Tales From The Grad Student

It was the best of times...blog turns two!

2009-10-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

Thank you all who have supported the blog these last two years. To think that this project started as a collaborative tool to kick start ideas of features for online learning, that turned into a blog that has been read around the world and featured in a book. All I have to say is...epic...and thank you all for the support the last two years.

Since my graduation in June, I have been torn on the idea of whether or not to keep the Tales going.

As this was a testament to the fantastic time I had as a graduate student, and as such I have decided to leave it where it stands- as a marker of my small mark in the field of distance learning. The blog will continue to stand on blogger, but I am not planning to continue adding to this blog. I have started a new blog that meshes my traveling personal life and continue my educational anecdotes on technology and e-learning. I am currently researching different methods of effective communication using different digital discourse models. It is currently a private blog- but if I ever open up a new public blog- a link will be posted up here.

Thank you all

Tales from the Ex-Twitter-aholic

2009-07-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

After watching Cnet's Loaded today (http://cnettv.cnet.com/loaded-yahoo-phone-home/9742-1_53-50074633.html) Natalie reported on something that I have been seeing among my students about Twitter and/or social networking. As Loaded reported, I do see Twitter more prevalent among users between the ages of say 27-40. On Loaded, Natalie was reporting from user submissions from the "next generation" on whether or not they are going to be as hot with Twitter as the current gen. One writer (of I believe age 17 or so) wrote:

"It is a social network for old people"

Facebook, even with its several revisions and annoying applications, still is dominating the social-communication-connection need for users. Largely because of its ease of access to friends and family; pictures, notes, messages, videos, etc. Whereas Twitter, is exclusively a portal for communication (with perhaps links to pics and videos) within 140 characters. I think that with the boom in popularity, Twitter has lost what it began to do.

The good out of Twitter I have to admit, is its attempt to get everyone into discourse. However, I myself Tweet less now because my Twitter followers are not really anyone who is in or around my life. I see this as a good and bad thing. Twitter still provides simple short mass communication, however with its non-grouped or non-networked approach the usefulness of Twitter depreciates. Even this Twitter-aholic has been kicking his habit as I find that using my blog is much more useful. More so now as I have switched over to Wordpress and use the P2 Theme interface which borrows the original concept of Twitter's interface (minus the 140 character mandate). This blog interface provides me with what my net-communications style is: fast, light, and easy navigation to my web content. Twitter, at the beginning started to do that for me as well as bring more traffic (marketing) to my Tales From the Grad School blog. But now, it seems like Twitter is a cliché and cheep trick that everyone is using, and thus even the marking idea is less valuable. Everyone from Ashten Kucher to CNN is Twitter-pated, and somewhat spoil my appeal for Twitter.

Coming back to Twitter: young vs old, I think this is about accurate. It will be interesting to see what studies will show out of this combat ground over net-communication dominance. For the older user demographic, having an all encompassing narcism network like Facebook or Myspace isn't really what this user demographic digs. Which is perhaps why Twitter is more appealing. Whereas a more youthful, tech savvy and open user, digs knowing and promoting everyone that is them. I fall somewhere in-between...the gray area of wanting to know what others are doing and putting out content that friends, family, or maybe a colleague or two would dig. I am still hoping for an OpenId approach to the web. Where everyone has one user name or ID that gets them anywhere they need. Thus eliminating the segregation of social networks. Rather, you bring your grouped networks with you. And have the power to control what everyone or anyone can or can not see online.

Twitter-a-holic Review: Mac Desktop Apps

2009-05-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

Twitter-a-holic Review: Mac Desktop Apps- through trial and error...a lot of trial and error

If you have been following my Twitter, then undoubtedly you have been reading the constant discussion and links about Twitter apps for the Mac. This started when I fell in love with Safari 4 beta and waved goodbye to TwitterFox, a FireFox add on. This set me on a crusade to try and find the ultimate Twitter app.

TwitterFox (Free, requires FireFox)

A simple Windows or Mac add on that

is used within FireFox. Nothing fancy, easy to use and gets the job done.

Twidget (Free, Requires Mac OSX)

If you are looking for a quick way to update your Twitter, this OSX Dashboard widget is really designed for the light and sporadic Twitter user. You don't get much of anything out of your Twitter timeline so if you have a lot of Twitter followers you read- this will drive you nuts. But if you need to Tweet fast- it works.

Twitterriffic (Free w/ads, $15 w/o ads)

$14.95 to buy unlocked, but can be used free with ads. I like Twitteriffic's clean and small desktop footprint. But I don't think it is worth the price. A lot of the free apps do what Twitterriffic does and then some.

TweetDeck (Beta) (Requires Adobe Air)

Requires installation of Adobe Air and bestow the "TFGS Twitter Power-User Choice Award." For some reason my experience gave me the impression that TweetDeck could bench press Twitter, it is a strong app. Its multi column design allows for the user to separate who they follow into groups. Which if you are a power Twitter-er, helps you see your followers in different time-lines.

Nambu (Beta) (Free)

This app gets the "TFGS All-Around Twitter Choice Award." I used this app for quite awhile and contributed feedback often. To be blunt it is; free, powerful, and awesome! It has the column view that TweetDeck has as well as its own status bar icon. What I love about it is that it looks at Twitter like a mail box and feels like I was a Mac Mail for Twitter. You can pretty much do anything within Nambu and I felt like I really didn't have

to use the Twitter web site ever agian. You can also link you Tr.im and Pic.im account to it (no TwitPic support yet).

As Nambu says, it is a "Real Beta" (not a Google definition of Beta) and they are constantly looking for feedback to make Nambu better. It is full of features and this app is constantly getting tweaks- it is perhaps the best supported app I have tried.

Syrinx (Free)

It was the first app I tried that had a great threaded disscussion ability for Tweets. It is like a combination of Nambu and iLounge. Syrinx is a happy medium for twitter users. I would recommend it for the Twitter-er who is a light or moderate user of Twitter.
But this Grad Student much prefers Nambu over Syrinx.

Lounge (Beta) (Free during Beta)

Developed from one of the top selling Twitter apps in the iTunes app store, this free (during beta) desktop app is pretty good. I liked it and for me it felt like a more graphical version of Nambu. If it stays free, I think it will probably trump still Syrinx for my award of "TFGS Best Beginning Twitter-er Award"

EventBox (Limited Free: MacHeist, $15 during Beta)

I got a free version of EventBox through MacHeist. This app's slogan is "Pack your social networks in a box" and I think it is accurate. If you want to monitor your Twitter, Facebook, Google reader, and more from one screen this app will do it. It is unfriendly and provides users with options. It is very Nambu like in design but what the UI is slightly better as it lays out Tweets in speech bubbles like iChat (a preference to this Grad Student). This app gets the "TFGS Social Network Butterfly Award."

Tweetie (Free with ads, $20 w/o ads)

Let me begin by saying I currently use Tweetie, love Tweetie, and live Tweetie even with ads. The ads are really not obtrusive and are far and few between in your Twitter time line. With that said, this app is smooth, graphically awesome, and easy to navigate. Like Nambu, I feel like I never have to go to the Twitter web interface ever again (except for deleting a wrong Tweet). It offers a drag-and-drop Twit-pic support and a OSX quickview for pictures sent in Twitter. If you are an avid Twitter-er and don't mind a few ads during your day that are Mac based (and honestly I've checked out a few because they are usually

pretty good) I recommend Tweetie. It recieves the "TFGS Best Overall Twitter App Award."

White Whale App Mentions:

NatsuLion (Beta) (Free)
A lightweight Twitter client has a good start but I felt was really lacking. Does have probably the cutest Twitter client out of all the apps out there. I would recommend this client for the light Twitter user who wants more that just Twidget.

TwitterPOD (Free)

Not one of my favorite choices for a Twitter app - in fact didn't like it at all!

I found it very buggy for me. And honestly- I didn't like much of it's UI, design, or options.

Twhirl (Adobe Air)

Didn't try it- so sorry no review here.

SpreadTweet (Adobe Air app or Browser based version)

Designed for the Twitter-er who Twitter at work. It looks like a Excel spreadsheet, but really its a Twitter app. It is an app and can be used in a browser via Java. Like Twhirl, I didn't really try it so no review here either.

Top 2 recommended Apps From the Grad Student

Happy Twittering to all! Don't forget to follow me and the TFGS (Tales from the Grad Student) on Twitter as @ajbarse

Twitterpated

2009-05-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Tales from the Grad is Still Kicking!!!
Thank you all who follow me on Twitter @ajbarse. With moving, graduating, and job hunting most of my Tales have happened in 140 characters or less lately. But I have some cool blog posts going to happen soon that will be looking at my teaching of E-learning and of course...Twitter.

Speaking of...

Twitter Effect- Now Main Stream?
Ok, so CNN and Ashton Kutcher are battling for followers on Twitter (*I shake my head here*), and everyone and their grandmother seems to have a Twitter these days. Yet, I still hear among the halls of WWU from some students and faculty:

"I get Facebook and all of those things, but I still don't get or why anyone Twitters"

In the Interwebs, there is an ungodly amount of discussion via social networks, mobile communications, and various social services. But Twitter, even now as main stream as it is, still has the bad rep by some as that annoying narcissistic status update site.

Why Twitter-a-holics?
For those still scratching their head on Twitter, the video "Twitter in Plain English" is a great review.

But really, as one of my professors said;

"But I really, REALLY, don't care to know what people are doing all parts of the day."

This graduate student even thinks Twitter has morphed beyond what my professor has said or as this video demonstrates (well, at least for some Twitter users). Basically Twitter is what you make of it. Yes for some narcissistic folk, it is a way so that every 20 minutes they can express what they are hungry for or why their significant-other gets on their nerve. But for others, normal productive Twitter-ers it is a business promotion, a social network, a micro-blog, a social bookmarker, a job networking opportunity...something productive within 140 characters.

Twitter 101
What outsiders might find frustrating about Twitter, is understanding how to read what seems to be a one sided conversation. Twitter Search (http://search.twitter.com/) is a great start if you are trying to find a specific user or conversation, and the site threads the discussions for you. But still, there are Twitter-isms that are needed to fully understand the Twitter-speak such as @ or #. There is even a Twitter lexicon being created which can be seen at the Twitter Dictionary (http://twittonary.com/). In short, if you really want to see Twitter as a mode of conversation and discourse, the various Twitter apps are the most effective way of understanding the stream that is Twitter.

For those who have followed me on Twitter...Yes the much waited Twitter app review is coming.

Twitter Effect Education Implementaiton
Everyday, e-learning instructors are trying to figure out how to build in good discussion online. For that matter, grounded classroom teachers are as well as @CPDubbleU mentioned to me via Twitter. And all the meanwhile, there are still the nay-sayers that say that Twitter and online discussion is not an effective tool for learning and e-learning is a "cop out" for education. This graduate student asks...can't we all just get along? In co-teaching CCE 518 this quarter (more on this to come), this graduate student decided to take a chance and build a discussion board protocol for Blackboard that utilizes discussion concepts being demonstrated by Twitter. Yes, I had my students try @Replying fellow students to "call them out." The effects of this protocol... to be continued.

Publishing of the Grad Student

2009-02-11T18:00:00.001-08:00

Information Science Reference link will take you to the page with information on the text book I co-authored a chapter for. It is a pretty big text, with over 1000+pages and with "60 authoritative contributions by 75 of the world's leading experts in technologies for vocational training from 9 countries" (IGI-Global).

From the IGI Global website:

"The Handbook of Research on E-Learning Applications for Career and Technical Education: Technologies for Vocational Training
provides innovative research regarding important teaching and learning
issues in vocational education through an authoritative reference
collection by leading international experts. This Handbook of Research
offers academicians, practitioners, and researchers a comprehensive
look at various levels of career and technical programs that are
quickly advancing with technology.
Key Features:
60 authoritative contributions by 75 of the world's leading experts in technologies for vocational training from 9 countries

Comprehensive coverage of each specific topic, highlighting recent trends and describing the latest advances in the field

More than 1,900 references to existing literature and research on technologies for vocational training

A compendium of over 500 key terms with detailed definitions

Organized by topic and indexed, making it a convenient method of reference for all IT/IS scholars and professionals

Cross-referencing of key terms, figures, and information pertinent to technologies for vocational training "

http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?ID=34396

ScribeFire- Blogging On-The-Fly

2009-02-11T17:31:00.001-08:00

I have been looking for something that would make posting easier than signing into a new post on my blog and hitting copy and paste from a Pages document. Something free, fast, and easy.

Meet ScribeFire, a FireFox 3 add-on that allows users to breakaway from their blog's form web editor. So far, this graduate student has to admit- it's pretty intuitive and works well. What I like most about its location, it sits in the lower right hand corner of the FireFox browser. Users can have it split screen right in the browser for blogging on-the-fly. Especially useful for those who want to blog about a page or anything they just discovered on the web.
Users are able to easily embed photos you videos as well as upload (through API or FTP) photos to their post. If users have multiple blogs they write to, ScribeFire can have several blogs linked to it. For those who are customizing their blog with html, it provides you with the three typical views to a post; WYSIWYG, Code, and Preview view. Anything done in ScribeFire can be saved as a "note" in the add-on, published to drafts, or published directly to the blog host.

Bloggers, what are you using to write your blog? Post any recomendations on blog editors (apps or addons).

Offline Gmail and Offline Grad Student

2009-01-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

My apologies for my disappearance online, again, lately. I am currently wrapping up my grad study and will be graduating in 5 months...needless to say; feeling the uber crunch lately. A combination of classes, job searching, house hunting, and trying to sleep in between has had its toll. But- the tales will go on...

Offline Gmail
As of a few moments ago, I am proud to say I am a user of the offline Gmail feature (found in Google Tabs of your account)! A much awaited feature by many, which allows Google Gears to use your browser to cache the most recent version of Gmail for offline use. Services like Zoho have used Google Gears for a while, and it is finally nice to see Google supporting it with their own Gmail!
The Rundown...
Say your on a flaky Internet connection eg. on a train, out in the boonies, or just bouncing from coffee shop to coffee shop. By having Google Gears installed in your browser and enabling the feature in your Gmail, you can use Gmail offline to draft, search, read your last synchronized emails. Once an Internet connection is reestablished, it resynchronizes with the Google servers and sends and receives your new mail. Just like a traditional mail client...but again, all from the browser! You have the option for Gmail to create a shortcut (seen left) that will launch your Gmail in your Gears enabled browser for easy recovery.

.
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In the eyes of this grad student, this design is a MUST in the next evolution of online learning. Students need to be able to do their course work with nothing more than the LMS and and their browser. And have a way to have it moved from online, offline and on their Mobile device.

Xmind
A few months back in my classes, my professors were showing teaching and learning benefits from using mind mapping programs, such as Inspiration. It has never been my cup-of-tea as a learner, but I respect the effectiveness it has on learning. But, in the back of my mind I was thinking

"Why isn't there a free or an open source alternative or SaaS that would incorporate an online collaborative mind mapping (or brain storming) kind of thing. For a learning method that is so multi dimension, why is it being delivered in a very one dimensional way?"

Then, in Twitter, @angelamaiers Tweets about XMind.
XMind appears to offer something similar to what I was thinking. Users can create mind maps and publish them online.

From XMind.net
"XMind, combined with online sharing service, provides a revolutionary way to enable both team brainstorming and personal mind mapping. With this major upgrade, we bring Web 2.0 concepts on community sharing into a popular desktop application. New Gantt view allows project managers to easily track project tasks and schedules. You'll find many more useful and time-saving functions in XMind product family."

I have not spent time with it yet, but it is for Windows/Mac/Linux, and could have some potential for grounded and online educators alike.

Thanks to all who continue to read Tales from the Grad Student!

Publishings of the Grad Student?

2008-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Season Greetings all Tales from the Grad Student readers!
My apologies on my sudden disappearance online. A combination of having to finish up classes from fall quarter and research kept me away from the blog...

Many of my Twitter friends have been asking...why so vague with the tweets on "researching" and "long nights"?

During the month of October, I was gathering research on e-learning from a Career and Technical Education standpoint for a textbook that will be published next year! I am soon to be an author!

----
Dr. Sandy Daffron, AJ Barse, and Ed Webster developed this chapter in the textbook entitled "Key Aspects of Teaching and Learning in the Online Environment."
for...

"Handbook of Research on E-Learning Applications for Career and Technical Education: Technologies for Vocational Training"
Coverage:
"The Handbook of Research on E-Learning Applications for Career and Technical Education: Technologies for Vocational Training will provide a compendium of terms, definitions and explanations of theories, concepts and processes."- IGI Global

More info to come- stay tuned

What's with all the SaaS?

