Considering the fact that part of the course curriculum for our ENG506 class is learning iLife applications, I find it pretty funny that no one in the class (except I think Ray) is using iWeb to make his/her website. However, I actually view this as a good thing. Let me explain.
The computer applications of the future are going to be all freely available on the Web. Audacity is not quite as great as GarageBand, but it's free and available to anyone with an Internet connection. The same goes for Picasa versus PhotoShop, and for dozens of other free downloadable applications off the Web which are nearly as comprehensive as their corporate counterparts.
I'm doing my final project for this course in iWeb, and, so that I can become more familiar with multiple ways to make a webpage, I am using GooglePages to make my personal site. I know that many others are using FreeWebs. I think this is great. Down with the man -- the Internet should be free!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Seven-Goal Outburst
The first NHL highlights I saw on YouTube, and it was the amazing seven-goal second-period outburst by the Sabres in last night's pounding of Tampa Bay. Let's go Buffalo!
Enjoy Rick Jeanneret's goal calls. He is without a doubt the greatest announcer in the history of sports.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
The Bloglines Plumber
I just tried to log into my Bloglines, and instead of seeing my feeds, I saw this. Apparently, according to the text that was next to the picture, Bloglines needs a little "fixer upper" and the plumber is on the case. I like it, and I'm sure my feeds will be back soon.
What do we do in the classroom when our websites, blogs, wikis, whatever are down for maintenance, or when (God forbid) they disappear altogether? Are we totally up the creek? Do we need to work contigency plans into our units/projects/lessons to account for such misfortune? I hadn't thought of this before. Very interesting.
What do we do in the classroom when our websites, blogs, wikis, whatever are down for maintenance, or when (God forbid) they disappear altogether? Are we totally up the creek? Do we need to work contigency plans into our units/projects/lessons to account for such misfortune? I hadn't thought of this before. Very interesting.
Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave
Since I am using iWeb to make my the website for my class project (still waiting for the go ahead to be able to upload that to the SUNY Cortland server), I have decided to try to use GooglePages to make my personal website.
Just saying. Here's what it looks like so far.
Just saying. Here's what it looks like so far.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Give Me Hockey!
Since YouTube is all the rage (Jenn Gee even used it today in a presentation on teaching argument, for Jiminy's Crickets), I thought I'd share this little tidbit I just discovered:
YouTube and NHL team up for strategic content and advertising partnership
“The partnership will enable the NHL to expose YouTube’s vast audience to all of the excitement and drama of the new NHL,” said Doug Perlman, NHL Executive Vice President, Media. “What a great way to showcase the talent of our athletes.”
“By delivering a wide array of daily programming to YouTube, the NHL will be able to connect with its existing fan base and reach a vast new audience that is passionate about hockey,” said Kevin Donahue, vice president of content for YouTube. “Today’s agreement demonstrates how major sports leagues are realizing the powerful benefits YouTube offers in terms of growing their audience and creating a new channel for generating revenue.”
And, of course, most importantly, this means no more getting my video highlights on crappy, jerky, Yahoo Video! Plus, hey, if more people are exposed to the fact that the Buffalo Sabres are downright unbeatable... well, that's good too.
YouTube and NHL team up for strategic content and advertising partnership
“The partnership will enable the NHL to expose YouTube’s vast audience to all of the excitement and drama of the new NHL,” said Doug Perlman, NHL Executive Vice President, Media. “What a great way to showcase the talent of our athletes.”
“By delivering a wide array of daily programming to YouTube, the NHL will be able to connect with its existing fan base and reach a vast new audience that is passionate about hockey,” said Kevin Donahue, vice president of content for YouTube. “Today’s agreement demonstrates how major sports leagues are realizing the powerful benefits YouTube offers in terms of growing their audience and creating a new channel for generating revenue.”
And, of course, most importantly, this means no more getting my video highlights on crappy, jerky, Yahoo Video! Plus, hey, if more people are exposed to the fact that the Buffalo Sabres are downright unbeatable... well, that's good too.
Monday, November 13, 2006
iMovie on YouTube
My super-long, poorly edited iMovie is now up on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Ie_Ras28w
The interviews are what take up the bulk of the length, but I didn't want to cut out anything anyone said, because the variety of people and the passion they show are what really makes the hobby interesting.
