Category: EdTech

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Expanding My Media Empire

Posted on By Tom 2 Comments on Expanding My Media Empire
EdTech, General Technology, Geocaching and Maps

For some time now I’ve been searching for a way to host media files without clogging up my storage space here on RandomConnections.  Specifically, I’ve wanted a place for audio and for Google Earth files.   Being something of a cheapskate, I really didn’t want to pay for more storage on the site, so I was looking for free alternatives.  I think I’ve finally pieced together a solution, and I’m ready to go live with it.  It’s not the most elegant solution, but it works for me.  More importantly, it doesn’t cost anything.

I had tried both Houndbite and Boomp3 for free audio file hosting.  For the most part I liked Houndbite, but it was completely unreliable.  For the past three weeks it was offline, and just recently came back.  I couldn’t use it in my Google Earth demonstrations as I might have liked.  Since I was having so many troubles with Houndbite, I tried Boomp3.  That is now completely defunct.

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Literary Characters on Social Networking

Posted on By Tom 1 Comment on Literary Characters on Social Networking
EdTech

It started with a call similar to one I get very frequently in my position, although taking an opposite tact – “Can you unblock Facebook for a class?” Usually I’m being asked to make sure it’s blocked. When I asked why the site should be unblocked, I was given one of the best explanations and … Read More “Literary Characters on Social Networking” »

21st Century Skills and Employment Reality

Posted on By Tom 2 Comments on 21st Century Skills and Employment Reality
EdTech

Often I’ve written here about my internal conflicts when it comes to use of Internet filters. While I’d love to open up YouTube, the cost in bandwidth and disciplinary problems makes it hard to justify. I may tend to be more liberal than my counterparts in allowing access to the Web, but I also know that filters, however flawed, are necessary, and censorship isn’t the only driving reason for blocking a site.

Recent conversations have shot holes in one argument which presents itself on a regular basis. I have teachers and media specialists tell me that the kids need more access to the web because they need to learn skills for the 21st Century workplace. I would argue that if we REALLY wanted to give them a taste of workplace policies, we’d tighten things down even further.

I’ve spoken to two friends in two different industries – one in research and development and another in a medical-related field. Both said that their Internet access is very tightly controlled. They have NO access to anything that might be construed as non-work-related.

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Super Simple Time Lapse

Posted on By Tom 3 Comments on Super Simple Time Lapse
EdTech, General Technology, Photography

When we were in the Bahamas I tried my hand at some time-lapse video using my little Nikon S50 camera in movie mode. The results were pretty good, but I found myself battling the twin hurdles of battery life and patience (as well as lack of a tripod.) The result was a shorter-than-desired video clip that went by far too quickly.

Then a couple of weeks ago I read a good blog post on the Digital Urban blog with simple instructions on doing time-lapse photography with a webcam. While Digital Urban’s instructions look great, and I want to try those out, it occurred to me that there might be an even easier way to accomplish this – use someone else’s webcam! Here’s one that I created very quickly using some simple software and the webcam for Table Rock State Park…

All you need for this project is a computer (duh) that no one will need to use for a few hours, a good steady Internet connection, a website with an embedded webcam image, and the BSR Screen Recorder. Other screen recorder programs will probably work, but I like the BSR program because it’s very easy to set the record rate, and that is the lynch pin in this method.

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Google Earth Plus PowerPoint Mash-up

Posted on By Tom 5 Comments on Google Earth Plus PowerPoint Mash-up
EdTech, Geocaching and Maps

Slide1

In mid-March I will be heading to SCETV studios in Columbia for a week of workshops, teaching South Carolina teachers about Google Earth. I do this every year and thoroughly enjoy meeting educators from around the state. Each year I try to change things up a bit, and this year is no different.

I’m really tired of PowerPoint. Or, more specifically, I’m tired of the laziness of boring bullet points read to an audience. I try to keep these to a minimum in my presentations, preferring to demonstrate actual software rather than spend the entire presentation in PowerPoint. This time I think I’ve found a way to combine both PowerPoint and Google Earth for an effective presentation, and here’s how I’m going to do it.

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Adventures in Teleconferencing

Posted on By Tom No Comments on Adventures in Teleconferencing
EdTech, General Technology

Tuesday I took part in two different teleconferences, one where I was a participant and one where I was the session leader.  Both used similar technologies, but difference services.  Neither worked very well, but for different reasons. Conference 1 – I was supposed to drive down to Columbia for a Tech Leader’s Roundtable.  With all … Read More “Adventures in Teleconferencing” »

A Declaration of Independence

Posted on By Tom No Comments on A Declaration of Independence
EdTech, Rants

Starting today, I’m doing something I should have done 10 years ago.  I refuse to take sales calls of any type unless they fit one of these three criteria…

  • We have an active request for proposals  for that specific product.
  • I have directly contacted your company with an inquiry about a specific product (and that doesn’t mean you happened to get my contact info from some conference or other indirect means.)
  • We have already established a client-vendor relationship for specific goods and/or services.

So unless your sales call happens to fit the above, don’t expect much of a response from me.   I will still accept e-mails so that I have your contact information on hand, but I will not have an extended phone conversation with you, I will need attend a webinar, and I will not schedule a meeting with you.

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