Introduction

I am starting this group for several reasons:

1. I am a Mac person in a PC world
2. I just came across 6 older mac computers (got 'em for free!) at my LEA's surplus sale and I want to try and maximize their potential
and
3. I'm hoping to utilize the easy movie and photo utilities that Apple offers as a springboard for my students creating their own multimedia presentations.

Please feel free to start discussions on anything you wish! As you join, please post a brief description of your interest/experience in this topic.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Don Cochran on June 21, 2007 at 8:31pm

Shawn - good luck with your project. I'm an Apple Certified Technician at a mid-size district in Colorado. We just had a teacher get a grant and buy 12 G3 iBooks for ELL students. He was excited to use all the features found on the newer Macs (G4, G5 and Intel machines).
I explained that he would be unable to run the latest version of Garageband, but iPhoto will work along with earlier versions of iMovie and Garageband. Once we loaded those on the machines he was able to have the student start producing movies and simple songs with Garageband. Check Apple's web site for exact specifications, but we have been able to run iLife 05 on machines with 400 MHz processors and 512 MB or more of RAM.
I don't get into in depth usage of all applications, but I can usually help with troubleshooting applications and hardware. I look forward to following this blog and learning new things.

Permalink Reply by Shawn Moore on June 22, 2007 at 6:00am

Hi Don. Thank you for your expertise! I was definitely trying to figure out what version of programs to use. Do you have any experience with processor upgrades available for G3's?

Permalink Reply by Don Cochran on June 22, 2007 at 8:34am

I don't. The district recycles the machines after 6 years so we don't upgrade processors. The donations that we receive (such as the iBooks mentioned above) are only supported at a basic level so upgrades are not done.

Permalink Reply by Andrew Robitaille on August 30, 2007 at 3:34am

Hello all. I have been a Mac zealot since my first desktop publishing class in high school in 1990. My first personal computer was a Centris 610. I've followed Apple through the good times and the bad, and I'm glad I did. Apple's current hardware and software is world class. I am so productive with my MacBook, and my students drool over it all the time. My school is currently a Windows school, but I've converted my IT manager to Mac, and we are converting 100% to Macs next year.

Permalink Reply by Trent McAllan on April 30, 2008 at 3:45am

Have a look at http://plasq.com/comiclife it used to ship on new macs about 18 months ago. It is a fun piece of software that allows you to take your photos from iPhoto and make your own comic books. I haven't used it myself in class yet, but have had fun with it. I have though had friends that have used it to great effect.