Twitter Fine March 29, 2009
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, Humor, Safety, Tools.add a comment
Looks like Twitter and the NBA have something going here. Previously, a player was told not to tweet during games, and another player said he was going to tweet during a game. Now an owner has been fined by the league office for publicly criticizing the referees in public, in this case, on Twitter. Mark Cuban has quite a history with NBA fines, and also has his own connections to the Internet prior to being the owner of the Dallas Mavericks. Seems like someone should have explained to Mark that comments made on the Internet can be seen by anyone, employers, governing boards, just about anyone! At $25,000 a tweet, even Mark Cuban won’t be able to afford that for too long.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban fined $25,000 for ref comments – ESPN
Alternate Future? Past? March 27, 2009
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, History.1 comment so far
This video on YouTube is a glimpse from the past, 1969, into the future and let’s us see what telecommunications might be in the 1990s. The whole experience is like looking into an alternate reality!
From Howard Rheingold
Google Externship March 20, 2009
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Conference Sessions, Tools.add a comment
If you ever get the opportunity to participate in a Google Externship (field trip for teachers) do yourself a favor and do it! These are bright people who spend a lot of time thinking about how the Internet should work, and how they can support teachers and learning. Below are my notes from my visit to the Google building in Boulder, Colorado, yesterday.
Google Teacher Externship
Google Boulder
3-19-09
Google Earth
Navigation skills are important. N resets compass orientation. Google Earth Outreach can assist with creating your own layers. A Gray building has all of the building data (Sketchup model) included. The ruler tool lets you choose points to measure distances. Google Earth Pro is free for educators and students. You can customize your own content. Add points, paths, polygons, etc. The language for your own content is kml. Export allows for kml and kmz files. You can also add image overlays with your own images. Here is a link for a tutorial for KML from Google:
http://code.google.com/apis/kml/documentation/kml_tut.html
Google Sketchup
Click-release-click to draw. Called the rubber band effect. Look for the colors to identify the axis. Typing in a length allows you to draw with accuracy. Escape is your friend to stop. It took just a few minutes to get used to how the tools worked, so if it doesn’t seem obvious at first, give it a little time.
Advanced Search
Three basic parts to a search results page. Top ads along the top, right side ads on the right, and the search result for the main portion of the page. There is a lot of AI used by Google crawlers when they search through the Internet. Context is part of the consideration. Suggested searches appear when you type in your search query. Start with a simple search. If it isn’t right, modify it. Double-check the results. [ define:philtrum ] How about searching for information on something that is visual media? From the results, try defining the word to verify. Use the snippets (search result descriptions) to get more terms to use to refine the search. What about synonyms? How much context do I need in my search? Is there another phrase for the context that could be tried? For specific types of results, include the term in the search, like wikipedia, image, video, forum, overview, tutorial, FAQ, etc. Include the ~ to include a word and its sysnonyms. Check out a book through my own library using Google? Books.google.com, search for a book, select a result, select “Find this book in a library” and check it out.
Google Maps
Started with directions. There is a link for public transportation or walking if available. The ’show options’ link allows you to set an arrival or departure time. You can also create your own walking tour to see distances. A ‘one box’ search provides a specific response, for example, a flight number provides information about that specific flight.
Indispensable Tools March 19, 2009
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Link Collections, Tools.add a comment
Looking for a collection of great online and downloadable tools for use in the classroom? Drew Buddie has compiled a pretty impressive list on a PB Wiki. If nothing else, you could use this list to see just how ‘up to date’ you are. See how many you know about or are using.
indispensibletools / FrontPage
Twitter and Lose Your Job! March 17, 2009
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Humor, Tools.add a comment
Okay, so it isn’t quite that dire, but the Milwaukee Bucks, NBA basket ball team, has a player who is on Twitter. Seems he tweeted at half-time of an important game. Now the coach has banned Twitter during games. I guess I can see his point. When the coach of the other team was asked about the incident, he summed it up this way:
“Yeah, well, I have no comment,” Rivers said. “New generation.”
Milwaukee Bucks tell Charlie Villanueva not to Twitter during games anymore – ESPN
Happy Birthday W3 March 13, 2009
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Articles/Videos, History.add a comment
The World Wide Web turns 20 today. Better watch out, next year it will be old enough to legally drink. Here is link to the TechCrunch article with includes an embedded video from Tim Berners-Lee at TED.
Twenty Years Later, The Web Is Finally Turning Into a Computer
The (not) Book March 11, 2009
Posted by Matthew Woolums in 21st-Century, Articles/Videos, Humor.add a comment
Funny video on Google Video. Joe is having a little trouble with his text book. Thanks to Chris Lehmann for the link.
Hard Days Part 2 March 4, 2009
Posted by Matthew Woolums in Data, Opinion.add a comment
Today was a better day, even with the testing. The teacher was back and the fifth graders seemed more comfortable reading a passage and answering multiple choice questions or writing short constructed responses. The frustration of creating something from scratch as in the previous writing section was not so obvious today. However, it seems anything that can go wrong is likely to go wrong with this class.
First on the list, a new student. Second day of testing, and a new student is brought in, with the expectation that he will take the test. What a way to start out at a new school. It sort of made me wonder if his parents did that on purpose, but I can’t figure out any reason why.
Second item was the teacher’s phone. It rang as we started the test. Talk about timing. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow.
On a related note, the students were genuinely glad to see me even though I was responsible for inflicting such an ordeal on them the day before. Students seem to respond well to having someone new actually spend time with them, even if it is while doing something less than optimal. This was reinforced at another school where I have videotaped teachers for their National Board Certification process. Today, one of the students actually thanked me for the time I gave the class, even though my total interaction amounted to little more than standing behind a camera at the back of the room for about 15 minutes.