2008-11-17T14:30:00.000-08:00

Is the Web Sassing us?
On the blog, I have mentioned several services out of the Web 2.0 cloud. I just recently came across what appears to be the term for these web based services- SaaS or Software as a Service.
As defined by Wikipedia:
"Software as a service (SaaS, typically pronounced 'sass') is a model of software deployment where an application is hosted as a service provided to customers across the Internet. By eliminating the need to install and run the application on the customer's own computer, SaaS alleviates the customer's burden of software maintenance, ongoing operation, and support. Conversely, customers relinquish control over software versions or changing requirements; moreover, costs to use the service become a continuous expense, rather than a single expense at time of purchase."

SaaSy Net Books & Notbooks
More and more we are hearing the term "UltraMoble PC's" and "Sub-Notebook" shift into what is called a "Net Book." These are machines like the Asus EEE PC and HP Mini-Note. The philosophy behind the Net Book is to provide consumers with a lightweight, small, affordable laptop that can be carried around for communication, internet access, and simple document creation. Hardware on these Net Books are limited in power and storage capacity.

Steve Jobs said with the unveiling of the MacBook Air that the MacBook Air is created specifically for the wireless world. The MacBook Air is NOT a Net Book in classification, but it seems that the world it was designed for is the nook of notebook market the Net Book is trying to develop.

With this said, I would like to highlight some of the SaaS out there: built on the Wild-Wild-West-of-a-Wireless-Web-World. Useful for the Net Book user who is pressed on hardware resources, or the ordinary user looking for fast free web based apps that just require the net and a browser:

Apps that SaaS

Adobe Photoshope Express
If you remember a few months back, I blogged about this in beta. Now out of beta, psx brings basic Photoshop tools to your browser.

Adobe Acrobat (Beta) Online:
I have not used this service yet- but from what I have seen I looks like a Zoho/Google Docs style service. But, the document if in PDF form. *Please post to this blog if you have used this service-how did it work for you?*

Aviary
Along the same time I blogged about Adobe psx, I blogged about Aviary now out of beta as well). This SaaS provides users with simple photo alterations similar to psx.

Zoho
In short- Take Google Doc but give it steroids! It is a great online suite that allow you to create documents, presentations...pretty much Office Suite content but all done through your browser and Google gears (for offline use). This grad student loves this service, and uses it for work and school notes, as documents can be kept private or easily shared online.

DimDim
Free Webinar service that allows users to connect and collaborate.

ScreenToaster
I just joined in this beta- and like it so far! Great for screen capturing (like Jing) but without the need to install an app or the time limit on the video (or at least what I have discovered). But, I would like to see similtanious recording of the screen as well as audio (I had to dubb over afterwards).
Example of ScreenToaster in action

An Aside from the Grad Student
The Poloroide pic above was taken using an (non SaaS) beta app called Poladroid. I heard about it from Cali on Geekbrief.tv and have to say it is a fun app!

Facebook LMS

2008-11-17T10:56:00.001-08:00

Zoho App in Facebook...and LMSs think they are "the right stuff"

Today I found out by accident while Twittering with @iRahim that Zoho has an app for Facebook.

From what I have found in briefly playing with it, it links a Zoho account to a person's Facebook.

Rant from the Grad Student
So- let's see... we have a social network that integrates an online "Office Suite", that can do video messages, threaded discussions (wall-to-wall), group discussions, instant messaging, and students are familiar and comfortable with it. And yet e-learning is looking more and more like a text based bulletin board forum....um.... why?

An example of Facebook attempting to be used like a LMS...Last year, Stanford hosted part of one of their courses Psychology of a Facebook via: a group on Facebook, Ustream for lectures and Google docs for documents. I do not know the full details of the class, but it shows how services like Google docs, and streaming video can be blended well in e-learning.

Life-2-Txt: the "Twitter" Effect

2008-11-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Thank you Rebecca for reminding me of the Dr. Michael Wesch video "A Vision of Students Today."

Briefly running into @hillisj last week, it made me realize how much text connectivity goes on day-to-day. Twittering or updating Facebook from a mobile phone or computer is just as much a part of our routine as getting up and turning on the coffee maker.

While preparing for a presentation for CCE 542 with a colleague and fellow blogger, Rebecca, she mentioned something that resonated...

"I have an hour part of my morning when I drink coffee...I go online, I hit my blog platforms, I check my email and I check on Blackboard on the discussion boards...it's like when people used to wake up and drink coffee and read the newspaper...I just read seven of them..."

This is not just because we are students, but because generationally and socially we have become so dependent (or perhaps addicted) of our access to information on-the-go.

The Twitter Effect
More and more, text communication is breaching the point of a terminal way of conversation. The fact is that this grad student can catch a bus from Birnam Wood and walk from the bus stop by the Rec Center to the Underground Coffee house and have the following conversations:

The Twitter effect- The day started with a tweet before catching a bus to campus...

Twittered @hillisj about maybe meeting up on some discourse on Windows 7 vs OSX as we discussed via Twitter. While walking from South Campus to Red Square, have a text conversation with Jes (one of my girlfriend's roommates)-who is currently passing through Oregon on her way back from a sailing regatta. This walk is during one of the most busy times and it is packed (to optimize potential to walk into someone I know). I get through the square, and walk down to vendor's row and chatted (face-to-face) with my RA from last year. I saunter into the Underground and kick open my MacBook and connect to the campus WiFi to blog about my morning and update my Facebook. All the meanwhile, while writing and Facebooking, I IM with a colleague in California. All the while, received several other tweets that lead me to think that I won't be meeting up with my friend in the underground today.

The entire description above is maybe in a 30 minute section of time and done between a V3 Razr cell phone and a MacBook on WiFi connection. I connected with over 7 people via text where I talked, face-to-face, with only one person.

Multi tasking on my walk and at my destination leads to basically 700% more text communication than life conversation. I had more multiple, un-linear text interactions and became abreast of several socially important things; such as Diggnation coming to Seattle (thanks @rahimk)

Breaking away from the mantra of Netbooks?

2008-11-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

*This blog has be re-posted- due to formatting errors and Blogger just being a pain to me all day today*

Netbooks, Notebooks and Laptops...oh my!

I just recently started following a new Twitter friend @light3r of http://www.light3r.com/. A Tweet popped up that really peaked my interest-

"Asus to further blur lines between netbooks and notebooks http://tinyurl.com/5cxtf6"

The post reads...

Asus to further blur lines between netbooks and notebooks
"Asus may be best known for making netbooks and motherboards. But the company also sells full sized laptop computers. And soon it will sell… I don’t know what to call a 12 inch noetbook, maybe three quarters sized laptops? DigiTimes reports that Asus plans to launch a notebook with a 12 inch..." Full Article @ Liliputing

The Liliputing article is referencing a DigiTimes report on Asus planning to release a (similar model to the Eee S101) 12" Netbook for approximately $900.

"Now, Asus won’t be the first company to introduce a 12 inch notebook. And I’m sure it won’t be the last" (Liliputing Article)

That quote quickly flashed me back to the days of the 12" Apple iBooks. Those notebooks were (and if you ask some Apple fanboys- still are) troopers. A bit small on screen real estate as they were not widescreen, but this grad student would not call them 'three quarter size' in physical size or in the hardware they sported.

If you remember a previous Tales From The Grad Student, I did a review on the Asus Eee PC after the release of the MacBook Air. It was small and cramped for this grad student- yet I could see possible application for this Netbook. Now, with Asus making a 12" Netbook with a price point of $900- I question the application. In the opinion of this grad student, why wouldn't someone splurge the extra $100 and buy one of the baseline white (previous generation) 13" MacBook*? Good power and portability and you have a full size computer with more ability to be flexible while being mobile. By NO means am I saying that the MacBook is a Netbook- but saying I thought the mantra of a Netbook was fast-light-affordable?

*Disclosure (big shock here): Granted also- this grad student is positively biased towards Apple.

An Aside of the Grad Student
I would love to see these Netbooks as a study companion to students in the K-12/20 system. Something that would give student instant access to the Internet and also provide a way for student to read/research (perhaps double as an e-book reader). Notes, research and reading- seems to be a trend we are teaching in the K-12 system and the Net-Gen and Net-Gen 2.0 are consuming mobile technologies faster and faster. On the bus the other day, I saw a student thumbing through some research on his iPhone. The mobile-education trend has hold on the Net-Gen (1.0 & 2.0), what is the next evolution going to look like?

Twitter me @ajbarse

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO VOTE TODAY (USA)

Happy Birthday Blog

2008-10-17T09:16:00.000-07:00

It was one year ago today that the first post on this blog was published. My has time gone by!

Apple Store Up: MacBook Spec and Speculation

2008-10-14T12:39:00.001-07:00

The store is now up- what I find interesting is that they are using 2.0 or 2.4 processors with DDR3 (1066mhz) ram *translation* that looks to be really damn fast. No wonder they say that these new machines have a "snappy" response. The store is still hanging on to the last gen MacBooks and MacBook Pro's....but for how long? I'm wondering if Apple will just keep the "white" MacBook as the entry level MacBook (i.e. the student Mac)? This could help them continue to gain ground in the market. Already, at least on WWU's campus, I have already noticed a lot more glowing Apples in the Underground Coffee house.

Remarks from the Grad Student
Already I know a few who read my blog are saying to themselves (you know who you are)
"Ha, well...AJ is going to make a trip to the Apple store soon to upgrade"

The truth is...not anytime soon. I like my trusty BlackBook. If I got a ram upgrade to this machine- I would be set. The only thing that would really sway me to run and grab one of these beautiful machines is the battery life. My BlackBook gets awesome life as it is, and performs great for my mobile life. But who knows, once I get my hands on one to try out....perhaps I will be persuaded. Really, I will wait and hear what users have to say about these new machines. Besides, I like my trusty tried and trusted BlackBook.
My thoughts are if you have been waiting to buy a Mac- this might be the time for you. With the added hardware advancements at basically the same price point- its not too bad. Now, there are some PC readers saying that they are still over priced. And that you could buy a Dell, Gateway, (insert manufacture here) for cheaper with XP or Vista. My reply is still the same...some people like working on their Ford's....I like to drive Ferrari!

The only hesitation have as I say that is...what about MacWorld this January? Apple in the last three months have released A LOT! Do they have anything else up their black turtle-neck sleeves to continue to rock the tech world?

Rock on Steve Jobs! Rock on.

MacBook Predictions True-ish

2008-10-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

www.apple.com
The new MacBook is pretty much offering what users have been asking for.

-Backlight laser cut keys
-Aluminum ("Brick") uni-body case design
-Glass & LED back light screen (LED consuming 33% less power)
-Glass multi gesture track pad (with no clicker...the whole thing is the clicker!)
-Everything faster & lighter

The Apple store is still down for the count in true Apple tradition, but I am wondering three things.

1. What is going to be the price point for these MacBooks? And what is the base model going to sport?

2. With all the added power as well as power conservation built in... how does this effect battery life? Will we be seeing MacBook Air like battery life or MacBook Pro lack of life?
3. Going with Aluminum has had it's issues (in models past) with Wi-Fi. The MacBook Air, I have been told, gets great reception however some of my MacBook Pro friends say that they see lower reception. In the wireless world Apple is promoting, have they remedied these with their new design?

.....this graduate 'Apple fanboy' student excitingly waits on pins and needles!

Social Web 2.0 E-learning

2008-10-13T17:00:00.000-07:00

Tales from the Summer:

My bouncing between Bellingham and Kitsap this last summer has made me a web 2.0-a-holic. Armed with my MacBook and any wifi connection, I kept in the know via 'Facebook', Twitter and a handful of add-ons for FireFox 3.0.

To put it bluntly, E-Learning...you better start take notes.

The e-learning debate of asynchronous and synchronous integrations are about to create a gray area; if it doesn't just null and void itself out completely. Not having student connections should no longer be an optional practice in e-learning, rather, common practice.

Social Network+ FireFox+Distance Learning= Effective e-Learning

FireFox 3.0
Yes I am biased when it comes to browsers. I love Safari, however, for some of the things I do, I find it a bit lacking with regards to Java language. FireFox 3 brings with it more than just a better looking default skin like more add-ons that seamlessly connect to online services such as:

TwitterFox (to Twitter)
Gmail Checker (to Google mail)
Meebo (web instant messaging)

....And hundreds of others. These add-ons flex the power of the browser without any need to install any other software clients. This is indicative of where I and others have been seeing the Internet changing. Aviary, Photoshop Express and even Zoho shows us that the Internet can be, and is, a strong tool in application usage providing that the user has a decent Internet connection speed. On digg, I have been reading about some possible Linux projects that are looking at developing an online operating system, but I do not see this coming out soon. Nevertheless, looking at what is out today-the Internet has produced stronger browsers, now it is up to e-learning developers to utilize what users are using.

New.Facebook.com

The shift to the new UI of Facebook, created some heat online. Much like when Facebook created status updates, users were and are reluctant to accept the new look and usability of Facebook. I find this humorus as I relate this to how institutions are apprehensive to take on a new technologies, LMS's, etc. for their e-learning. But I digress...

It seems that many of the issues of Facebook being 'open' to the public and Facebook's 'tracking of user activity' seemed to have been settled in the last several Facebook layout face lifts. I really appreciate the tab layout. Now you can place a page just for those pesky apps. Granted, I do enjoy a small handful of them (Twitter, Pandora, Tetris Friends and Bumper Stickers), because it really frees up the site for its original purpose- social networking. Recently, MySpace has picked up the torch with social network apps- why is beyond me. The focus should be on the social aspect, which some apps do a great job on...but then there are those other ones...you know the ones. The 1001 different ways to add glitter or stick figures bashing their head on the ground. Why oh why?

Tales from the Twitter-a-holic
EVERYONE who is a Twitter addict can't stop telling (in 128 characters or less) what they are doing. Or with the side service Twitpic, users can't help but add pics on the fly from their phone or computer. These two services are a powerful micro-blogging combination...and highly addictive.

But, this shows an interesting shift in online communications. Facebook was bashed by many of its users when they added the status log. Some users saw it as an invasion on their usage while on Facebook. This seems to have died down greatly as more and more social timeline networks such as Twitter and Pownce are being developed. These timeline networks create this new gray area between synchronous and asynchronous. These are short messages that don't have to be replied to and if replied to, can be public or private.

Web 2.0 services really are focusing on interconnection and the power of social networking. I myself would like to see not more social networks, but rather the ability take my pre-existing social network to other sites I use. For instance, it would be great to have one central social network (for example Facebook) and integrate it as I log into Digg or Twitter, etc. I think this is going to be the next movement, we already see this kind of central hub concept with OpenID- where you have one log in for several sites.

Google Gears:

I have been noticing some more support for Google Gears. This service allows for users to use web based services offline. Think of it as the browser downloading a copy of the site- but unlike cached web pages it is still fully working and can be re-synced to the net or saved locally....let me further explain.

If a LMS would utilize a service like this where it stores a working copy of the last time it visited the LMS, then students would be able to carry their work with them in an on and off line combination. For example: Zoho (I can't rave enough about this service) once logged in allows you to take Zoho writer "offline" which copies over the documents you are working on in your browser for you to use away from your connection. You can work on your documents, save all your modifications offline and when you return to your Internet connection click "online" to sync what you have done to your online account. This kind of service within a LMS would be powerful.

Grad Student's LMS 2.0
Imagine if you would, pieces of the services mentioned above. Students would be able to log in and be greeted by what fellow students have been working on in the class. Once online, be able to download the most recent version of their course as they leave campus or their favorite coffee shop Internet connection to work on their course work at home. But while the student is online, they can utilize all the connection utilities such as a Facebook like live notification and instant messaging bar. Live video conferencing would be available (like that of ustream, MeBeam, or Stikcam) and videos would be RSS enabled (Podcast). If a student misses a live feed- no problem the LMS keeps a copy stored or the student could download it from the educational institution's iTunes U store.

Opinions of the Grad Student
The power of the Internet is being harnessed through the user browser and providing content, opportunity for learning and potential for enrichment both on and offline. Isn't this what we are trying to do with online learning? On top of this, why don't LMS designers take a page out of Facebook's design. The way I see it, 200+ thousand people use and like the UI...that should be a hint to what students are looking for in a LMS (especially seeing as Facebook was originally designed with students in mind). On top of that- they have successfully connected 200+thousand people! E-learning is a global concept, and it should look to the aspects and web philosophies social networking have created. Don't get me wrong, I am not plugging Facebook. Just giving them a tip of my digital hat as it were, to the great job they are doing to use the power of Web 2.0 apps and browser add-ons to connect people. Now, e-learning, your turn.

