Technology In the Classroom

Innovation Bootcamp Exit Survey and Assessment

2009-01-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

Thank you for participating in the Innovation Bootcamp. Your feedback is important to us, please take the time (10min.) to complete the following survey (it has questions re: what you learned - so we can measure growth, and questions re: your experience at the Bootcamp).

The survey link is found here.

Thanks again for all your help.

Innovation Bootcamp Survey

2009-01-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

Click here to take the Innovation Bootcamp Survey!

Search Engine Insight

2008-12-01T13:50:00.000-08:00

Does anyone find the fact that most people are using search engines for random celebrity information disconcerting. Of all the things people could be (re)searching on the web, most (see images) people are looking into areas that have no real benefit to life in general. How sad. Although it does bring up an important issue of information literacy that we might perhaps start promoting a little more.

Computer Filtering

2008-09-29T12:38:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite RSS feeds I frequently read is Will Richardson's blog. In one of his recent postings he talking about the frustration of schools blocking (what he believes) is too much content (ex. websites). Here is a quote from his posting:

I say this all the time, but I truly believe that filters make our kids less safe. They step off the bus into unfiltered worlds with no context for making good decisions about the stuff coming at them. It’s a huge problem. But on some levels, the bigger problem is what we are doing to our teachers. It insults the profession to not at the very least provide desktop overrides for teachers when they bump up against a filtered site. Have a policy in place to deal with incidents where teachers make poor choices if that’s what the concern is.

Seriously, am I missing something? Why is that so hard to implement?

The only way we’re going to get students, or teachers, to master the Web is to let them use it.

So, what do you think? It seems to me that there has to be a better system than the ones we are now using. Not to mention, is blocking sites really preventing internet misuse (or does it just spark curiosity)? I know in my past experiences as an educator and parent, I think teaching children about how to properly use the web seems like a more positive action. I understand schools are scared of potential legal repercussions of students' internet misuse, but I think schools are responsible (as are parents) to educate youth on proper web use. If there is not a class on internet safety in schools, then where would it be? At home - hmm... considering a lot of kids are more tech savvy than their parents I am not sure that's a rational solution.

Make an iPhone App - it's worth it.

2008-09-23T14:38:00.000-07:00

Digg reported the following:

Steve Demeter developed the iPhone puzzle game Trism as a side project, but now he's quitting his day job. Why? Because he says he's generated $250,000 in profits since he started selling the $4.99 game on iTunes this summer. That's after Apple (AAPL) has taken its 30% cut of total sales, and after subtracting his initial investment of about $5,000

In TEE 350 next semester, that's going to be a our new project: make iPhone apps. Might as well.

Photoshop

2008-09-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today you will have a few in-class PS assignments to get done before next day (hopefully after these first few days of class you will be able to create your PS masterpiece work of art with ease and creativity (which is the capstone PS assignment)). For today's lecture you will need to repair and combo a few images and then make a text effect. For the picture editing you will need this file. Then for the text edit - go to this website and chooses one of the tutorials to complete. Upload both documents as a single screen shot to moodle before class next day.

RSS Feeds

2008-09-08T08:35:00.001-07:00

Here are only a few of the feeds I read (or have read) that might be of interest to you:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/
http://www.webdesignerwall.com/
http://www.darcynorman.net/
http://www.edugadget.com/
http://slashdot.org/
http://www.softpedia.com/
http://weblogg-ed.com/
http://www.engadget.com/
http://www.appleinsider.com/
http://maczealots.com/
http://www.usingmac.com/
http://digg.com/view/technology
http://www.techcrunch.com/
http://del.icio.us/martindale
http://creativebits.org/
http://www.simplehelp.net/
http://eduforge.org/
http://delicious.com/jgroom
http://www.gomediazine.com/
http://blog.webreakstuff.com/
http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/brian/
http://camplesegroup.com/blog
http://thedieline.com/
http://creativecurio.com/
http://logodesignlove.com/
http://davidairey.com/
http://justcreativedesign.com/
http://ilovetypography.com/

Here are some of Chris' (TA):
http://www.izzyvideo.com/
http://www.macreviewcast.com/
http://www.macrumors.com/
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/index.php

Teachers are professionals?!

2008-05-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, this one makes me a little sad and embarrassed. The other day as I lectured on Web 2.0, I discussed the issue of connectivity and collaboration, demonstrating how FaceBook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogs, UStreamTV, among a myriad of other social networking sites can be used to benefit teaching and learning. Although I believe the lecture was well thought-out and received, I failed to mention a key element: if teachers are going to use these service, even for personal use, they need to be both wise and professional. Check out this article from the Washington Post concerning the inappropriate behavior of teacher social network usage. Teachers have been battling acceptance as a legitimate and well respected profession (mostly in the U.S.) for decades, and believe me, if teacher's start sharing their public life in a way that is either inappropriate or not representative of who they "should be", the profession will continue to lack in respectability. The world needs teachers. They can be powerful role-models. However, only those who really want to make a difference on a "consistent basis" should consider the option. (Note: I hope people realize that their are "chimpanzees" in every profession.

Blogging Penitence

2008-04-30T12:55:00.000-07:00

There exists an interactive media design principle that suggests web design needs to move users to take action, and blogs specifically should induce conversation. Strangely, I never felt my blog was accomplishing this task (i.e., people rarely leave comments, or I have only been contacted but a few times in regards to this blog). However, sometimes, its only when you stop doing something that you realize the influence it was having (i.e., I recently broke my rule to never eat "mixed nuts"—I've always felt a psychologic allergy to nuts. Needless to say, I was really sick the next day.) Well, it turns out after leaving my blog for a few months (due to dissertation commitments; BTW, I am finally done with my Ph.D.) I was contacted by several people who asked me: "what happened? Where you at?" So, in an effort to once again become a regular blogger, I am committing myself to blog a min. of once a week (I feel if I give myself a number, then I'll actually write, and hopefully only write things that are of some significance. For example, did you know that "an American kids drops out of high school every 26 seconds. That's more than a million every year... ignorance in the U.S. is not just bliss, it's widespread. A recent survey of teenagers by the education advocacy group Common core found that a quarter of U.S. teens could not identify Adolf Hitler, a third did not know that the Bill of Rights guaranteed freedom of speech and religion, and few than half knew that the Civil War took place between 1850 and 1900" (see Bob Herbet's column from the Times). I am not sure what the answer is, but technology in the classroom seems to be a viable answer: if we can empower students with an interest and reason to be in school, they will ideally glean information. Technology can be a great motivator. If more teachers would empower their students with technological (and I am not talking just computers here. Technology involves engineering, manufacturing, automotive, computer science, design, etc.) options I would venture to guess that student drop out would decrease. There are several empirical studies that validate this belief, the problem is, despite these findings, many schools—heck, the entire educational system at a whole really needs a systemic change, where innovative pedagogy is accepted, promoted, and rewarded.

Technolust

2008-02-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

I recently read an article about a school who spent $98 million for technological equipment and systems. At first glance I thought - that's where I want to be. Then, after a second I thought, wait a sec., did the teachers have any say in what technology would be purchased, or was it one of those things that comes from the top down?! If so, was it a rash decision? I sure hope there was some research done before hand. Here's an interesting quote from the article:

…faculty morale is the lowest and cynicism the highest I’ve seen in
years. The problem? What a former Alexandria school superintendent
calls “technolust” — a disorder affecting publicity-obsessed school
administrators nationwide that manifests itself in an insatiable need
to acquire the latest, fastest, most exotic computer gadgets, whether
teachers and students need them or want them. Technolust is in its
advanced stages at T.C., where our administrators have made such a
fetish of technology that some of my colleagues are referring to us as
“Gizmo High.”

Here's the link to the full article.

The Importance of Technology Education

2007-11-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

CTE neglect puts state in a job crisis

By Jack Stewart and Bob Balgenorth - Published Saturday, November 24, 2007

California schools aren't keeping pace with the state's rapidly evolving economy, where skilled workers are now in greater demand than four-year degree holders.

As the governor and legislators prepare for their year of education reform in 2008, they should pay careful attention to this dramatic shift and get serious about expanding career technical education (CTE). While career technical education won't cure everything ailing our schools, it needs to be an important part of the solution. But changing the entrenched institutional bias against CTE will be difficult.

Current policy discourages CTE by focusing resources and curriculum as though every high school student will enroll in the University. In reality only two of every 10 students will earn a degree from a four-year college.

The approach leaves diminutive the other 80 percent of students whose skills and interests are in other areas. We should be helping them discover and develop their special talents. Instead, we leave them feeling lost.

The new economy rewards workers who have the skills and knowledge gained through CTE. These aren't the vocational education classes of yesteryear that sometimes tracked students into dead-end jobs. These are rigorous, demanding courses that apply science, math, literacy, and other academic learning to real-world careers. Careers such as biotechnology, aerospace, health care, manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and other essential fields where annual salaries of $80,000 to $100,000 are common, without a four-year degree.

But our schools aren't preparing students for these 21st century jobs. Instead of expanding, CTE instruction is being cut. Since 1987, more than 14,000 career and technical education courses and 2,000 CTE instructors have been cut. Meanwhile, we're importing skilled workers from other states and nations because of a shortage here at home.

The decline of CTE also helps explain why California's high school dropout rate is nearing 40 percent. A study by the Gates Foundation found that 47 percent of high school dropouts weren't interested in their coursework, while 81 percent said more real-world learning would have kept them in school.

This is precisely what career technical education offers: hands-on education that makes school more relevant and enriching whether students plan to attend college or not. While some students might use CTE as a springboard directly into their chosen profession, others can use it to enhance their postsecondary education. A study by the Lansing Area Manufacturing Partnership showed that CTE students enrolled in college did better than those without CTE. With 30 percent of four-year college students failing to earn a degree, policymakers should take notice.

In fact, the supply of four-year college graduates exceeds demand for the graduates' degrees or the needs of the jobs they end up filling by at least 45 percent in California. As a result, a growing number of four-year degree holders are enrolling in community college CTE programs to learn a marketable skill. While 49,000 community college students transferred to four-year universities in 2006, 143,000 four-year degree holders enrolled in community colleges.

Given this new reality, policymakers from the governor on down need to move beyond the rhetoric and take serious action to expand career technical education. While the $500 million for CTE included in last year's school bond initiative was a start, it represented only 5 percent of the initiative's $10 billion total. In addition to funding CTE, they need to require every high school student to complete at least some CTE courses before graduating. Moreover, they need to make it clear that every student can be a winner in the economy, with or without a four-year degree, provided they stay in school and learn the skills for the jobs that interest them.

We need to celebrate educational and workplace diversity the way we celebrate cultural diversity, and acknowledge that all educated workers are valuable, whether they hold a bachelor's degree in engineering or a training certificate in precision welding.

Without skilled welders and precision machinists, an engineer's drawings are just a blueprint, not a rocket to the moon.

3D Applications

2007-11-26T08:21:00.000-08:00

For our next assignment in TEE 125, we will be exploring 3D applications. 3D apps bring in a broad range of softwares, both those that involve modeling techniques, CAD systems, and programming.

In light of the amount of time we have spent on other assignments we have a last minute adjustment to our syllabus. We will no longer be doing the GPS assignment, nor will we be doing separate programming and 3D animation assignments! Instead we will be exploring and having learning adventures with various 3D and programming animation programs!

Assignment: Select a minimum of 1 software listed below, download it (yes, there are cross platform apps listed below) and learn it over the next week (that means you need to invest a minimum of 6 hours learning the app.!) Then during the week of Dec. 4, 6, 8 (next week) you will present what you learned (what the app is, how it is or can be used, examples of what you created while learning the app., an analysis of whether the app should be used in schools/ else where, etc.) Post your analysis to both our class wiki here, and to the class moodle under the 3D assignment.

Your grade (for those that are interested) will be based on being able to go from ground zero, to being able to demonstrate a competent understanding of the app (this means justifying a minimum of 6 hours of learning!)

I believe this assignment will be more helpful and meet the direction/ objective of TEE 125 because it will expose us to a broader spectrum of 3D and programming apps.

NOTE: you are note limited to the following list of apps - these are simply ones that I have come across and or used. If you find or know of something else you would like to use please add it to the list.

