource page up called “Transforming Instruction with Digital Resources.” It’s a review of past articles they’ve posted about using technology to change the culture of the classroom (and improve student achievement, too). The articles are at http://www.eschoolnews.com/resources/reports/Transform/.

A June 11, 2003 message from eSchool News tells us that some administrators are employing a new type of handheld computerized device: portable alcohol testers. The handheld device can test for alcohol on a student’s breath or detect its presence using a special sensor that can be scanned across the top of open containers.

Reaching the end of it’s first full year, the controversial Maine program that issued a laptop to every 7th grade student in the state seems to have won over almost all those who questioned it. The question seems to have shifted from “Do we continue the program?” to “How do we move it up to the high school?” Read CNN’s overview at http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/ptech/06/15/school.laptops.ap/index.html.