Google Clears the Roadblocks with Google App Inventor: What Will Apple Do?

Thanks for the Image

You can blame me for drinking the Google juice all you want, but since last year I've been clamoring to help my Tech Club students learn App development.

Unfortunately, we've run into some snags. First thing we did is watch the free iPhone App class from Stanford University. Free  class from Stanford? Super! To actually participate in the class, this required downloading the iPhone SDK, which also required giving Apple $99. 

Roadblock: No money. My sixth graders seemed to have a problem coming up with the cash. I can't blame them. So, even without the SDK, my kids wanted to watch the iPhone class anyway. Okay...

Roadblock: Pre-requisite. Although this class is free, there's obviously some prior programming knowledge required. My students were lost after the second episode. Their programming knowledge from Scratch didn't cut it.

They've been bugging and asking how to make iPhone apps since the beginning of the year. Using Scratch has definitely helped develop their interest in programming, hands down. For app development, the Stanford class looked like a possible road, but it's clear that this free class was not designed for middle schoolers.

Create your own app? 
I've seen "create your own app" tools online, but I also heard that Apple was not allowing these apps into the App Store. That would have seemed like a neat solution, but it also required... more money. Wouldn't it be cool if there was an app program like Scratch, that allowed anyone to be a developer- anyone to write their own app?

Well now there is! But it's not for the iPhone. It's for the Android phone.

Yesterday, Google announced the roll-out of App Inventor, a web-based program that lets you create your own apps with a computer and your own Android phone.

This. Is. Awesome. For so many reasons.


Google is putting App development tools in the hands of students. And teachers. And anyone who wants to make a simple, functioning app for their own or public use. This is a profound gesture for the world of creativity. I'm sure Sir Ken Robinson would be ecstatic.

A couple of cool tidbits:
1. it's VERY close to Scratch with its visual-block programming, and
2. (this is very Googly): it runs in the browser!!!
3. Of course it's free.

It's Open vs. Closed.
This really throws an arrow across the bow of Apple.  Apple has claimed to be open in that they are "free from porn" and free from lots of spam apps, but there's a reason that the iPhone and the iPad is so sanitary; they're very closed.
To be honest, the open world is a little... messy. I'm okay with that. I think that the junk Apps will find their way to the junk pile once Google opens up the Market to other vendors (allowing them to create their own "stores" inside the Android Market), or Google uses Pagerank or something similar for the Android Market to clear the clutter.

I like the Apple user experience, but if Apple doesn't respond to this somehow, they will be sending many clear messages that say: 

"Leave it to the professionals."
"You have to pay to play."
"We don't want just anybody to make Apple apps."
"We are closed."

There's just no way around this. They can pretend that they're open, but we all know that's just a fallacy. 

Apple and Google vs. Education
Apple once built it's core business on education, and every day, Google seems to be taking that mantle. I hear more and more schools ditching Apple products for netbooks, whether for budget reasons, customer service reasons, and now there's rumblings that Apple is going to charge schools for every app downloaded to iPod and iPads (currently, one can image a handful of iPod touches with only one purchased app).

Does Apple give a hoot about education anymore?

Google seems to. Almost every time I have a need for a classroom tool, a browser function, or app, Google responds before I think of it. Already, my Google Certified Teachers' group received a message about getting App Inventor out to students- pronto. This Google Juice tastes so good right now; I can't wait to see what Google conjures up next.

This Apple Juice, on the other hand, is starting to taste a little sour.

Thanks for the Image

What do "open" educational systems look like?

Open Government.
Transparency.
Open Systems.
Open.

We've been hearing this word "open" a lot in the past year or two, especially since Bush left office. You may have seen this letter from Google titled "The Meaning of Open." One phrase that stuck out to me was this:

"...innovation in a closed system tends towards being incremental at best (is a four blade razor really that much better than a three blade one?) because the whole point is to preserve the status quo. Complacency is the hallmark of any closed system."

It makes me think about the struggle many educators feel who live in an open system on the blogosphere and on Twitter, sharing ideas, lesson plans, and strategies- only to have to go back to their closed systems when they go to work. This is sad.

So, if open systems breed innovation and collaboration, what does a pure open educational system look like? I've set up a topic in Google Moderator, and will let this idea grow for a few weeks.

The link to the topic is here, and I urge you to add your ideas. You can attach a video if you'd like. Should we really be trying to live within this current system? Or should we re-design it? Let us know, and I'll continue to share your ideas on Twitter and the like. Thanks for your contributions.

http://moderator.appspot.com/#15/e=124bbe&t=124bbf

Google Apps for Education: A Primer

Here the presentation from IETC, 12:45pm session. Thanks for stopping by!

My Head in the Cloud: Why Google Teacher Academy is more relevant than ever

Google Apps, Google Wave, Android, and Google Voice.

There couldn't be a better time to be a Google Certified Teacher.

This is turning out to be the Year of the Cloud. I've talked numerously and presented about the Cloud and Cloud apps all year long, and it's just icing on the cake that I get to participate IN the Cloud at the Google Teacher Academy in Boulder, CO this week.

But- why so exciting; why is this year so important?