Blitz http://www.blitzbasic.com/
Blender http://www.blender.org/
GoogleSketchUp http://sketchup.google.com/
Maya http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=7635018
Poser http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Video/Poser.shtml
AfterEffect http://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects/
3delight http://www.3delight.com/en/
3D Turbo http://turbo3d.free.fr/
3D Matrix http://www.digitalscores.com/3dmatrix/
3D Maker http://www.tabberer.com/sandyknoll/more/3dmaker/3dmaker.html
Optunis http://www.optunis.com/data_visualizer/data_visualizer_3d.html
AC3D http://www.inivis.com/
ArtRage http://www.ambientdesign.com/
Bryce http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/06/19/bryce.55.now.free/
3DStudioMax http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?id=5659302&siteID=123112
MilkShape http://www.milkshape3d.com/
Daz http://www.daz3d.com/program/studio/index.php
CosmicBlobs http://www.cosmicblobs.com/products/cosmicblobs.html
GraphiSoft https://eduregistration.graphisoft.com/
Anim8tor http://www.anim8or.com/main/index.html
Artifice http://www.artifice.com/dw_lite.html

Mac Only:
DOMCAD http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/domuscad.html
PowerCAD http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/powercadd.html
Cheetah http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/cheetah3d.html
TurboCAD http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/turbocadmacpro.html
Kinemac http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/kinemac.html
AC3D http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/ac3d.html
MisfitModeler http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/misfitmodeler3d.html
Lightwave http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/imaging_3d/lightwave3d.html

Windows Only:
TrueSpace http://forms.caligari.com/forms/ts3all_free.html
ShapeShop http://www.shapeshop3d.com/
Planet Genesis http://planetgenesis.sourceforge.net/
PoseRay http://mysite.verizon.net/sfg0000/
OpenFx http://www.openfx.org/
K-3D http://www.k-3d.org/wiki/Main_Page
GCAD http://www.gcad3d.org/
GSculpt http://gsculpt.sourceforge.net/index.html
BlockCAD http://web.telia.com/~u16122508/proglego.htm#downloads
BRL CAD http://my.brlcad.org/
Amabilis http://www.amabilis.com/downloads.htm

Macs, Batteries, and Learning Curve

2007-11-12T13:47:00.000-08:00

This weekend I thought I lost my laptop battery charger! Considering I have the 17" MacBookPro, leave my screen resolution on the highest level of brightness, and run a myriad of programs all at once, my batter lasted approximately only a few nanoseconds before requiring me to plug in. Needless to say, without knowing where my charger was, I didn't have a computer to work on all weekend, which wasn't too bad, but this morning when I arrived to the office and still couldn't find my charger I... well, probably similar to many of you, felt completely useless. As I sat in my chair, I looked around my office and realized that my once anticipated productive Monday would be a mundane Monday of non productivity. I really felt, without my computer, in someways naked. Does this mean I am too connected to my computer - or are we as a society too dependent on our technology. It seems as if we are going about this technology paradox all wrong - shouldn't the technology be dependent upon us?!

On a different note we have now purchased the new iMac for Leah and her home business. It's sweet! Lightening fast, awesome display, etc. etc. My sister's family also purchased one - however, this was their first mac! Finally, they have redeemed their souls, and seen the light. I went over to their house this weekend, excited to show them how "awesome" macs are. After a few frustrating hours, I realized, that showing them the "new" exciting things of Leopard, really are not all that awe inspiring when you've never had a mac before, or really been into computers. Their reactions to industry changing things like "time machine", "spaces", RSS, etc. ranged from "neat" to, "so, what." I came away from the experience with a slight realization of my geekiness. I've never considered myself a computer nerd - but I think I am - only because I get really excited about computer things like the new Mac OS, enjoy hacking around computers, etc. When did this all happen! Is it bad that I could spend an entire day reading RSS feeds, figuring out coding, working on Photoshop, programming in Flash, etc? What am I to do?! Some help - please?!

Nicely Design Websites

2007-11-02T08:29:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I need a little inspiration while designing - so, in an effort to provide a little spark to your creative juices, here are a few simply designed websites you might want to checkout. Remember your websites DO need to show "improvement/ growth" from your original design. In some cases this might require a complete re-design = I would again, invite you to seek formative feedback as often as possible - and from different sources.

My buddy just re-designed his design company site (CreativeSqueeze). It has a nice, Web 2.0 typical design, based on a blog set-up. He has nice use of color, typography, and texture.

I have always enjoyed Dave Werner's site. It is pretty basic - just a sliced up grouping of images. But it works as a "fun" portfolio site.

This one is a little more intense - meaning it would take a few more hours of programming, but I am sure it will provide you some inspiration.

I believe Rachel found this one - and I think we even discussed it in class. It has a wonderfully simple design, yet, it is very functional. Remember: less if more (well, that's not always true - but with design, it usually is.)

Now, I'll admit this next one is a little strange - and might not be considered to be "pretty", but you'll have to admit, it's 'pretty cool' - bc it's a WIKI. That's right, any of the students at this design college can change and update the school's website. Not a bad idea.

The "Red Cross" legacy site is really interesting - everything loads on the same page - and is fairly interactive. It also uses a lot of white space - which makes it easily navigable, and very functional.

Obviously I have tons of other favorites - or rather sites that I think are interesting, and I think I'll post those later. For now, enjoy these few samples - hopefully, they get your creative juices going.

First Video Production Efforts

2007-11-02T07:20:00.001-07:00

The intro to communications class just completed their first video production efforts - their assignment = make a short 2min. film (obviously they had to develop a treatment, script, and storyboard their films - including shot selection, etc.) They used Final Cut Pro - and for the most part, I think they did fairly well, and I would venture to say they all have a better understanding of the process and tools of video production.

Volia, les films.

Mr. T

4Days

Benches

Corporate Identities

2007-10-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

Here is a sample of the student work from the corporate identity assignment. Klane is the designer.

School Vouchers

2007-10-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of my thoughts (in short) - let me know yours:

1.) Overall - I like both public and charter schools (I’ll even throw in private schools just for fun). It's nice to have a choice – right?! Well, as long as the choice is an educated one! // I am writing this not to take sides – in fact this brief smattering of opinions is simply shared to discharge some of my thoughts regarding the upcoming vote regarding school vouchers. (*Remember: I taught in the public school system for 8 years, received a MA in Educational Leadership and Administration, a Ph.D. in instructional psychology, and currently continue to work with public and private educational entities.)

2.) First, let me state: both public and charter schools in Utah, for the most part, do offer/ provide quality educational opportunities (depending on how you define quality).

3.) However, that being said, the numbers for Utah just don't add up. With most charter schools being free, and admission based on a lottery system (except for families who already have children there - they get first priority, as do faculty children [hmm, much like BYU]), and with the schools themselves requiring greater funding to further establish themselves (thus opening their doors to more students) I don't think this vote really helps either side. What we need in education is a systemic change - an overhaul of the system (well, maybe not totally = Utah is rated in the top 10% of schools in English, Science, and Math for college entrance exams, and on national testing scores (grades k – 12); however, we are also rated as one of the worse funded educational systems (school funding has a majority allocation from property taxes which comes from individual families, and with Utah having larger families/ putting more kids in school per tax payer, there is less money to fund schools - this is an interesting phenomenon, considering as I mentioned before that Utah public schools are helping Utah students reach some of the highest levels of achievement.) At any rate - with a vote impacting only 3% of the populace and $3000 not really being a great supplement for a poorer family, and without any actual money going to directly help charter school facilities ($3000 * X = ? Not much) I can't see why they (charters) are going for this (unless it is just to get the ball rolling - politically speaking – being a device to shake things up?!) Seriously the numbers just don’t add up for me (now, I don’t claim to be a mathematician), but to blindly accept the following, as those who are pushing for a yes vote have claimed, “on average, Utah spends $7,500 per K-12 pupil per year. The average cost of an education voucher is anticipated to be $2,000. If one can purchase $7,500 in savings with the investment of $2,000, that is a deal one should take” just doesn’t make sense to me. The numbers are not that cut and dry – and anyone who has worked with educational finance, government funding, etc. knows what I am talking about. Besides, would you buy a $10,000 car, if someone gave you $2000?! The average private school cost to middle and lower income families is around $10,000 – which means if they received $2000 then they would only have to pay an extra $8000 to send their kid to that school. But wait, what if they have multiple kids?! And I have to raise the question, is the education they are receiving at the private school really worth $8000 more?! Are their children learning that much more?! Are they that much more prepared for college, life after high school, etc.?! Also, what about special needs children. Do all charter and private schools include special needs children in their lottery selection?! If they do – do they have the resources do fully support these students?! Will $2000 cover their cost – sorry, the short generalized answer is no – special needs students are more expensive than typical students.

4.) To be honest, public schools (in my opinion) is what made America great - free education for everyone -- it's what made our society what it... was (“is” would be an arguable statement) - successful. But now that globalization has become so prevalent, and evident in our lives, and with the further demise of our own society (look at the current divorce rate, drug and alcohol abuse situations, even the war on terrorism, perhaps we do need to shake some things up - hence the reason I could see myself voting yes. Nationally, things really need to be shaken up - but Utah?! I really feel Utah is doing better than most states - however, Utah is also very complacent and obviously still requires change and evolution. Again, for me the voucher prop just doesn't seem to be very comprehensive or well thought out, and the timing is off - hence the reasons I might vote no.

5.) Finally, my other worry is about teacher certification. Depending on pay and benefits, etc. would the better teachers jump ship to charter/ private schools if the numbers did make an impact?! If they do, will that be the ultimate demise of public education, and what made America great?! Also, it seems Charter programs really should be held responsible for who they hire, and ensure their teachers have had the training that public schools require (or simply that make teachers, well, effective teachers). In my former years (the not so distant past) I thought that anyone could go teach (yes, I know that sounds insulting - and strange coming from someone who has invested so much in education) but now (after my few years of experience and observation of teachers) I realize how wrong I was. It takes special people, possessing a special desire to touch and build, train, and educate to really be effective teachers. I am obviously leaving our University professors out of this definition - bc as you and I both know, most university guys do not have the training to be "called professional educators" - they are rather "professional academiens" (interested in research, expertise in a single area, with little time or interest in refining how they teach/ their teaching pedagogy [in fact I would venture to say that most professors don't even know what pedagogy means])?! We need good, quality teachers, where-ever we place them - but allowing Charters to hire just anybody, seems a little risky, not to mention it would then require those individuals learn how to teach while on the job (sure we all do this to some extent) but the on the job experience (reflection in-action) is difficult, takes time - which usually a teacher doesn't have. Ultimately the charter schools should then shoulder the responsibility of training up these hires, engage them in professional development, to ensure their teachers are as qualified as they should be - but again, most charter schools don't have the time, money, resources to do this, so... you can imagine the ramifications.

I haven't finalized my thought process regarding how I am going to vote - in fact, what I shared above is just a smattering of what I was thinking about, and again what we really eventually will need is a systemic change of our educational system. I do, however, feel the best idea would be to "test" those voting to make sure they understand what they are voting on - it would be rather interesting (and somewhat amusing) to see the reaction of people if only a few hundred people passed the test, thus being permitted to vote, consequently deciding the outcome of something that so many seem to be concerned about.

Are the "Moral Dimensions of Teaching" really that important?

2007-10-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

The other day in class we discussed the Moral Dimensions of teaching. I thought it went well; the students seemed responsive, and as always, when talking about the importance of education and teaching, I felt the lesson seemed to have a positive impact on the students. Recently I read an article in the Smithsonian magazine that discussed the importance of service in our lives. Obviously, being a church going guy, and being involved in education, I immediately bought in to the article. What impressed me most about the article was its "call" to the general public to engage in "good causes - to try and make a positive influence" on our global community (in addition to the charitable donations we all make to get a few tax breaks, and which we do, because we think our donations covers the service component of our life.) The article portrayed the lives of a few individuals who after graduating top in their classes, from exemplary programs and universities, went on to work in international service organizations (ie. Green Peace, etc.) and then later returned to their "normal lives" ready to take on the world and make their millions, only to chose not to. They instead, having seen the needs of the world, decided to continue their service by working in inner city public schools, etc. in an effort to continue to give back and help build the global community, and on an equally important level, help individuals in their local communities. It was a wonderful article and made we recommit myself to trying to find other ways and areas that I could serve. I am sure we would all agree that serving others is one of the most important things we could do with our life. As if this article, coupled with teaching the Moral Dimensions of Teaching, weren't enough to re-commit me to service and charity, I came across an article on a blog that gave me an additional incentive. The article talked about how our prisons in the US have become the 4th largest city in our country! I have copied a few segments of the text below:

Based on 2005 population figures for both our prisons and U.S. cities the prison population would rank as the 4th largest city behind New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago while beating Houston out by over 200,000 people...Not only that, population growth shows the prison population outpacing the top cities’ growth figures which means it will only continue to rise in rankings and within a few years can pass the population of Chicago! Taking the 2005 prison population and comparing it against the 2005 U.S. population figures we see that nearly 1% of the population is locked up! 1 of every 100 citizens, according to our justice system, must be incarcerated. This does not begin to look at the numbers which are arrested, on probation, face charges which result in something other then confinement, this is just those incarcerated...So I further dug into the Bureau of Justice Statistics provided by the U.S. Department of Justice. It was not pretty; the numbers are too large to be comforting but the number of violent criminals’ incarcerated represent 52% of the total population. Just over half are violent criminals that have harmed another of our neighbors in the criminal conduct they pursued which led them to being incarcerated. This would mean the violent population represents the 10th largest city but it also meant there were enough non-violent criminals incarcerated to also represent the 11th largest city...In the Koppel report the focus is on the California prison system. It was designed to hold a maximum of 100,000 inmates yet is strained with the overcrowded number of 178,000. The cost per prisoner for one year of incarceration is $43,000.00 (compared to a Harvard education costing $43,200.00) and there is no relief in sight for eliminating this strain. There is no wonder why the criminal justice system and prisons are among the fastest growing segment of our economy today. We are building more prisons to house more non-violent criminals every day. Here's a link to the full article.