MeBeaming offsite students

2008-10-07T11:36:00.000-07:00

MeBeam as a way to include students from Everett in a meeting in Bellingham

It might have not been a ITV meeting, but it was close-ish. Using MeBeam, we tried to make a meeting go live between WWU in Bellingham and the off site students in Everett. It was sketchy but it worked-ish. The students on the far end were able to get the information they needed and participate...ruffly. We had technical problems on our end to start as the external mic I was using was not working to start. Luckly I had my MacBook and the first half of the meeting was conducted off of it until I could figure out what was wrong with the desktop PC (yes that was a jab at PC's)

Outside of hardare, one of the biggest issues I had was with the feedback loop. Because the students on the far end were using a microphone and speaker setup (as well as us) we had several instances where we had a lot of echo and at times feedback (even with the echo suppression option checked in MeBeam). I know if the students used a head set it would have stoped it on our end- but I do not know on the far end. It appears that MeBeam does not have as strong of a voice clip as iChat or Skype.

I think with a little tweaking- it could work for fast meetings...but I think for future meetings I am going to have to come up with an alternative. I still like MeBeam and think it is still a great service- this was just a case where the technology just did not fit the setting.

For future reference:
I had to walk students though how to enable the mic and web cam. I wanted to put clips on here so that I can use my blog as a link for reference (or if anyone else wanted to).

Microphone settings screenshot

Web Cam settings screen shot

Tech Tales for Freshmen or any Student

2008-09-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

Love Technology but hate Top Ramen?

Welcome back to year two of Tales From The Grad Student! To kick off the start of the academic term I wanted to highlight some technologies not for the educator or for the classroom (grounded or distance), rather highlight some useful services on the web incoming or matriculating students could find fun or helpful.

SOCIAL NETWORKING
Facebook
The most obvious and popular social network for college students is Facebook. Just recently Facebook launched New.Facebook.com. As a result the site face lift provides a tabbed layout profile page as well as (in the opinion of this grad student) a better over all layout and communications to all your friends and classmates. However, as with any redesign some users love it and some hate it.

Shelfari
If your a book worm, or just want to get some ideas for books to read- welcome to Shelfari. This is a social network for those who love to read and share what they read (see widget on the left of the blog).

Twitter + TwitPic
Hi, I'm @ajbarse and I am a Twitter-a-holic. Twitter is a social time line where you and your friends can send messages about what your are doing, thinking, reading, etc. Combined with TwitPic and your camera phone, you can take and upload pictures to Twitter for added fun.

COMMUNICATION
Calling Home
Most students use calling cards or night and weekend minutes to call home, however, there is another option. Some students may find GrandCentral a useful service that can help cut those calling card costs for long distance calls as well as low cellphone minutes. GrandCentral (acquired by Google) provides users with the opportunity to have a local number that can ring all your phones (cell, home, work etc.) or allow users to call anyone in the Continental United States from that local number. To call out, you do need access to an internet connection separate from the phone you wish to use to call out with. But the service is easy to use and you can check your voicemail right from your internet browser.
This grad student has to say, this is awesome! Especially if you are are on a budget yet need to call a multitude of people in different areas and can't afford a large talk time cell phone plan.

Text Messaging and no cell phone? iPod Touch but No iPhone?
Texting (SMS) is pretty much this grad student's main mode of mobile communication largely because on my cell phone service it saves me a lot of money. If you are armed with a wifi connection and an iPod Touch (perhaps from the promotion Mac just ran for back-to-schoolers), th is link provides you a web site that will allow you to send an SMS to your friends via the internet (standard text messaging charges to the recipient apply). Granted, the person you are sending the text message to can't reply back to you- but at least this site (iPhone, iPod Touch web formatted) provides a way to shoot a text out.
http://sms.dynadel.com/

Instant messaging everywhere
Meebo is an online service that allows you to monitor your plethora of instant messaging accounts without installing anything on a computer. It is great if you are working in your school's lab as well as on your own computer. See previous post on Meebo

Video Calling: Skype and MeBeam
If you have a camera and microphone on your computer:

Skype (requires installtion): http://skype.com/
MeBeam (browser based): http://mebeam.com/ good for keeping connected with friends without needing to worry about the kind of program needed to do it (Skype, iChat, AIM, MSN...). All you need to do is create a room and send the link to who you want to have in the video chat. See previous post on MeBeam

TOOLS FOR CLASS
Free ways to write your papers: OpenOffice, NeoOffice and Zoho
Whether you can't afford Microsoft Office, use a Linux operating system, or just want to use something other than the Office suite: these alternatives provide students with free solutions to getting their papers and presentations done for class

OpenOffice (PC, Mac, Linux)- http://www.openoffice.org/
NeoOffice (Mac)- http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
Zoho (internet connection required)- http://www.zoho.com/
see previous post on Zoho. But first a quick plug! This service provides a great way to work on a paper from multiple places as well as collaborate with classmates for class projects and papers without worrying about 'who has the most recent version of the paper.' and the hassle of e-mailing your paper to your group members every time you work on it. Users can create a free zoho account for login or login with using a Google or Yahoo ID . Combined with Google Gears, users can use this suite online and offline.

ENTERTAINMENT

Tunes: The Music Genome Project
Pandora is an internet radio site that allows you to create radio stations based off of song or artist seeds (a song name or artist). The quality is great and Pandora has an app for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Unlike Yahoo radio or other web radio services, Pandora creates a music station based on the selected artist or song. You can help that station fine tune your selections by giving songs that play a thumbs up, thumbs down or ban it for a month. What is a great feature is that you can create several stations so when you pass your skip track count for the hour, you can change stations to continue your music fix.

Television Shows: HULU
HULU in the eyes of this grad student is perhaps the next best thing since sliced bread. This service allows any student a way to catch up on most of their favorite tv shows after a long night of studying or like in my case, evening classes. Hulu has a large catalog of TV shows as well as movies that are free to stream. There are some short (15-25 second) commercial breaks in the show, but they are few and far between with perhaps 4 breaks in an hour show.

I wish all students across the globe the best of luck in their studies this year. Thank you to all who continue to read Tales From The Grad Student! As always, please feel free to leave your comments, ideas, questions or experiences.

Cheers!

Top 5 Rumors for Mac 2009

2008-09-14T15:00:00.000-07:00

Now with the release of iTunes 8 and the new iPod Nano, the buzz will begin to build on the net about what 2008 Macworld will bring.

I am curious to see what Apple has in store for MacWorld this year. Many bloggers have been huddling around the cyber-water-cooler to catch any gossip on the rumors. Some are even rumoring of an October 14th new MacBook release. Apple fanboys are anxious to see where Apple is going to take their multi-touch technology. What we gleam is that fanboys are looking for more aluminum cases, more glass screens, more multi touch, and more MacBook Air design (with possible Intel Atom chip technology). Below are my top 5 mock ups and ideas out there on the net.

#5
Flip Style iPhone
http://digg.com/apple/Apple_designing_a_iPhone_Filp_Phone
http://www.intomobile.com/2008/03/17/apple-working-on-iphone-flip-patent-application-details-flip-phone-with-dual-sided-multi-touch.html
Really don't have much to say here, its a cool idea but first things first. Lets have all the quarks worked out of the single screen current gen iPhone before we look to a possible dual screen flip style. Although- the idea is pretty cool!

#4
iMac meet iView
http://www.techshout.com/hardware/2008/03/iview-curved-display-imac-concept-showcased-by-nuno-teixeira/
Even though the iMac is incredibly sleek and powerful as it is, some would like to see Apple take it up a notch. From Techshout, this mock up titled "iView", I believe is tapping the idea of OLED screens. This curved design would allow for less glare I presume as well as obviously providing for a wider screen real estate (thus getting rid of dual monitor display setups). My concern would be in the curved display, would that create distortion or color inconsistencies?

#3
MacBook Touch/Tablet Mac
http://www.allensphotoblog.com/blog1/2007/12/
I have heard many say that they would like to see a MacBook Tablet. I have mixed feelings on this. Tablets aren't as effective, I feel, as a traditional notebook (especially for students). But for professions that are 'vertical' such as lawyers, medical personal and shipping personal this could be a great thing to aid in work flow on the job. One of the coolest mockups I've seen of this idea is from the blog Allensphotoblog.

#2
MacBook Touch
http://www.aqua-soft.org/board/showthread.php?t=46824

Many users would love to see the BlackBook (MacBook in Black) as a black aluminum MacBook Pro. This mockup takes this to a whole new level. This concept combines glossy black look with a keyless keyboard. An idea that does take notebooks into the next gen- but this could take some time to get use to. I like having the feel of a key under my fingers as I type....but I have to admit it would make things easier for clean up and as well possibly help in spill protection of notebooks.

#1
MacBook Pro w/Glass Multi-Touch Pad
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=532605&page=3

Off of the Macrumors forums, this MacBook concepts integrates a glass (iPhone) style trackpad giving it multi-touch as well as a very Nintendo DS feel.

This would be a cool idea- but I question how this would effect the battery life.

Tales From The Grad Student Year 2
It's close to the start of the new term which will bring new e-learning articles. Some things I'm cooking : e-learning from a Social Network perspective, and Tech Tools and Services for Freshmen and Matriculating Students

Brought to my attention

2008-08-30T16:13:00.000-07:00

Please note that the old blog location www.ajbarse-graduate-study.blogspot.com is NOT related to me or Tales From The Grad Student in anyway. It looks like someone else has taken up my old domain.

Summer Update

2008-08-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

Greetings all Tales From The Grad Student readers!
My bouncing between Bellingham and Kitsap has kept me busy as well as made me a web 2.0-a-holic. Armed with my MacBook and any wifi connection, I have been keeping in-the-know via 'new.Facebook', Twitter and a handful of addons for FireFox 3.0 connecting to various web 2.0 services. These things will be mentioned in upcoming blogs as I start year 2 of grad school. I have a lot of ideas on some possible implementation in e-learning.

A brief note:
I was on digg and saw this New York Times article on universities giving iPhones or iPod Touchs to their students. I am curious if any readers have experience with this or know any more details on how universities are using these devices?

Article: "Welcome, Freshmen. Have an iPod"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/21/technology/21iphone.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

Twitter
Follow me over the summer on Twitter @ajbarse http://twitter.com/ajbarse

Year End Look at E-learning:

2008-07-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Crossroads in e-learning:
In reviewing the technology covered on the blog this last academic year- I wanted to give some reflective commentary on the trends I see.

With all the advancement in technology, many educators can see where e-learning can be just as strong as grounded classes. Yet there are encumbrances-

To this grad student, e-learning is in flux. We have a generation of students who are tech savvy mixed with a generation who still don't want anything to do with technology. This comes at a time where a new generation (Net-Gen 2.0) are engrossed in technology, and are imbibing technology far faster than the previous generation. This is all combine with the fact that gas is nearly $5 a gallon and students do not want nor can afford to pay any more for their education than they already are. The rising cost to get to school, makes for a digital golden brick road for students to take 'Emerald E-learning City.'

The Trade Off?

I was in a discussion with my friend and colleague, Nick, when we both came to the observation that:

Student don't want to spend more money on gas to get to class...yet students don't want to spend more money on a computer to get them to their online class.

This is a lose-lose situation for higher education. Even if educators raise the bar in the amount of interaction and collaborative learning, are students willing to trade gas expenses with technology expenses for their higher education? All Distance Learning classes are trying to rid itself from its bad reputation as:

"All I have to do is post a few comments, do a few papers and I can get that class out of the way"

A very unilateral, un-interactive design if you ask this grad student, not to mention a reputation that does not take into account the new technologies e-learning uses today.

The human species is a social species- and our education system, digital or grounded, encompasses to this notion. We attend college not just to read a book to gain knowledge, we also attend for the opposing opinions, the differences in views and the inquisition within a topic of study. A desire for wanting to know more in what we want as well as knowing more in general. Ultimately, learning is geared toward bettering an individual's life. But, as I wrote in my previous blog, this grad student asks the question,

"Where has the passion for learning and knowledge gone?

It is depressing to hear that the higher education system have become a monotonous and apathetic process to students. How can we create a common ground that does not ask too much for students (with regards to technology requirements) and yet not compromise the integrity of the education the student is learning? Second Life, Video Blogging, Podcasting and Live Lectures are all useful and can be strong pedagogically sound instructional and learning tools, but require some skill and openness with technology.

If internet learning stays where it is, with just a LMS and links here and there- it negates the social aspect and interaction students also desire with their education all together. And, perpetuates the bad reputation that e-learning has derived.

Technagogy, Technogogy...Technology Pedagogy
Ever since I posted the idea of the term Technagogy- I did some internet searching. Here I thought this grad student thought of something unique, then trusty and quasi-omniscient Google pops my inspiration bubble. It appears there are others who have tried to coin this term- but appears to have two versions Techna vs Techno. The idea is still the same: technology and pedagogy, but I am curious if anyone knows who was the first to coin the term and what they defined it as? If so, please link it below.

Summer of the Grad Student
More things to ponder, research and review. But, I'm off for a while as this summer I am teaching three sections of filmmaking for the WWU Summer Youth Program and will be taking a small vacation at the end.
But there may be a few blogs here during the summer to continue with the Tales From The Grad Student.

Thank you to all who visited and/or commented on the Moodle vs Blackboard blog- there was an overwhelming amount of you who read it. If you haven't, please feel free to leave your comments or questions.

Thank you to all around the globe who continue to read and support the blog

Cheers,
AJ Barse
Year Two Grad Student

NWCHGEE Logo

2008-06-12T16:30:00.000-07:00

Graphic Arts From The Grad Student

After eight months of research, critique, and redesign the Northwest Center for Holocaust, Genocide and Ethnocide Education (NWCHGEE)'s logo is finished and officially launched today!

New Home Page

http://www.wce.wwu.edu/resources/nwchgee/

The Research Behind the Design

http://www.wce.wwu.edu/nwche/Logo_Barse/index_logo.shtml

OLPC XO-2

2008-06-11T16:00:00.000-07:00

Pre-graduate school and pre- ASUS's EEE PC, some had heard from this graduate student talk about a small laptop called OLPC (or One Laptop Per Child). These small and rugged laptops are designed specifically for kids and run a version of Linux and utilizes old- school touch screen technology as well as having a keyboard. They are pretty much as die hard as your going to get as they are spill resistant, impact resistant and thus kid resistant. The idea to me was interesting, a developmental-ish approach for kids to learn about computing. It wasn't until a few months ago that this graduate student was able to finally get his hands on one at TechTonic. It was then that my interest began to decline as this graduate student was semi-impressed. From an adult perspective, it was a cramped, ugly looking laptop with slow hardware. From the kid perspective, it had kind of a cool factor. It was small, hands on and had bright colors, and you don't have to worry about breaking it. Still, kiddos grow up, which is where I began to think. I saw this as a something that wouldn't really last with kids as it needed much more.
Fast Forward
I had read on some tech blogs that OLPC was working on another version a while back. To be honest, I didn't really research it further as the first OLPC to me really didn't offer what I was expecting and with the EEE PC on the market, I didn't think it would be any competition... I might be wrong. After watching Cali Lewis' Geekbrief #366- I should have done some more investigating when I heard about OLPC's 2.0.

OLPC XO-1
Looking at these pics (CGI rendering so don't get too excited yet) from One Laptop Per Child News, the X0-1 moves away from the once goofy looking green machine to a now sleek and MacBook Air look...with an iPhone twist and Nintendo DS design

The crazy part is that the device seems to utilize dual touch screen technology using haptic (the study of touching behavior) technology. So, in theory, as you tough the screen's keyboard, somehow, the user will feel a response as if they touch a key. Cool, but why dedicate the extra power consumption? As I wrote on the original OLPC in my blog on Tech Tonic :

"It is reported that it is light on the wallet (ranging from $100-$400) but you do get what you pay for. It does have a swivel screen which makes it a cool e-book reader, but the processor is well below 900Mhz and the keyboard is incredibility cramped. I cool machine indeed, for children, but is not MacBook Air by any stretch."

Originally, the OLPC was to debut at $100, but that jumped to closer to $200. With all this wicked technology, small form factor, and perhaps new power conservation features- what will the price be with this gadget? And, will it be useful for school age kids, or will adult want this?

Tales From The Educator
If we take into account for learning styles, and kinesthetic learners- the OLPC XO-1 can greatly shift the way we can deliver e-learning. Or can it? As much as I love touch screen technology, how could touching a screen be any different than moving a mouse in an e-learning environment, other than adding the "it's easier" factor. To this grad student, I think the size is going to matter again- for kids or adults. For school age kiddos, it could be a tool for helping students develop typing skills, note taking skills and of course computer competency. Kids these days can fly on a computer, big or small. The K-12 teacher side of me sees how an interactive, affordable machine loaded with learning applications could help a student's cognitive development. The realist K-12 teacher in me also sees that it would last about 10 min until the kiddo figured out how to hit an internet connection and then...they are going to be on myspace.

