Inside View

Panopto Full Screen Webcam

I MARKED MY FIRST day creating content with Pantopto and wish to confirm two things: (1) it is as simple as pressing the big red button and (2) you can fill the entire screen with your face if you wish. 

Ireland's Digital Learning Framework (DLF)

AS 2018 OPENS, I'm keen to see if the innovative use of digital technologies I've used with Ireland's Youth Media Team can be channeled to support part of the proposed Digital Learning Framework.

Stepping inside Microsoft Cognitive Services

THE SINGLE GREATEST LEAP I have made with sentiment analysis occurred after using Microsoft's Cognitive Services. I'm diving into the API documentation by clicking on the navigation elements that appear after clicking on the image accompanying this post.

Hands-on #Ricoh360

MY WORLD COLLIDED with the Ricoh Theta S camera and I can feel that using it will take me into an exciting equirectangular realm full of surprise nadirs.

The handiest feature of the Ricoh Theta S is knowing both Facebook and Google understand its image formats. This means 9yo Mia could simply tap the screen of my Sony Xperia Z5 and record the video below. I brought the clip onto the Surface Pro 4, used Ricoh's free software to inject the meta data that told the server it was a spherical video clip and then uploaded it to YouTube (very fast upload) [1] and to Facebook (where it uploaded slower). I recorded at 1920 x 960 in 30 frames per second and that used two megabytes per second of recording.

Discovering new perspectives in the 360 Classroom #ricoh360

IT IS TRUE what some of the most creative photographers say: A well-framed shot is essential to compelling visual presentations. I face very big challenges now that I have a 360 degree camera because everything could be in the shot.

And maybe nothing is in the shot because I can't fathom the lens parameters of the Ricoh Theta S that I'm learning to use. For the moment, I'm going to upload this quick blog post as a marker on my timeline and an announcement to collaborators that we're going to have a lot of fun making 360 degree content in the months ahead.

+++ Bernie Goldbach teaches creative media for business in the Limerick Institute of Technology.

Amazon Echo Dot in Ireland

THOSE CLEVER PEOPLE on Boards.ie confirmed for me that I could run Amazon Echo in Ireland and that means Echo Dot would fit into my lifestyle quite nicely.

Our 8yo daughter already uses her voice to look up things on the family smartphones so I think we could ask Mia to manage a few Echo Dots as part of an array in a smart hub for our home. I like the idea of a house that can listen and respond to our queries.

Lusting for Sphero BB-8 #wishlist

THE NIGHT BEFORE APRIL'S ICT in Education Conference, I watched our young son engage with a miniature BB-8 built by Sphero. I think we need a little BB-8 in our home, along with the Sphero Sprk+, a 117 euro programmable robotic ball. [1]

Sphero wants to teach children the joys of coding. The Sprk+ has a gyroscope, accelerometer and LED lights that can be programmed to come on in any order. It will pair to my Android phone or to my wife's iPhone using a Bluetooth connection that has a range of 30 meters.

The Sphero community--full of people who show off their handiwork--leads interested people in teaching owners the basics of programming and lets them code a series of commands. [2]

The Sprk+ is shockproof and waterproof with a battery that lasts for 69 minutes. I can charge the battery wirelessly from its hub.

1. Get Sprk+ for $129 and free shipping in the USA.
2. Sphero Commnity: Let's Play!

Learning Clever IoT Windowing and Grouping h/t @niallermoran

The Internet of Things is real and I've a collection of special spaghetti cables that can connect, measure and transmit. A lot of companies are doing to same thing when connecting devices to reduce costs, to transform, to innovate and drive costs down.

Refreshed Android @inoreader helps my curation flow

Screenshot of new Inoreader views.

I'VE USED INOREADER as my primary RSS reader ever since Google Reader slipped into the Dead Pool. Inoreader's elegant functionality boosts my ability to efficiently curate content.

The Day Facebook Live Arrived for Me

Updating Facebook with @topgold.

I WATCH FACEBOOK LIVE download on my iPhone 5C, hoping it would find its way to my Android phone (seen updating above) but it didn't. Now I wonder what I should do with the new-found capability because I don't want to create another way for my friends to ignore me.