I can't imagine that one would argue against the need to base/ center instruction on the Moral Dimensions of Teaching - but I would like to once again, raise my hand and voice in support of continued curriculum development and pedagogical practice centered on these important principles.

How About Them Apples?!

2007-10-03T06:50:00.000-07:00

This photo was "evidently" taken at the Missouri School of Journalism. Do you think it's real, a photoshop job, or staged. I would like to think it's real :)

Sharing

2007-10-01T08:46:00.001-07:00

Being Great!

2007-09-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed President Hinckley's devotional last week (9-18) and I thought I might share a few of my reflections from his address.

President Hinckley shared a quote from Erik Weihenmayer to start his talk that I found to be inspirational, and foundational for his speech: "Greatness has little to do with talent, it's based on hard work." I am not sure if that's entirely true, but it does seem to ring true with how people learn. Many students in both higher education and K-12 environments seem to be conditioned to chase the letter grade, rather than actual learning; they feel that learning is staying up late, cramming for an exam/ finishing a project, and getting a passing grade. While this might be necessary (on some occasions), I feel real learning occurs when a student takes responsibility for their learning, is consistent with his/ her studies (volia: hard work), and thirsts for knowledge because he/ she yearns to improve who they are. Such motivation and hard work will consequently help the student develop a talent (or talents) in the area he/ she is studying. A perfect example would be programming. Although there are some who seem to easily understand this area of study, others who invest time, and truly want to understand, and dutifully work day in and day out will/ can eventually develop a talent in that area, and will ultimately have the potential to achieve greatness. Note, the greatness in this example resulted from acquiring and developing a talent based on hard work.

President Hinckley then proceeded to share and highlight a few key points from the 13th Article of Faith, which he used as an invitation and exhortation to being better:

"We believe in being ^bhonest, true, ^cchaste, ^dbenevolent, virtuous, and in doing ^egood to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we ^fhope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to ^gendure all things. If there is anything ^hvirtuous, ⁱlovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

President Hinckley reminded us to, "be honest..., be true, stand tall for the world, and honor God... be chaste..., be benevolent, meaning: reach out to others; do good for others. Be virtuous - have the strength to do whatever has need of doing. Do good to all men - reach out in forgiveness to all men; have love and mercy for all - it's the founding principle of relationships.

Finally, he concluded with a short message of comfort, reminding us that there will be more triumphs in life than failures as we try and live these principles of hard work, honestly, chastity, benevolence, virtue, and in doing good to all men.

I for one know that I could lengthen my stride in all these areas, hence the reason I was very impressed and grateful for these wise words of wisdom from President Hinckley.

A little CSS help - please?!

2007-09-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, many of you are still struggling along with your web portfolios - hopefully, tomorrow's lab will help. I have, however, given several students formative feedback on their websites = those websites seem to be coming along quite well (note: this last sentence suggests that you all might considering emailing me a link to your website so I can provide some feedback.) In an effort to help out those that are getting a little frustrated here are a few links that might of some service:

CSS Edit: This site provides you a trail download of their software that helps you learn, use, and understand CSS. I downloaded it the other day, and have found it pretty useful. I believe it's only for MACS - but of course, anything useful is usually only for MACS.

Edublog: this site is allows you to sign up for a blog/website. It is based off of WordPress; it's rather simple to use - and seems to be fairly stable. The only catch is that I don't think edublog allows you to mess around with and alter the css. If so, this is not a great choice, unless you only need a quick and dirty website that you don't want to have any design control over.

WordPress: this is a great blogging/ website building tool. You can either sign up and host your blog/ site from their site, or if you want to host your own site/ blog WordPress allows you to download it's software. If you do this you will need to have MySql and php running on your server. The main reason to download WordPress and to use it while hosting it from your own server is bc you want to have more control over the look and function of your site. It's really not too difficult to install or use.

Joomla: this is another opensource option. Joomla is a lot like WordPress - but on steroids. It does a lot more than WordPress does - and functions more like Drupal, having a lot of moodle like options (ie. creating surveys, etc.) It is a little more complex - but also more dynamic.

Remember, the main objective of this assignment is to expose you to CSS, HTML, and XHTML. The vehicle to accomplish this is building a personal portfolio website/ blog. Please remember to use all of our blog and website development resources on our delicious account.

Whoa!

2007-09-11T06:48:00.001-07:00

I know several of you might be feeling a little overwhelmed - you might even be thinking "whoa, slow down Geoff. Too many assignments... I am drowning - ahh! CSS, Wiki, XHTML, RSS, Blogs, Aggregators, ahhh...!" I guess your only consolation is that I am not Mrs. Wormwood - 50 leaves - come on!

Website Development - TEE 125

2007-09-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

Today in class we will be introducing "CSS Basics." You might find it useful to download this file containing both a CSS and HTML document. During class we will briefly present the "how to" and "why" of CSS, however, I am sure you will want to use multiple internet resources like those listed below to help you create your web portfolio.

CSS Tutorial by W3Schools

Color Picker

CSS for Beginners

Teaching and Learning

2007-09-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Today in 276 we discussed the definitions of teaching and learning. I thought I might add a few more comments on the subject based on what I learned during our faculty training seminar.

Dr. Russ Osguthorpe was the first presenter; he nicely summarized the goal of teaching: "helping students establish learning that grows and lasts." The second presenter, John Tanner, suggested that this might be accomplished by being a "guide on the side, rather than a sage on the stage." He noted that this is a challenge for many teachers, simply because they are used to lecturing, and find it easier to spew information, rather than using inquiry based methods to inspire students to thirst, search, and build knowledge for themselves. At the end of his speech he invited the faculty to create "atmospheres of participation" in their classrooms in an effort to ensure that students are actively learning. Finally he suggested that we look at our students as stars, and work towards being a refining host, helping the students become "shining stars." I found this to be a wonderful invitation - now, let's see if I can measure up.

Effective Studying

2007-09-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

I recently read this posting by Scott Young which I thought was both very timely and insightful. Although I feel many of his ideas are obvious, they do serve as a good reminder on how we might improve as learners.

His first note is a very poignant one:

Time spent studying does not equal learning.

More studying time won’t help if the way you are studying is flawed to begin with.

Holistic Learning
Smart people don’t just learn better. They learn differently. While many students get caught up in memorizing facts, intelligent learners know to seek the bigger picture and connect the facts together. This form of learning I call holistic learning.

Holistic learning is basically the opposite of rote memorization. Instead of reciting lists of facts, rules or formulas, you seek to connect ideas together. Instead of having separate boxes in your head for geometry, algebra or ancient India, you deliberately link facts together, so they form a bigger picture.

Excessive studying shows you aren’t learning holistically. It shows that you didn’t learn the material the first time. If you properly link ideas together to see the bigger picture, studying should only be a brief refresher.

How to Boost Your Study Habits
Holistic learning isn’t like a brainstorming technique or mind-mapping. It is fundamentally changing how you look at the process of learning and how you absorb information. As such, there isn’t an easy ten step program to master it.

But there are some tools that can help you shift your learning habits so they become more holistic:

1. Visceralize - You’ve probably heard of visualizing, right? Visceralizing means taking all of your senses and connecting it to information. Studies have shown that people remember more vividly information that comes to us in an emotionally aroused state. Linking feelings, senses and imagery to bland ideas makes them more real. You probably counted on your fingers when learning numbers, why can’t you do the same when you are learning now?
2. Metaphor - The heart of holistic learning is relating things together. Metaphors are literary devices that link two things that normally don’t go together. Come up with metaphors to describe more complicated ideas in simpler terms.
3. Ten Year Old Rule - Explain ideas to yourself as you would to a ten year old. Sure, this isn’t always possible in your last years of a medical degree or learning how to apply neural networks to computer AI. But the idea is that you should be able to “dumb down” an idea enough so it seems obvious to yourself.
4. Trace Back - Put away your books and start with a random fact or concept. Then relate that idea to another concept in your subject. Keep doing this tracing pattern until you’ve linked many ideas together. The Gupta Dynasty reminds you of ancient Greece which reminds you of Socrates, reminding you of Confucius…
5. Refresher Scan - Scan through information in your text book. Notice whenever you encounter information that you either don’t remember or weren’t 100% sure about. Quickly link that information back to existing ideas through viscerlization and metaphor. If your refresher scan is turning up more than a few points per chapter, you haven’t learned it thoroughly enough.
6. Compress Information - Not all information works well for holistic learning. A common point cited to me is learning anatomy for first year medical students. Anatomy involves learning arbitrary Latin names for hundreds of different elements of your body. There often aren’t clear patterns and constructs, just a dry list of facts. When encountering information such as this, your goal should be to compress it. Find ways to group information into smaller chunks of memory through pictures or mnemonics.
7. Write - Take a piece of paper and write out the connections in the information. Reorganize the information into different patterns. The key here is the writing, not the final product. So don’t waste your time making a pretty picture. Scribble and use abbreviations to link the ideas together.

PRESTO!

2007-08-28T06:19:00.000-07:00

For my grandmother's 88th birthday this year, we purchased for her a Presto Printer - which has turned out to be the best present we could ever have imagined getting her. She absolutely loves it; she calls us about every day to let us know just how much she is enjoying it (which I guess in essence defeats its purpose.) The reason we purchased it is because we felt that we needed to keep in better touch with her, and with her hearing at about 10%, and having little understanding of computers, both calling and or emailing her were not valid options (she still doesn't quite understand what email is - she thinks it is some sort of postman who types up your letters for you - hmm, not a bad idea or analogy.) At any rate, without having a great solution of how we might better keep in touch with our lovely grandma, Leah (she's a graphic designer) reminded me of the HP Presto Printer she had done some design work for. I went online and did a little research and thought, why not give it a try. It basically works like a fax machine that communicates through email. You sign up for an account ($100/year), which gets you an email address (ie. grandma@presto.com). The email address acts like the ip address for the printer - which you also buy from Presto (it too is $100.) When people email the address, the printer (which is connected through the persons phone line) downloads the info and will print it out accordingly.) It's super slick and easy. Not only can you manage the people who can send info to the person who has the printer (ie. only those you add to the person's presto friends account will be able to send info - obviously someone will need to manage the account - don't worry, my 2 year old could do this), but the printer only has two buttons, and isn't at all intimidating (the color ink cartridge just snaps in nice and easy, any type of paper will work, there are only two cords = 1 for power, and 1 to plug into a phone jack, and it looks nice too.) By no way am I trying to push or advertise for Presto - rather I am celebrating finding a great tool where everyone in our family can now communicate with our grandma at a click of a button, without her having to do anything - again, she loves it - and $200 divided amongst 20 grand kids was, well, only $10/piece - it definitely has been the best $10 I have ever spent.

Web 3.0?!

2007-08-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Perhaps you haven't even heard of Web 2.0?! If you haven't - looks like you better catch up your digital learning bc evidently people are already looking ahead to Web 3.0 - Google CEO Eric Schmidt was recently at the Seoul Digital Forum and he was asked to define Web 3.0 by an audience member. After first joking that Web 2.0 is "a marketing term", Schmidt launched into a great definition of Web 3.0. He said that while Web 2.0 was based on Ajax, Web 3.0 will be "applications that are pieced together" - with the characteristics that the apps are relatively small, the data is in the cloud, the apps can run on any device (PC or mobile), the apps are very fast and very customizable, and are distributed virally (social networks, email, etc). What are your thoughts? Where do you think the web is going? What are the implications for business, educational communities, leisure, etc.? I don't know if it's really going to be happening anytime soon - but a discussion on Web 3.0 might be worth our time?!

I'm back; too bad for generation X.

2007-06-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

So I haven't had the chance to post in some time - I was off spring, and didn't do a whole lot of blogging (although I did manage to keep up on my RSS feeds) due to a new addition in our family, however, summer semester is now in session - and I am teaching - so be ready for a few more regular postings. Here's the first of many: According to business week (see image) we, generation X, are not as "into" social networking groups as I had imagined. In fact it looks like we're being out done by the youth and teens of the day. I guess we better up our blogging, wiki use, facebook and myspace posting, if we want to save... face! The one stat that I actually found most interesting was that of RSS use; it's interesting to see that each age group seems to be using it within relatively close parameters. I hate to say it, but I really don't see my parents using RSS - in fact, I am guessing they don't even know what RSS stands for. Perhaps these stats are not as trustworthy as they present themselves. Regardless, this information is instructional helpful and should influence how we are teaching the youth of the day - besides the graphs are pretty.

The Next President of The United States

2007-05-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

No, I am not going to push a specific presidential someone - yet. But I really enjoyed reading and listening to Andrew Rasiej's discussion on the technological issues that are seemingly ignored (and or forgotten to be discussed - perhaps they are just technologically ignorant) by any of the potential presidential candidate. He listed six things that he wants the candidates to address; it seems, that he believes the candidate who does address or commits to, will be the next president (what are you thoughts? I really like #2 and #4):

1. Declare the Internet a public good
2. Provide affordable high-speed wireless Internet access nationwide
3. Support ‘Net Neutrality’
4. Instead of “No Child Left Behind,” our goal should be “Every Child Connected.”
5. Build a Connected Democracy
6. Create a National Tech Corps

Favicon

2007-05-03T10:07:00.000-07:00

This is a post from SimpleHelp that details how you can add a favicon to your site.