This kind of technology I would love to see in, say, a 13" model for college students. The tech side of me looks at this technology and sees the Star Trek control panels that Captain Picard always was reading on the Enterprise. But even with Star Trek technology, I wanted to see bigger screens. With a bigger screen size, college students could have an affordable device to take notes, check email- a true digital version of their composition notebook if you would- and would not have to worry about lugging a huge laptop that gets 45 min for battery life or an expensive Apple that they take better care of than their car.

Reflections From the Grad Student
Ok, so where am I going with this...cool technology, weak use for education as it is designed- so why blog it? In writing this blog, I looked outside my office window and it hit me- what is the next step in educational technology? I have blogged for now one academic year, and have covered some great technology and ways it could be put into practice...yet things haven't really changed. Sure, some colleges are looking at getting rid of BlackBoard for another LMS, but even then- will the TEACHING and LEARNING change? As much as I am an optimist, I have to sound pessimistic in saying...the unfortunate answer is no. This blog has left me with more questions than answers with regards to technology in the classroom. Sure, there is a lot to be said about how quickly distance learning has changed and improve, especially with screen casting and audio and video podcasting. But technology and the K-20 classroom...not so much. At the same time, as much as I promote computer competency, the ever recurring E.D. Hirsh core knowledge fundamentals as well as critical thinking skills that I see lacking in some if not most students astonishes me. I am a constructivist in my teaching philosophy, but I also acknowledge the importance of balance- constructivist philosophy and core knowledge.

For this grad student, I ask the question, "Where has the passion for learning and knowledge gone?" More and more on campus, especially as this academic year ends I hear "I can't wait to be done, here..." or "I am so done, I can't wait to be out in the world." These students sound as if school has been a prison sentence. Granted, I acknowledge that college isn't for all, but I hear it even in the K-12 system, and that saddens me to no end. Where is the excitement of learning something new? Have we as a society gotten so wrapped up in consuming everything else, but learning?

Moodle vs Blackboard

2008-06-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

A post that has been long time coming and anticipated: Rock'm Sock'm LMS blog. For the last three months, I have been course designing in the LMS BlackBoard (Bb). After this exploration, I am sure I have a better feel for what it delivers from both the student and the educator perspectives than when I went in. Enough to compare it to the acclaimed open-source LMS (learning management system) Moodle.
Lets get ready to rumble...

Moodle:
Version Used: (version 1.8.1)
I admit, I like Moodle; but it is by no means perfect. Moodle draws it strength from its intuitive design, pedagogy focus and web page look. To me, an LMS has to be appealing graphically as well as functionally; which Moode delivers.

The look: ...anything you would like.
Stock, it is very Gmail or iGoogle in feel. It has a web forum's intuitiveness combined with sound pedagogy and user friendly continuity. One down side that I want to address early on is the mass amount of drop down menus. When you are trying to get statistics, or reviewing work, this is where Moodle gets cluttered. But then again, it is trying to retrieve web based forms from a data base. I am sure that this will get a cleaner feel as Moodle evolves, but it is a bit confusing to navigate these mass amounts of drop downs just to see what your students have been working on. On the positive side, the fact that Moodle has analytics (clunky) is a nice touch (Bb has them as well and are clunky as well).

Moodle is skin-able using "themes" that the community has designed, or an administrator could design themselves. This gives a true custom feel to the LMS as it goes beyond just adding a banner across the top with the school's name.

A feature I endorse and want to extol is a very simple one: having pictures by the student's names for any discussion board. A very forum borrowed concept, this is great as it provides a face to the strings and strings of conversation and collaboration educators want to have in an online environment. It is hard, especially if it is a true distance course, for students to really get involved in a discussion without some sort of face to put a name to. There has been many times where I have been racking my brain on which "Carol" or "Jim" I am commenting back to. It just seems to be less of an eye sore and more engaging to see a small avatar for a student in a discussion's. And, it gives a face for the educator as well. Just as these students don't see each other in the grounded life, nor does the teacher.

The layout: I think in taking a web forum look that everyone who has ever used a online forum would recognize gives it it's easy use from a student perspective.

The flexibility: much like Blogger, you can add widgets or modules of html/java to create extra content for students to use as an extension of the LMS. This is where it flexes its muscles over Bb. I feel that Moodle is trying accommodating Web 2.0 technologies.

Student Usability: A bit disorienting at first for a BlackBoard user. Moodle's layout reminds me of any "dashboard" you might think of: blogger, iGoogle, my Yahoo. It is foreign at first but then it "kind of reminds you of something you've used before."

Teacher Design-ability:
Every LMS has a learning curve, because the education system is dominated by Bb- teachers could easily get frustrated with Moodle...at first. Once the educator sees that basically you have two modes "edit view" and the normal view "view" (like Bb) your golden.

A feature that teachers may like if they are accustom to workshopping their students' papers in class, perhaps could get some use out of the 'workshop' assignment option. The 'workshop' assignment allows the student to submit a paper, the teacher to review it and give a preliminary grade and feedback and send it back to the student for revisions. But, how is this really different than email? The concept is a powerful feature, but the delivery needs some work. The form feeling interface just makes me want to say "to hell with this" and just do threads in a discussion board or via email.
Final Thoughts
In the opinion of this grad student: in any distance learning environment, the more effective collaborative learning the better. Moodle offers some avenues to break slightly away from the idea that e-learning is unilateral interactions (teacher-student)and adds possibilities for multilateral (teacher-student: student-student: student-teacher-student) - which is awesome. I would like to see more! This is the internet- it is good to see these small steps, but e-learning and Moodle should be incorporating more student centered methods.

BlackBoard:
Version Used:(7.3.159.29)
Many have heard me as well as others say thatif we could grade Bb; it would receive a failing grade. But before you think this is going to be a Yatzee style review from Zero Punctuation- think again. Even though techs and educators have loathsome feelings for this LMS, it does have some redeeming factors. I'm not staying its totally good, but I'm not saying its horrible either; it gets closer to a C grade. Yet, there are some/many things worthy of a Yatzee style bash.

The Look: From the start you think: "wow frames and buttons that look like a bad webpage from 97!" I will be honest, I hate the frames bar that separates the buttons from the content screen. Combine that with the ugly looking color scheme button choices, and icon graphics that looks like rejected clip art graphics from office 1995 and you get an interface that is the graphical equivalent of a Windows 98 with a hang over. I had to really spend time thinking about the the color and look (my graphic arts background here) just so that it looks inviting. This is the classroom for the digital student, it should be appealing.

The Layout: I originally thought that bad Bb courses were due to the fact of bad layout, however I do not believe this the case anymore. If the layout doesn't seem to fit, I view it as an instructional design issue by the educator. I was able to practically make whatever I wanted, where I wanted. This in tern is probably the problem. Educators probably do not think of Bb or any LMS as their own computer with files, folders and shortcuts to applications. I was able to create a logical hierarchy that put everything in 'Lesson' modules that contained lectures, reading, link to discussion board, and activities. To me this made the most sense, and to my colleagues that reviewed my class, they gave positive feedback as well. Bb has the ability to be direct and logical, if and only if the educator takes time to think how might their student navigate their course. Not how the educator thinks the course ought be navigated.

Student Usability:
Getting past the sub par current generation graphics, once Bb is configured and the educator gives a road map of how their class will be rolled out for the term, student usability is okay.

Teacher Design-ability:
Again, being blunt- not bad, just different. Everything is controlled through a 'Control Panel' Link. But, pages also have the "Edit View" function so if you find an error in how you have things laid out on a page, 80% of the time you don't have to run back to the Control Panel- but there is that other 20% of the time. Bb would be better if it followed Moodle and just make "Edit View" throughout the LMS.

There are also other features build in to Bb, such as Wiki's and Podcasts, but I felt as if these were add ons and felt a little clunky. I sill don't understand fully how to configure the Podcast feature. For my Podcast class, I was hoping it would be editable by the students, but it seems that it is supposed to be used as a way to deliver content to students (a very teacher center approach).

The Flexibility: Surprisingly flexible ...within the features provided Bb has standard. However, it FAILS in flexibility in bringing external flexibility- let me explain.

The assignment module, which acts like a modified digital drop box, is supposed to tie into the assignment name you give it in your grade book. However, I have had issues collecting any "assignment" once a student submits it. If it did work, it feels like Bb wants the instructor to print it off to grade it anyways. It would be nice if a LMS had a built in document reader (like Zoho or Google Docs). Where after the instructor is done, all feedback is recorded in the documents, sent to the student, and the grade is issued.

Other features in Bb are discussion boards, quizzes with immediate feedback etc- things that are stock with Bb and most other LMSs. After using Moodle and integrating anything I want, it seems with Bb I am unable to bring in outside stuff like html that would give me other applications (meebo, twitter, etc). I can't find anything similar within the control panel of Bb.

Final Thoughts (Cont.)
Any LMS or e-learning educators not embracing Web 2.0 is seriously making a mistake. Again, the educational and e-learning community needs to stop thinking in terms of 1998 and think more like 2018. The technologies are on the web- we (educators) ought to see what is out there and see if they have any potential usage in e-learning!

Reflections From the Grad Student
As I took a quarter to write this, I had an epiphany on what really separates Bb from Moodle. Bb seems to be designed from a teacher center approach, where Moodle has more of a feel of a student center approach. This is probably due the fact that traditionally minded educators think of e-learning as:

Teacher gives content via web...student learns it via web...gets a grade...the end. NO! I say.

There is NO reason, especially with web 2.0 that it has to be, or should be, teacher centered. I realize there are several limitations to my statement, such as tech knowledgeable educators, students comfort with technology (which I believe is high in the youth of today), and in a small part the LMS. But still, the times are changing...and e-learning needs to step it up.

There is no killer LMS, they all have strengths, weaknesses and price tags (unless open soruce). I think the largest reason Bb is bashed is because of its poor design look, its price to performance ratio and educators/educational institutions lack of breaking outside the box of tradition. In my blog I have covered things from justin.tv to WWT: all technologies that are free and can help in e-learning greatly. It will just take time for educators to see within their practice how they can use them. For instance, ustream. I have not done a blog on it yet, but I can see how this site could help bring live broadcasted and archived classes. Some universities are beginning to use this as a way of lecture (thank you Facebook Psychology class out of Stanford). Online apps such as Zoho (which I can't stop raving about) and Aviary (again more raving here) bring a lot of potential for powerful tools for students and teachers.

I think what I am trying to say is that I do not believe there will be the Killer-App to e-learning. Rather, we will work between the lines of pedagogy and what I call technagogy (see blog) until we have more flexible and solid LMSs that will allow incorporation of: sound teaching methods, enriching learning situations for students as well as whatever tech advances in Web 2.0+ will bring us.

WWDC 2008: Covering WWDC LIVE from WWU

2008-06-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

Covering WWDC LIVE from WWU

Yes, coffee in hand this grad student woke up early for this keynote. Watching Cali live on ustream: (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/on-location-with-cali), and watching pictures and post updates from engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/09/steve-jobs-keynote-live-from-wwdc-2008/).

I was hoping to cover this live using coveritlive or ustream, but I have been sick the last couple of days and just could not get the energy to set everything up.

Tales From The Grad Student (TFTGS) Live Coverage:

OSX 10.6- Snow Leopard confirmed!
iPhone
So games, games and more games utilizing the touch screen technology.
Possible live chat via iPhone iSight?
Medical field, using the iPhone for medical student training

Use in hospitals to give patients info?

Support for Microsoft Office documents

Excel
PowerPoint
Word
etc

Scientific Calculator! Turn it sideways and get graphing and all that jazz
On the fly language support

Perhaps for fast translation?

iPod touch updates with ALL the iPhone updates: $9.95!
Ad Hoc Distribution: imagine being a professor and having students mail around a classroom lecture notes, or apps. Run on 100 registered iPhones.
MobileMe: Something about Microsoft Exchange? (Video Feed dropped out)

Sounds like iPhone supports mobile Microsoft Exchange for calendar and mail?

Support between the Mac OS X environment and the Microsoft environment
MobileMe web access looks sweet!!!!! Like Outlook Web access but with the iWeb Mac look and feel.
Integration of all the "smart" technology when email comes in. Locations- to Google maps, events to iCal.
MobileMe, $99 per year

Going to replace .Mac

Techcruchgear.com has video on Qik!
Steve Jobs is back up

Gadget of the year
Mobile browsing is up
80% people using 10 or more features at a time
6 million iPhone sold this year
Next challenge for iPhone

3G network!!!!!!!!!!!!
3rd party app support
more country support
making iPhone more affordable!!!!!!
iPhone 3G

Here it is the NEW iPhone 2.0

Better Battery life!

Standby time of 300hrs
5 hrs on 3G talk time!!
5-6 hrs Browsing

Now in Black (looks like the leaked pictures on the net)

7 hrs video
24 hrs video
Built in GPS!

Live tracking

iPhone price 3G- 8Gb----$199 start off!

16Gb at $299

MY THANKS TO USTREAM!!! and engadget and gizmoto

Tales From The Grad Student Ver. 2.0

2008-05-27T20:18:00.000-07:00

Ever since the update to the blog, I have been told of some annomolies. One of which is the banner of the blog not loading. If you have experienced this or any other bugs, please leave me a comment below as well as how fast your internet connection is if it happened just once or multiple times.

Thanks

New Look, Same ol Grad Student

2008-05-25T19:39:00.000-07:00

Thank you all who voted in the three month poll- the winning result with a smashing 63%: was as you have found talesfromthegradstudent.blogspot.com.

I was going to make the change over the summer, as well ditch the fish (even though I love the metaphor the one fish hopping to the other bowl represented) and put up the custom TFGS Tales From the Grad Student banner. The design of the site will slowly change- nothing more major as of yet.

Rumor Mill From The Grad Student
As some had caught word, the rumor is true...the Blackbord vs Moodle post WILL be coming out this month.

Tip from your Friendly Neighborhood Grad Student

With the update to the domain name: please make sure to update your subscription, live bookmark, or RSS to the blog to keep yourself up-to-date with all the Tales From The Grad Student.

Thank you all again who read the Blog.

AJ Barse
Year Two Grad Student

The Universe and Notetaking

2008-05-14T14:22:00.001-07:00

Microsoft Delivers the Universe
If you remember from my blog on Tech-Tonic (TT-Series: Microsoft Labs), I mentioned a new and application Microsoft Labs called WWT. World Wide Telescope finally launched this weekend http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/
However, it only works for Windows *grad student shakes fist* but still looks great. I have not tested it yet, but if you have downloaded it and tried it out- please leave me your thoughts and reactions on the new WWT software. Hopefully, Microsoft will be nice and also deliver a Mac version.

Another Web 2.0-ish Application Suite Online
I was watching Natalie Del Conti on Cnet's Loaded today, and was turned to Zoho.
http://www.zoho.com/
Zoho appears to be an online app similar to Google Docs, but with more applications and with more features. According to Loaded, and I have tried it out, you can now associate your Google login to use the apps. Again, because of the plethora of things I need to do during this extended midterm week, I have not yet played with it intensively.

Some of the apps that caught my attention; Zoho Web Conference and Notebook. I don't know what features it provides but I suspect that it might be similar application to that of Web Huddle. I am hoping that it will allow for live audio and presentations for collaboration. If so, this could be a useful tool for e-learning educators in their delivery of online synchronous lectures. The other app, Notebook, is a OneNote style app. This is uber great, as I was an fan of OneNote and used it religiously in class when I was an undergrad with a PC. When I upgraded to my Mac, it was the only program I really missed. I think is a great idea (and for that matter any piece of free note-takeing assisting software) and useful tool for students who are always taking notes inclass and connected to their WiFi network.

And now...back to the midterms.

Video Blog in a Discussion Board

2008-05-12T14:55:00.000-07:00

Tales from the Educator
The anticipated review of Bb vs Moodle is coming along, slowly, buy I have been getting some great insight on the workings of Bb and comparing it to the structure of Moodle.

For one of my classes, CCE 518, the focus of the class is current issues in e-learning with the terminal project of designing a Bb course. It is my favorite class this quarter and the Bb class I am creating I have deemed Integrated Multi Media 122-D, Video Podcasting and the Digital Arts. In my class, the focus on teaching multi media students via a distance how to create, sustain and promote their unique podcast using Apple products. Part of the curriculum I am designing shifts slightly from Bb tradition. One major one is the use of video blogging as a discussion board. Using Bb native feature to embed Quicktime content, students with iSight and any video capturing application (such as Quicktime Pro or PhotoBooth) would be able to video blog. Granted I am not JUST using this as the discussion board, students will still reply via text thread format as well. But I think courses could utilize video blogging format as a way of assignment and assessment.

