Tech tip # 46 - Off-line maps for travelling with your phone or tablet

In case you are travelling where there is no cell-data service available…

Many of us like to travel and quite often we can find ourselves in a place where we have no cellular data to use Google maps on our phones or tablets. Sometimes we can be on the road in areas with no signal and need access to a good map (PS, I still like paper maps too!)

To help here, there are some apps that allow you to download maps to your phone or tablet and then use the map while your phone is in flight/airplane mode. These apps make use of the crowd-sourced Open Street Map project data: https://www.openstreetmap.org/ . Basically these apps turn your phone or tablet into a full-featured navigation device like a TomTom.

To use these apps, your phone or tablet must have a true GPS (some tablets don’t have a real GPS inside, but use wifi and cell signals to locate you)

My favourite of all of these apps is OSMAnd (http://osmand.net/), which was originally designed for Android, but is now also available for iOS.

On Google Play for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.osmand&hl=en

On the iTunes store: https://itunes.apple.com/app/apple-store/id934850257?mt=8

Another good one is Maps.Me (http://maps.me/en/home)

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id510623322?_1lr=1

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mapswithme.maps.pro

Both of these apps are free for light use, but are not expensive to buy the full versions that allow you to download maps of any region.

I have used these apps successfully in the UK, Ireland, Iceland, Ecuador, several US states, France, Switzerland and more. OSMAnd has been one of my most used apps on my phone.

I am sure there are other good apps out there. If you know of one, please let me know!

Let me know if you have any questions, or would like more information.

These tips are now being archived at the following location in a blog format: http://smustechtips.blogspot.ca

Also, please let me know if you have any tips you would like to share!

(PS, sorry for 3 tips in one day! I had a bit of a back log.)

	Michael Jackson MA (Cantab) MEDes (Calgary)
	Science Teacher Senior school Technology Coordinator
	Senior School, St. Michaels University School
	3400 Richmond Road | Victoria BC | V8P 4P5 | Canada Phone: 250-370-6182 | Fax: 250-592-2812 Cell: 250-888-8783 Twitter: @MikeJ_SMUS www.smus.ca
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Tech tip #45 - new photocopier tips

New photocopiers are being installed in the senior staff workroom and seem to be working well. Many of you may have noticed that the screens for controlling the copier have changed...

One useful tip: if you want to make copies, or scan, using the old-style interface, there are a couple of tabs up at the top of the screen with “(classic)” in the label. These basically take you to screens that are just like the old copier screens…

The two photocopiers will be available as “printers”, just like the old one was. The printer driver allows you to choose double siding, hole punching and stapling etc from the print dialogue. You will be able to release jobs sent to this queue by scanning your card or phone app at either of the copiers.

	Michael Jackson MA (Cantab) MEDes (Calgary)
	Science Teacher Senior school Technology Coordinator
	Senior School, St. Michaels University School
	3400 Richmond Road | Victoria BC | V8P 4P5 | Canada Phone: 250-370-6182 | Fax: 250-592-2812 Cell: 250-888-8783 Twitter: @MikeJ_SMUS www.smus.ca
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Tech tip #44 - Pro D day materials

Dear colleagues,

Many of you were able to attend the Educational Technology sessions at the Pro D day at the start of this term. The team has assembled many of the resources from that day and these are shared below in case you want to follow up on anything.

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/0B4y8vF5ZOb9vWEc5S0lJUlZyNkk

In this folder you will find materials from the 2d graphics, 3d modelling and data sessions as well as Dave’s slides and copies of the big round chart.

Let me know if you have any questions, or would like more information.

These tips are now being archived at the following location in a blog format: http://smustechtips.blogspot.ca

Also, please let me know if you have any tips you would like to share!

	Michael Jackson MA (Cantab) MEDes (Calgary)
	Science Teacher Senior school Technology Coordinator
	Senior School, St. Michaels University School
	3400 Richmond Road | Victoria BC | V8P 4P5 | Canada Phone: 250-370-6182 | Fax: 250-592-2812 Cell: 250-888-8783 Twitter: @MikeJ_SMUS www.smus.ca
	.