A favicon (short for Favorites Icon) is a great way to give your site a memorable and unique icon that will display in the browser address bar. In addition, favicon’s show up next to ‘your site’ when people bookmark it, and since most folks have a very messy bookmark list, a graphical reminder of your site beside the bookmark name it is a good way let them find it again.

1. First, select the image you want to use as a favicon. Something that blends in with your sites look, colour scheme and general “feel” is best. Since favicons are quite small, it’s a good idea not to try and get too complicated. The image you choose should be a square (64×64, 32×32 etc), and can be a jpg, gif, png, bmp etc.
2. Next, visit FavIcon from Pics - an absolutely brilliant (and free!) online tool that can generate a favicon from a picture, logo or other graphic
3. Upload your picture and click the magic Generate Favicon.ico button. You’ll be given a preview of your favicon, and if you’re happy with it, click the Download Favicon button. Favicon from Pics will prompt you to save a .zip file - save it to your desktop or wherever you prefer to save files. Unzip it.
4. Fire up your favorite FTP program (or whatever tool you use to upload files to your web site) and upload the favicon.ico file to the root of your site*. You’ll want the file to be located at www.your-site.com/favicon.ico.
5. Visit your web site to check out your new favicon! If it doesn’t appear, you may need to clear your browsers cache and then reload.

* = if you don’t have access to the root of your site, add the following line of code somewhere in the header of your html:

link rel=”shortcut icon” href=”http://www.your-site.com/path/to/favicon.ico”>

Adobe CS3

2007-05-02T12:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true, we are finally upgrading from CS to CS3 - you should all be very excited! I know I am. The suite has some fantastic new features. Check out this article to brush up on some of the new features.

Searching

2007-04-30T07:28:00.000-07:00

I know I posted on this a while back, but I am still shocked at how ineffectively people use search engines. Here is a brief, brief outline of how to improve your "quick" google/ ask.com searches:

Use "parenthesis" to find exact words; ie. "byu"
Use () braces to find a string of words; ie. (byu, cougars, provo, utah)
Use +- with () to limit your string searches; ie. (byu, cougards, provo, utah) -(byu, idaho) +(byu, hawaii)

Hope that helps.

A balancing act!

2007-04-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

I have made it an effort for some time to learn something new everyday. For example today (although I know I learned this in 8th grade geography) I quickly looked up and learned about atmospheric and barometric pressure (I know it's not an interesting topic, but my watch has this function and determines the elevation by calibrating the pressure - so I figured I better understand hPa/mbar.) At any rate, as I did the quick research, and then continued into my daily RSS reading, I started to reflect on the interesting relationship technology and I share. First, I better define what technology is. Now this is not a heuristic definition for me, yet, but it does seem to guide my current philosophy. Technology is and can be defined as anything that facilitates my life. (Go ahead, argue the point, tell me that definition is too simple, etc. - I don't mind.) The reason I subscribe to this holistic approach is because contemporary definitions of the word seem to be outdated by the time even wikipedia has listed them. At any rate, considering this definition I continue to struggle with how to balance my life vis a vis technology (life facilitation). You see, I love technology (and not in the Napolean Dynamite Kip way) for the mere fact it provides rapid, unlimited access to information. I now can learn more, more often, and quicker. But therein lies the balancing problem. Take for example my del.icio.us account - I usually will add something there each day - only after reading, sorting, and disaggregating an hour of (oftentimes) mindless weblinks (mindless, simply because they don't provide any truly innovative information or teach me something new - but I search in hopes of finding that diamond in the rough - it's an addiction.) However, despite having read about, and adding the find to my del.icio.us account I often don't recall what I put there. The other day I sorted through my account and found I had posted a few repeat links (proof), right?! I suppose this debate gets into the idea of information literacy, the ability to accurately evaluate and assess the validity, reliability, etc. of something, and then determine how you would use it, and the create a space for how you will remember it, or find it again. Volia, my quandary = how do we balance the facilitation of life (information upsurge) with being able to recall all the information we are experiencing and have access to, with the amount of time to sort, sift, and try to recall it. I suppose, that's the reason I really like social bookmarking and RSS feeds - I can subscribe to others who seem to have the same balancing problem, and then rely on their sorting abilities to share with me what they feel is important... wait a second... what if they are relying on me for the same thing - aren't we then just running in circles. O boy, now what to do I do?!

Technology in the Classroom

2007-04-04T12:24:00.000-07:00

There have been several people who have asked me "What does technology in the classroom really offer? Don't most teachers just use technology in the classroom as a means to entertain and or stay in touch with their audience?!" Ok, so, sure I have my biases (technology in the classroom is not a trend, nor is it simply a good thing to do for efficiency reasons, it's a must because it provides students tools to problem solve, critical think, learn more in depth, do more effective research, express their creativity, provide them access to a greater spectrum of information and knowledge, get them involved in the international community, etc.), but a recent article in the USA Today outlined the exact reasons why technology is needed in classrooms. The article reported several detrimental issues found in elementary schools that I believe can potentially be solved by integrating a few educational technologies. For example, here are a few quotes from the article, where I feel, had the schools/ teachers been using (or had access to technology) the learning environments and teaching performances would have been more effective: "The typical child in the USA stands only a one-in-14 chance of having a consistently rich, supportive elementary school experience ... they found just as many signs that classrooms can be dull, bleak places where kids don't get a lot of teacher feedback or face time... Fifth-graders spent 91.2% of class time in their seats listening to a teacher or working alone, and only 7% working in small groups, which foster social skills and critical thinking. Findings were similar in first and third grades... In fifth grade, 62% of instructional time was in literacy or math; only 24% was devoted to social studies or science... About one in seven (14%) kids had a consistently high-quality "instructional climate" all three years studied. Most classrooms had a fairly healthy "emotional climate," but only 7% of students consistently had classrooms high in both. There was no difference between public and private schools." If you don't know how, or don't believe how technology can rectify any of these issues please contact me - I would be more than pleased to talk to you about the detriments of only teaching "Reading, Writing, and basic Math" sans technology.

SITE and Research

2007-04-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

I spent this past week in San Antonio attending the SITE conference (yes, it's sad, but true I was in San Antonio for another full week - yikes - two of my four weeks in March were spent in San Antonio! I have nothing against the place, but, really after visiting the Alamo, the River Walk, each of the 4 missions in the area, and ... well, that's about it, what is there to do. Not to mention the weather wasn't all that great - tornadoes were hitting the area, basically imprisoning us in the hotel for the week. Needless to say I missed my fam., and was really happy to get home to the little guy and my better half.)

Now onto the reason I am posting today: I have decided, after attending 40+ sessions at the SITE conference, that there are too many mundane research projects going on (I am sure that people think that their little research projects are making a difference and or are doing some good - but to be quite honest, I highly doubt it. What I should do is - here's another one of what I am referring to - a project analyzing the effect conferences have on attendees.)

I think what we need to do, instead of all chasing different research topics and grants, is get together, pool our resources, time, talents, etc. and answer the big questions associated to our fields – especially those ones which “need” to be answered! It seems there are too many professors, professionals, etc. concerned about tenure, making a name for themselves, etc., that we aren't really doing much good for those who we serve, or the fields in which we work, or society as a whole. I know, I know, you're probably thinking "what a hypocrite!" And it's sad, but true, I too have fallen prey to this publish or perish threat; but maybe there's hope, perhaps we could get together and dare I say work together to solve difficult, important issues – who knows maybe we'll be lucky to not only actually make a difference but get a publication out of it!

Crandall Print Museum

2007-03-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

As a class we toured the Crandall Print Museum yesterday, and I really feel it was a great experience. I have now visited the museum a few times, and each time I leave with a better appreciation and understanding of print history (the invention, evolution, and use truly was miraculous and a wonderful blessing - certainly when considering that it was in essence the single attributing factor bringing mankind out of the dark ages.) Here are a few of my notes and or things I remember from our field trip to the Crandall Print Museum. (Please excuse any spelling and or grammar issues - it has yet to be read through and edited. It's just a simple smattering of my thoughts.)

1. Many of the first scriptures and other writings were composed on veal (or cafe skin), which is where we get the term "vellum".

2. In 1400 AD in Mince, Germany, a boy was born to a gold smith family named Yohan Ginsphlith; however, Yohan didn't like his name because it meant "Goose Flesh", so he changed his last name to the name his father had given their home (which evidently was a common thing to do during that time period) - the name being "Guttenburg" (meaning = good mountain.)

3. Among the many things that Guttenburg had to invent for his press he figured out the prefect metal mixture for type (which is still used today): lead (80%), antinoni (13%), and tin (7%).

4. The sprue is the end of the poured type that is broken off.

5. The composing stick is used to first set the type, from there it is moved to the galley and placed on the press inside the frame composed of 42 lines of type, and locked into place with the chase(s).

6. When the type was sorted, it was placed in a gridded box, the capital letters of the alphabet being placed in the top half of the box (or case), and the smaller (or "lower case") letters going in the bottom half. From this sequence the terms lower and upper case letters resulted.

7. He boiled linseed oil and mixed it with various oxides and candle resin to create the think black ink used in printing.

8. He came up with the idea to make ink balls, which were also called beaters, that placed the ink on the press (they were made of horse hide, stuffed ironically with goose feathers.)

9. In 4 years he printed 180 copies of the Bible composed of 1248 pages (the earliest editions were printed on vellum, and later paper - but he had to wet the paper because the ink didn't take to it too well when dry.)

10. The "tippin and friskit" was the device that held the paper in place on the press (it looked like a framing device.)

11. The "peal" was the t shaped device used to lift the wet printed paper up for hanging.

12. The illuminater was a monk who would act as the designer/ artist of the Bible, adding artist drawings, calligraphy, and color to the text.

13. From 1450 - 1500 this time period was called the "incognobula" period, where 20 million books were printed, and in essence marks the exit period of the dark ages. One reason it was possible for 20 million books to be printed was due in large part to the 6 different print shops Guttenburg trained and tried to get going (eventually he lost funding and his creditors shut him down) - yet, his training survived and all his apprentices went their separate ways, establishing their own printing shops all throughout Europe.

14. Benjamin was born in 1706 AD, he was 1 of 17 kids born to a candlestick maker. At twelve, similar to other boys his age, he was expected to get an apprenticeship. He didn't like the candle business, so we signed a contract with his older brother working as an apprentice printer. He helped bring the English Common Press to the United States, and in 1733 he printed his 1st almanac, but under the name Saunders (his alter ego/ pen name.)

15. Thomas Payne wrote the "Crisis Papers" to give moral to the losing American troops - first large scale print propaganda in American wartime history.

16. On June 7, 1776 in the senate it was proposed that the early settlements break away from English rule under King George the 3rd (he was heavily taxing them, etc.) The "Crisis Papers" were printed to help "advertise"/ spread the word that this was happening. Later, after much discussion, Thomas Jefferson was asked to write the Declaration of Independence (from England), which in essence started the British American war (note: George Washington, the only man having any real substantial military experience was asked to lead the American troops - which weren't really troops at all; most of the American men were trades and craftsmen. However, the Americans were lucky enough to have the French become their allies, and that the British made a critical wartime error trapping their ships in Chesapeake bay during the winter months.

17. The Grandin print room was 17.5' X 33'. It had two presses, 1 wood and a 1 new iron one.

18. By the early 1800's there had been little improvements to the printing process - in fact Guttenburg's process was still the premise of all printing efforts for many more years. It had been 380 years since Guttenburg's first invention and still not a lot had changed.

19. Grandin was just 23 years old when asked to print 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon (an outlandish number - no press in the country had an order that large at the time.) Joseph was just 24 years old.

20. Note: The 2/3 sealed portion of the Book of Mormon was most likely sealed with bees wax, were made of a 75% gold and 25% silver mixture, weighing probably 80 lbs.

21. The entire Book of Mormon was translated in 85 days, and was immediately copied in hand by Oliver Cowdery (a school teacher) to protect the original transcriptions. The copied manuscript was taken to the press a few pages at a time in secrecy - to prevent from robbery and mobbing.

22. The paper used at the time was called "Foolscap" because that was the type of paper used to make "dunce caps" for students sent to the corner.

23. John Gilbert was the oldest guy working for Grandin, he was 27. He is the one who set the type for the Book of Mormon - because the original text didn't have any punctuation he set the type not only, as print required, upside down and backwards, but also added all the punctuation. There were 592 pages he had to set. He had a few 14 year old apprentice boys who would have been present to help "throw-away" the type (put it back in the case) and move paper around, etc.

24. All 5000 copies (again an incredible #) were printed in 7 months (they worked 11hrs/day 6days/wk).

25. Because the printed back to back, they printed 2500 pages, then flipped all of those over and printed on the back side 2500 times. They were only able to print 16 pages of the 592 pages of the Book of Mormon at a time, which means they had to go through the print process 37 times, which meant they had to do 185,000 press pulls, and 185,000 inkings.

26. A similar print process was used until 1979 when the last Bible was printed - now copies and high end special printing processes have been developed and are used.