By allowing this option, students would be presented with an opportunity to verbally present what they have learned, which could accommodate different kinds of learners (and perhaps learning styles). Some my say that having students just talk out what they have learned undermines assessment and is not comparable to traditional essay response. My question to these nae-sayers is "have you ever tried answering a final let alone while being recorded?" It can be cognitively strenuous. I think that video blogging might offer a different way to tap different thought processes as a student responds. In my undergraduate study I had a professor who gave the option to verbally answer the questions on the final. Very few took him up on it, I however did take him up on this option. It was different, it wasn't as much as a discussion (as I would have wanted), rather he was scratching down notes as I explained myself. If he was unclear on something I said he would ask me clarify. In doing so, granted I knew the material well, I still found myself engaging even farther in my thought process beyond what I had studied.

I realize that video blogging isn't for every student and every kind of class, but it could be a powerful tool for educators. I still have some more thought to put into this idea, as well as my class- perhaps more on this will come in later blogs.
Leave me your comments here- what do you think about video blogging and education?

PhotoShop Express PX

2008-05-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

How Does Px fly against Aviary?
Since I reviewed my blog on Aviary for spelling mistakes I missed (my apologies on that), I had an epiphany: PhotoShop Elements is not the same as PhotoShop Express. I had confused the watered down version of PhotoShop with the new, currently beta, online browser based PhotoShop Express (Px). I had not seen this new addition- so needless to say, I had to check it out and see how this compared to Aviary.

From Flight...to Flat-Spin
At first glance, it reminds me a lot of Apple Aperture in its color scheme and interface (a good look for me). Px allows for simple touch ups but no real workability of pictures. Really, I can't find any "tools" PhotoShop is known for... such as...hum...I don't know- LAYERING! There is also no filters or photo manipulation tools such as magic wand or lasso. So, to this graduate student, it appears that Adobe has created this browser based app targeting users who take large amount of digital pictures and want to quickly adjust them on the fly before uploading them to their Flikr, Picasa, etc. With that said, users are able to use their Picasa (etc) accounts as a library in Px, however, I don't see a "Save to" feature! Once you are done touching up your pictures, I can only find a download to local disk or attach it to an email? Perhaps a "load back to" feature is there, and haven't found it yet- but if its not, there is a feature that just about kills this app. With Px, users also get a nice 2GB space with a url to save and share photos. But for the audience mentioned above who already have several accounts of pictures- why would they want another when they can use their preexisting ones?

Opinions From The Grad Student
My initial response to Px was my excitement level went from 60 to 0 in 5 seconds flat. So far, Aviary has superior tools that could be utilized in e-learning as well as in the tech world. As I mentioned previously, I think we can expect to see more and more browser based apps. A continuous flexing of the technical muscle Flash and Java have in providing users/students with tools that are free and require no added installation on their local machines. Currently I see more use of Aviary Phoenix (or any of their birds) in an e-learning environment. Perhaps the biggest blow to Adobe, if you ask this grad student, as a PhotoShop(Ps) nut- I was expecting a LOT more from them: even if it is JUST a browser based app. Regardless of being a Ps-nut or not, I think that if Px got in a graphic flying battle with Aviary (a graphic arts Top Gun style dogfight), the ending would go something like this...
"Um..The defense department regrets to inform you that PhotoShop Express got shot down because it lacked the guns Phoenix had " .
Px is going to need more "umpf" in the opinion of this grad student.

Adventure sof the Grad Student

2008-05-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

24 Hours, 10 cans of Red Bull, 1 Mac, 1 Large APE= 1 Adventure.

KVIK put on a 24 hour film scavenger hunt. Our group, "The Green Monkeys" created a short film with as much of the objectives we could in a music montage, Scooby-Doo feeling, reality film. It is up on Facebook (link below). This cautionary tale has a lot of slap-stick college humor.

Photos from the event (from Eric Simkins)
Home Sweet Home:
In the Viking Union, KVIK turned a room into Home Base of Operations. Each team had an iMac, 2 DV Cameras, a list of objectives, and enough Red Bull to put a horse into a coma.

On Location
Staging for the "Scooby-Doo" scene, where we all run into a box and we all come out at different times all to evade the killer Ape.

Clips from the Film:
The Last Supper: Objective: A Di Vinci Reenactment- granted, we also did a little product placement for Apple.

Hip Hop Dance: Objective: Dance Challenge 2 in Miller Hall- yes you read right Hip Hop dance off. KVIK brought in a great dance instructor/choreographer

Street Performance: Objective: Make a buck on the streets of Bellingham

Link to KVIK Scavenger Hunt Page:
http://www.facebook.com/video/?id=23595077496

24 Hrs Later: Go Green Monkeys!!!!

Aviary: Spreading wings and flying in a new internet

2008-05-01T15:48:00.000-07:00

Aviary
This kind of image editing isn't for the birds- Aviary is a suite of online Web 2.0 driven applications that offer users powerful tools in a user friendly interface. I am currently using the Phoenix and Peacock betas and from my observations- this is the strongest example of how the internet and how people are using the internet is changing. Aviary is currently an invitation only beta/alpha that offers tools from image editing, to video editing to audio editing. It is hard for me to explain what all Aviary can do as I only have Pheonix and Peacock available to me, but hope to experience the other apps as they become available (more blogs to come I hope). I am very interested to see what they are going to do for video/audio editing and recording.

In Education
This is exciting new technology that could have so many new implication for education. If these tools remain free, this would allow students and educators alike to have new tools to use in academia. It is browser based which means that users can access it anywhere they have internet access. Straight away, to this grad student, this means that Distance Learning students would have new tools available to them for the use of in their classes. Educators could uses these tools in their instructional design...come to think about it, I could even give a possible class that could use it. I am currently designing a online course on "How to Video Podcast" a Podcasting 101 if you will. Once Aviary's video editing application is released, students could potentially have a free alternative to cut video. By no means do I think it is a Final Cut killer, but for the average tight-on-cash student who wants to do basic things with technology, it could be awesome tool.

Phoenix
Phoenix is a scaled down, and very reminiscent, editor comparable to Adobe PhotoShop Elements. Users are able to do basic image modification and restoration, without ever installing a single application as it is browser based (I can't say that enough). When I signed up for the beta, I had no idea that it was browser based- the examples I saw were so creative and detailed I was STUNNED when I read that it was done through a internet browser window!
Today: I hopped onto the wifi in the Underground Cafe to take Phoenix for a spin. I was surprised at how fast the interface loaded- I believe the application is running through a mix of Flash and Java. But is not as clunky as most online apps I have used or seen using this combination. It was fluid and as if I was using an offline app on my computer. Tool windows are floating, tools such as layering with effect options, and even a menu across the top: all as if you were working in a true desktop publishing application off line. Most effects and filters have an active preview as well, some require rendering, but I was surprised again when I saw my photo change live as I adjusted the intensity.

In a very short time- 5-7 min I was able to take a photo I took from my MacBook in Red Square and edit it

Before After

Opinions of the Grad Student

The internet and internet user are changing. It isn't just for researching or communication, it is now for collaboration and creativity. Google Docs has shown us that productivity and collaboration on documents can be browser based. MeBeam, has shown us the video/audio communication isn't just limited to a client or having to have to have an account to an IM just to use a video/audio service. And now Aviary is showing us that the internet can give us the capability to do artistic things without ever installing a single thing. To this grad student, these technologies fall into the same developmental step of that of the MacBook Air- a machine designed specifically for the "Wireless World".
Online application, or even better open source online applications, could be a new trend we can expect to see. It is as if the internet is trying to change into an extension of our own private network. For example, on a large network, sometimes programs are loaded on a central server so that the terminals (the user's computers) don't have to have the software on the machine. The machine just has a shortcut to the program that is on the server. Apps like Aviary and Google Docs really remind me of this concept. A technical concern I have is: what happens to your work if your browser "hiccups?" With offline (client) based programs you usually have a file that you can go back to in case you crash. It would be nice if programs like Aviary allowed for a file to be built on the users desktop so that if *cough--Safari--cough* gets a spiny wheel of death and crashes for no reason- you don't totally loose your work.

"Hey, where you at?"

2008-04-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

I want to take a sec and welcome & say "greetings" to everyone across the globe who read Tales from the Grad Student.

Ever since I watched Cali's podcast about Woopra, I have been curious into analytics. Nothing against Woopra, it looks really comprehensive, but I wanted to find out if there are some fast, basic and simple alternatives.

Analytics' spin on e-learning
Where does analytics have a place in e-learning? Here is my take; just as a web designer wants to know what pages are getting the most hits, where users were routed from, etc., e-learning designers could benefit from similar data. It could help to answer questions such as:

What assets within the LMS are students most using?
For how long?
Are students getting lost in the flow of the LMS?

I know that Bb has some analytics built in it, but how often are they being used? Most classes are set up the same way, but really is it the most efficient way? More analytic (ie student usage) data combined with student input could really reshape how we as educators structure our online class as well as the choice of LMS.
Live analytics would be great for instructors who are constantly online on the LMS as it would tell them if and when their students are online. Continuing with this though, it would also provide data on when the majority of the instructor's students do their course work. This would help instructors in getting timely feedback to student to student work.

On that note: I am still trying to get some time to continue with the "LMS Series" postings, but this quarter's studies are pretty intensive. And I really want to spend a decent amount of time in each LMS to get a good feel from the student and instructor views what it offers.

Analytics of the Grad Student
These analytics aren't really for the the e-learning educator, but I wanted to highlight some of the analytics I have tried out. Partially because of the concepts mentioned above...but also mostly because they were really cool and easy to use. If you use a really cool widget, leave a comment on what it is and how you use it.

Google Analytics
http://www.google.com/analytics/
Google Labs continue to surprise me, I had not clue this free service was available for anyone who has a Google login. I just started this service, but it looks pretty in depth. You do have to embed some small code within each web page you want monitored, but set up is easy and it explains where best to place your code. It would probably suit someone who is hosting their own website more than blogger's, but ya never know. I have tagged it to Blogger to try it out.

Feedjit
http://feedjit.com/
I have to take a sec and rave about Feedjit: as so far, it is my favorite. It is a clean, Google map driven, almost Frapper feeling live visitor map. Every time someone reads your blog or website it will leave a marker on the map automatically (based presumably on the visitor's IP) and what pages the visitor read. It is great for Bloggers who aren't really concerned with how much traffic comes in, rather, interested in who around the globe is reading and what. It is fast and simple to use, as it is Blogger widget ready.

Whos Amung Us
http://whos.amung.us
The URL, a cool play on words, is a 'live reader' widget. I like WAU largely because of look and design of their widgets and that it provides a live view on who is on your site. Perhaps one greatest feature is that you can monitor live users on your site via a firefox browser plug in.

Side Note:
I have been noticing and deleting more spam comments- people leaving links to troublesome sites. Has anyone else on Blogger (or other blogs) noticed these irritating hits? If so, leave a comment, and if you use anything else to screen this span other than the "verify your real box" for comments.

Social collaboration or cheating?

2008-04-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

Net-Gen using social networks for collaboration or cheating?
As part of my 518 class (Current Issues in Education: Using Instructional Technology), we were assigned to listened to the CBC Podcast: CBC Radio: The Best of The Current- 11/03/2008: My Big Fat Diet.

The podcast covered the issue of ‘Chris Avenir’, an engineer student at Ryerson University in Toronto, brought up on 147 counts of academic misconduct because of a Facebook group used for collaboration or cheating for a chemistry class. This case calls into question the issues of what the current generation perceives as cheating; and even the old debate of technology’s hand in plagiarism. The podcast relates to what I discussed in the earlier post "Connection Questions" regarding the Net-Generation and Net-Gen Ver. 2.0. Since the story, there has been a blog started about the incident http://www.chrisdidntcheat.com as well as educatioanl policies revolving around Facebook. Further showing how the Net-Gen gets their information.

To boil down the issues:

Does the use of social networks or other sharing environments qualify as cheating?
What does this generation (my generation) view as cheating?
As Plagiarism?
As Copyright infringement?

In this case, the example used was that the Facebook group was used as digital version of a “library study group." This was followed up with the comment that professors and educational administration do not understand how the generation use technology to support their learning. With the rise of student technology savviness, fast researching skills via technology, should we as educators being to shift how we assess our students? We want our students to discuss the topics we teach them, yet this case is stifling that movement. Educators use BlackBoard (Bb) for students to use discussion threads for collaboration, how does this differ with Facebook? One difference is that Facebook is not exclusive to a class or university. Content can be shared with anyone within the Facebook network, allowing students to share their knowledge with several university students across the globe. Which to the view of this grad student, is even better if it aids in the betterment of learning. There is no reason that a student in Canada shouldn’t collaborate with a student in Washington on academic subjects. It promotes student learning via teaching and social networks (text or avatar based) provide a conduit for that collaboration.

In class, we have been studying the concept of collaboration (group efforts in learning) versus cooperation (solo efforts toward learning). By having students hash out questions, concepts, and examples through dialog in an online environment, it can greatly aid understanding just as grounded class discussions bring deeper meaning to content. I think this case does bring to light issues with university’s concerns on digital cheating as represented in contemporary films. Issues such as text messaging in exams, hacking for exams, etc. However, it is the view of this graduate student that based on the podcasted information, this is not such a case. If you know of this case, the outcome of the issue, or know of any updated information please leave me any comments you have in my blog.

Facebook
Facebook is always a sore subject for the original users, as it was originally developed as a social network exclusively for college students. Since the open enrollment now to aynone, it has been an even hotter topic. College students have been called on the academic carpet for things from cheating to inappropriate behavior as this article from Whales describes (http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_headline=uni-students-in-facebook-storm&method=full&objectid=19567453&siteid=50082-name_page.html)
Facebook shifted from a online sanctuary for college students to a monitored site for elicit academic activity.

From The Educator:
Perhaps we need to lessen having students memorize factioides (product) and raise assessment in their explaining and describing how they would accomplish things (process). As the podcast said, this does not mean the end of rote knowledge or memorizing of information, but this is a support for educators look toward evaluating their students more on the process than the product. This view is seen in the K-12 system in Washington state as the WASL, which is a hot topic in its own right. Setting its issues aside, we can see that in the last several years the curriculum has shifted for this assessment. I see more constructivist principals applied in the classroom and collaboration within the classes being heavily emphasized. But I see the collaboration, curriculum and assessment still disjointed in all efforts to promote learning and because of the stakes assigned to the WASL. The simple scholarly survival instinct's of students slant them more toward cooperation- just to “get the learning" or "work done.”

Perspectives: Tech, Ed, and Law
Basing my information solely on the Podcast, there are diverging views in this case. I find it asinine that one student being held to 147 counts of academic dishonesty and the university saying it has nothing to do with the technology. If the university was looking just at the academic dishonesty, it is the opinion of this graduate student, then all 147 students would be charged individually for their offenses: not one for all 147. It is difficult really to say what was going on with the group (cheating or not), without seeing the content shared as it relates to the quizzes. I can see, for example, if the students were using the site to post answers for a take home exam and everyone within the group was just copying each other, but to me it does not seem to the case.

Follow Up
According to Macleans.ca “On Capus”

“Chris Avenir, a first-year engineering student at Ryerson, won’t be expelled for his role in study group posted on the popular social networking site Facebook. Instead of expulsion, he will receive a zero on the assignment in question.
Avenir received notice Tuesday of the decision. He was charged with 147 counts of academic misconduct after starting a Facebook group where students shared information about homework assignments.”

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2008/03/18/accused-facebook-cheater-wins-appeal/

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2008/03/18/facebook-cheating-scandal-nothing-new/

Adventure with the Boyz of the Grad Student

2008-04-12T20:13:00.000-07:00

Today's weather gave way to a massive amount of goofing off. I have been researching rechargeable batteries as my camera goes through batteries like water. After some research online, I found one http://www.rayovac.com/recharge/hybrid_products_ps32.shtml. It is utilizes a hybrid technology of NiMH/ Alkaline and Electron stimulation/retention. We'll see how well they hold up, but so far with a full day of picture taking and no need to charge the batteries straight out of the box, things look good. And it had a $5 rebate which is always a help.
The adventure. Pictures are in the normal places
A beautiful Bellingham spring day, and DT, Don, Harmony and I had one mission; to take advantage of the day as much as possible. We went down to Boulevard Park to get some fresh air, sun and Frisbee.