Technically, videos are supposed to be under ten minutes on YouTube. Since mine is nearly twice that(!!), it may be subject to removal or truncation or whatever YouTube does to violating videos. For all I know, the bigwigs at Google might come to my door and break my legs.
So, anyway, view it while you can, and let me know what you think about my film-making ability. Oh, and remember I'll be showing it in class tomorrow night as well -- so, for those of you who will be there, don't watch it here unless you want to be bored twice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Ie_Ras28w
The interviews are what take up the bulk of the length, but I didn't want to cut out anything anyone said, because the variety of people and the passion they show are what really makes the hobby interesting.
Technically, videos are supposed to be under ten minutes on YouTube. Since mine is nearly twice that(!!), it may be subject to removal or truncation or whatever YouTube does to violating videos. For all I know, the bigwigs at Google might come to my door and break my legs.
So, anyway, view it while you can, and let me know what you think about my film-making ability. Oh, and remember I'll be showing it in class tomorrow night as well -- so, for those of you who will be there, don't watch it here unless you want to be bored twice.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
My Stage Presence
I've just discovered that Joe called me out in a comment a couple posts down, saying (and I qoute):
He is so right. Joe, I apologize, but it's true. I work under the pretense that I am gunning for anonymity. Joe is probably not the first person to have ever seen through my guise, but he is the first one to do so with such levels of boisterousness. I can't be just one of the crowd, no matter how much I like to pretend to be. I always stick out. I always either take control in some way, or divert attention to myself with off-the-wall antics.
Why do I do so? I can't really say, for I have no clue. It's just in my nature, I guess. I can't be ignored. I must have every little accomplishment I achieve trumpeted to the mountain tops. Even my failures must be acknowledged, either via my "oh well" facade or through my "I can teach you something from my mistake" mentality. I can't be in the shadows.
More than any of the things I've learned (and haven't learned) in graduate school, I'm pretty sure this personality trait, which I of course already possessed when I got here, is going to help me the most. I can take command of a room. I can keep people's (students') attentions. I can make something trivial seem mega-important, if I so desire. And, much to the contrary of the way I feel about myself most of the time, I'm pretty sure I can make anything relevant to any other thing, and therefore make education relevant to students.
Am I a ham? Yes. Am I a showoff? Yes. Am I an attention (good and bad) hog? Yes. I think these are superb qualities for a teacher to possess, though. I think that this God-given gift of being able to turn the spotlight on myself (and then turn it again, wherever it is needed -- be it on the subject matter or on a student) is more valuable than a lot of things I am learning in a certain teacher education program.
Joe has a lot of these same qualities and more, so I'm certainly not putting this into his face. I'm just pumping myself up, via blog, and, considering what I posted just a few minutes ago, reminding myself that it's all going to be OK.
Dave ... is so utterly unused to ... being ignored that he has attained a pseudo-celebrity status
He is so right. Joe, I apologize, but it's true. I work under the pretense that I am gunning for anonymity. Joe is probably not the first person to have ever seen through my guise, but he is the first one to do so with such levels of boisterousness. I can't be just one of the crowd, no matter how much I like to pretend to be. I always stick out. I always either take control in some way, or divert attention to myself with off-the-wall antics.
Why do I do so? I can't really say, for I have no clue. It's just in my nature, I guess. I can't be ignored. I must have every little accomplishment I achieve trumpeted to the mountain tops. Even my failures must be acknowledged, either via my "oh well" facade or through my "I can teach you something from my mistake" mentality. I can't be in the shadows.
More than any of the things I've learned (and haven't learned) in graduate school, I'm pretty sure this personality trait, which I of course already possessed when I got here, is going to help me the most. I can take command of a room. I can keep people's (students') attentions. I can make something trivial seem mega-important, if I so desire. And, much to the contrary of the way I feel about myself most of the time, I'm pretty sure I can make anything relevant to any other thing, and therefore make education relevant to students.