ITEA and TECA: San Antonio

2007-03-20T12:10:00.001-07:00

I must admit, I had a great time at ITEA in San Antonio; this was due in large part to our wonderful students. From Weds. through Sat., 19 of our TTE students attended this years ITEA and TECA conference with Dr. Shumway, Dr. Berrett, and I. We attended several sessions together, furthering our understanding and skill use of various technological issues, while competing in five separate engineering, teaching, and communication competitions. Our students did quite well in the various competitions, placing 1st in the pedagogy and teaching challenge, 2nd in one of the engineering challenges, and 3rd in another. We also placed 4th in the quiz bowl - although, really we should have placed first (we answered of the questions with the right answer but were graded incorrect.) I was proud of how our students carried themselves, they were stellar representatives of both our department and BYU. I am equally proud to have the opportunity to work with and beside each one of these students. Here are a few photos (pics and pics2 ) from the trip.

Tags: BYU+technology+education+ITEA+TECA

How well do you read?!

2007-03-19T14:03:00.000-07:00

I Can Read this. Can You?

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too

Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht
I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a
rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the
ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and
lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you
can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos
not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh?
yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs
forwrad it .

So, you want to teach!

2007-03-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

This past Friday while walking through the career fair and eating lunch with several of the district representatives, I was encouraged to discover that there are good people out there trying to make positive differences in public education. One such district was Lancaster, CA. As I talked with the two principals representing Lancaster I was impressed with their interest in technology education, teacher support and training, and their passion for teaching. They mentioned that even as principals they loved to still be in the classroom working with the students; it seemed that they really understand the importance and joy of teaching. Their passion reminded me of a quote by Pres. David O. McKay, "No greater responsibility can rest upon any man [or woman], than to be a teacher of God's children" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1916, 57). Note: Lancaster, CA. is located about an hour in land from Orange County, has a starting pay scale at $42,000, with great benefits, in addition to a relatively lost cost of living. Although most of the people at the career fair seemed to be looking for elementary ed. teachers, I still feel technology is a viable, exciting area to be involved in.

Learning CSS

2007-03-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

Here is a short list of several sites I have found useful for learning the basics of CSS:

http://www.html.net/tutorials/css/introduction.asp

http://www.barelyfitz.com/screencast/html-training/css/positioning/

http://www.w3schools.com/css/css_intro.asp

http://www.cssbasics.com/

http://www.csszengarden.com/

Technology Education Posters

2007-03-07T14:22:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to your poster designs. (For those of you reading this blog that will click on the link and think "what the?!" here's a brief description of the assignment: The students were challenged to create a poster that would both represent Technology Education, and draw female interest to the major. Note: one of the goals of the College of Engineering this year at BYU is to increase female interest in the college; we decided advertising to the female student body via posters would be one way to accomplish that. Email me with what you think should be the winning poster to be displayed in the Wilk.)

A few thoughts about design.

2007-03-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

I was largely impressed with your work on the last assignment (I will post a link to them soon) however I did want to mention a few things:

Adobe Creative Suite 3 comes out in 3 weeks - let the count down begin.

Here are some interesting billboards (in essence posters to fit with our current design unit) that hopefully inspire your creative side for your next assignment.

Flash Gaming

2007-03-01T20:52:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I am pleasantly impressed (and surprised) by the amount of work and learning I feel occured in regards to the lastest TTE 350 project (Flash game programming); I really feel those that presented their work today did a great job. Here are the links to those games presented (and submitted on time) today:

Spencer's Brain Freeze Game

Larkin's Space Invader Game

Khristen's Shop till you drop Game

Erica's MS Paint App

Christian's Manical Brick Game

Amanda's Baby Calming Cow Milking Game

Ben's Beat the Queen Game

Both Jordan and Adam also completed their games on time, but haven't put their links in moodle - when they do we'll add their games to this post.

Package Design

2007-02-26T12:27:00.000-08:00

Although not everyone had there package designs in on time I thought I would put a link to those who met the deadline. It seems that everyone did their research, and given the time constraints, did a pretty good job (although some of you focused more on product design rather than package.)

Just because...

2007-02-22T11:48:00.000-08:00

I received this email forward some time ago, and I have always found it to be a little humorous; however, the real reason I am posting this is because we have had a lot of absences as of late and hopefully no one was planning on using any of these.

Sick Notes

These are real notes written by parents in a Tennessee school district...(spellings have been left intact.)

1. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.

2. Please exkuce lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot.

3. Dear school: please ecsc's john being absent on jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.

4. Please excuse gloria from jim today. She is administrating.

5. Please excuse roland from p.e. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

6. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.

7. Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.

8. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.

9. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.

10. Please excuse ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

11. Please excuse pedro from being absent yesterday. He had (diahre, dyrea, direathe), the s***s. [note: words in ( )'s were crossed out] .

12. Please excuse tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak.

13. Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.

14. Please excuse jimmy for being.It was his father's fault.

15. I kept billie home because she had to go christmas shopping because i don't know what size she wear.

16. Please excuse jennifer fo! R missing school yesterday. We
forgot to get the sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it monday. We thought it was sunday.

17. Sally won't be in school a week from friday. We have to attend her funeral.

18. My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the marines.

19. Ple ase excuse jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well.

20. Please excuse mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.

21. Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover.

22. Please excuse brenda. She has been sick and under the doctor.

23. Maryann was absent december 11-16, because she had a fever,sore throat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick,fever an sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night.

Now we know why parents are screaming for better education for our kids!

Package Design

2007-02-20T06:52:00.000-08:00

Today we will begin class by presenting corporate identities (be ready to justify and professionally explain your designs.) Afterwards we will have a second brief intro into package design - I hope you have taken time to do some research in this area because understanding the current trends and market should influence your design. Here's one we worked on a while back.

Logo Design

2007-02-15T09:33:00.000-08:00

I came across this (as most of you did who use google as a primary search engine) and thought, "my design students better take a look at this and tell me what they think of this logo design?!" Is the "l" missing or did the designer think the stem of the cherry would work as the "l".

Bonnie Parkin: BYU Feb. 13 Devotional

2007-02-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

I was really touched by Bonnie Parkin's remarks in today's devotional (to be honest every time I have the chance to sit in and or listen to the weekly devotional I come away feeling a little more inspired - I guess the question then would be "why don't I make a more valiant effort to watch/ listen to every devotional and forum?!) At any rate, what I wanted to share was a quick smattering of my thoughts resulting from Sister Parkin's talk.

She first asked us to analyze our heart (in reference to Valentines day), asking "How's your heart?"

I don't think she only used this as an ice-breaker, I believe it tied nicely in with her message: "Never suppress a generous thought!"

I couldn't help but feel that she was directly talking to me, and that a lot of what she shared directly connects with teaching. Look at the following examples:

1.) She invited us to "go beyond our callings." Well, a good teacher goes beyond the 7:30 - 3:30 schedule, taking time to meet with students, supporting them in sporting events, plays, musicals, etc. (Not to mention really just being a teacher is going beyond your calling as a disciple of Christ. I honestly feel that it is a lot easier to go into industry, you will have a 9 - 5 type schedule, where you really won't have to deal with the legal, ethical, emotional part of life concerning 100s of other people.)

2.) Sister Parkin asked us "What is your personal ministry?" She continued this statement by stating that we are accountable for what we were entrusted with, and to which we promised to do. I really feel firstly as human beings, and second as Christians, we have a stewardship to reach out to others; I believe man is innately good - so let us do good. Secondly, as teachers you have a special stewardship and opportunity to work with and influence so many different people; it really is an amazing responsibility in terms of opportunity and magnitude. The sad thing is when teachers either don't realize this or forget it (due to time, politics, or laziness.)

3.) I felt that when Sister Parkin quoted the scripture when Christ was refuting the Pharisitical condemnation of His spending time with sinners "they that are whole need not a physician," that she really was referencing again what teachers are all about. Our responsibility is to reach out to each student, and be a physician in their lives (this is not easy - see my previous post), it's a burden, there is a fine line to walk, but it is necessary (think about the Moral Dimensions of teaching.)

4.) Personal ministries are all about love and relationships. This same formula works with teaching. Teaching (that is "good teaching") is all about love and relationships. You need to have a passion (a love) for teaching, for helping others, and create the appropriate relationships with students, parents, faculty, and staff that ensures a positive, effective, learning and growth atmosphere exists in your classroom and at your school. Many of your students will remember you for the rest of their lives and either draw strength and fond memories from your efforts and time spent with them, or they will forget you, not feeling that you offered anything of important to them (this will not always be simply academic things.)

5.) Finally, I appreciated Sister Parkin's invitation to put aside our selfish ways, to allow others to serve us - being willing to receive, and to be part of the answer to a prophet's prayer. Wow, what a wonderful invitation that not only suggests we can see a miracle in our own lives, but help work them in others.

I am proud to be a teacher, it is not easy, nor glamorous, but it is definitely worth it. BYU devotionals are great - no more missing.

A few thoughts about teaching!

2007-02-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

Last night while I listened to the news report on the shootings at Trolley Square, I realized once again how important teachers are. The following was a forward I received in an email regarding a teaching job description:

After being interviewed by the school administration, the eager teaching prospect said: "Let me see if I've got this right. You want me to go into that room with all those kids, and fill their every waking moment with a love for learning, and I'm supposed to instill a sense of pride in their ethnicity, modify their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse and even censor their T-shirt messages and dress habits. You want me to wage a war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, check their backpacks for weapons of mass destruction, and raise their self esteem. You want me to teach them patriotism, good citizenship, sportsmanship, fair play, how to register to vote, how to balance a checkbook, and how to apply for a job. I am to check their heads for lice, maintain a safe environment, recognize signs of anti-social behavior, make sure all students pass the state exams, even those who don't come to school regularly or complete any of their assignments. Plus, I am to make sure that all of the students with handicaps get an equal education regardless of the extent of their mental or physical handicap. I am to communicate regularly with the parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card. All of this I am to do with just a piece of chalk, a computer, a few books, a bulletin board, a big smile AND on a starting salary that qualifies my family for food stamps! You want me to do all of this and then you tell me... I CAN'T PRAY?"

I never said teaching would be easy - only that it's worth it (think of the impact you may have on an individual, community, family, etc.)!

Intelliflix and Verbatim

2007-02-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

Please tell me someone else thinks this is strange. (I found a similar post on Digg). Intelliflix (a company just like Netflix) is offering a free membership when you purchase a pack of DVD-Rs or +Rs .... what the?! Are they suggesting what I think they're suggesting?!

Obama

2007-02-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

I am not posting this message to make a political statement, but I must admit Obama has really made an interesting effort in establishing his new social networking site:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/user/login?successurl=L3BhZ2UvZGFzaGJvYXJkL3ByaXZhdGU

It's interesting that Obama feels that hosting a site where others can social bookmark, blog, chat, etc. will help him in his presidential candidacy; regardless of the efficacy and benefits of this effort, I do think this is very telling of the direction politics is taking.

A visit from a printer/ business man!

2007-02-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

Today as the guest speaker (Matt Sherry) visits I would hope you all take the time to really understand the field of technology he represents and its impact on us, society, and the environment. I went through the STLs this morning and picked out one of them that I feel best connects with the discussion/ guest lecture today:

STL 3
Students will develop an understanding of the relationships among technologies and the connections between technology and other fields of study.
So, the questions you might/ should be asking are: What technologies are associated/ used in the print industry? What and how do they impact other things in our lives and world? Why do I need/ should I know this technology, what good is it for me, what are it's impacts and carryovers? What does this technology do for other areas of society? Here are some possible issues to consider = future trends, evolution, collaboration (world sharing, consortium), copyright issues, carry over into other subject areas, etc.)
business

Corporate Identities: Things to Consider

2007-02-05T06:36:00.000-08:00

Some of you have got a great start on your corporate identities; however, as I have given you some formative feedback, I have wondered if you have considered a few of these logistical items listed below. These are important issues (in addition to what we discussed in class) that you need to ensure you have considered when designing corporate identities. Also, I have noticed several of you are putting a lot of time into the logo idea and concept - which is good - but because you have a deadline you need to quickly get some audience feedback and move on.

1. Audience (what are you trying to communicate; remember think market, culture, global vs. local, what type of visual connection and content should there be, etc.)
2. Client wants and needs (overall concept look and feel)
3. Cost of printing (where are you going to print at, do they have special requirements?)
4. How many colors (increase # of colors = increased cost; also might prove more difficult for printing on different mediums/ colors.)
5. Spot colors and varnishes (standing out vs. cost vs. printing on different items)
6. Paper type and quality (where is the paper coming from? What type, color, weight of paper are you going to use, etc.?)
7. Quantity (how many do you need to get started; new hires; etc.)
8. Reproducibility
9. Evolution/ contemporary issues
10. Copyright/ trade mark issues

Screen Casts

2007-02-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

Today I will be changing the next assignment - I think we should try something a little bit different. Here are a few links that might be of some service:

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/utilities/snapzprox/

http://www.pure-mac.com/screen.html

http://www.freemacware.com/category/general/

Flash Fastforward Example

2007-02-01T07:08:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to the Flash MX sample file of "FastForward and Rewind." You can also go to our moodle and get the fla and or swf file. Hopefully that is of some service.

