Tech N.S

Mar 15

MY PLEA

Ever since my “Geocities” days in elementary school, I have had an interest in reviewing everything tech related. I love to write on everything from Angry Birds, the new ipad, the next generation consoles, apps for smart boards, pc hardware, or just simple advice on how to cut through the fat of convoluted tech jargon.

It has always been a hobby, but now as a young teacher I am noticing the role tech plays in the classroom. Schoolboards spend thousands on the latest gizmos without the slightest clue on how to implement them in the classroom. iPads are normally collecting dust on a cart somewhere or being used as an expensive Gameboy in class. I had to shed a tear when I walked by a classroom that had an iPad in the hands of every student, only to see the teacher sitting at his/her desk as the students were left to their own devices.

I thought to myself…this is ludicrous. Administrators are just handing these things out without the slightest training or clue on how to implement them. Then in most cases, they are given to teachers who have even a slighter clue. This needs to stop! These devices are getting a bad reputation because they are being implemented in the most inefficient ways possible.

Which is why I created this blog. I hope to shed a little light on how you can do some really neat stuff in the classroom with these devices. The young tech savvy teachers should not stand idly by, while this is happening. You need to step up and lead the charge. Don’t wait for someone to ask you how to download an app, because teachers are worst then students when asking for help. Just please hear my plea to not let these tools go to waste. There are plenty of other schools who could use them.

Why the New iPad is what it is

The guys at silicone valley finally figured something out. In terms of capability, the ipad1 is still an extremely useful tool. For email, photo viewing, web browsing, playing angry birds, reading the paper, downloading ebooks, playing music, watching movies, and Netflix the iPad can do it all. Surprisingly enough, the iPad can do all of it quite well.

So apple had a dilemma, they needed to reassess the value of the iPad. What exactly are people using this for? And how can we improve upon that? Because as I stated, it does just about everything. Well they decided to strip down the iPad for what it really is. They decided that it’s a screen that can think. I mean the thing is all screen. People use the iPad cause it’s a mobile device that does the basic computing that meets their needs. So to make it better, apple would need to do something screen related. If we look in the past, they have already used this technique from the iphone 3gs to the iphone 4, so it was only a matter of time. To make the screen better you need to make the processor faster as well. And this is exactly what apple has done.

They have not only made a better screen for viewing, they have made a screen like no other. You really need to see it to believe it. Now some of you might say that a screen is not worth the upgrade or switching from an android tablet. You might be thinking where is the real “wow” factor? Well I’m telling you now! This is the wow factor. The screen has everything to do with the iPad, it is the single largest component that the iPad offers and a clearer high definition screen is going to make the experince better in every shape and form. Photos are going to look more stunning with detail, movies are going to look amazing, every polygon in a video game is going to look more crisp, every pixel in every letter in the new York times is going to be clearer. The screen is a huge upgrade and should not be overlooked. Of course it’s faster, has a better camera, and offers 4g and LTE options, meaning it’s wireless ability is substantially faster.

So in conclusion: When the iPad goes on sale tomorrow this is why it’s a big deal. Better screen which means better experience in every way, everything becomes alive on your iPad. It’s a faster processor, better camera, better Internet connectivity, graphically superior and it’s just simply put…. A bigger deal then you might think. If you don’t have any i device this is a great time to hop on board. If you don’t think the ipad3 is worth it, then your in luck, the ipad2 and ipad1 are only going to become cheaper, and just as useful!

Why Chaos Rings II Matters?

I can’t give a full review yet because the game has only been on the app store for about 12 hours. So far, I am seeing exactly what we have come to expect from a square jrpg. It is not innovative or original, and if you have been under a rock since FF1 you will still be in familiar territory, and to be honest I am ok with that.

I am ok with this, because this game does everything really well. The game mechanics are great, production value is amazing, and the battle system works well with the multi touch. This game once again shows how the gap between mobile and console gaming is shortening in length. Using AirPlay on an HDTV really shows how phenomenal the graphics are, and you forget that it’s being projected by a smartphone. The price tag is steap, but remember this is not angry birds. This is a full fledge 50 hour plus square production.

If this was on the vita we would be seeing a 49.99$ price tag. So please stop complaining about the price, because in all fairness this is the path we want. More in depth fully polished gameplay. If square is going to take the time and make a real go at ios gaming then I will hands down reward them with my dollar. If you are looking for a console like rpg that’s not infinite blade 2 then this is. You will be amazed at what this game does well.

“It’s not about what’s coming out today or tomorrow. It’s about what do you need?”