Am I a ham? Yes. Am I a showoff? Yes. Am I an attention (good and bad) hog? Yes. I think these are superb qualities for a teacher to possess, though. I think that this God-given gift of being able to turn the spotlight on myself (and then turn it again, wherever it is needed -- be it on the subject matter or on a student) is more valuable than a lot of things I am learning in a certain teacher education program.
Joe has a lot of these same qualities and more, so I'm certainly not putting this into his face. I'm just pumping myself up, via blog, and, considering what I posted just a few minutes ago, reminding myself that it's all going to be OK.
Dave vs. Technology
Whelp, I've managed to get myself totally overwhelmed again. Technology is awesome, but I've also discovered that technology forces me to "waste" massive amounts of time. I shouldn't say I just discovered that; I've known this for going on ten years now. Get me in front of the World Wide Web, and I can spend hours -- wait, better make that days -- doing nothing of any value to my life.
I can spend an hour creating hockey player profiles on Wikipedia, but I can't create a ten-day unit plan which was due last week, and whose completion is of the utmost importance as far as the state of my education is concerned.
I can spend thirty minutes going through all the football and hockey blogs I have inserted into my Bloglines account, but I can't get motivated to work on the professional website which I am supposed to have completed, to some degree, by Tuesday.
I can spend countless amounts of time clicking through my fantasy football and basketball teams, searching for the perfect matchups, but I can't find the time to make the serious edits which need to be made on the second draft of my research paper (due Wednesday) or to be at all concerned about the twenty-minute presentation on said research assignment which I will be making on Wednesday.
This is the crux of our technology situation. Web-based technology is awesome. Like, uber-awesome. But in the wrong hands, such as mine, it becomes a breeding ground for unmitigated procrastination, followed by unwarranted whining, excuse-making, and stress-fueled fits of crying.
And please, for your consideration, allow me to share the fact that I came up to the library tonight to work on all these projects I mentioned above (well, for that, and to escape the grip the technology in my apartment -- the TV -- has had on me today), and I've spent the last hour surfing my Bloglines feeds, updating my fantasy basketball team, and writing this worthless post. Technology, be damned.
I can spend an hour creating hockey player profiles on Wikipedia, but I can't create a ten-day unit plan which was due last week, and whose completion is of the utmost importance as far as the state of my education is concerned.
I can spend thirty minutes going through all the football and hockey blogs I have inserted into my Bloglines account, but I can't get motivated to work on the professional website which I am supposed to have completed, to some degree, by Tuesday.
I can spend countless amounts of time clicking through my fantasy football and basketball teams, searching for the perfect matchups, but I can't find the time to make the serious edits which need to be made on the second draft of my research paper (due Wednesday) or to be at all concerned about the twenty-minute presentation on said research assignment which I will be making on Wednesday.
This is the crux of our technology situation. Web-based technology is awesome. Like, uber-awesome. But in the wrong hands, such as mine, it becomes a breeding ground for unmitigated procrastination, followed by unwarranted whining, excuse-making, and stress-fueled fits of crying.
And please, for your consideration, allow me to share the fact that I came up to the library tonight to work on all these projects I mentioned above (well, for that, and to escape the grip the technology in my apartment -- the TV -- has had on me today), and I've spent the last hour surfing my Bloglines feeds, updating my fantasy basketball team, and writing this worthless post. Technology, be damned.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Will Richardson in Cortland: Exclusive First Photo!
From left to right: Natalie (suspiciously trying to edge out of the photo), Jack, Katie, Will Richardson, yours truly, and James
Friday, November 03, 2006
Will Richardson's Visit to Cortland: Let's Wikify It!
Will Richardson is visiting our college on Tuesday! This is very exciting! I have set up a page on the SUNY Cortland wiki where we can post our questions for Will, as well as take notes on what he has to say on Tuesday. Check it out by going to the wiki page (http://web.cortland.edu/wiki) and doing a search for the page titled "Will Richardson's visit to Cortland on 11/7/06". I'd put the exact link, but the wiki seems to be down right now. Strange.
Update: The wiki works again! The direct link to the "Will visit" page is here!
Update: The wiki works again! The direct link to the "Will visit" page is here!
Technology Can't Cure A Broken Heart
I have such a headache. And some wires in my brain must be crossed -- this is the post I've come up with. And I just ended a sentence with a preposition!
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