MeBeam Up Scotty

2008-04-10T16:22:00.000-07:00

MeBeam
Some of you may remember MeBeam if you were helping me beta test my Moodle site for IT (http://aj2007.freehostia.com/dxl)

Well, since my building of DXL, Mebeam looks like has moved from Beta. If you have never heard of MeBeam, it is a; free, no ads, Flash driven, web browser based, video-audio-text room. Think Skype but without installing any software on your machine. It can be used to host Video conferences on-the-fly with anyone who has a camera and microphone. No need to have an account, all you have to do is create a room, shoot a link to the people you want in your "room" and you are good to go. The great thing, it can host up to 16 people!! It worked pretty well last I used it- as my grade depended on it. But I will post more once I become reacquainted and use it more.

Application in Education
What is great with this is that this allows for collaboration fast. This is the reason for my post. I need to collaborate with my colleagues for a class as we are beginning a large project. Instead of sending an email asking if anyone has an IM preference, I am going to propose we all meet on MeBeam. This is only one example of how this could be used. Something like MeBeam could also allow professors who need to video-audio chat with students without worrying about the clash of instant messaging services. Student counseling could use this to answer questions raised by potential students looking at enrolling in classes at their college/university.

From The Blog to the Grad Student
Also, Skype users take a look at this. This is from the MeBeam blog : http://blog.mebeam.com/2008/03/the-skypes-the.html

If you are Skype user, your in for a bit of a treat - multi person video conferencing over skype, and cross-portability with jabber.
This is big news, as it means, your video calls are no longer limited by one to one conferencing, and can finally break free from the confines of the Skype network.

You will be able to make a video call with up to 16 people at once, and everyone in the conference can be on different instant messengers.
So if your using Adium, MeeBo or Google Talk it doesn't matter, you can call up to 16 of your friends on Skype or have them call you.

If you have used this, leave me a post and tell me how it worked for you.

Twitter, blog, and housekeeping

2008-04-08T17:06:00.000-07:00

Personal Aside From the Grad Student

Since the Twitter experiment post (To be or not to be...Social?), I have found how Twitter does help keep me and others in the know. As of today, you can now see "Twitter of the grad student" along side the blog. The biggest help Twitter gives for me is that the Tweet acts as my side story to the Tales from the Grad Student. At first I felt it was like Facebook and Myspace's what's new system, where everyone can see what you did new, but nobody really ever cares. Twitter really give me or anyone a way to give a portal for small talk. Perfect example, my mother follows my Tweet and I got an email asking "so...how and why did you get locked out of your flat?" Which made for a really funny story.

This quarter's classes are pretty time consuming for me. I hope to have my papers from last quarter up on the Scholarly Papers of the Grad Student soon.

Polling Blog

If you notice, I am running a poll- I'm curious to see if anyone thinks I should change the url to the blog.

Wordpress

I from a blogger standpoint, I really like the features and layout of Wordpress, but I have too much tied up with Blogger to migrate over quite yet. Blogger is also "Blogger in Draft" which is supposed to have some new features and widgets coming out soon. talesfromthegradstudent.wordpress.com is still up and has a face lift if you want to take a look but for now .blogspot.com is still home for this grad student.

I Have a Dream....Spark

2008-04-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

I'm kind of excited about this as I haven't seen anything about this in other tech blogs I read... hey maybe I got a scoop here!

Microsoft DreamSpark

I was reading in Technology and Learning (Volume 28, Number 8) a small article about Microsoft giving away free software for university students. Some may remember about 2-3 years ago when Microsoft gave away free full copies of the then new OneNote note taking software. Now, available in 10 countries, Microsoft is offering a myriad of development programs for university students to download and use. Their hope its to spark students development dreams (DreamSpark). It appears that all is required is a Windows Live login and to verify your college identity through the University you attend and your student id number.

To see for yourself: DreamSpark: https://downloads.channel8.msdn.com/Products.aspxa

There are some tools here that even I am looking to try out myself for web development- Expression and possibly Visual Web- if they support Mac. It also appears that Virtual PC is available for download. This might be a helpful tool for anyone developing content and need virtual machines to test out what you have designed. Of course, the downside I see is that not all of the software (obviously) supports Mac. This is another great contribution for Microsoft in the educational system, however, again I see this fitting the "shot gun" pattern I mentioned in previous blogs. (See TT Series: Microsoft Labs)

Wordpress

2008-04-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Everywhere I go and everyone I talk to in the tech community raves about Wordpress blogging. I have decided to investigate it and have copied Tales From the Grad Student (TFTGS) to wordpress

URL: http://talesfromthegradstudent.wordpress.com

I do see a lot of nice features, but I don't know if I am going to fully convert- I have, unfortunately, too much tied up here on Google and Blogger. Leave me your comments on what you think about the wordpress edition of TFTGS. It isn't uber pretty right now, I just uploaded the posts from here to wordpress. But I plan on playing with it to see the pros and cons. One pro- wordpress does not have to be through wordpress.com. They allow their client to be hosted on any server.

Adventures of the Grad Student: Spring Break

2008-03-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Tales from the Grad Student Presents...
Adventures of the Grad Student: Spring Break Edition
For some people, going on spring break is going to a resort where you spend money to be physically active for half the day and lazy as all-get-out in a spa for the rest of the day. Well college students look no further- welcome to the wonderful WWU Resort: Spring Break.

Ok so there is my satirical jab at resorts raking in the bucks from college students over spring break. Today, when I opened the door of my flat I was not expecting to see snow. Bellingham over night got a good inch and was growing fast. Even as I write this blog, it still is coming down! So I decided, like any Seabeck country boy would do- grabbed my hiking cloths and decided to do a walk-a-bout on Seahome hill to the Arboretum. I had hiked up there once before and thought it would be a wicked view if we ever got some real snow. Well...ask and you shall receive.

The Road Ahead...

The road up...not quite like a Green Mountain road but gets steep and slick quick with wet snow.

After a lot of up hill hiking....the road less traveled

A tunnel through Time...

Once to the top, you are greeted with a huge cell or some sort of tower; and a choice to take the path or the old tunnel from the old Seahome Road. Click on the picture of the sign to read the history behind the tunnel (or check picasaweb.com/barseaj/SeahomeHikeSpringBreak).

Through the tunnel and over the woods..to the lookout tower we go...

The Look-Out

So now I wait for my personal chauffeur (the WhatCo Bus system) to drive me to the WWU Rec Center pool/spa to soak my bones and watch out their big window at the snow falling. Who needs to pay money at a resort...when you can pay tuition.

Cheers~

CMS Series: Community Plumbing...aka Drupal

2008-03-28T14:26:00.000-07:00

Community Plumbing...aka Drupal
Here is a content management system that is sure to keep you connected to your community via an open source plumbing. Drupal is a open source CMS that provides a great framework for anyone who is trying to make a very in depth CMS. I used Drupal back in October when I was trying to wrap my head around free servers, php, and the difference between a CMS and a LMS. From what I remember (and consulting my journal), I really liked Drupal. It was as easy if not easier than installing Moodle. The down fall is that it is focused on Content rather than Learning. That is not to say someone technically savvy and with a lot of time, couldn't design it to be a LMS, but it was a daunting task for this grad student. What is great about Drupal is that it is module friendly. If you want a blog within Drupal, drop a blog module, if you want a forum, put one in. I was able to have a Drupal site up and running by the end of one day with a blog, forum, and content exchange. So it is fairly easy, and it is well supported. There are several people online in forums who are more than willing to answer your questions or point you in a direction or offer tips in designing what you need for your CMS.
Some examples of Drupal driven sites:

To be..or not to be...Social?

2008-03-27T12:04:00.001-07:00

Silly Washington, Spring is for ever other state
We have had some bizarro weather. Seabeck got over 5 inches of snow, Bellingham has been seeing ran and snow mix, and a colleague told me that Seattle has been seeing some minor snow as well.

Shifting gears
Vside is now up to Beta 3b. Not much has changed except for the new intro interface, a tutorial world, new logo and improved music randomization.

Twitter Experiment
I have been using twitter religiously since the previous blog post, to see if twitter really provided me with anything new. I have to admit, that despite my speculations on who on Earth would use twitter, it does have its benefits. For starters, I don't have to repeat what's up, what I'm doing, or what's new to everyone I know. All they have to do is look at my tweet and there you go. This especially cuts down on the lame blog postings. You know the ones, don't you hate it when you read a blog and all that is discussed is the redundant day-in day-out "who cares" type of stuff. Have no fear- twitter is here! By using twitter between blog posts, it really does clear up your blog for the good stuff.

GrandCentral
I stumbled upon GrandCentral a few months back when I saw an announcement here on Blogger that it had been newly acquired by Google. The service, currently is a reservation beta, allows users to have three phone tied to a central number, thus when some one calls on the number your cell phone, home phone and/or work phone rings with the call. The great part is that GrandCentral acts similar to a bridge in the world of ITV. Users can use it to call people in their address book in the continental United States for free. It is similar to the technologies used by Gizmo however it is all web based.

N-Gen
http://www.growingupdigital.com/
Here in Miller Hall, every day I pass a table with old text books and other educational resources being set out to pasture by professors. I found a book there and briefly read it called Growing Up Digital: The Rise of the Net Generation by Don Tapscott. It is a bit outdated (1998) publication, but it was interesting to read as it pertains to those of us who were between the age of 2-22 in 1999. Tapscott points out things he saw back in 1998 on the youth/ young adults and their uses for technology in business world (cyber and grounded) and in education. As I am part of the demographic he addresses, he seems fairly accurate.
Building on what Tapscott describes, I echo his observations and now say...take everything and shrink it. He talks about $3000 PC's and internet to every home. I say that the generation after us N-gen'er will take it to the next level and scale it into a package that is faster and sharper than the Apple iPhone. Combine that with the social aspect of the 3d avatar environment and, man this makes my head spin. But, is this the education of the future? Portability and digital representations of students? Leave me your comments on this here on this blog. Let me know what you think.

Reflections of the Grad Student...
Digital Self and Interpersonal Social Cues
Tagging on to above...Tapscott touched on the social aspect the N-gen have through the conduit of technology. I wanted to investigate this as well. Much of my social circle uses things such as: Skype or iChat for VOIP or Video Calls, Facebook and Myspace for friends updates, e-mail for business and lengthier personal communication, IM for conversations on the fly, blogs as a public journal (some for news and push button publication), gaming for recreation. But- no where did I say 3d avatar environments like Second Life or Vside. This is where I see more of New Wave N-Gen'ers or N-gen Version 2.0. Much like when I was in high school, the internet and digital media was being the rage and games were just breaking into the 3d realm. Now there are entire servers dedicated to 3d environments just to socialize- not just game. There is an etiquette to this cyber culture. A lexicon full of new vocab and a cyber derivation of English. But putting "Googling" or "LMAO" aside, there are do's and don't online- an etiquette. It is hard to explain the etiquette as I am learning and tweaking what I know- call it my Digital Cultural Anthropological side of me.
College: Cyber and Grounded
But I have noticed a shift in the students of today. Perhaps it is just this country boy's one sided look, but I have noticed that very rarely on campus or in town... or even when I was in Bremerton for that matter: Not a lot of people want to make small talk. Their nose is pointed to the ground, eyes ahead of them, skimming text messages on their phone and jamming to their iPod in their ears. Some people are even put off or act odd if you want to strike up a conversation with them- why? We can make random friends on facebook, but in the real world it's odd?
Now, flip this to the digital world. "ASL" or Age, Sex, Location, from the old days of ICQ are fading away and "hey where you from" happens regularly. Is it because people have a digital self that they can hide behind that allows them to talk more freely online? What makes people so expressive in blogs or online environments and yet so withdrawn in the real world? At the same time, those that are active online- tend to be also active in real life. This shifts the stereotypical paradigm that these "techies" are asocial and live in their mom and dad's basement and never go out.
In all this, socialization is an important facet for educaiton. When our students discuss, question, talk their learning is greatly improved (in terms of what educational Constructivists and Progressive philosophers would say). Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that direct instruction needs to be set to pasture- it has an important place in education still.

I realize this blog has more questions and observations than techie and educators stuff. Use this blog and leave me your thoughts and observations- a discussion board if you would.

TT Series: Keeping in the know

2008-03-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

This uber linked blog's theme is connectivity. With internet, media, mobile phones, and smart devices, we are a culture who is addicted to being "in-the-know". Below are some new technologies that foster this further.

Your live on...Justin.tv
Alright fess up, how many of you go up on youtube to look at crazy videos when your board? Now wouldn't it be cool if there was an option for live video? Meet Justin.tv. It was first introduced to me at Tech Tonic where WWU's ATUS (tech department) was broadcasting their booth live on Justin. Again because I have been backed up with wrapping up this quarter, I really haven't had a lot of time to really delve into what this could provide. My first thought is for e-learning professors who wish to have a live video lecture. Perhaps this could be a Live alternative for iTunesU?

I'm all a Twitter
If you as big of a fan of Cali Lewis's podcast as I am, you have been hearing a lot about Twitter. In fact, podcast #325 has a great "Twitter in Plain English" that helps anyone understand about what Twitter is for the average user. To best explain what twitter is, let be say it this way. If you have ever used myspace or facebook and you first login to your dashboard, you have the status of all your fiends on facebook/myspace. It could say that "Bri has uploaded new pictures" or "Danny feels like a sack of bricks". Twitter is similar to this. Instead of writing a boring blog about your day, why not just (in 140 characters or less) post what you are doing during your day. As the "Twitter in Plain English" put it- it tells your friends and family what's up between blog postings. I have one up to see if this grad student gets hooked or not (www.twitter.com/ajbarse). We'll see. I can see this useful for those running a blog, but sometimes feel that they just don't have anything deep and meaningful to write about all the time. It give them a way to keep all their peeps in the know- with out writing a blog that really doesn't have anything really to say. Or for the traveler on the road- this could be great for all the rad trip pit stops before your destinations where you write your blog. Hey tie that to like a frappr map and that would be kind of cool.
In the classroom- its hard to say. I don't see a tie as of yet. But as I play with it some more perhaps there might be a fit.

Shameless Plug: my musician frapper map is still going strong at over 960 views and my music has been heard around the world- but more extensively in the states.

CoverItLive or don't cover it at all.
I first saw this in action when Cali tried using it to cover the Steve Jobs' Keynote at MacWorld. This is for the die hard blogger! It is a synchronous blog- think instant messaging meets blog. A great idea if you are trying to get information out fast.

Meebo
I can literally go on and on, about how Meebo just rocks! And frankly, surprised I haven't mentioned it more indepth before hand. Some can remember me mentioning it when I was developing DXL (see previous post "Don't ignore the man behind the curtain). Meebo is a flash based site that allows users the ability to login to all of their instant messaging services all at once- and because it is web based, users don't have to worry about having all the clients installed on the computers they IM from. As long as you have a web browser and the internet- you can IM anywhere. What great is the meebo me feature, as you can see on the blog here. It allows anyone to IM me with out anyone having to have to logged into a service. This would be a great module (like in DXL) for any e-learning teacher to have for their students. This way if the professor is online and a student has a question, they can answer it right then and there. There is a little bit of a lag, but it is a start. Meebo, since their birthday, now offers applets that allow for voice and video communication along with IM. It is, however, primarily for the text based instant messenger.
Honorable mention all-in-one instant messaging clients (has to be installed on the users machine)

Cerulean Studio's: Trillian
A GNU GPL IM Client for Mac users Adium

All four of these technologies really tap into the human need of "we just got to know"...each other. In e-learning this is a concept behind developing the digital classroom culture. As the quarter closes I will have some more schorly papers up on the more book-wormy Tales from the Grad Student blog.

Reflections of the Grad Student
As a teacher I am awestruck of the power of blogging. From the classroom teacher perspective, I would love to integrate this into my lesson. Students language skills, as much as we hate the lack of spelling IM has created, and English usage seem to be better on their blogs. Granted they are writing on what things mean to them- but that reminds me of the old assignment of classroom journaling. I think blogging could be a valuable tool for Language/Humanities teachers if their class is technologically oriented. If anything have a blog as an assignment might remove the "lame" factor of doing a paper. As an undergrad, I took a Childhood Literacy class, where the focus was teaching students to "read with meaning". Why not continue that philosophy and have our student write with meaning as well?

Personal Aside
Spring break is almost here (dead week is here) and will be home for part of it. I hope to also catch up on my blogging here and get some posts for the LMS series.

TT Series: Asus EEE

2008-03-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

Asus Eee
http://eeepc.asus.com/global/
Some of you remember a few months back when I was raving about Asus's solid state UMPC/Laptop hybrid. It finally was released in the US and then no one carried it! I still had hope for this might midget, but when the MacBook Air was released I surely thought that Asus's Eee would pop up. Well I finally ran into someone who has one. After chatting with him and getting my hands on it...a great tech toy...but I am glad I have my MacBook. EEE Galaxy Black (see left) sported a 4Gb SSHDD and was surprisingly snappy for its Intel Celeron 900mHz processor and 515Mb ram. But $400 for this- it still is arguably a good price point, however the original $200 model was more reasonable.

