What's On My Devices? - Part I

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I use two different devices - an HTC S640 Windows Mobile 6 Classic phone and a Mio 550 Pocket PC/GPS device. While both devices are Windows Mobile Devices they are also different in what software they can run.

Today, I look at the Mio. The Mio features a 3.5 inch screen (the same as an iPhone/iPod Touch) and gives me more screen real estate when working with student data. With built in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS (SIRF, none of that cell tower stuff!) it allows me to do 95% of my computing right from this device. It is a joy to work with! Here is the software that is installed:

Pocket Informant - This is a replacement for the built-in calendar, task manager, and contact manager. What really draws me to this program is the ability to filter (to see only what I want to see) and that all of the above programs are linked to each other. For example, I can have a calendar item that is linked to certain contacts (students) and then tasks that are linked to each student. It gives me a very simple and yet powerful contact management system. You can try it for 30 days for free. DO read the manual so that you get the most out of your trial.

OneNote Mobile - If as a teacher you have not discovered OneNote then you must! It's a part of the Microsoft Office Suite of applications. Essentially, think of it as a virtual binder that allows you to add different binders, with different sections, with tabs and sub-tabs in each section. Amazing! OneNote Mobile allows me to capture notes, voice notes, and web-links on the fly and when I sync my device to my PC it will place it into OneNote where you can then move your notes into the appropriate section.

MobiPocket Reader - I needed a quick and simple solution to allow me to put large Word documents into ebooks. Yes, each Windows Mobile device comes with a version of Word but it's slow when reading large documents. An ebook reader allows you to purchase actual books and make your own. I have my curriculum in an ebook that I can then add annotations to. Very cool! I also purchase most of my books electronically rather than going and buying a paper based book. I know what you're thinking! Try it and give yourself time to get used to it.

Pocket EGP - For the last few years I've used Easy Grade Pro which is a super gradebook and allows you to track standards. The Windows Mobile version is awesome and more flexible than the Palm OS version. I keep my class data file on an SD card in my Mio. When I need to use a regular computer (either my PC or Apple - there is a version of EGP for both) I simply insert the card into a card reader and am able to read the file. No fancy conversion is needed. On my Mio I can add assignments, add students, add anecdotal notes, assignment notes, etc. It's really an amazing program.

Opera Mobile 9.5 (beta) - This browser makes Pocket Internet Explorer look absolutely terrible! Think of Opera Mobile to be much like a desktop browser and much like Safari on the iPhone. I love how I can tap on a section and it expands to fill my screen. It's easy to read! Because it's in beta the program is still free. I picked it up because my school district is moving toward web-based grading systems. As more applications move onto the Internet (Web 2.0) it will be important to have a good browser.

Intellisync - This is a must for me. Because I have wi-fi on the device I can actually update my e-mail, tasks, and calendar and make sure it's in sync with my Groupwise calendar. All of my data is always up to date. I also use this program on my smartphone so that I always have my e-mail pushed down to me. I can tap out a quick reply and then be on my way. Intellisync allows all changes to my calendar, e-mail, tasks, and contacts to appear on all of my devices. Sweet.

SplashShopper - Yes, it's great for making a shopping list but it also is a great list feature. I often like to keep track of which students have turned in money and which have not. I have done lists like this in Excel Mobile but SplashShopper gives me a simple check or no check.

That's currently what is on the Mio. In a future post I will discuss a "day in the life" of teaching with the device and then go into further explanation as to how I use each program.