To Beacon or Not to Beacon: Make Schools Interactive

transcript

To Beacon or Not to Beacon: Make Schools InteractiveChris Penny and Henry Finch

Agenda• Introductions• iBeacon myths• What is an iBeacon?• iBeacon demonstration• Getting hands on with iBeacon• Making schools interactive• Discussion

“…one of the most transformative mobile

technologies to come along in the last 10 years.” - Mike Elgan

Computer World 2014

Top 5 iBeacon Myths

1.iBeacon is an "indoor location" technology2.iBeacon is for Apple products only3.iBeacons track you and harvest personal information 4.iBeacon allows the NSA to track your location5.iBeacon causes skin cancer.

What is an iBeacon?

• Small electronic device that broadcasts information via Bluetooth technology

• Provides location service and works with an app• Does NOT provide any content.

VendorsEstimoteKontaktRadBeacontons of others

What devices work with iBeacons?

• iOS devices with Lightning Connector plus iPad gen 3

• Macintosh computers with OS X Mavericks or above and Bluetooth 4.0

• Android 4.3+ and Bluetooth 4.0

• Windows Phone with the Lumia Cyan update or above and Bluetooth 4.0.

Bluetooth 4.0 Specificationsinclude Bluetooth Low Energy

A beacon is a tiny computer

Broadcasting range and proximity

Unique identifiers

To Beacon or Not to Beacon

ID = 7 (SXSW Edu)

Context and micro-location from the cloud

To Beacon or Not to Beacon

Unique Identifiers

• UUID - a unique code

• special to your organization

• Major - a number 0-65535

• a place in your organization

• Minor - a number 0-65535

• an area in your place

Unique IdentifiersUUID

Major 1 Major 2 Major 3 Major 4

Minor 1 Minor 2 Minor 1 Minor 2 Minor 1 Minor 2 Minor 1 Minor 2

beacon1 beacon2 beacon3 beacon4 beacon5 beacon6 beacon7 beacon8

Unique Identifiersf7826da6-4fa2-4e98-8024-bc5b71e0893e

(school)

10000 (administration)

20000 (high school)

30000 (middle school)

40000 (elementary)

1000 (enroll)

1100 (bo)

1000 (office)

1100 (ath)

3000 (office)

3100 (lunch)

4000 (office)

4001 (nurse)

beacon1 beacon2 beacon3 beacon4 beacon5 beacon6 beacon7 beacon8

beacon 1 - UUID:school Major:administration Minor:enrollmentbeacon 1 - UUID:f7826da6-4fa2-4e98-8024-bc5b71e0893e Major:10000 Minor:1000

beacon 8 - UUID:school Major:elementary Minor:nursebeacon 8 - UUID:f7826da6-4fa2-4e98-8024-bc5b71e0893e Major:40000 Minor:4001

How does iBeacon work?

When you install an app• It registers the UUID with the system

When your iOS device detects a beacon…•Sees if the UUID is associated with an app• If so, it hands off the beacon info to your app•App has 10 seconds to wake up and deal with it

How can I use iBeacon Technology?

•Write an app•Code assist•App store

Write an App

•Must become a developer$99/year - apple.com/developer

•Download Xcode•Learn Objective C and/or Swift

Code Assist

•Beacondo - beacondo.com•Macintosh - Beacondo Designer•iOS - Beacondo Viewer •Developer Account

App Store

• Apps for specific use

• Be Here (education)

• Beecon (home automation)

• Mingleton (social)

• Others

#SXSWBeacon

Code Assist App Store

Get hands on with iBeacon#locly

The locly app

locly terms you will need to knowprojectsLike a filing cabinet, ‘projects’ let you organize your content. You can create as many projects as you like and switch their visibility on and off in the app or online.

placesLike folders in the filing cabinet ‘places’ keep all your related content together. You can pin places to a beacon and include them in treasure hunts. Users scroll up and down in the app to view places that are nearby.

cardsLike pages in your folders, ‘cards’ are your actual content. You can create as many cards as you like in each place and users scroll left and right to view the cards in each place.

SPADES

HEARTS

DIAMONDS

PLACES

= PROJECT = INFO

SPADES

HEARTS

DIAMONDS

PLACES

= PROJECT = INFO

It’s time to start using iBeacon and loclyPart 1: Creating ContentPart 2: Your Device as a BeaconPart 3: Assigning Content to Beacon DevicesPart 4: Creating Content from Other AppsPart 5: Creating a Simple Treasure Hunt

Educational ideas for iBeacons…

self-discovery displays

classroom learning zones

learning & heritage trails

information zones & points

There’s always important stuff to share…

main entrances & exits

assembly halls & public spaces

corridors & notice boards

Keep everyone informed where & when you need to

To Beacon or Not to Beacon: Make Schools InteractiveChris Penny chrispenny@me.com Henry Finch hfinch@me.com

Thanks