In design, much like Steve Jobs said at MacWorld, "Companies compromise...". I found the keyboard as well as the real estate on the track pad incredibly cramped. The screen is indeed sharp! And the student who owns it said it was easy to install Gentoo Linux instead of the stock Asus Linux environment and I know that you can install XP on it (so the hardware seems very flexible). He also said that it is a pretty rugged machine and is a trooper for taking notes in class, as he throws it into his backpack.
From a Techie View Point
I say- wait until Asus releases the bigger version. These rugged machines I think would be great for bloggers who plan on traveling and don't want their good laptop thrashed and trashed. For example, I might look into one of these if I was backpacking Europe. However, word-smiths and fellow bloggers will complain about the cramped keyboard.
From the Ed. Grad Student
This might be a good machine if you have a child who you want to have a internet machine and word processor, but as they grow up even they are going to want a grown up computer. In short- I just find this machine too small for this grad student. As a classroom aid for student who have IEP and need to type- perhaps. But for college students, who are non techs, I don't think it is a fit. Now, if the next EEE was bigger and at this price- I might be interested in it. But still, the MacBook Air has set a high bar- and high price point. I think this is where the rest of the thin and light and solid state market is going to come in. Offering scaled down hardware and prices.

TT Series: Microsoft Labs

2008-03-06T16:29:00.001-08:00

Apologies on the delay of this blog- I found a window in my schedule to do some substitute teaching and the campus is coming into dead week. With this said, my research into the technologies of Tech Tonic had to be slowed down and my blog had to be set aside for a little bit. I am still in the process of reviewing different LMSs for the LMS series as well as the stuff from Tech Tonic. On that note...
TT Series: Microsoft Labs
Out of the Microsoft Labs we can expect to see many great things for the field of education. However, this could be largely due to the shotgun pattern they have fired in the sky of education. At Tech Tonic, I was impressed at the amount of things and the kind of technologies Microsoft has been working on. However, like any shot gun blast, it can be a little messy. Lets take a look at how well Microsoft has been shooting.

Photosynth:
http://labs.live.com/photosynth/
By far- the coolest way I have seen modeling and photo compositing I have seen. Powered by Silverlight, Microsoft takes a very Apple Core Image approach to viewing the world. However, by far, a frustrating point for Mac users as it is NOT supported for Mac. But for those who have Windows, here's how it works: with Silverlight installed with your browser, you are able to take an ordinary collection of photos on a topic- let's say Rome. In Photosynth, you are able to see the points of the 3D image and each with a different actual photo from that angle. These are actual pictures found on the web (probably powered by Live Search Images) and you are able to zoom in as close as the closest image found. In a classroom, this would be a cool tool when talking about art or even architecture within different places. Because I am running it on my BlackBook, I really can't delve into great detail. But, try it out for yourself and leave me a comment on what you thought as a user and if you have any other facets that could be used in the classroom.

World Wide Telescope (WWT)
http://worldwidetelescope.org/
Now I have to admit, Google Earth is way cool for anything on the planet, Stellarium is totally cool to see anything in the night sky, and Celestia is wicked for cruising within our solar system, but WWT in a phrase: HOLY COW! This program is a tribute to the late Jim Gray, well known computer scientist in the field of database and transaction processing research, who was lost at sea. It combines what we know about the known universe and what we have seen from satellites and the Hubble Space Telescope and maps it out in front of our eyes. I have not played with it yet (and hope it will be available for Mac) but it looks amazing. This brings a great tool for astronomy educators as well as classroom teachers trying to teach about space concepts. Microsoft is saying that the software will be free for the educational community and I think for all users (much like Google Earth).

All things Office Live:
http://www.officelive.com : Start a Web Site
http://skydrive.live.com/ : SkyDrive online storage

Many of us remember the private, then public Beta of Office Live and all the coolness it provided such as you own website, email address under that domain etc. Some of us decided against it as it required a credit card number, and I don't know about you, credit card and Beta are not synonymous for me even if you are as reputable as Microsoft. Well things have now changed. Meet SkyDrive & Office Live (Workspaces & Business). These are added features users of Hotmail or MSN can add to their Passport ID and provides you a way to keep/collaborate on files online, and a way to have a website. They are separate of each other and yet combined and I get a little confused what I'm using. At Tech-Tonic the spokesperson for Microsoft said that they are currently trying to blend these together in a CMS type of thing and selling it to Universities. On that, I feel like it is a pitch to have University branded Share Point. My views on Share Point are mixed as it does have a purpose for those who are using a website for collaboration and communication, but for a LMS it doesn't even come close. Outside of education, it provides users with 5GB of online storage on the SkyDrive. Microsoft is making up some cute vocabulary like "the cloud" and "SkyDrive" for metaphors for where content is stored. They must have read the same research I did in that students or users sometime have a better grasp on abstract things if it is in terms of spacial metaphors. What is a cool feature is that you can have others come to a file on the SkyDrive for collaboration. It looks like users have to have Passport ID (a nice touch to validate identity) to access the dive

On to OfficeLive-business (or perhaps musicians or bloggers...hummmm) now have a free way to have a website. The website domain is a "____.web.officelive.com" for free unless you have your own domain or wish to purchase one. Oh! A heads up for Linux and Mac users! To access Office Live you have to use at least Firefox 2.0 (and Safari isn't supported at all).

Tafiti
http://www.tafiti.com/
Tafiti, at first I had to scratch my head at what Microsoft was trying to do here other than use Silverlight to make web searching pretty. This optionally Halo 3 skinned search engine utilizes Silverlight in a way to organize web searches as well as graphically represent the web search. In "Tree" view (Left) searches are branched out on a tree and where users can spin around looking for the branch that best fits what they are searching. In classic view (I love Halo just as much as the next, but the theme just bugged me!), users are able to take note of what they search for and place them in a "Stack" on the right (see right). These note "stacks" can be then emailed to a person or blogged about on Microsoft Spaces. It would have been great if this feature would allow for other blogs to be accessed, not just limited to MSN. I could, however, see students using this as a way to keep searches organized especially in times of searching for journal articles. I remember when Firefox was released as an undergrad and I fell in love with Firefox just for its tabbed viewing. Now with Tafiti, I could potentially see students email themselves the info after long term searching. The tree view on the other hand- I see as more confusion then anything constructive.

In short, it appears to me that Microsoft is taking a page out of the Apple book with a lot of the look, feel and features.

OfficeLive and Skydrive=.Mac accounts, and Silverlight=Core Image.

Out of the Microsoft Labs we can expect to see many great things for the field of education- however, this could be largly due to the shotgun pattern they have fired in the sky of education. At TechTonic, I was impressed at the amount things Microsoft had been working on but unimpressed at how they were not so interconnected or listed- say on the live.com site. I hope that this blog provides a table of contents as to give educators or users a map of where these tools are.

LMS Series: ANGEL

2008-02-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

Before I dive in further with the technologies highlighted from Tech Tonic, I was planning to do a showcase of the different Paid-Service/ One-Source LMS's out there. So for the next few postings there I am going to weave them together. Look for "LMS Series" or "TT- Series" at the start of every blog entry to see what it is making reference to. With that said...

ANGEL

Angel is an LMS from the folks at Angel Learning who's LMS, I have to admit, from first glance is eye appealing. I like the fact that their navigation is tab based and separates the discussion and activities from the assigned lesson. Unfortunately, the design feels like a skinned out version of Blackboard but, from the demo at least, less clunky and with a snappier feel. From a learner perspective, I can see that ANGEL tries to give students logical progression or structure in their lay out. The discussion board is thread based, but has a very Outlook feel with two pane above and below but drops the ball when a student posts as it bring up a standard text edit window to post. It would be such a cool idea to have a rich text editor in a lower pane like in an Outlook for posting.
I can not really give a view on the Educator perspective as I did not have access to it. I imagine that it is similar to BlackBoard flow with perhaps some of the options Moodle offers in Angel's "Lesson" tab.
I feel that this is just an alternative to BlackBoard. It does have a nicer feel to it, and it seems like it encourages in LMS messaging more. It provides a IM client (seems similar to what a study I am currently reading calls CENTERS system) as well as live chat.

Tech Tonic is in the Air

2008-02-22T12:34:00.000-08:00

T_e_c_h - T_o_n_i_c : 2_0_0_8

February 22 was the geek-con of WWU,The 2nd Annual "Tech Tonic" Technology Exposition. Vendors from Apple to Microsoft to Adobe came to dish out free stuff as well as promote their products. So lets highlight some technologies that were shown that could potentially help grounded and e-learning shall we. Expect to see subsequent blogs coming from this, as I plan to research and try out a lot of the technologies viewed.

"Hi, I'm a Mac...and I'm a PC"

My friend Neomi pointed out something that I at first didn't noticed, but when she did I chuckled. The Mac rep and Microsoft rep (PC) were exactly like the advertisements! Mac dressed in a very Steve Jobs turtle neck (I so want one!) and PC was indeed in a tweed like suit.

All joking aside, both were incredibly knowledgeable gentlemen and gave great presentations on their respected companies. I do not want to sound bias, but I have to say that I did enjoyed the Apple representations more- the rep had great enthusiasm! Chuck (Apple), discussed ten of the 300 new features in Leopard as well as showed off the innovative, and not to mention sleek, MacBook Air. Larry, of Microsoft, highlighted some of the the various new technologies we can perhaps expect to see utilized in the coming months by students and colleges.

Apple:

At long last, I finally got my hands on a MacBook Air. The first thing I noticed is that this incredibly slim machine- is incredibly sturdy! I felt no flex or bend in the machine at all and really the pictures do not do it justice. It is easy to see a picture say .18 inches at its thinnest, but to have it in your hands and feel it is a whole different perspective. Chuck did point out one potential worry that MacBook Pro users may relate to- dent-ability. It is made of rigid aluminum but users my find denting over time with wear and tear.
It's screen is extremely bright and it utilizes the same light sensing technology of the MacBook Pro with new LED back lighting technology. I was expecting more out of the battery- as it does get *up to 5 hrs of life. I would suspect to see more of 3.5-4 depending on usage. The price point is steep (especially for this grad student) *see previous posting when it launched* . As I type this blog on my MacBook, there is one feature I really appreciate on the MacBook Air- the backlight keyboard. I am a good touch typer, but that keyboard would be dynamite in the current MacBook line.
If you are an educator and don't know about Apple Learning Interchange (ALI) please check it out http://edcommunity.apple.com/ali/. ALI connects educators together to share ideas, lesson plans, websites and resources of how to integrate technology in the classroom as well as online. Chuck also highlighted the quickly growing iTunes U. Universities and other educational institutions are getting on and using the power of podcasting to help spread education in a more global means.

Microsoft:

Microsoft highlighted an almost shotgun pattern of online applications, most utilizing new SilverLight technology. Office Live has some growing potential in the university and college setting. Providing a online "ecosystem" similar to Share Point, users are able to have online storage for documents, notes and other projects.
Zune is trying to gain ground in the mobile learning market. Utilizing the wifi feature of the Zune and RSS, users can now wireless sync their Zune to take their podcasts on the go. There were other technologies that were showcased and plan to look in as they have some potential use in the expansion of resources e-learning educators can use. Such as:

Photosynth
Share View
Tafiti

WWU and the Bellingham Community

Comm 244: Advocacy Through The Media
myweb.students.wwu.edu/millsoc.
Meet Communications 244! This group of WWU students were showing how easy podcasting can be. Using the tools of iLife (Garageband and iMovie) and a little bit of space on the internet, and poof you could be the next Cali Lewis (my podcast hero!)

Linuxfest Northwest
This group is dedicated to the continuing advancements in open source knowledge as well as Linux operating systems. Seen here, from left to right, a MacBook Pro with Mac OSX and Linux, an older Dell decked out with I believe is Suse Linux and what I would like to highlight: the very small and rugged OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) http://laptop.org/.
This mighty midget runs a specially designed Linux and is build Ford tough. There are some trade offs. It is reported that it is light on the wallet (ranging from $100-$400) but you do get what you pay for. It does have a swivel screen which makes it a cool e-book reader, but the processor is well below 900Mhz and the keyboard is incredibility cramped. I cool machine indeed, for children, but is not MacBook Air by any stretch.

WWU KVIK (Student Television)
http://kvik.as.wwu.edu/
A fun group dedicated to the production of films for students, by students. Currently in production is the film "Lord of the Zombie City", as well as the comedy show "You Would" and "VTV" Western's entertainment and news cast.

Reflections Of The Grad Student:
Over all, Tech Tonic gave me a heads up of technologies I ought to check out. Expect more in depth blogs as I research them.

-----------------
Thanks To:
Chuck Kenny
Carl Symons
Eli Martin
Iain Davidson
Lary Short
Steven Hourk

Sharing is Healing

2008-02-21T22:41:00.000-08:00

For the last few weeks, I have been busy at work planning and coordinating for my work's event. I have had the honor and privilege to work with Holocaust Survivor (Auschwitz-Birkenau), Award Winning Teacher, Published Author and incredibly caring & amazing woman: Mrs. Noemi Ban.

The Northwest Center of Holocaust, Genocide and Ethnocide Education (NWCHGEE) hosted Mrs. Ban to come and tell her story of survival and remembrance. Mrs. Ban has been speaking at WWU nearly quarterly since 1998- the center's inception. This time, we were able to expand her talk to two nights- that were completely filled! In the past two days, I have seen this spry and inspirational women touch nearly 500 people with her story. It is amazing, there was a small handful of who those who come to her talks almost every time she is on campus, and she remembers their faces. Mrs. Ban says "If I were a singer- I would be rich!" But she does not do what she does for money, she only does it because of who she is: teacher- with that she continues to teach and inspire as she shares her story.

Technagogy View

2008-02-17T13:16:00.000-08:00

As an undergrad, and a teacher, the core of my study past, present and future is my reflection of:

pedagogy |ˈpedəˌgäjē; -ˌgōjē|the method and practice of teaching, esp. as an academic subject or theoretical concept :
Now, as a Graduate Student: I learn of other philosophies, views and methodolgies. One of which is of Malcome Knowles: Andragogy (derived from the Greek words meaning "adult-leading")
Now, assimilating that with my views of e-learning and the philosophies and methodologies I current study to Technology. I propose
technagogy |ˈteknəˌgäjē; -ˌgōjē|the method and practice of teaching through modern technology, esp. as an academic subject or theoretical concept :

Tales from the Second Life Grad Student

2008-02-16T17:57:00.001-08:00

Meet the digital AJs.

Finally, after updates to Leopard, I was able to go back into Second Life . I met Nick in world and he showed me around the new Olympic College island as well as some other islands owned by universities across the states.

This snap shot of me is (I think) from somewhere in Canada (perhaps UBC I really can't remember we hopped around).

SL has greatly updated things since the last time I was in world (and that was when I was first online). One really great feature is the new voice chat feature. Now you are able to talk to people live and not just type. Thy even incorporated a dynamic audio feature where if you turn or move the direction near or away from the person you are chatting with, the loudness of the person's voice changes with you. So if you don't want to listen to them, you can just turn and run away- lol. With this new added feature, I can see how universities will find it easier to interact with their students. From a techie perspective- they have upped things greatly. As opposed to another 3D environment such as V-Side, load times are fast! Sure you do have to wait for some for rendering but it is fair trade. Educationally, SL has a lot of features that are really tailored to educational institutions. And I think we will see more and more of this, if the youth growing up gets hooked into it for social reasons.

V-Side (left) is similar to SL ,however still in beta, geared toward the youth (teen and twenty-thirties). The focus of VS is around music and social life. Their is no voice chat, which is kind of a good and bad thing. Because it is primarily "digital night life" it would be hard to balance the two- short of muting the music or the voice chat completely- but they have integrated AIM into their client and perhaps this will develop into the voice feature. Anyways, every club in VS has the latest music (mostly hip-hop, club and some rock) and your avatar can dance with others or just chill back at the bar. VS utilizes the very popular cell shade rendering which gives everything a feel of realism-meets- comicbooks.

There are only three worlds in VS and no real use educationally speaking, but is fun none the less. In world, I have talked with other undergrad and grad students from here in the states to all the way in the Philippines. VS also is fairly moderated as there are a lot of youth in world. They seem to have a profanity filter to keep swearing down and if your avatar is found to be too lewd or indecent- they will bounce you (I guess it really is like a club- watch out for those bouncers).