BYU French Studies

2007-01-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to the BYU French Studies Logo Design competition. A few of our students have already submitted their logos - others to come shortly. Thus far, and according to the principles of design, I believe the winner comes from our class (although we did an audience analysis I don't think anyone contacted the client - next time that should be a must.)

Logo Design

2007-01-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

I came across an interesting article on web 2.0 logo design on Digg today, and although it is a tongue and check thing it's worth a rapid read, certainly when considering it has to do with what we're studying.

I am excited about being part of the French Studies design contest, however, I must be honest with you: to win you will have to beat out any and everyone out there who thinks they can design (which means anyone who owns Photoshop, and or Illustrator, maybe, dare I say it, even MS Word, or Paint - yuck), and your design will really need to be hit the various audience market we discussed in class: BYU admin, BYU French faculty, BYU students studying French, members (be it RMs, actually Frenchies, etc.) of the French club, etc. In addition your design will have to be original, but not so crazy that it wouldn't look good on various types of media (shirts, cups, golf balls, letter head, website, email signature, etc.) I have a sneaking feeling some of you think logo design is a lot easier than it is; it's not hard to communicate, but it is hard to effectively communicate the message you want! At any rate this will be a good experience - and because I think it is a helpful practical learning adventure I am going to modify the Photoshop assignment - stay posted.

Photoshop

2007-01-24T06:45:00.000-08:00

I know most of you have used Photoshop - but the question is what do you know that someone else might not?! Or how about what can you learn from each other. This is going to be an exploration, teaching moment for everyone, because your next assignment requires that you find and do 10 tutorials, maybe they are something you discover or perhaps you used a tutorial site; it doesn't matter as long as you become more familiar with photoshop by the end of this next week. Here are a few tutorial sites I have used (if you know of any that are of high quality please add them as a comment to this post.)

http://www.planetphotoshop.com/tutorials.html

http://www.good-tutorials.com/

http://www.absolutecross.com/tutorials/photoshop/

http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Photoshop/1

http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials.htm

http://www.phong.com/tutorials/

The tutorials you will need to complete as the in-class portion of today's lecture will be posted after the lecture to ensure that you try and capture what we are explaining. Good luck.

Flash Fast Forwarding Example

2007-01-23T21:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to an quick example of fast forwarding that you can use.

Illustrator Short-cuts!

2007-01-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

Seth asked and so here's a true gem for him and for you all (although really all it is, is a summary of the shortcut keys Illustrator exports under "Edit > Shortcut Keys.") Hope you are all refining your skills and getting ready to make some pretty amazing designs.

Sweet Flash Stuff

2007-01-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

Today Trevor the TA will be demonstrating some pretty sweet flash stuff (tuts on zoom, sound, fastforward, etc.)

Also we will be starting our advanced Flash animation (note this means it has to be REALLY sweet - see the following examples and make yours that much better.) Note: you should plan to invest 12 hours of work - this means again we want Sundance film festival levels of quality.

Magical Trevor 2

Magical Trevor 3

Megaman

Strong Bad on cartooning

Strongest man in the world - homestarrunner

Jedi Training

Jaws - the bunny version

Animator vs. Animator

Things to consider when making a Flash animation (whoa, the tips are so similar to camera work in video production): camera angle, lighting, shot selection, story line, etc.

Interview Time

2007-01-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post on my pre and post interview experience with the Alpine School District today (perhaps this will be a boring useless post, or perhaps will be of some service to…. I don’t know. At least it will help me get some of my thought out of my head and into writing – which is one part of the interview process, except for the fact that I actually will be “hand-writing” for the written portion!!! Can you believe that? The only things that write, are well, nothing. Typing is and has been the accepted medium of print and digital communication for sometime. Needless to say if I bomb the interview I will be blaming the ridiculous assignment to use handwriting for the written portion of the interview process.) Here’s the pre. (Note: I didn’t read back through this – because it’s time to go – so forgive the grammar, it really is just a smattering of thoughts.)

At any rate, as I have thought about this interview process I have tried to imagine the types of questions I might be asked. I have gone through interview processes before, interviewed people for positions, etc. Here’s how and what I have prepared.

Step 1, do your background research. Know the direction, mission, accomplishments of the company, etc. For example with the Alpine School district I know they are one of the biggest school districts in Utah, which has its pros and cons. They do have significant challenges facing them regarding issues of size, demographics, funding, etc. Pedagogically speaking the Alpine district has introduced several programs they feel will have a positive impact on teaching and student performance. The first being the Monday Teacher Collaboration experience, where teachers and administrators get together to discuss important issues, do teacher training, develop common assessments, etc. The second has to do with working with At Risk Students, GATE students, and using data driven instruction to improve achievement (obviously I am more into student learning than student achievement), but I have to admit common assessments are a great tool to bring teachers together, where they can collaborate, analyze data, find common themes and in essence improve their efforts because they have a better understanding of who teaches what most effectively – inducing peer mentoring, etc.

Step 2, prepare an umbrella statement. I define an umbrella statement as a rapid intro. to who you are, what you are about, strengths, weaknesses (how you turned those into strengths), and what your future plans are (make these aligned with your audience’s direction.) And then as you present this statement and summary through in key words, ask questions to the interviewing committee, and be as eloquent as possible. For example, I will discuss how educational administration is an integral part to successful schools. Principles today face more demanding, stressful issues than ever before. Recently principals are more often in court, involved in political issues, etc. Because of these demands I believe the schools need individuals who understand contemporary issues, are problem solvers, hard workers, organized, have an ability to lead, and critically think. Also I will be including in my umbrella statement an understanding of, and want to help others more effectively adhere to and integrate, the moral dimensions of teaching .The funny thing about bring this up in my umbrella statement is that I really do believe the moral dimensions clearly define what we should be about as teachers: 1.) We should be about enculturating our students in a social and political democracy – since we are in the business in creating honest, hard working, intelligent citizens. 2.) We should be about providing equal access of knowledge to all students – ensuring that both the high, low, and middle range students all receive their fair chance to learn and push their skill sets. (This is not easy to do, most teachers either focus on high end or low end students and forget about the largest group of students – those in the middle.) 3.) We should be about understanding and being active stewards of our schools. Often teachers are 7:30 – 3:30 individuals and won’t take an active role in other school responsibilities. 4.) And finally we should be about practicing a nurturing pedagogy. Teachers should not be vesicles that distribute information, rather they should be facilitators helping students acquire information, critically think about the info, and turn the info into knowledge. Remember: students are not blank slates – we need to empower them; teachers need to use affective, psychomotor, and cognitive means to push students. In addition teachers should be interested in evaluating and assessing their own performance as it relates to the student performance. If teachers use various sources of qualitative and quantitative data they will be able to triangulate where they could improve their efforts and consequently student learning. I believe one of the final things I will include in my umbrella statement is an understanding, belief in, and support of the INTASC standards, and Utah Professional Teaching Standards. Teachers don’t come into the classroom totally refined and able to perfectly teach, they need continual growth – further developing their classroom performance. Because of this I believe an administrator’s role is one first and foremost as instructional leader. In the past they have been more managers (which is important) but really they should be about improving teaching (this can be done by working with teachers and by working with students.) The INTASC standards and Utah Professional Teaching Standards are wonderful frameworks that guide how administrators can work with teachers. The standards suggest several things: how teachers nee to make content meaningful, understand diverse instructional practices, understanding educational theory and learning psychology, how teachers need to use all sorts of instructional practices, incorporating media, verbal and non verbal practices, how teachers need to understand and use formal and informal evaluations and assessment to guide their instructional and practices, how they need to be involved in professional organizations and continual professional development, how they need to work with parents and the community to ensure students are receiving a practical educational experience, how they need to plan and develop effective instruction based on state and local standards, how to encourage critical and dynamic thinking among the students, pushing them to be something more than they had envisioned, and finally how to use common assessments, standardized test scores and other anecdotal findings to ensure the students are actually learning not simply achieving.

Step 3, dress appropriately. Common sense.

Step 4, be on-time.

Step 5, be honest. Be yourself. Let them know you care about the position, and that you have passion for the tasks required by the position..

Step 6, prepare yourself to ask some interesting questions, like “tell me about an important accomplishment in your life”, (whatever this accomplishment is tie it to the position.) Or better yet, “Describe a problem situation and how you solved it.” (Again with this one focus on the process of critical thinking not on the actual event – however, I would make the event relate to the position for which you are interviewing.) For example today I will, if asked a similar question, talk about working with “at risk” students and the program I helped set up and run at MRJH (Student Led Peer Mentoring Program.)

Step 7, don’t be pushy, overbearing, or something that you’re not. People see through fakes.

Step 8, look the interviewers in the eye; always try and answer in a positive manner, use your smile, and really let your best personality be shown – but again not overbearing.

Step 9, it’s not wrong – in fact it is a great practice to ask the people interviewing questions – as long as they are intelligent and demonstrate that you respect their position and are simply trying to better understand the company, etc.

Step 10, be sincere, thank them, show courtesy for their time (don’t ramble on – answer the questions, give thanks and praise, then get out of there – one a good note.)

Finally, ask them when you could follow up, and send them a thank you note after the interview.

I know this was lengthy – if you read it – congrats. Mostly I did it to ensure that I have thought through the process for my interview today – wish me good luck.

Principles of Graphic Design

2007-01-10T06:50:00.000-08:00

I don't think I have ever come across anything more informative (yet simple and effective) and well done as mundi's design site dedicated to teaching some of the essentials of graphic design (it has been down for some time; however, some time ago he had a download link - so I took the opportunity to download this great educational resource for graphic design.) I hope he doesn't mind me posting a link to it (and hosting it) so others can continue to benefit from his great work.

As graphic designers or teachers instructing others on graphic design I really feel this is a great resource. Although it might not be a comprehensive guide, it does provide wonderful insight into the main components of graphic design. For the purposes of our class you will need to be familiar with (know) the elements and principles of graphic design - mundi's site/ presentation will help.

Helping build a freeware database.

2007-01-09T12:36:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you care, or want to help me build a helpful list of freeware, but I have decided that I will shttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.giftart cataloging some of the freeware apps I have come across that I have found to be of service to me. I invite your feedback and input. If you know of any please post it to the wiki or as a comment to this post. Thanks.

Here's the link: http://ttebyu.pbwiki.com/Freeware

Also you might want to stop by my de.licio.us that I (and hopefully you) will still be adding to in an effort to post some of the great finds I (we) continue to come across each day.

Here's the link:

Exit Interview

2006-12-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

I am happy to announce that nearly everyone passed his or her exit interview with flying colors (FYI that expression comes from military lingo, referring to when an army would fly their colors upon winning a battle – wikipedia is great.)

Lacie asked me to make a summary of some of my findings and thoughts resulting from the exit interviews. Here is a brief smattering:

First, let me mention that one’s teaching philosophy is somewhat a personal endeavor that should be continuously revisited, revised, and developed; however, I should advise that unless you actually take the time to write about and actually express what your teaching philosophy is I don’t think your philosophy will be of much service or clear to you or anyone else. Hence the reason why I really wanted you to reflect, write, and verbalize (share) this with me. It was interesting to listen to your responses and learn from each of you. I hope you found the experience beneficial.

As you might realize the entire exam you wrote had to do with your teaching philosophy and really didn’t need to be broken down into parts; in fact I was waiting for someone to come into their exit interview and to spew out everything they had written (to be honest I don’t think that would have been inappropriate.)

I hope it is clear to you that your teaching philosophy can be as simple and or detailed as you like, however, I would again advise you to fault on being too over detailed. Included in your “detailing” efforts you should include key “educational buzz-words (contemporary accepted/ used terms in the educational community); here’s the list:

Student led instruction, data driven instruction, formative assessment, summative assessment, evaluation, formative evaluation, summative evaluation, rubrics, learning growth and progression, student conferencing, peer collaboration, student collaboration, critical reflection, self-evaluation (assessment), life long learners, teacher pacing, critical thinking, problem solving, teaching passion and personality, teacher professionalism, creative dynamic learning environment (re: your classroom and teaching approach), standards based, moral dimensions, scaffolding, transfer of knowledge, etc.

(If you are unfamiliar with how these words/ phrases tie into your teaching philosophy let me know and we can further discuss them; in fact if you would ever like to put me on the “hot-seat” and hear my responses to the questions I posed to you during your exit interview please feel free to drop.)

Below I have listed the type of questions you answered during your exit interviews (hopefully you notice that each of the questions subsequent to the first question asking: ‘what is your teaching philosophy’ all are in essence part of the response to what is your teaching philosophy.)

What is your teaching philosophy?

What is learning?

What is teaching?

What does effective high quality teaching look like?

What is the role of a learner?

What is the role of a teacher?

Tell me about the moral dimensions of teaching.

Tell me about the Standards for Technological Literacy.

Tell me why you feel technology education is important.

What are and tell me about the roles of assessment and evaluation in learning?

What does your classroom environment look and feel like?

Optimized search queries.

2006-12-04T12:13:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered how to perform more exacting search queries. Here's a list of improved strategies that hopefully are of some service:

1.) Don't bother using "a", "and", "how", etc. These words are considered STOP words by search engines (meaning they skip over them); they will usually cause your search to take longer too.

