Category: Blog

Went over to Office Depot — figured they wouldn't be packed, any other shopping I do will be either Monday morning, or after Christmas. I was right. One of my issues with the new layout of the new layout of the classroom, is that it is SO long, that students feel I'm very far away.  I've been grabbing my rolling chair, and sitting with them, but that is still a bit uncomfortable.  I picked up a rolling laptop desk for $30.00 which will let me be more comfortable.

The other thing that helps is having a wireless access point.  It can't be heard outside my room, and really allows me to be more flexible.

Now that someone else does the heavy lifting on the blog — I am really mastering the twitter/blogging thing.

For example, someone asked me a question tonight that really needed a few paragraph answer which let to a blog post on video cameras.

I'm using TwitterFeed to automatically my blog posts on Twitter so I can even skip that step when I went.

I think it makes both experiences better.  Besides I can blog at school but have to use my mobile phone to twitter, so I don't often.  Besides, it looks like texting….

Last year, one of the things I purchased with my STEM award was a Buffalo TerraStation NAS.  For a lot of reasons, I want it at the house and want to be able to access it from school.  Especially during the installation of the computers.  Well, I managed to get the web access up and running, even through the Uverse firewall, and even have it set up so I can get to it through a domain name.

I'd like to use the Buffalo NAS service but it isn't that reliable.

I am also hoping to pick up some cheap hard drives for it.

I have three video cameras.  I will start out that I don't much video but am learning.  Oh, and I am certified in Digital Apps, and did take a course where I had to learn how to not only video tape but teach it.  However, I don't teach it and haven't.  Makes my head explode.  I would only offer to seniors, or mature juniors as it involves long term projects.  Average high school student cannot deal.  I might do it at a large high school with more students to pick from but we're a 4A.

My favorite camcorders for agility trials are Flips.  Cheap point and shot cameras.  I know have two.  The reason I like them is that they are light weight and you can hand them to the clueless and they can get a decent video for you.  Also they are durable, hard to break, difficult to get sand in and are cheap if you lose them.  I just got a 30 minutes Flip from WOOT.com for $70 bucks, ordered on Wednesday got today. 

My expensive camera is a JVC I've picked up used and had out of the house once.  I've got it set up for a tripod and am going to make some videos of my Christmas training sessions.

So far I like it.  Fairly easy to use, especially since I don't have the patience to read manuals.  I write them, but I only read them when I want to do something NOW.

My advice:  watch the internet and buy cheap stuff.  Works for me.

I want to take the program that is written about here:

http://www.devx.com/wireless/Article/39600

and set it up so it downloads all the SMS messages and lets you look quote and reply to the messages.

There is a sample program with the Pocket PC SDK kit that's the other half — it keeps a thread of SMS messages so I figure it is doable.

My first problem is that I can't get the above program to run.  I get a error that says:  No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it.  I've decided that the problem is the anti-virus program that the district has installed on my computer and have moved it to another computer.

I've some progress, I've gotten a white screen to show up on both the desktop and the mobile, even on the laptop with the anti-virus, so it may just be that I don't know how to deploy this set of programs.

Would LOVE some help on this.  I've been able to write and deploy mobile phone programs before

There are many days I don't like being the Campus Technology.

I'm minding my own business and two students walk in with an old computer.  I know exactly what they want but the teacher who sent them didn't follow procedure so I sent them back.

They are supposed to get an equipment removal form from me, fill it out and then wait.  If they are in portables I'll find a place to store their stuff, but since I'm getting new equpment and already have 10 pieces in here, it will have to find another home.

<sigh>

On the other hand people are starting to figure out how to create appointments in Groupwise.  Moving us closer to Technology in 2001.  (A personal joke, I've told the group that I am slowly dragging them into the 2000's when it comes to technology.

I have wonderful plans and a nice todo list with plans for my new computer install which is going to happen on January 9th. Maybe.

Sat down and counted how many students it would take to move the computers everything.

And yes, those of you in education know what happened — someone sent me an email shooting those plans completely out of the water.

Now I have to be ready by 1:00 pm rather than 4:00 and have to move the students out of the lab by then.

In the meantime, one of my dear friends has decided how to dispose of my old computers.  Let’s not forget that I’ve spent the last month figuring out the best place and have already found all of them new homes.

<sigh>

And people wonder why my head explodes on a regular basis.

I can’t wait until the whole process is over.

I'm testing a new service, I think it is supposed to put a Twitter update up when the blog is updated.

It will be interesting to see if it works.   And will allow me to skip a step.

The middle school came is a win-win for me.  First I get paid for writing the curriculum.  I love to get paid for stuff like that.

Second, it should attract some very serious students to our instructional technology programs.  And I feel better and better about including the other subjects, and not just Alice.

It also gives me a paying gig for the summer.  Though I already have one lined up, and have signed up for another and waiting to hear about on it.

Right now, I’m focused on reading the book we are going to use and making a list of products that I want the girls to produce.

That’s one thing that I got out of my master’s program — when you are writing curriculum start with what you want to accomplish first, then figure out how to go there.  I’m trying to come up with at least two major projects for each subject that we’re teaching, since it’s a two week camp. 

The hardest part is going to be coming up with the pacing.

Oh, and we already have a cute collection of items to give away.  By the way, I’d LOVE to get some products from companies that recruit in our fields — as long as get some speakers lined up.

One thought I had today, is that having speakers first thing in the morning might be the best time — that way the speaker’s day is less disrupted if they work in town.  I have also thought about using Skype to get some long distance speakers.

I figure a short — thirty minute talk about what the speaker likes about their field. And it means lining up 14 speakers!

Yes, I am writing curriculum for a two week summer camp for middle school girls.  The plan is to use Alice, maybe Scratch, introductory web design and introductory digital media.

Our first idea was to focus on computer science BUT our department teaches other things and it is not fair to leave them out.  Also, my mission in life is to always give my students a taste of a little bit of everything.  So incorporating web design and digital media is a win win situation for both the kids AND the department.

SO, I’m looking for things to use that are a) free and b) the whole package can be put on a 1GB thumb drive and run on it.

I’d LOVE ideas, please use the comment section!