This week I started a new job as a academic advisor in a business school. Being in a business school is a little different, I worked primary with liberals students up until this new opportunity. This business school, like many others, likes to be innovative and use new technology, so they use the latest version of Windows, which is version 8.1, on all PCs in the building. You Mac folks are already saying "NO! Forget PC and Windows!" This blog is not about being a "fan-boy" for any one company or technology platform, it is about what works best for any given application in a teaching or educational setting. One question I will try to address is should an educator buy a Windows 8 device? With that, this is a commentary on using Windows 8.1 in education.

What Works?: 
Clean, sharp, and it looks new and shiny.

Sync across all Microsoft devices: PC, Laptop, Tablet, Phone (Con you have to buy all Microsoft devices!). For those of you that know iCloud and really enjoy having all your electronic devices synced, Windows 8.1 does this for Microsoft products for the first time in REAL practice. Microsoft tried this with Windows 7, but it was a flop. Time will tell if people are willing to drop their iPhones or Andriods iPads and Kindle Fires in favor of a Windows device just to keep the everything the same.

But educators might find the lower price tag of the Windows devices to be a big incentive to begin using them in their classrooms. to buy a current iPhone ($600), iPad ($500), and Macbook Pro ($1500) you are looking at around $2600 bucks. To go with a similar setup of Windows devices you are looking at about $1800 for a Windows 8 phone ($400), a Surface Pro 2 ($900) and laptop ($500). With the new Surface 2 pro many people are ditching the laptop due to the Surface Pro 2 having a premium keyboard. If you can go with just the tablet and phone, you are looking at about $1300, not too bad.

It all looks the same! Yes, Windows 8.1 not only syncs across all you devices, but it looks the same too! Live tiles, apps and short cuts match across all devices, so no need to try to remember where something is or what button to push to send a video or pretension to a project, it is all the same! The home screen on Windows 8.1 has the same look and feel of the Surface Pro 2 tablet/laptop. Microsoft designed it that way, and in theory all your apps and home screen can sync with your Windows account, similar to an Apple ID.

The best part of the Surface for educators is the you can run 2 apps at the same time. Working on grading? pull up your grade book and the assignment on the same screen! Trying to build a lesson plan based on a video or article form the web? Open Word right alone with the web browser and start planning. If you need a portable, multitasking work laptop, give the surface Pro 2 a try at your local electronics store.  Take a look at this review for a complete run down on the Surface Pro 2.

If you have owned a Windows phone is the past or played with one at your local phone store, the New Home or Splash page will feel familiar with: apps, live updating tiles, news feeds etc. Here is a good review if you are interested in a windows phone.

At this new Home Screen this is a much better search function on Windows version 8.1, I mean MUCH better. It might be the most sophisticated search feature I have used on a PC. Again, Apple OS X fan-boys will say "we have had that for years" but if you are looking for a presentation or lesson plan on a Windows 8.1 machine, just start typing on the home screen and bang! It pops up in the results.

Updates! Microsoft is fairly good at updating their software. You have noticed through out this post me mentioning Windows 8.1. There are bid differences between 8 and 8.1. For a complete list, take a look at the official site. 

What's Broken? 

NO START MENU!!! When you click the bottom left-hand corner of the screen from the desktop you are taken to the new home screen (pic above). Microsoft has been training us FOREVER to click the start menu, every tutorial on a Windows 1-6 PC started with "Click Start" then in Windows 7 is changed to "Click Home". Now when you click the windows bottom (pic below) you are take back to the new home screen. if you are like me, this is disorienting and makes you want to puke.

You have to download a third party Start menu if you want the traditional windows start button feel. I installed Pokki based on this review, and because it is FREE! Why should I pay $4.99 for an app that should be a built-in option?

Bottom Line, should an educator buy a Windows 8 device?

Most of us that work at a school or university really do not have a choice, we use what the school has, which might mean you are not even using Windows 8! If I had $2500 for a new computer, phone and tablet I would consider buying a windows phone and Surface Pro 2 and use the $800 for a mini vacation or international plane ticket. Having the ability to open 2 apps at once is a really cool idea, and in practice is something I use, giving the windows tablets a leg up on the iPad. But, should you buy one? 

My best advice is to play with each device and think about a few things: 

• What am I going to use the device for? Work, play, reading, playing games etc.

• Are you going to create content or consume content? This is kind of like the first question, but it will help you decide between something like an iPad or a laptop. Even an iPad with a fancy keyboard case is not the best for content creation, so keep this in mind! 

• Do you plan yo share the device with a spouse or child? I do not recommend this, but if you HAVE to share, some devices have this feature built in, e.g the Surface Pro 2. 

• Do you really NEED portability? If you commute by bus or take your device with you everywhere, then yes, you need a lighter/expensive device. If you drive to work and only carry your laptop from your car to your office, then you might consider spending that extra money on a more powerful device. 

• Most importantly, who's paying? If this is for personal use and you are paying, you might consider going with a cheaper product because technology changes so fast that the "neswest, bestest" tech is already a year old when you buy it. But, if your work is giving you cash for a new device, buy the best because you might be stuck with this device for a long time, say 3-5 years. The more you spend the longer a device will survive the test of time. 

Welcome to My Teachnology Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog on using technology in all things education and learning. It is my hope to use this space to highlight new teach-nologies you can use in your classrooms for any level or area where learning take place. Many of my colleagues not currently using technology in their classroom seem to aviod technology in some form for fashion.  Before we move into using technology I want to share a brief history on my technology background and experience.

Back when I was nine or so (this is not a life history, so please bear with me for a sentence or two) my dad bought a family computer. I don't know the make or specs of the machine, but it had a DOS operating system which could boot into a primitive version of Microsoft Windows, which at the time was very cool. The most important thing about this computer was it taught me to love, and hate, technology. I learned to love technology because this computer had GAMES! Solitaire, Minesweeper, Freecell etc. which was a great way to waste time. I learned to hate this computer because for the life of me I could not figure out how to work the thing properly and install better games using DOS. I would sit and try different DOS commands to install new games, but to my great frustration, nothing seemed to work. I told myself I would never, ever, let a computer or another piece of technology defeat me like this old windows machine did for years!

This brings me to this blog: my hope is to share this with others so they can learn to use technology because technology, with a little work, WILL make your life easier. Most often, many people stop trying to learn new technology due to the fear of the unknown. If this blog can help people get over their fear of using or feeling like they might break some type of technology, I count that as a win!

Somewhere along the way, I became the "Tech Guy" for my family: any and all questions related to technology come to me. Over the years some folks have learned to become self sufficient, but others need constant support. But, that's technology, it needs love and support to be the most successful.

Disclaimer!!!!! I am not an expert nor do I hold a degree in computer science. I am an avid technology user and have made it my life mission to help everyone use technology more effectively in their classrooms, work, and personal life.