SIRIously?

Is Siri all it’s cracked up to be? For some people, Siri is so close to artificial intelligence it could even be scary! I couldn’t imagine my grandfather talking to Siri, he would probably jump out of his skin! (He’s 94) Siri is the personal assistant that comes with the new iPhone 4S. You can ask Siri to remind you about appointments, play a specific song, tell you about the weather in your city or any city in the workl for that matter. It can call, email, or text friends, just by asking it to do it. Remember when we were impressed when phones could call a person in our address book by saying “Call Joe Smith”? Well, now Siri is taking things to a totally new and different level. We can use voice command to use many of the applications on the iPhone without even having to press a button. You can use it by talking directly into your phone. The only tool you need is your voice…and of course the iPhone 4S. It has quick access to the internet so anything you want to search pops up quickly on your phone screen. For example, you are in your car and you’re looking for a flower shop…you say, “Siri, find a flower shop nearby” and your screen will be populated with all the closest flower shops. If you like one you can ask Siri to give you directions to the shop and it will navigate you to your destination.

To see all the available features with Siri, click on the following link:

About Siri

I think one of the big advantages is that you can use while you drive without using your keypad. You can send a text to someone and dictate to your phone without having to type it. Siri reads it back to you before the message is sent. It can also read new texts you receive while you drive. This could be very helpful for teenagers who are driving and texting all the time and who “can’t wait” until the car is parked to check their messages.

Another benefit would be that visually impaired people can use Siri by using their voice. Although not all of the applications in an iPhone are compatible with Siri, most of the ones we use for convenience, such as appointment reminders, weather checks, and calling contacts are available to use with Siri.

My question is, is this phone really that impressive, does it really have human-like qualities, or is it just a glorified version of the old phone we had that could call Joe Smith by just saying his name? Is it just a matter of programming more voice commands into the phone and having alternate answers to ridiculous questions? My kids and their friends have tons of fun asking Siri all kinds of silly questions. I have to admit, some answers are pretty funny! Here are some of my favorites that I have heard them ask Siri:

-Siri, will you marry me? -My end user licensing agreement does not cover marriage, my apologies.

-Siri, I love you. -All you need is love and your iPhone.

Siri, how much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? -It depends on whether you’re talking about African or European wood.

See the picture below for some other funny ones I found online.

Picture taken from: http://gamergirltalk.com/2011/10/18/pointless-and-stupid-things-to-ask-siri-on-the-iphone-4s/

For a funny take on Siri watch a video by Ellen DeGeneres:

So much technology, so little time!

I wish I could have enough time to use all the technology resources that I find, hear about on TV or through friends and colleagues, get sent through emails from technology coordinators, and the ones I learn from all you EME 5050 fellow classmates as you post them on our class website. There is such a plethora of information out there that it is impossible to use all we get. There are some things that work, and some that don't. There are some resources that are better suited for primary, others for intermediate, and others for secondary education. They can also be divided by subject area or teacher resources.

I have so many favorites on my computer at school that I will probably not get to all of them in one school year! Not everything can be done through technology, but we definitely need to integrate technology with almost every lesson we teach. I have noticed that every time I integrate technology with my lessons my students are more engaged. We have to use what works and not get overwhelmed by all that is out there. Most of us are having to find our teaching materials online as we wean from using textbooks. In my school the only textbooks we have are for reading, and we will soon do away with those too.

On the positive side, we can basically look anything up and find information on it. The downside is not all sources are trustworthy and we have to know how to tell the difference between a reliable and unreliable source. I was teaching 5th grade a few years ago and I had found what I thought was a great website for social studies. When I was pulling it up on my computer to show the class I saw the pictures in the middle were changing and suddenly a picture of an indigenous tribe in barely there outfits came up. Needless to say I did not show the website. Thank goodness I caught it before I put it up on the big screen. I would have been mortified! I had already checked the website before but had not waited to see all the pictures in the middle of the page as they faded in and out into different pictures, and that is how I missed seeing it the first time. I learned my lesson after that time and I make sure I check well before showing something.

Like I said, there is so much information out there if something is not good you will surely find a better one if you keep searching. So don't settle! Sometimes I find something really cool and I forget to show it or don't have the  time...when this happens I think, "well, there is always tomorrow!" I think that even if we taught until we were 100 we would still not have time to show everything we wanted to, so we just have to learn have to pick and choose!




Black Toban, “Technology has exceeded our humanity” March 14, 2007 via Flickr, Creative Commons Attribution.

Digital Story - Life Cycle of a Butterfly

Here is my digital story. I created it using a Flip Share video camera. I have one in my classroom so I thought it would be a great tool for my students to use to create their digital stories. I chose the life cycle of the butterfly because we will soon be learning about life cycles of animals and plants and their interdependence. I am a second grade teacher. Although it took me about 30 takes, I think I finally got it! I think the video quality is not that great because the lighting in my room is not very bright. I created all the props by using construction paper. I tore the pieces by hand to make the pictures and glued them together. Please leave your comments and tell me what you think. 

Here's a link to my Wiki: Life Cycle of a Butterfly

Here is my Digital Story: