Laptop Update + New Eee PC March 6, 2008
Posted by Mark Tennant in : Computing, Uncategorized, personal , add a comment
No, I haven’t bought one (yet). I notice Ollie has now pre-ordered another interesting mini laptop though - the Elonex One. However, I got really excited when I saw the machine on the left - this is the new Asus EeePC sporting - wait for it - a 9″ screen, with 1024 x 600 resolution.
There’s no word yet on when exactly it’ll be available in the UK, but industry sites and magazines seem to suggest around June - perfect for the summer hols.
Prices are expected to be around the £300 mark, making it around £80-£100 more expensive than present models. However, as well as the larger screen you are also likely to get a larger 12GB SSD and 1GB RAM for your money. Now for the bad (?) bit - Microsoft helped launch the new EeePC as it will come with Windows XP preinstalled, as well as Microsoft Works for office tasks, and Microsoft Live services for the web-end of things. No word on whether you will be able to buy a linux version only (thus saving some money). I suspect not.
I suspect I will be ordering one of these as soon as they come out - unless something even better comes along in this fast-moving area. Better start saving!
http://eeepc.asus.com/global/news03042008.htm
Cheers, Ollie! November 29, 2006
Posted by Mark Tennant in : Computing, personal , 1 comment so farFound a couple of things on Ollie Bray’s blog today that might interest folk. Firstly, for flickr fans there’s the excellent Splashr for presenting your online albums. Have a look at mine here!
Secondly was some of the material from the recent MGS CPD session on using images in the classroom - read Ollie’s full post for more on this.
SARDA November 13, 2006
Posted by Mark Tennant in : Mountain Rescue, personal , add a comment
I had a busy and enjoyable weekend helping the great folks at SARDA - the Search and Rescue Dogs Association - with their monthly training. Basically it involves settling down on a hillside somewhere with a bivvy bag, a book and a flask of tea and simply waiting for a dog to find you! Needless to say, liquid refreshements were also enjoyed on the Friday and Saturday nights :-)
It was good to see so many new dogs doing well in the training. Corrie, the collie donated by children’s TV show Blue Peter, is turning into a great search dog. It’s great to think that some day these dogs will end up saving a life somewhere, often not even in mountainous terrain due to the increasing use of search dogs in urban and semi-rural settings.
Greetings from California June 29, 2006
Posted by Mark Tennant in : personal , add a commentWell folks, we finally made it to California on the 2006 “Following in John Muir’s Footsteps” trip.
I’m not going to say too much on my own weblog, as we have a seperate one set up, which Alice is maintaining each day. You can view it here .
Suffice to say, having a great time. Weather is fantastic, John Muir House was very interesting, and Santa Cruz fun! The staff are off on a little visit to the Napa Valley tomorrow to sample the local ‘refreshments’. Wish me Luck! We leave for Yosemite on Friday morning, and with the recent landslide on HW140 it promises to be a long journey around the detour!
Busy Time! June 15, 2006
Posted by Mark Tennant in : Dunbar Grammar, personal , add a commentWell, what a shock I got today: I was aware the weblog was slipping as the end of term starts to get hectic, but I just had a quick look and seen that it was actually April when I last posted! So much for ‘at least once a week’ that I had aimed for when I started this. Oh well…
Of course, one of the main reasons things are getting busy, is that I am off to Yosemite in just over a weeks time - along with 3 great colleagues (name checks for Gillian Williams, Alice Clubb, and Ciaran Earle) and 21 students. It’s an experience I am certainly looking forward to, as I know the pupils are. Now that we are all in the process of packing it has just started to dawn on me how close it actually is! It’s quite inspiring to talk to people like Gillian who were on the trip two years ago and see how many good memories they have of Yosemite, Martinez and San Fran. Speaking to
Don Ledingham too, it was so obvious how much he enjoyed Yosemite Valley in particular. Don’t worry Don - I’ll have my camera and be up at the crack of dawn too :-)
Anyway, you can follow our progress at the weblog Alice has set up for the trip. I’m sure it will be a fantastic experience for both staff and pupils’ a real trip of a lifetime for many of them.
Hurray for common sense… March 26, 2006
Posted by Mark Tennant in : personal , add a comment
Certainly off-topic from the usual Exc-el post, but there’s little doubt on what will probably be the big talking point this weekend: the
smoking ban comes into force on Sunday! I’ll lay my cards on the table straight away: I think this is the best thing to happen in terms of healthcare for years. My personal hatred for ‘cancer sticks’ comes from losing three grandparents due to smoking, and it even playing a part in my father’s sudden death.
What pleases me most as a teacher however is that we are finally sending out a clear message to our young people in Scotland that smoking is dangerous, dirty and antisocial. I doubt there will be any huge change in the health of adults as a result of this legislation, but I am sure that the benefits will be seen in years to come as the number of young people taking up smoking declines rapidly. No-one wants to be associated with an act that forces you out of every public space in the country. That is why it is good news: it is purely peer-pressure that causes people to start smoking, not an ignorance of the concequences - even young children are well aware of the health risks.
I’ve been pleased this week to see our Headteacher,
Paul Raffaelli , do his bit to raise the profile of this legislation and encourage our students to think carefully about their own attitudes to smoking: he has spoken to all students at assembly about this.
It’s not often that I agree with the government but I take my hat off to them this time - a bold move, and one we will thank Jack and his friends for in the future. Now, if only they could find a good builder…
Interactive teaching and learning February 23, 2006
Posted by Mark Tennant in : Dunbar Grammar, Mountain Rescue, personal , add a commentWell, a busy day today! Between trying to mark Higher prelims, second year tests, third year homework and pack for the weekend (rescue team winter skills weekend in Aviemore!), I have finally started writing the material for an internal CPD session on interactive teaching and learning I am running for two evenings, starting this Tuesday.
The first session will focus on the use of some fine software called
Hot Potatoes - an easy way to build online quizzes, crosswords and match-the-pairs exercises. The software is fairly easy to use (I think!) and requires no knowledge of web design or programming to use. Best of all, it’s free for non-profit use!
The second session is still being planned, and to some extent will depend on the wishes of participants, but topics will include using web design software to design index pages for interactive quizzes and an introduction to other free or commercial software that can be used to enhance learning. Free software CDs containing full versions of free software, and trial versions of some commercial software will also be on offer.
Anyway, I’m off to play in the snow. By curious coincidence, the East Lothian Outdoor Ed folk are also in Aviemore for their winter skills session. If anyone’s looking for me, I’ll be in the Old Bridge Inn!