Video, Audio, and Screen Capturing for free- oh my!

2008-02-04T00:34:00.000-08:00

So I was watching my favorite podcast- Cali you rock- and in her forum Dear Cali she addressed something that has been on my mind sense last quarter when I was designing content for DXL. Is there an easy, intuitive and free (preferably open source) way of doing full video/audio screen capturing. One of the projects she talked about was that of the Jing.

The Jing Project is a free (for now) cross platform screen capturing program. What I like about it is that it is simple to use and seems to embed well within just about anything.

Application in e-learning:

In the arena of e-learning this could provide educators with a means of capturing their presentations for online classes. Check out my simple (and lame- sorry) demo I did after about 30sec after I installed it. It is very intuitive.

Now with the bad:
As it says on the Jing Project web site:

" Quote How long can I use it?
We have not set an exact end date for the Jing project as this may continue right into a product offering from TechSmith. Any content created with Jing during the evaluation period will continue to be available to you on Screencast.com for a reasonable grace period, during which time you have access to your content to take with you. Or, if you prefer, you can continue to keep your content on Screencast.com under one of the paid plans.
So, what does it cost?
It’s free for now!
Yeah, didn’t think you’d let us slide with that last answer… so … here’s the deal; Jing isn’t a product right now—it’s a project. What we’re trying to do is give this to the world and figure out whether it fills a need or provides a useful service. We’re asking for both your participation and feedback on this concept, so the least we can do is provide the Jing Project complimentary during this period. As we learn what you want from this, we’ll have a better idea what the pricing and business model might look like in the future." *End Quote

Reflection:
So, long time free use might not be an option with this project with the use of their service of Screencast.com. Hopefully the app will remain the same free thing that it is and allow users to use it to upload files to their own servers. Thus, allowing educators the ability, free ability, to create video lectures for their classes

When it snows...buses are full ya know.

2008-01-28T17:22:00.000-08:00

We have been getting dandruff like snow all day until, about early afternoon it came down. It was odd- it was snow but now. Imagine if it was hailing- except the hail was thick fluffy snow. It was cool, Red Square looked like a plane went overhead and dropped a whole bunch of styrofoam balls from a bean bag chair. As I got off work and caught the bus, it was packed. I think everyone was thinking the same thing- "got to get on the warm bus...got to get on the warm bus."

Look closely at this recent captured pic from the Red Square webcam- there are several of us hoping for "No School"

Little Cheerful

2008-01-26T16:29:00.000-08:00

With the potential of snow in the air, and a slight flurry this afternoon, there was still an Adventure awaiting after late breakfast. Andi and I went down to the popular breakfast establishment know as The Little Cheerful. Famous for its Charlie Chplin theme- however it isn't just about Charlie. The whole place is brightly colored, right down to the plates. Everything is indeed a little cheerful in there. Afterwards, we perused the many local shoppes, not really buying much, but finding all the unique art that makes B-ham, well, B-ham. I determined to make a scene. One of my favorite Washington related scenes is that of a moose walking down the street by the Rolsyn Cafe (Northern Exposure)- I may not be as cool as a moose buy taking on the mighty Mocha Joe is cool nonetheless.

Check out the rest of this Tale from the Graduate Student on Picasa: LittleCheerfulAfternoon

Tales from the GS: Scholarly Papers

2008-01-17T16:36:00.000-08:00

Some have noticed the new link in the AJ links module. It is an extension of this blog, however it is specifically for my final published graduate works. It is currently under construction as the formatting is a bit off and I am double checking my citations and grammar.

I hope to have my entire graduate study up by the end of my program. DXL development will still be recorded here, but periodically I will update the link in the Scholarly Papers Blog as DXL develops. The birth of this new blog is so that I can keep this blog to remain true to the title "Tales From the Grad Student: and DXL." This is/was/and will be my commentary and development page and I want my serious academic conjectures separate from my comedic tales and hyperbole's.

Mac is in the Air

2008-01-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

If this year could have a zodiac symbol for me, it would have to be "year of the apple". I have my fabulous black MacBook, and now a silver 4GB iPod and now to top off my geekyness- I watched Cali's live blog on www.geekbrief.tv as she covered Steve Jobs' Keynote speech at the Macworld Expo in California. I had seen on Cali's podcast that Apple had plans of an ultra mobile laptop- so thin that it could fit in an envelope. My first thought was- "thats cool- now if only Apple could totally pimp it out so that it was more than an Asus's EEE- all in the world would be happy". Well, it appears to me- they did (Apple Air).

Granted the price tag starts at $1799 and goes to $3000+ this 13.3" MacBook sports a 80GB HDD and an optional 64GB solid state hard drive, OSX with all the trimmings (iLife) and a MacBook style yet backlit keyboard (looks like the MacBooks but I presume has the same backlighting as that of the MacBook pro). However, I'm shocked that the battery life is only at 5hrs. Indeed that is a quote for working time on wifi- which is awesome as my MacBook gets around 4:30 hrs, but I was kinda expecting more. This is first gen, and as all know with Apple, it will not be the last gen. My biggest praise to this new geek tool is the 64GB solid state HDD! Very cool and long time coming- but my question with SSHDD technology is- have they found a way around the nuances of flash memory's read/write shelf life? And- why is it an optional SSHDD? Probably price point for new technology. I'm sure it will become a standard (and at a lower price) as the technology grows in SS, and the capacities become larger.

Cheers

Insomnia on DVD

2007-12-13T18:44:00.000-08:00

So it is officially the end of the quarter for me- woot woot!
Today, I presented DXL to my IT professor and all went as well as I could have asked. Much thanks Bri for all your testing assistance today as well as through out this last quarter!

I decided to unwind today after my presentation by revisiting "Bass Ackwards"- the Insomnia Film Festival film I worked post-production on. So, one trailer and a DVD later- I created a DVD of the short film as well as a new trailer. Check back later for a link to view both on the web.

Spider-man, Spider-man does whatever a student can?

2007-12-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

The Easter Egg Hunt
In every geeky project has what is called an "easter-egg." It is usually an inside joke that a programmer or developer leaves within the project- like a calling card... and yes DXL has one as well. Hummm, I wonder what or where it is?.... Perhaps this screen shot of a student in my class that I am going to use as my demonstration student on Thursday will hint to it...hummmm.

Tales From The DXL
DXL is still a bit buggy largely due to the fact that other parts of my study this quarter drew me away from my deeper dive into moodle. The free hosting service and server I am using for it I have to say is the best I've seen for this project (www.freehostia.com)- there's my plug for them. They have done me right since the alpha DXL crashed- and have been receptive to my questions and offered me answers very timely. (Ok, thats the end of my plug)

Initial Concluding Thoughts After One Quarter:
I have a pretty good and confident feel on the ins and outs of moodle. And do like it over Blackboard. The primary attraction to moodle, for me, is the flexibility it offers. Yes, for an unsavy instructor, understanding moodle can be a bit daunting because of its incredible flexibility. However, if the administrator sets it up well, it would take about the same amount of training for an instructor to use as to learn how to use blogger and use it well.

From a pedagogy standpoint, my view is that it can be more efficient than Blackboard.
For example, there is a "workshop" pod that allows for direct feedback between the instructor and the student. Hence "workshop" as if you were workshopping a paper- I love this idea. Another techie concept I like is the subscribeable discussion boards. Instead of going on to blackboard every day to check who posted threads or whatnot- students can subscribe and allow for a copy of the days topics to be emailed (in the exact presentation it is on moodle) to their designated email address. For a two dimensional CMSit looks great- and between my exploration and creation of DXL and my look at Harvard Law School's digital extension campus- it has gotten me thinking more about the implementation options Second Life can offer to e-learning.

Its Snowing!....And all my batteries are dead booooooo

2007-12-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

So its snowing in B-ham and as requested- I have uploaded a load of pictures up to Picasa. Before I got up here I was smart and bought like a 6 pack of batteries right...ya well to hell with dollar store batteries! They were all crap! Not a one of them practically worked! So these pictures were taken over a spread of 5 pairs of batteries! My fellow snow enthusiast, Andi from Alaska, trekked up to campus in the snow. The campus was buzzing, a few trying to rail with their snowboards, others inter tube in front of Old Main. So now it is back to work, Andi and I have ordered pizza and are going to pull an all-nighter as we both have final term papers to finish.
Let it snow, let snow, let it snow
http://picasaweb.google.com/barseaj/ItsSnowingCrapMyBatteriesAreDead

DXL Gets new logo

2007-11-25T19:02:00.000-08:00

Before Turkey-break I had a meeting with my professor for my IT class. One of the things he pointed out was my unique logo and name and whether or not if fulfilled the requirements of the copyright. So I decided to take the question out of it. Armed with my new camera (thanks dad ;-) ) I took a picture of my text book for philosophy (can you tell I write in my textbooks-lol) and of my mouse. I removed (isn't Photoshop fun) the "Microsoft" from it as I am not supporting the evil empire.

The Boys Are Back in Town

2007-11-24T17:22:00.001-08:00

Ya! After about a year-Danny, Scott and I; finally reunited for some pre-Thanksgiving gaming and goofing around! All I got to say is,
rock on!

Messaging In DXL

2007-11-13T20:00:00.001-08:00

Haha- lets see BlackBoard do this. I found out that Moodle has a cool feature that allows its users to create contact lists in its web based instant messaging. It can even keep a record of conversations between you an your contacts. The messenger can be launched in two flavors- with frames and java script or with out. Both work real well.

DXL Moved and back up and running within 24hrs

2007-11-12T17:44:00.001-08:00

Still no word from the host server as to why the suspended my account. I have rebuilt (what would this be round 3) DXL and now hosting it on a new host. I have learned in this last round of overhaul that the dashboard to a Moodle site can be modified. So, I have included the site news in a more blog-esk fashion and the breakdown of classes. Once a user logs in, then the dash board changes show the classes that the user is enrolled in or want to enroll in.
The forum is back up- so feel free to re post your rants or observations. I am using a newer build of Moodle and I think the quarks seen on the last server have been taken in to the most recent build. DXL does have the Digital Office Hours POD up and running- remember Mac users to select the USB version of your camera (see previous blogs).
I am trying to minimize layers within DXL: maybe bring more organization to this build of DXL?

Deer in the city

2007-11-12T17:22:00.001-08:00

So, my neighbor is a deer- whats it to you. Sorry the picture is terrible it was taken using my web cam. But here I am, trying to get my homework done and this deer just walks up from the community building and outside my window- chomping away.

Suspended- you read right

2007-11-12T00:16:00.000-08:00

Yes- as some of you have pointed out to me: DXL has been suspended at the server. Not my choice- I am trying to get a hold of the host to find out why. I read the user boards and it appears that others too have been suspended. The common reason- chat scripts. WTF! Almost every CMS has a chat script and this host is for CMS. I am hoping that if anything I can download what I have on the server (especially the mySQL database) because my backup appears to be flawed. As we speak, I am loading it up to the guildhome DXL- you read right the first host I had- to see if I can salvage anything. I have also opened a new URL at zendurl and will be redeveloping DXL there- according to their policies, I can not find any limitations to what they host or do not host (short of the normal illigal download and porn sites). This is a crushing blow and will put DXL beta behind the original Beta launch at the end of this month. On the plus side, yes even now I am optimistic- pissed off- but still optimistic, I will once again be building from the ground up and refine my skills of setting up moodle.

Mac using the ITV Module in DXL

2007-11-07T14:55:00.001-08:00

Thank you Bri for pointing out the problem you found in the Digital Office Hours POD. After much pensive thought (note picture) and getting to play with the new Mac's in Haggard Hall (happy tech dance) I think I have a solution. When the prompt pops up to grant Flash access to your camera- please select the last video source option "USB Video Class Device". It should bring up your video. I have to say, once again, DAMN Mac uses great cameras.

Rant like a little cartoon squirrel

2007-11-06T19:11:00.000-08:00

Thank you to my friends and colleagues who have signed into DXL. If you are a listed as a DXL Consultant please check out the "DX Learning Forum"; you should have access to it. In it there are currently two strings

The first: I want to hear what you have to say about distance learning and web based learning. What are your thoughts? What kind of things would be good to see in DXL?
The second: RANTS! Let it out, tell me how you really feel. We have all had bad experiences with online courses on...I won't name names *cough..blackboard..cough, cough**. Tell us about them. What were some of your frustrations? What tech or class issues did you have?

Class is in session

2007-11-06T19:03:00.000-08:00

I am starting to design a sample class within DXL. It is a class on the different kinds of interaction technologies that can be used in online classes. In part it is for demonstration purposes, but the information I am putting into it really has application for educational practitioners. The class is currently under construction even though it can be seen on the DXL dashboard.

Don't "ignore the man behind the curtain"

2007-11-01T15:00:00.001-07:00

Today, DXL has a new feature integrated to it "Digital Office Hours". This POD allows users/students who are enrolled in DXL to have a video conference with each other (later with the professor). Through the use of Flash, HTML and MeBeam this ITV pod is, again like much of everything on DXL, is totally web based. No clients or IDs needed like in Sykpe. For student who do not have a camera or a mic- you can IM in the Digital Office Hours pod.
Currently DXL has the following modes of communication:

Video/Audio
Meebo
Moodle Chat

The Meaning Behind "DX-Learning"

2007-10-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

So what is with the name "DX-Learning?" For those of you who are Amateur Radio Operators (HAMS) it shouldn't look to foreign. DX in the HAM Radio world is slang for "Distance." So really, I reinvented the name "Distance Learning." My hope with my site is to use this OpenSource CMS (Content/Course Management System) with other real time interaction application within it and create a better idea for a bridge for distance (DX) learning. I want to break the one sided academic view of just using"threads" and "discussion board" as seen in the ever so popular BlackBoard CMS. To give it a Interactive Television (ITV) or video conference module, IM feature, and Digital Office Hours with the professor. Giving a more connected feeling within a online course. Or at least, thats the idea.

Moodle up, Moodle down, and hey Wendy's is open until 1am

2007-10-25T12:23:00.001-07:00

So last night, at approximately 23:35 in the basement of Miller Hall I had my CMS up and installing. I was on my way of having it up and running...very excited- literally dancing. Then at 23:38...my mySQL database that I was updating crashed...hard! It pretty much dumped everything in the database and somewhere in the PHP it then hung up my alloted side of the server. To put it bluntly- the site crashed with no way to recover. I had been working on it since about 09:00 that day. Needless to say, I was plenty GURRRRRRR. I walked home from campus and hopped into my car and headed to good ol' Wendy's. Armed with a few bucks and a handful of change I had in my car- got a few burgers and a shake (or frosty- whatever they call it) and figured I would spend the night trying to re-fight the battle I started that day. Man it was a battle, mySQL problems, FTP client issues, bandwidth issues...you name it I fought it. Got home, got online and figured to start from the ground up. No luck, the server would not let me on in any portal. Adding to the tired and the gurrrr. I saw this as a email from God saying "thats it dude...your done for the night." I had a call a skype call from Bri (thank you again)- I was de-gurrrred and threw in a movie and crashed at the lovely hour of God knows when.
Well- fastforward to today. I switched my server hosts (as I couldn't do anything on my other one) and started over. I am pleased to say that at about 12:01 this morning DX-Learning (alpha) was launched. It is very much alpha with loads of hiccups. The first (especially for those of us who are steadfast Firefox users) is that the heading banner does not align. I will try and fix this issue as soon as I can. Second, it can take sometime to load as I am on a budgeted bandwidth allotment. But I have to say it looks damn good in IE (see screen shot above)! Below is a link to the CMS (powered by Moodle). It will eventually have a demonstration class that will be used for my IT 546 class. Follow the link here (DX-Learning (alpha) is finally up!) to take a look. PLEASE hold off in signing up as a user as I have yet to establish student groups.

"Bass Ackwards" in Insomnia Film Festival

2007-10-23T13:48:00.001-07:00

On Saturday the Thirteenth, I met up with the KVIK team on campus who wanted to participate in the Apple sponsored "Insomnia Film Festival". If you don't know about it, it is a competition among schools where students have 24 hrs to write, shoot and edit a 3 min original short. I worked post production (editing) in Final Cut Pro on a sweet new iMac on campus.The film is called "Bass Ackwards". Please vote for it
http://edcommunity.apple.com/insomnia_fall07/item.php?itemID=1714

To keep the voting fair- Apple insists that you create an "apple id"- it just asks for your name and email and the like.

Hope you enjoy the film- and keep an eye for a sombrero wearing AJ in the film.

Learn About Copyright

2007-10-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

To the left is a link to the WWU WCE IT Dept. copyright tutorial. It is a great tutorial that goes over copyright usage.

http://it.wce.wwu.edu/344/copyright/default.html