2.) Use the word "or" - this means if you are doing a search for jack and jill - get rid of the "and" bc the search engine all considers that variable and use "or" if you are actually only searching for jack or jill.

3.) If you really want to use the word "how" in your search, use the "+" button and the word "how"; for example "+how cars work" will give you a site about how cars work, whereas "how do cars work" will not be as effective.

4.) The same goes for the "-" symbol.

5.) The "~" will find synonymous words on other pages. Example: ~grass will show finds related to lawn, weed, field, etc.

6.) Use """" - quotations around words that you actually want to find or search. Example: if you are searching for the website techintheclass, type "techintheclass"

7.) Use the word "related" if you want to find things related to a website. Example: if I was trying to find a website related to techintheclass I would put the following in the search box: related:http://techintheclass.blogspot.com

8.) Use google directories to use only handpicked websites to search: http://directory.google.com/ (you may also want to try the following category specific google search sites: http://answers.google.com/answers/, http://books.google.com/, http://scholar.google.com/, http://blogsearch.google.com/)

9.) Finally use operators (if you can remember them) - see the pic for a list of some common ones.

Info summarized from: http://www.informit.com/articles/article.asp?p=675274&seqNum=1&rl=1

I fail, you fail, we all fail!

2006-11-30T13:14:00.000-08:00

I attended a meeting this afternoon as part of my "New Faculty Development Seminar" series and thought I would share with you a little of what I learned and discovered.

To begin his speech the presenter shared a story about a time when a graduate student visited him in his officer upon completing his MBA and prior to leaving to start his Ph.D. at a major university. During this visit the student mentioned to the professor, "All I see ahead of me are struggles; but when I look at you all I see is success." The professor said he went to his office door, closed it, and then pulled up a chair next to the student and looked him in the eye and said "I would be a failure and amiss to let you leave here thinking that." He then went on to share Jacob 4:7 with the student, "Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things." He told the student that he had experienced a life full of struggles - that we all do - that's an important part of life. He continued by telling him "life is difficult; once we accept that, then we can transcend it. Most people don't accept that life is difficult, rather they moan about it. However, through our suffering we learn to distinguish between good and evil, and consequently experience growth and refinement. Therefore we must accept that life is difficult so we can transcend the struggles and realize our potential."

While listening to this professor I realized that when we are discouraged as teachers we should be careful not to simply/ quickly "adopt the newest instructional technology, rather we should master the fundamentals of good teaching." In essence that is a summary of what 276 has been all about. We don't (at least I don't) want students to necessarily look at us (me) and think "wow, this guy really knows it all, he's the smartest, most organized, etc." rather I would hope we want students that know “just being around you will change their lives.”

As we come to a close this semester I hope you understand that I know this has been a difficult semester, adjusting to a new professor, new major, among other things. I appreciate your patience and support. I do, however, hope you realize that I appreciate your efforts, and true dedication to learning, and your investment to refine your understanding, knowledge, and teaching skills. If you are discouraged and have any insight and or feedback for me regarding the class, or anything else please come and see me.

Here are a few other tid-bits I picked up today:

"Don't pretend to know all the answers, because you won't/ can't; but do trust that there are answers; your challenge and responsibility is to have the skill set and ability to find them, and to teach others how to find them."

"The best thing you can do for your students is to sanctify yourself."

Yes, I'm back.

2006-11-30T07:33:00.000-08:00

YES - I can blog again; strange relief.

As the semester comes to a close (yes, we only have 2 weeks left) we still have much to do.

TTE 276
1.) The secretaries have a sign up list for your exit interview and oral exam.
2.) Be working on your final exam; obviously it can't be "officially" due until Dec. 21 - but who wants to wait that long - and besides, you basically need to have it done for your exit/ oral interview/ exam.
3.) Be working on your moodle classes. I have been browsing around and the only one that I have seen which seems to have some things posted and going is Erica's. You should invest a minimum of 15 hours on your moodle class. These need to be good! You need to include = assignments, daily lecture schedule, lesson plans, work samples,quizzes, etc. This may double count for some of you later classes in your TTE career - besides it will be useful to all of you as you student teach or actually go and teach.
4.) We don't have official lecture time anymore - however, I will be in the lab/ office during class time to give you formative feedback.
5.) Here's a direct link to your moodle site.

TTE 125
1.) Lab time Friday, Dec. 1
2.) Lab time Monday, Dec. 4
3.) 3D Modeling and Programming presentations Wednesday, Dec. 6, and Friday, Dec. 8
4.) Portfolio will not be officially due until Dec. 20 - however, in light of the increased expectations you might want to get some formative feedback, also the sooner you get it in the sooner you can enjoy the snow in the mountains.

Updates

2006-11-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

Ok so here's the layout for the next few days (I know you might feel that I have assigned a lot of work - however, as the comic suggests set the standards high and ..., well, maybe the analogy doesn't work?!):

TTE 125: Today (Nov. 20) your Flash instructional projects are due! We will also be starting our Flash capstone projects (due = Monday Nov. 27th). That means tomorrow (Tuesday being a Friday instruction day - why does BYU do that?!) will be more Flash capstone work/ lab time. Alan and Todd should be around to answer questions but I will be away. See me today during or after class with any questions.

TTE 276: Remember NO class this week! We will meet after the break on Tues. Nov. 21st during our normally scheduled class time. During that lecture we will finish the STLs, and discuss Private and Charter schools. Note: the only assignments you have left are your final and capstone "build a class" assignment. If you have any questions please be sure to contact me.

powered by performancing firefox

"Mini-computer" anyone?!

2006-11-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

Here is a new mini computer - that I hope is coming out - I haven't been able to find an official release - but let's be honest this would be sweet.

A little help please (re: Flash)!

2006-11-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

To be of a little more service I am listing a few Flash tutorial sites I have found useful (or which sound helpful). Also as a side note some of you have talked with me about doing some pretty interesting (although fairly difficult things with your instructional project) in light of your "never say die" attitude I am amending the assignment for those that want to do several tutorials and build something "amazing." This means your capstone and your instructional activity can be combined - but only if you are willing to do more than 2 tutorials and it pushes you to the limit (seriously)! Before doing the combo assignment - talk with me first. The instructional unit was not designed to push you to do a ton of programming, but rather push you to think about creating something that would be of service to others (capable of teaching something.) That said here are the tutorial sites:

http://www.devlisting.com/category.php?cat=4

http://www.flashkit.com/tutorials/

http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Flash/1

http://www.flashdesignerzone.com/tutorials/

http://www.flashguru.co.uk/category/flash-tutorials/

http://www.developingwebs.net/flash/

http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/default.asp

http://www.flashperfection.com/

http://www.w3schools.com/flash/default.asp

http://www.kirupa.com/

http://www.echoecho.com/flash.htm

http://www.flashdeveloper.nl/g_flash_Tutorials.html

http://www.cbtcafe.com/flash/

Devotional: Tues. Nov. 14th

2006-11-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

I was really touched by the words of President Monson during Tuesday's devotional. I deeply respect this wonderful man who has dedicated his life to helping others. Below is a brief personal capture of his sermon.

President Monson began his talk by discussing several historical settings he had witnessed and experienced, and then suggested that the gate of history and our life swing on small hinges. He suggested that there are 3 gates we need to open wide, and walk through to our exaltation. The three gates being: preparation, performance, and service.

1. Preparation: “If ye are prepared, ye will not fear.”
- He suggested that if we don’t have goals we will find it hard to succeed.
- He also said that not having a goal is like running up and down a football field without ever crossing the goal line.
- He said (in reference to learning, etc.) that it’s not the number of hours we put in, but rather what we put in the hours.
- He also suggested that as we prepare we should not procrastinate, saying that procrastination is the thief of our self-respect.
- He ended by sharing a story of 3 boys who skipped class because they knew (or thought) they knew what would they would be tested on, only to find out the day of the final that they had prepared for the wrong question. (I felt this anecdote suggesting we need to be prepared in all things – to make valiant efforts to be well balanced and to search for knowledge in all areas, thus being prepared for any type of challenge/ question, etc.)

2. Performance: “Be an example of the believers, in word, deed, act, …”
- He invited us not to compromise, but to rather chose the harder right over the easier wrong.
- He said that the saddest thing in life is wasted talent.
- He suggested that we don’t do things to get something, but rather do it because it’s the right thing, consequently drawing you closer to Christ.
- He also suggested that we remember when times are hard that others have passed that way; certainly Christ knows your struggles and will be there for you, as too will others (be one of the others.)
- He invited to choose our friends carefully, and to have true love of parents (respect and honor.)
- Finally he invited us to know, teach, and live the truth (he exemplified this statement by relating a story of Elder Anderson who after finding the car out of gas because of his son still walked the long cold trek to early morning meetings.)

3. Service: “Those who are truly happy are those who have found/ rendered service.”
- He reminded us that hope dispels despair, using the story of the youth group serving a poor neighbor named Louis.
- He quoted scripture of how it is more blessed to give than receive.
- He invited us to think of the life of Christ, a life of service.
- He said that when we are in-tune, we’ll find opportunities to serve.
- He invited us to think of “Who” you serve, and to ask Him “what would ye have me do?” And then to dedicate each day seeking heavenly guidance and help to do these things.
- He ended with a story of a mother who had several children and had been busily meeting the needs to her best of each child when finally in the evening she was at wits end and asked to have her burden lightened, she was told (simply in her mind) that no you can’t come to me – but “I” will come to you. Pres. Monson used this story to remind us that the Lord knows and cares for each one of us – and that he will be there as we serve and do our best.

I was touched by not only the wonderful words President Monson shared, but by his wonderful spirit and example.

Happy Birthday Internet!

2006-11-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

Slashdot reported today that the internet is now "officially 16 years old!"

GuNgA-DiN writes, "Today marks the 16th anniversary of the World Wide
Web. According to the timeline on the W3.org site: 'The first web page
[was] http://nxoc01.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html.
Unfortunately CERN no longer supports the historical site. Note from
this era too, the least recently modified web page we know of, last
changed Tue, 13 Nov 1990 15:17:00 GMT (though the URI changed.)' A lot
has happened in 16 years and this little 'baby' has grown into quite
the teenager."

To be honest I can remember back to my Super Nintendo days thinking - "Wow, Duck Hunt rules! There's never going to be a cooler game." Needless to say I was wrong - but then again I was only 13 sixteen years ago (am I old?) Still, I am constantly amazed at the progression of the web - it seems I come across things daily that seem really progressive, pushing the limit of what we are already doing on the web today. I wonder what the next 16 years hold; what will the internet be like when it turns the ripe old age of 32?! I am guessing that Duck Hunt will still be a great game.

Beginner Flash Programming

2006-11-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

Wow - how'd it go today?! Hopefully you feel a little overwhelmed; it's not an easy task to learn everything we covered today in a short 1 hour sitting. I do, however, have confidence that once seen and practiced, that you will be able to use this information and eventually turn it into some practical knowledge and skill set (at least that's the goal by the end of next week.) I decided to be a little more helpful so here's "the how" guide for today's last assignment. I should also remind you to use your two hours on Friday to not only finish you two assignments, but to try and understand what you are doing (re: basic java/ action scrip programming). In addition I think you really should start using any online Flash tutorials to help you figure out more advanced things (remember: eventually you will have an assignment that requires you to find and do 2 advanced Flash tutorials.) Now on to today's basic programming assignment:

An image of the coding is posted above (I made it an image so you can't simply copy it - try and understand it while you type it in.) Also here is an example of the working quiz you should be trying to re-create (it can be your own version - try and branch out if you like.) When you have it completed - simply upload it to your www drive and put a link on our moodle site.

So again here are a brief of the steps:

1.) Create a movie clip with a button inside it.
2.) Program the button (not the mc) to be draggable
3.) Create an "answer" box (make it dynamic and give it a "variable" name.)
4.) Create a counter/ score box (make it dynamic and give it a "variable" name.)
5.) Create a movie clip which will be the target you will be dragging to (ie. the color words were my targets) and give it an instance name.
6.) Further program your draggable mc/btn to count your score, put text in the "answer" box telling you if you are right or wrong.
7.) Program the first frame of the quiz - telling it to put the starting score at zero (ie. score = 0) (remember the word "score" in this example is the variable.)
8.) Go to file > export and then upload it to your www drive and put a link of it on our moodle site (yes, Jared, on our moodle site. Sorry, I know you hate moodle.)

Good luck - I'll be around tomorrow to help out - or drop me a line.

Web Page Ranking

2006-11-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

Hey - wow - our techintheclass is actually ranked - wait... what does that really mean? Nothing; at least to me.

Here's the link to check your website ranking:

http://www.prchecker.info/

2006-11-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

So, it's now time to move from Podcasting (nice work) to Flash. To establish a bar as a measuring stick here is a link to several junior high student samples that I hope you check out. Note: I am only showing these to you as examples of what students in a 7th grade intro to computers class produced. There are several great Flash tutorial websites which might be of service to while we explore Flash this week:

Flashkit

Kirupa

Other links

Podcasting Assignment

2006-11-05T20:55:00.000-08:00

Several people have emailed me re: their podcast and where to submit it ; due to the change in servers and CSRs in the college of engineering I have finally got everything back together - so please go ahead and submit your podcast url to our moodle site. Thanks. (Note: good job to those that have already completed their assignment.)

