Cell Phone Update February 11, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos.add a comment
The report by Channel 9 News was about a service called Radar that tracks cell phone usage. Texts and pics are captured, as well as the call log, but phone calls are not recorded. I’m not sure this is really worth the $10 a month since all the calls are listed on each phone bill. I also don’t think my kids are likely to be approached (called) by some random abductor. Still, when my 17 year old starts keeping conversations, friendships, and text messages to herself, I can see the attraction to the possibility of reviewing her texts with her. Walt Mossberg reviewed the service last summer. Here is a link to the Radar site:http://www.MyMobileWatchdog.com.
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=86230
Kids Privacy & Cell Phones February 11, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos.add a comment
Here is an example of how kids toady are very cell phone oriented. 9News, the local NBC affiliate, is running a segment on tracking kids cell phone use. The promo for the spot is indicative of how emotional kids can get, and also how they probably place too much emphasis on privacy, when confronted with the idea of parents checking on what’s on their cell phones. I wonder how many of these kids actually pay for their own phones?
http://wm.kusa.gannett.edgestreams.net/news/20080211-PhoneTNT30.wmv
Flickr Guide February 11, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
Langwitches has posted a very helpful teacher’s guide for using Flickr. Digital storytelling holds much potential for transformative learning in the classroom, and this post explains how tools like Flickr in conjunction with other mashups, can be used to extend the simple PowerPoint presentations or research project presentations so prevalent today.
http://www.langwitches.org/blog/2008/01/12/flickr-use-for-teachers/
Cha-Jing! February 11, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Tools.add a comment
I hope this tool remains free. Probably my favorite new tool these days is Jing, a project from TechSmith. If you have ever wanted an easy way to create flash-based screencasts, Jing is an intuitive screen-capture-flash-video-creator. I’ve used it to create some simple tutorials on how to use Manila, the content management system currently used by our district to host school web sites, but Jing could be used for just about any computer based training. I expect that this tool will generate an increase in screencast publications. Here is a nice review of Jing from “I’d Rather Be Writing.”
http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2008/02/11/as-a-technical-writer-you-can-benefit-from-jing/
Sky Still Falling February 11, 2008
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos.add a comment
In addition to the under sea cables being cut, today my Blackberry stopped receiving email. As I have several other ways to access my email from work, this isn’t much of a problem, but still, all of these outages seem to be accumulating.
