Flight of the Fireflies, an Interactive Musical Poem/Game for the iPad, by Woolly Robot (video trailer)

Flight of the Fireflies An interactive musical poem/game for the iPad:



Flight of the Fireflies – Trailer from Woolly Robot on Vimeo.

"The fireflies are leaving the city, looking for a new home. Let your touch guide them as they soar through the skies. Find more fireflies to keep them company. Alone each firefly is just a note; together they're a symphony...Flight of the Fireflies is an interactive musical poem that takes you on a journey through places and emotions. Whether you see it as an experimental game or as an interactive artwork, you will not be left untouched."  -Jonathan Hise Kaldma/Woolly Robot


Flight of the Fireflies App (iTunes Store Link)
Flight of the Fireflies Website


Where I found this:
Creative Applications Network
"CreativeApplications.Net [CAN] was launched in October 2008 by architect, lecturer and new media technologist Filip Visnjic and is one of today’s most authoritative digital art blogs. The site tirelessly beat reports innovation across the field and catalogues projects, tools and platforms relevant to the intersection of art, media and technology. CAN is also known for uncovering and contextualising noteworthy work featured on the festival and gallery circuit, executed within the commercial realm or developed as academic research. Contributions from key artists and theorists such as Casey Reas, Joshua Noble, Jer Thorp, Paul Prudence, Greg J. Smith, Marius Watz, Matt Pearson as well as Filip’s numerous festival involvements and curation engagements are a testament to CAN’s vital role within the digital arts world today." -CAN


Other guest writers for Creative Applications Network are Mike Tucker, David Wallin,  Emilio Gomariz, Andreas Zecher, Jason Franzen, and Richard Almond. Alexander Scholz is a contributing editor.

Google in Education, Updated

Is Google is permeating the world of learning/education?  If you are a parent or educator, you might be interested in taking a look at the following links.  (I will follow this topic and include my reflections in a few future posts.)


Google in Education
Guide to Going Google (K-12 Edition,Google Apps Site)
Google in Education (Google+ Site)
Google in Education: A New and Open World for Learning (pdf)
Google Educator Resources
Example:  Google Lit Trips
North American K-12 Regional User Groups (Google Apps for Education)


Here is a good overview from the Mind/Shift website:
Google Launches Redesigned Education Site
Tina Barseghian, MindShift 1/30/12


Note:  Mind/Shift is curated by people at KQED, part of the NPR Argo Network.

iBooks Textbooks for iPads, iTunesU App -and links to info about 1:1 iPad initiatives in public schools

There is a lot of buzz about iPads in education. 


I'm convinced that tablet technology will be adopted by schools at a faster rate than anticipated a year or so ago, now that Apple has launched iBooks Textbooks for iPad and the iTunesU app.


Parents, teachers, students, administrators, and school IT specialists, hold on to your hats!

RELATED
Learning Together: The Evolution of a 1:1 iPad Program
Carolyn Foote, Internet@Schools, 1/1/12
The Swiss-Army Knife of Education
Mr. Hooker, The WIFI--Eanes ISD iPad Pilot Project, 10/3/11
iPads in Education
John Evans, Curator
iBooks Textbooks
iTunesU App

iPad for Art: Sketchbook Express, via the Montlieu Academy of Technology, a public K-5 magnet school that adopted a 1:1 iPad initiative in August, 2011.


COMMENT
I have been planning on devoting more posts in the future about the iPad and related interactive technologies for learning- and for fun.  When I have a chance to write my mega-post, you won't be disappointed!

Quick Post: Link to a UX Gold Mine - Official Usability, User Experience, and User Interface Guidelines from Companies

Take a look at a a Usability Geek blog that is a repository of guidelines from an assortment of well-known corporations. I'm bookmarking the page for reference!


Official Usability, User Experience, and User Interface Guidelines From Companies
Justin Mifsud, Usability Geek, 9/19/11


RELATED
Usability ABC


Thanks to Ben Ullman for the link!

GeekDad's Post: The Changing Nature of App Design for Kids (quick link)

The Changing Nature of App Design and Development for Kids
Daniel Donahoo, GEEKDAD, Wired,  1/16/12


"During 2011, I have observed a real push towards app development and digital design for children that is respectful and purposeful - not just a marketing and money making exercise." -Daniel Donahoo


I encourage you take the time to read Daniel Donahoo's thoughtful post!

RELATED
GeekDad Opinion:  We Need a Children's Apps Rating System
Daniel Donahoo, GEEKDAD, Wired, 12/11/10
Moms with Apps Workshop Summary
Moms with Apps, 12/4/11

Quick link: How to use game dynamics in the classroom, with good links, via Edudemic (Jeff Dunn)

How To Use Game Dynamics In The Classroom 


Although the article refers to the work of Liz Gross and her colleague(s) focusing on the use of game dynamics in a large university lecture class, there are links to a variety of interesting resources and posts that address games in education across many settings. This work is part of a research proposal for funding from the Digital Media + Learning competition.


RELATED 
Digital Media and Learning Conference 
March 1-13, 2012
UC Humanities Research Institute University of California, Irvine 
About the Conference (info from the DML website)

"The Digital Media and Learning Conference is an annual event supported by the MacArthur Foundation and organized by the Digital Media and Learning Research Hub located at the UC Humanities Research Institute, University of California, Irvine. The conference is meant to be an inclusive, international and annual gathering of scholars and practitioners in the field, focused on fostering interdisciplinary and participatory dialog and linking theory, empirical study, policy, and practice. The third annual conference – DML2012 – is organized around the theme “Beyond Educational Technology: Learning Innovations in a Connected World” and will be held between March 1-3, 2012 in San Francisco, California."

Keynote: John Seely Brown 
Plenary Panelists: Eleizabeth Corcoran, Renaldo Lemos, Leslie Redd, and Constance M. Yowell 
Conference Committee: 
Diana Rhoten, Conference Chair
Tracy Fullerton:   Re-imagining Media for Learning Chair
Antero Garcia:   Innovations for Public Education Chair
Mitch Resnick:   Making, Tinkering and Remixing Chair
Mark Surman:    Democratizing Learning Innovation Chair
Jess Klein:   Democratizing Learning Innovation Co-Chair 


Thanks to Yasmine Kasbi for sharing the post on Google+!