Author: Tom

Shiloh Methodist

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Shiloh Methodist
Local, Photography

Shiloh Methodist Old B&W

Several weeks ago I wrote about the prevalence of Biblical place names in South Carolina. One of the place names that keep popping up was “Shiloh.” It’s probably best known as a Civil War battleground in Tennessee. One of my favorite photographic subjects is the old Shiloh School in Anderson County, seen below:

Old Shiloh School ReDynamix HDR

Today, I had a chance to visit Shiloh Methodist Church just outside of Inman, South Carolina. Built sometime in the mid-1700’s (the date varies, according to which source your read), the church fell out of use in the early 1900’s. The white frame building remains, along with its historic cemetery.

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A Few Google Flaws

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EdTech, General Technology, Internet

The past several posts I’ve been singing the praises of Google. However, all is not perfect in Google Land. There have been the occasional really bad ideas – Google Wave, for example – and the abandonment of some really good ideas, such as Google Notebook. In this post I’m going to stay away from the more published flaws that Google has had to endure. Instead, I’ll cover just a few things that I’ve found to be a bother.

I’ve already mentioned that until only recently, group accounts could not be used for Google Maps, Picasa, or other many other Google products.  That really limited the effectiveness of those accounts.  Fortunately, that has been corrected.  However, there are still a few things that are not quite right.

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Audioboo and SoundCloud – New Audio Hosting Options

Posted on By Tom 4 Comments on Audioboo and SoundCloud – New Audio Hosting Options
EdTech, Internet

wp_Audio_Wall_1280x800

A couple of years ago I lamented about the lack of good resources for sharing audio clips. What I was after was sort of a YouTube for audio. Video sharing sites were becoming relatively common, but audio was another matter. At that time I created a wish list for online audio sharing.  I had suggested some possibilities for audio sharing, but none came close to my wish list.  In fact, most of the hosting sites I mentioned are long gone.

Now there are a couple of new options to fill the bill.  SoundCloud (http://www.soundcloud.com) and Audioboo (http://audioboo.fm) both offer audio file hosting. While very similar, they each have slightly different approaches to how music is shared on their sites.

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Google Docs Rundown

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Google Docs Rundown
EdTech, General Technology, Internet

google-docs-vs-microsoft-office-white

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m encouraging our teachers to use Google Docs with their classrooms through our new Spart5.info domain.  Our district, like most in the state, has standardized on Microsoft Office.  We have no intention of changing our basic productivity platform.  I think of Google Docs as a complement to, rather than competitor to Microsoft Office.

Personal Use

I’ve been using Google Docs personally for a couple of years now.   The convenience of cloud computing was just becoming apparent, and I liked the idea of having my work available on any computer I happened to use, as long as it was online.  I first tried it in earnest with an online course I was taking for recertification.  It just seemed like a good place to keep everything together.

I’m using Google Docs more and more now, but most often I use it for documents that I need to find quickly – reference documents such as my resume, circuit ID numbers, etc.  I also use it for keeping notes at various meetings because it’s so easy to share the notes.

I’ve got a little Dell netbook that I use all the time (I’m using it to type this right now.)  Unfortunately, it’s a first-generation netbook with limited processing power and only a 16 GB solid state hard drive.  I just don’t have room for MS-Office, so I rely on Google Docs and the ability to be online just about anywhere.

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Google Conquers the World (almost)

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Internet

…or at least Spartanburg 5. For the past couple of weeks I seem to have been immersed in Google products. A couple of weeks ago I did a workshop for teachers in our district on Creating Virtual Tours in Google Earth. Part of the presentation involved the integration of Google Docs (documents, presentations, and forms) … Read More “Google Conquers the World (almost)” »

My Creepy Life (.com)

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Internet, Rants

MWSnap 2010-09-30, 14_08_49

I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials. A very attractive woman wants to know who might be searching for her online. She logs onto MyLife.com and seems delighted to find that lots of people have been searching for her – old high school chums, past loves, etc., etc. She naively reacts as if this is a GOOD thing. Of course, my first thought is – STALKERS! Perhaps the image below is more realistic:

cyberstalking

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