Podcasting

2006-11-01T07:29:00.000-08:00

I don't want to take Chris and Rodger's topic, but I thought I should post of few of my finds re: podcasts.

PodCast Search Engines:
iTunes
PodZinger
Yahoo Podcast
Podscope
Podcast.net
Podfeed
Podcastalley
Googleblog/pod search

RSS/ XML URL Converter (creating a feed for your podcast):
Feedburner
Hardcode it yourself

Podcasting how to guides:
EdTech
PodcastingNews
Podcasting 411

Online podcasting hosting servers (etc.)
Podomatic
Gcast

Other podcast stuff:

http://www.podstrike.com - PodStrike! Podcast Manager and Podcast Hosting (FREE Account Available).
http://www.podblaze.com - You can do the entire process for podcast creation & RSS feed creation (even for iTunes) at a web based service.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ - Audacity recording software. Free and open source.
http://www.podcastalley.com - Podcast directory.
http://www.freshpodcasts.com - Podcast ping service.
http://blog.podblaze.com - Step by step instructions for recording and everything else required at these 6 podcast specific blogs.
AP on Yahoo "Podcasting Easy for Everyone" Story by the Associated Press.
http://www.feedvalidator.org - Verify that your RSS podcast feed is valid.
http://www.teenpodcasters.com - A great example of a network, start or join a network such as this.
http://del.icio.us - A social bookmarking tool with the ability to host podcast feeds.
http://blog.leveragedpromotion.com/public/blog/98977 - RSS, Syndication & Podcasting News & Tips Blog.
http://www.podblaze.com/podcasting-business-whitepaper.php - 20 Page Podcasting White Paper Explains All About Podcasting.
Podomatic
http://www.okaytoplay.com - Charts comparing podcast hosting, audio hardware, podcast advertising companies, etc.
http://www.podcastspot.com - complete podcast hosting service with unmetered bandwidth, unlimited storage, automatic media conversion, and much more!

Happy Halloween and Teaching for Success

2006-10-31T07:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween - spooky.

Today we will be discussing educational assessment and evaluation (in reference to student learning, achievement, and grades.) Please be open to share and engage in this important discussion.

You may need or want today's ppt lecture - click here to download it.

Movie Grades

2006-10-30T08:45:00.000-08:00

Today we will me analyzing your videos and discussing how you did. You will need to upload your videos to my www account (send them to me - in a small video format - no more than 50 mb). You will then use the P.A. tool I introduced in 276 to analyze the video according to the grading criteria outlined in the syllabus (music, title, 3 different camera shots, voice over, transitions, rolling credit, special effects, and overall impression). You will need to grade 1 of your own, and 1 other - to do that you will need to either download or copy someone else's video and give them some feedback. After coding the videos print out the feedback/ evaluation forms (as demo'd in class) and hand in the hard copy. (*If you don't have a copy of the program you copy it from a CD I will provide in class and or get it from the email I sent to those in the 276 class.)

Click here to view our class videos.

Criteria of quality films

2006-10-30T07:57:00.000-08:00

Here are the criteria that I feel make a quality film (note – each of the terms could and should be defined, and the list might be limited, a little biased, and subjective, but according to my experience and research these seem to hold true for most film critics):

1. Originality (story, plot, types of shorts, colors, quality of script/ writing, etc.)
2. Imagination
3. Creativity (the ability to engage the audience with a compelling idea)
4. Pacing (speed ratio – story, shot use and selection)
5. Relations (music to picture, image to image, story to sound and image use)
6. Time (use of time in video – purpose// ex. slow, fast camera shots, duration of shots, etc.)
7. Speed (use slow and steady motion; speed of transitions, camera shots, etc.)
8. Flow (use of clips; how things fit together; relevance, tells a coherent story.)
9. Direction (movement of film, movement of camera shots, movement of sound, etc.)
10. Coherence (use of clips; everything has reason; fits)
11. Composition (rule of thirds – divide into three parts – position subject anywhere but in center box)
12. Angles (use multiple angles/ camera shots; ex. shoot low for kids)
13. Transitions (use of clips)
14. Sound (pitch, loudness, reason/ use, timbre)
15. Information (message – what is being told – why – how useful)
16. Ability to evoke feelings (use of clips)
17. Focus (depth of field, etc.) – tone down the zoom (too much zoom is distracting)
18. Lighting (light the subjects, not the space; use added light in moderation; light to create a standard video image)
19. Pace (flow)

These are the criteria that we will use to evaluate and assess your short films.

Performancing

2006-10-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

In an effort to streamline my blogging, aggregating, reading, and social bookmarking I am really happy about the newest version of FireFox. Several of my extensions run more smoothly now, in addition I came across this gem "Performancing." It lets you blog straight from a browser window and has all and more of the wysiwyg options that blogger, flock, and other tools offer.

Course Feedback

2006-10-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

In an effort to be more fair and to improve the TTE 125 class would you please answer the questions listed on this survey. (Although I appreciate the BYU student rating feedback I get at the end of the semester - the data really comes too late to be of much service, not to mention we don't actually get any specific feedback.) Thanks for your help and support. I know this class could be better - so let me HAVE it - don't worry the survey is completely anonymous.

Also here is the survey for the TTE 276 class. Thanks.

School 2.0

2006-10-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

Recently there has been a push to analyze, reflect, and further develop how we learn. School 2.0 is one of the movements looking at some of these issues in an effort to brainstorm how educators might improve learning environments. I am curious what you think about this effort; here's a link to their website.

Also I should mention: "Nice work on the logo reproductions. I can't say who really did the best, but for one example of great work check out Ben's.

Corporate Identities

2006-10-11T08:59:00.000-07:00

Today we will be looking at, studying, and developing "corporate identities." Here is the ppt (it's short and lame, but it does have some helpful links.)

Illustrator and Logos

2006-10-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

What's your favorite logo ever?! Has there been a logo (icon) in the past that no matter where, the color, size, medium, etc. you could recognize it? Was it McDonalds? Apple? BYU? For me it's Nike.

For our next two assignments will be studying logo design, and various tools and processes used to create iconic logos.Obviously Illustrator can be used for more than Logo design, however, in light of the direction we will be taking in this class we will use the next two logo assignments as the process for learning Illustrator basics. Note: I have amended the next assignment (#12). You will need this document to complete this amended assignment.

Everyone (meanings those in 125 and 276)

2006-10-06T13:07:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder = Monday is the final day for repentence; please have everything in and or up to date. // Also, please don't be doing things simply to get them done, try and have a true learning experience. (See comic)

Photoshop anyone?!

2006-10-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

I have graded several of your photo collages (not bad) and now it's time to see what we really can do; here is a short list of several quality Photoshop tutorial sites. Remember, the purpose of this assignment is NOT to simply get it done, but to LEARN and DEVELOP new skills and knowledge. Please take the time to become a Photoshop King or Queen.

http://www.planetphotoshop.com/tutorials.html

http://www.good-tutorials.com/

http://www.absolutecross.com/tutorials/photoshop/

http://www.tutorialized.com/tutorials/Photoshop/1

http://www.photoshopcafe.com/tutorials.htm

http://www.phong.com/tutorials/

(Note: the picture above was a scanned flat leaf, however, this is a fun trick in Photoshop to bend, curl, and lighten = give it a try.)

Lesson Plan Review

2006-10-03T06:48:00.000-07:00

What are the important/ essential aspects of lesson plans?

By now you should have completed your rapid lesson plan (you started it last time we had class); hopefully you have reflected on this question, certainly in light of your classroom observations.

So, again if I asked you what are the "important/ essential aspects of lesson plans" what would you say?

(Hint: Purpose, Objective, Material, Instructional Procedure, and Assessment are all main categories, however, there are several pseudo/ sub categories, what are they, how does it help to define them, etc.)

Great Reflection

2006-10-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

Ben H. posted some great insight from his observations re: why and how we teach:

"Life skills are of great importance. Students need to recognize what it takes to survive in the world. Tech classes can teach them that. We don’t do projects because they are fun, we do them because they inspire students to reach out for new understanding, seek out new skills, and develop both physically and cognitive. Don’t teach a student how to do math, or how to use a computer program. Show them the process to learn and let them learn how to do
everything they need and want to do."

Larkin also brought up a few interesting issues we should discuss in class: (school politics, student - teacher relationships, what it's like to be at a middle school, goods and bads of teaching, etc.)

As a side note: not everyone has posted re: observation reflections, etc. = remember it is now October, which means things now need to be handed in on time.

Taking Notes

2006-09-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

There are various types of students (both in college and k-12 environments); there are those who day in and day out sit in the front row, listen attentively, ask questions, etc. (usually these are your A students). The second breed of students sit in random locations, often try and listen, but find it hard to concentrate for the entire lecture, due to the cute girl in the corner, the guy making strange noises in the next to them, etc. (usually these are your B students). The final breed of students are those who sit in the back, make random comments, day dream, sleep, etc. - basically it's those who simply care about “the grade” not actually learning (usually students in this category may receive anywhere from an F to an A depending on how test savvy and or well suited to cramming they are.)

In any of the above listed categories I honestly feel that using the "Cornell method" of studying will help (not only will it add direction to your learning, but it will keep you awake in class, etc.). It's a great method that I have used and found that it really helps. (No, I don’t get a kick back for pushing this – although my grading will be easier to do bc everyone’s grades will ultimately go up.) It's really simple to do and can be of great service - I say spread the wealth (the funny thing is BYU has the steps listed on their website; I never knew - wish I had.) Here's a sample layout:

Awesome Fieldtrip!

2006-09-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

I don't know how many of you were blown away by what we visited, but I have to admit I was really impressed - I'll go so far to say: flabbergasted! One area we are not covering in detail this semester is how to set up your own server (I guess I didn't include that topic simply because those of us using MACs only have to click on our server preference and we good to go.) However, several of the class members have asked, so in an effort to fulfill their thirst for setting up their own server I decided to pass along a great simple to use step by step tutorial. The only recommendation I have that the tutorial doesn't really discuss is = make sure you use a computer that you don't mind risking being hacked or having spyware and or viruses infecting your server (there's always that risk on personally amateur run servers.)

Observations: Have a good time!

2006-09-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

Today is your big day visiting junior high schools. I hope you enjoy your time, take advantage of your time there - helping out, asking questions, etc. Make sure you fill out the observation forms and that you come to class next week ready to discuss your experience.

Photos

2006-09-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

I have seen some pretty great photos thus far. Scott has done a pretty good job and has also used Picassa to upload, edit, and show his photos. Check it out.

Project TV

2006-09-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

I feel www.project.tv is a very intersting site that can impact (+ -) student learning; I only wish they had a category for high school and junior high students. Hmm... imagine if we created a site for that audience. Or does one exist? At any rate you should visit www.theproject.tv and watch Seth's movie "Glad I Got A Sword Today", it's fairly well done.

Cheaters!

2006-09-21T10:32:00.000-07:00

What do you think about this Slashdot article referencing SpectralDesign.Net:

"The results of a research paper released Wednesday reveal who is admitting to cheating (in North America). The study focused on 5,300 graduate students in Canada and the U.S. and concluded that the biggest cheaters were business students — 56% of them admitted to copying papers, plagiarizing, etc. The author of the study said, 'The typical comment is that what's important is getting the job done. How you get it done is less important. You'll have business students saying all I'm doing is emulating the behavior I'll need when I get out in the real world.'" Other grad-student cheaters include: engineering students, 54%; physical sciences, 50%; medical and health-care, 49%; law, 45%; liberal arts, 43%; and social science and humanities students, 39%. These numbers are close to the guesstimate of the anonymous professor.

I don't know if the data is accurate, or even if it clearly represents us, but I wonder about how valid some of the student comments are? I also wonder if this should put pressure on us to become better teachers further integrating moral dimensions into our teaching philosophy and pedagogy?!

125 Class News

2006-09-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

It looks like only 4 people have submitted their camera assignment; hopefully by the beginning of class today people have it submitted! Erica has the right idea, she has her website acting as the host for all of her assignments (visit her website and note how she has a place where she will be listing all of her assignments.) You might also want to check out her design, it's not bad. Erica uses some of the principals of appropriate graphic/ web design. Quax (Zach) has also has his website up, running, and looking pretty good. Remember: your websites were due last time, however, as you become more proficient with the tools we are exploring this semester please continue to revamp your website (if needed; I'll be honest, there are some of you who need to do some revamping - but that's ok - it's a learning process.) Note: the principles of design I will be using to evaluate your websites are: color usage, texture, space, size, balance, unity, line, emphasis, etc.

Mindtools Article

2006-09-19T06:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a great article that discusses teaching with technology rather than about technology. Please have it read by Thursday's class.

Video Skype

2006-09-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

The new version of Skype is great; free video chatting that gets around firewalls. HUGE! (I only mention the firewall part bc CAEDM blocks iChat from working.) The version that actually works isn't the 1.5.0.79, it's the 1.5.0.77. For some strange reason I had troubles getting the newer one working with video, but the older works like a champ. Here's the link to the older download. How do you think Skype will impact the world of education?