Last year's excitement about Google was supposed to be Google for Ed Apps, but I think that process of implementing Google for Ed Apps was a wake up call for some. Other topics like cell phones in education and iPhone classroom applications seemed to steal some thunder in the blogosphere, at tech conferences, and on Twitter (no thanks to the esteemed Scott Meech and Liz Kolb). The sign-up process (or implementation) of Google for Ed Apps was not a smooth one, and many of us, including me (and perhaps Google) were thrown off kilter during the process. Improvements were made, the iGoogle frontpage for Ed Apps was thrown out, and we got through it. Now we're ready for more, and- have you seen what's on the horizon for Google Educators?

Google Apps
This is going to be a fascinating year for Google Apps in Education. Microsoft is going to be rolling out Office 2010, finally trying to compete with Google with some sort of Cloud version of Word. It will be interesting to see who wins this war, but I think that MS is going to spend a couple of years learning exactly what Google has already learned: implementing a Cloud system for education has tons of nooks a crannies that are unforeseeable- security, building teaching networks (like Google has spent the past few years already doing), and building a launchpad (like Google Sites) which allow educators to create a starting point. Google Docs is about to get an interface upgrade (see TechCrunch for more on this), presentations, and even Google Sites is getting more rich and more...intuitive. That's an important word for a teacher who doesn't like to click a million times while lesson planning. So much of Google's success relies on their open developer network, and I wonder - does MS plan on open-sourcing Cloud Word? Either way, I am implementing Google Apps in my classes this year, and look forward to develop the teachers in my district with the possibilities that Google Apps can give them.

Google Wave
I'm sure you've seen the video of Google Wave by now, but the possibilities that Google Wave offers educators stands to be enormous and a huge answer to many of our collaborative problems (ever have a group edit one wiki page?). What we see below is more of a digital sandbox than like anything I've seen before.




















And like a digital sandbox- the Wave tool looks to be one that can connect students in real time, share files instantaneously from anywhere, and combines a number of already created communication platforms -email, text, twitter. I've always been impressed with Twitter's ability to funnel all of the communication pipes like Facebook and Delicious, but Wave looks to stand even higher above those pipes. I doubt that at Google Teacher Academy we will be able to work yet with this unreleased tool, but being a prolific user of Google Apps gives me confidence that when Google Wave comes out, I will be one of the first teachers using it.

Android
Why is this such a good year for Android, the Google Phone OS? And why should teachers be excited about it? Well, there's a lot to love about Android as a teacher. The synchronicity I enjoy between my Android phone and Gmail, Calendar, Google Voice , and Google Apps- gives me a leg up on the iPhone without jail breaking or creating workarounds (sync iCal and Calender, hello?). That's a deal breaker for a process-oriented teacher. Simplicity; I need time to teach my students- not endlessly look for solutions. Google has already done that for me with Android. In fact, my wife inputs into our Google Calendar, and I get alerts on my Android phone. It just works.

Apple is making billions off its App Store, but I've read the tea leaves (other blogs that told me so) and the next year will show not one but twelve more Android phones opening up on various cell carriers. The Android Market is very quickly catching up with the App Store, and many of iPhone's favorite apps are now coming to the Market.

Why is this important for teaching? Well, coming from a digital equity point of view, this opens up the possibilities for classroom phone apps to millions of more students around the world, rather than just niche classroom iPhone/iTouch use. More students mean more possibilities, and I'm dying to see what kind of Apps for Education will be developed for the Android, the iPhone and beyond. Apple should be given its due for paving the street for cell phones in the classroom. Now, it's Google's turn. (Although it's not strictly for ed, take a look at the Google Sky app for Android. Too fun! Embed is below.)

Google Voice
While I don't know if there is a direct connection yet to education through the Google Voice tool in the classroom, how we communicate as educators with our administrations and fellow teachers surely impacts what goes on in the classroom. I'm interested to see how Google Voice may change the way we think about cell phones, texting, email, and communication at home and at the office. I also am curious to see if Google Voice changes the way that phone companies do business. Already Apple has removed its Google Voice app from the App Store (possibly in collusion with AT&T), and this controversy does stand to ratchet up the profile of this, as yet, unreleased tool. Google Voice was the reason I bought a G1, and I thankfully got an invite to GV a few weeks ago. I knew that with the Android phone, I'd be able to seamlessly connect with all my Google Apps, Gmail, Calendar and now Google Voice mail and text. Although the G1 is not a great phone itself, the OS is really what makes it worth it.

Googlify Me
Over the past couple years my motto has become, "teach more, manage less," and you'll see this phrase pop up here from time to time. Technology should allow teachers to do just this, not get muddled in logins, poorly designed UI, and freezing sites. The possibilities that Google offers to reach students from the richest to even in the poorest of districts is awesome. Since I'm such a proponent of digital equity, I have come to champion Google for it's ability to reach out to the masses; if Apple is Darren Aronofsky, then Google is Steven Spielberg. The teaching process is one I protect with vigor, and the intuitiveness that Google's Apps and ideas offer actually make my job simpler.

Teach more, manage less.

