Random Connections – Page 127 – A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

Audioboo and SoundCloud – New Audio Hosting Options

October 3, 2010 Tom 4 Comments

EdTech, Internet

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.

Google Docs Rundown

October 3, 2010 Tom 1 Comment

EdTech, General Technology, Internet

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.

Google Conquers the World (almost)

October 2, 2010 Tom No Comments

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)

September 30, 2010 Tom No Comments

Internet, Rants

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:

Read More “My Creepy Life (.com)” »

Greenville Farmers Market

September 25, 2010 Tom No Comments

Local

Every spring and fall the Greenville Farmers Market has a festival. I’m not talking about the one that has sprung up on Main Street downtown (not to take anything away from that market), but the one sponsored by the SC Agricultural Commission on Rutherford Road. Local growers bring their wares for a two-day sale. Laura … Read More “Greenville Farmers Market” »

Super Harvest Moon

September 23, 2010 Tom No Comments

Photography, Science

Last night we got to witness a rare astronomical event. We were able to view a “Super” Harvest Moon. This happens when the full moon falls on the same night as the autumnal equinox. The sun sets at just about the same time that the moon rises, and does so in a nearly precise east-west … Read More “Super Harvest Moon” »

Twitter Spam

September 21, 2010 Tom 2 Comments

Miscellaneous, Rants

At first I thought it was great. In June of 2009 I casually tweeted that I couldn’t wait until my new Mac was delivered, and wondered what was holding up FedEx. It was rhetorical. FedEx was actually right on time with the delivery. However, my tweet prompted a response from FedEx asking if there was … Read More “Twitter Spam” »

A Surfiet of Kayaks

September 21, 2010 Tom 5 Comments

Gear, Paddling

I own more kayaks than the average person, but probably no more than the average avid paddler. Folks that have seen my collection have asked why I have so many boats. I started with two whitewater rec boats – one for me and one for Laura. As a favor we bought another from a friend who was moving away, and Laura’s sister and various friends have used it on paddling trips with us.

In the past year I added two flatwater boats, again, one for me and one for Laura. Chip kept a couple of kayaks at our house, so the collection looked larger than it really was. Five kayaks for two people wasn’t really unreasonable, since they served different purposes.

Even so, I was surprised when Laura gave the OK for me to go to the Confluence Watersports Friends and Family Kayak Sale and shop for another boat.

Using Surveys in Google Earth

September 14, 2010 Tom No Comments

EdTech, Geocaching and Maps

This week I’m doing a workshop for our teachers on creating virtual tours in Google Earth. This part of a graduate course dealing with Google Apps, and I was trying to find ways of using Google Docs to create the tours. In the process I came across a neat way of using surveys in Google Earth.

This process is similar to one of the collaborative activities I described in a previous blog post. The process is similar to the one I described there, but instead of having students create PowerPoint presentations and upload them to Google Docs, the teacher creates forms with which the students interact.

The following is from the handout that I created for the workshop…

Ebenezer and Pelham with Karen B

September 13, 2010 Tom 1 Comment

Local, Photography

Karen Buchmueller is a good friend and colleague of Laura’s, and she’s also an avid photographer. Both of our spouses were tied up for the afternoon, so we decided to head out with our cameras and shoot some photos. Our targets for the afternoon were the old ruins of Pelham Mills, and Ebenezer Methodist Church.

I had visited Pelham Mills several times with my camera, but it was Karen’s first visit. I always enjoy visiting places with other photographers, even if it’s somewhere that I’ve already taken lots of photos. They often spot things I’ve overlooked, or see an angle or composition that hadn’t occurred to me. This was definitely the case at the old dilapidated mill office.