There couldn't be a better time to be a Google Certified Teacher.

The Crunchpad, GoogleOS, and Digital Equity

As many of you know, I've been a champion of cloud computing and digital equity since I started writing this blog.

I see that the cloud is a flattener for education in many ways. I believe that all students, poor or rich, deserve the same quality of education and deserve to use the same tools. The playing field should be level. The most promising sign of this level playing field is in the offerings of the cloud: Google Apps for Ed, drop.io, schooltube.com, edu20.org, wikipedia.org- all of these online apps and tools are free (right now, anyway). Take into account the netbook and in a very, very short time- technology education will be more accessible to everyone, granted there are qualified teachers to shape it.

So I've been pretty optimistic about all of this- and then two things happened:
I saw this (via the Crunchpad blog):

and I read this tweet on twitter:

Let me just say - wow! Score 100 points for Digital Equity.

Item I: The CrunchPad
I'm already in line. The CrunchPad, a netbook/tablet device that Andy Ihnatko of the Sun Times describes too well:

"It’s an 18mm thick tablet computer built like a S’More. At the bottom, there’s a crisp layer of a netbook-class computer. Then, a marshmallow-sweet software layer consisting of a WebKit-based web browser. They top the whole thing off with a full-sized 12” color touchscreen display."

Now... wait for it. Andy- what kind of apps does it run?

"The browser. Period."

How much will it cost?

"$299." (ACK! Jumping for joy!)

Item II: Google Chrome OS
On further reading of the Google Blog one sentence sticks out:

"Google Chrome OS is an open source, lightweight operating system that will initially be targeted at netbooks."

Netbooks. Google has it sights targeted straight at education and soccer moms with this. I previously talked up netbooks as the Tipping Point for cloud computing. And as I just came back from the National Educational Computing Conference, I saw many conference goers holding these quaint little computers. I even saw one patron with a Dell Mini Hackintosh.

It doesn't take a tea leaf reader to see that in the next couple years, with the onset of Google Wave, the Crunchpad, and Google Chrome OS, in Doc Brown's immortal edited for TV words, we're "going to see some serious...stuff" about to happen in tech education and it's implication on digital equity. So I've listed what I think, at this point, are the +s and -s of this possible new device revolution.

How can these two items positively impact equity and education?
1. The cost of this technology will flatten the playing field. School districts from lower economies now will be able to afford them.
2. 1-1 computing initiatives will abound.
3. Inner city public schools would (and already should) be wifi hot spots for the neighborhoods.
4. Take-home media will become passe- students will be expected to take home their devices, and the fear of losing equipment to theft will significantly decrease. The responsibility to completing work at home on the device also becomes more integrated.
5. The need for quality professional development is about to skyrocket.

How can these two items negatively impact equity and education?
1. Districts will now begin to see a way to save money by lowering their tech budgets. As a consequence, they will forgo cash for the amount of maintenance that will be needed for netbooks and wireless upkeep.
2. Quality teachers with experience in 1-1 computing, as well as project based learning, will be difficult to find. Students may not see progress because teachers will have a heavy learning curve.
3. The need for quality professional development is about to skyrocket- this could also be a bad thing. Not only are districts going to be shorthanded with experienced teachers, they are also going to misjudge the amount of necessary PD needed for these devices, or they'll ignore it all together. Netbooks could very well be the Pandora's box of poor schools.
4. Where to store student personal information? While this may not be considered negative, per se, it's still controversial to store student information off site. Will this become a misnomer?
5. Mostly what this comes down to is, again, $$, not being prepared- what's new?

A Final Word
I never felt more inclined to say that a Google Chrome OS, with the combination of a $299 Crunchpad could absolutely streamline technology equity across the board (note the word "could"). The question about affordability of just the devices makes a compelling argument come budget time. There will definitely be more decisions to make as more schools adopt Apple's iTouch and other netbooks in the classroom. The debate over storing student information in the cloud or on a school server also becomes less or more controversial (you decide). And undoubtedly, Apple will unveil its iTablet, which will cost probably twice as much. Already, iPhone loyalists are on the defensive:

Chris Rice, Apple loyalist, says, "while CruchTablet will be great for what it does, a $600 iTablet would be much more valuable in a higher ed setting, IMHO. An iTablet could run full Office suite, integrate w/iTunesU, allow students to take notes/record lectures in class, AND read texts."

Liz Kolb, proponent of cell phones in the classroom, also writer of cellphonesinlearning.com, says, "I think [the Crunchpad] might not have a big impact because Apple was first with the iTouch/iPhone. Look at Microsoft---there OS is not nearly as good as MAC OS, but MS allowed others to copy and use, thus they got there first. Usually first wins out (even when others are better) I don't think that many will switch over to the Crunch...they will just wait for Apple to make their iTouch's larger."

So, will these cloud computing products be a game-changer? I'll sum this all up from a quote from Google's own blog (via this Miguel Guhlin post). They state:

I may rush to state that this is a game changer, as many do, but if I were a tech coordinator for a district with limited means, I think I'd already be "crunch"-ing the numbers.

CrunchPad Demo


Google Wave Demo