tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87109732024-03-23T12:24:03.721-06:00Random Thoughtsabout teaching, learning, technology, and lifeNancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.comBlogger475125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-5600262199753584812008-12-17T07:17:00.001-07:002008-12-17T07:18:51.788-07:00If you are still linked here...You won't find new content. That's all over at the new home of <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com">Random Thoughts</a>, http://nmckeand.wordpress.com. Come on over and check it out!Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-63230504576305546482008-07-20T13:27:00.001-06:002008-07-20T13:29:10.329-06:00I saw a UFOWell, not really. But check out the <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com">new site</a> if you want to see the <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com/2008/07/20/something-you-probably-dont-know-about-me/">pictures </a>I took.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-85638583802510963822008-07-12T08:11:00.003-06:002008-07-12T08:15:47.790-06:00Teacher training videosIf you haven't seen them yet, these <a href="http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/">teacher training videos</a> by <a href="http://www.russellstannard.com/">Russell Stannard</a> are really cool. Thanks to <a href="http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/vschools/archives/2008_07.html#047110">Darren</a> for the link.<br /><br />And if you are still visiting this site or are subscribed to the feed here, please check out the new site <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com/">here</a>.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-70575804818205185742008-07-06T08:34:00.000-06:002008-07-06T08:35:31.353-06:00A blog worth reading<div class="snap_preview"><p>I have been a fan of Mike Rose for some time now, but I didn’t know he was blogging. While it isn’t a real active blog, what he has to say about eduation is always worth reading. Check it out <a href="http://mikerosebooks.blogspot.com/">here</a>.</p> <p>If you don’t know who Mike Rose is, you might check him out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Rose_%28educator%29">here</a> on Wikipedia. Out you could read his <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lives_on_the_Boundary">book</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lives-Boundary-Achievements-Educationally-Underprepared/dp/0143035460/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1215354654&sr=8-1">Lives on the Boundary</a>, in which he uses his own story to talk about education.</p><p><br /></p><p>(Cross posted at the new <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com">Random Thoughts</a>)<br /></p> </div>Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-27249874052061160742008-07-03T12:11:00.003-06:002008-07-04T10:53:01.224-06:00Taking the "social" out of social media?I have just posted on the <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com/">new site</a> about the use of <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/taking-the-social-out-of-social-media/">social media in the classroom</a>. If you haven't changed your bookmarks and subscriptions to that <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com/">site</a> yet, come on over and help me think about the topic. <a href="javascript:void(0)" tabindex="10" onclick="return false;"><span></span></a>Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-74556374738971363722008-07-02T14:44:00.002-06:002008-07-02T14:46:51.003-06:00Swurl<a mce_href="http://janeknight.typepad.com/pick/2008/07/swurl.html" href="http://janeknight.typepad.com/pick/2008/07/swurl.html">Jane</a> has a link to something I hadn't seen before: <a mce_href="http://www.swurl.com/" href="http://www.swurl.com/">Swurl</a>. It claims to allow you to bring your web life together. You can access your various accounts and have them all feed into your swurl account. I set one up <a mce_href="http://namckeand.swurl.com/" href="http://namckeand.swurl.com/">here</a>, and I kind of like it. I am not sure how useful it will really be to me, but it is fun to play with.<br /><br />(Cross posted at the <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com/">new site</a>. Please remember to update your subscription!)Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-64390814670527445452008-07-02T10:49:00.003-06:002008-07-02T10:57:18.814-06:00Migrating to WordPressWell, I have threatened to do it before, but now I really have gone and done it. I have migrated this blog to WordPress. Random Thoughts can now be found <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com/">here</a>.<br /><br />Gabriela's comment on my previous post made me realize how silly it was not to make the move. I had imported posts from here to <a href="http://namckeand.wordpress.com">Moving Along</a> earlier, thinking I would merge the two. But I decided, after importing all the new posts here to <a href="http://namckeand.wordpress.com">Moving Along</a>, that I really didn't want to merge them. So I opened another blog as the new home of <a href="http://nmckeand.wordpress.com">Random Thoughts</a>. <br /><br />This blog will stay open, and for a while I will cross post. But please, if you have subscribed to this blog, change your bookmarks!Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-39446219686191442202008-07-01T10:40:00.002-06:002008-07-01T10:45:18.573-06:00Using BloggerI felt a need to change the look of this blog today, but I was unable to find a template in Blogger that I liked better than this one. Isn't it about time they added more options? <br /><br />I have played with my <a href="http://namckeandeportfolio.wordpress.com/">portfolio</a> on WordPress over the last few days. Guess that's where the template envy comes from. I keep saying I am going to migrate this blog to WordPress, but I never do.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-63810898500788411222008-06-29T11:27:00.008-06:002008-06-29T11:49:07.891-06:00WikisendA link to another interesting tool comes from <a href="http://tech4esl.blogspot.com/2008/06/easily-transfering-andor-making-large.html">Barry Bakin</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://wikisend.com/">Wikisend</a> allows you to upload files of up to 100MB. They will be available for 30 days from upload. You can access them yourself by emailing yourself the link. You can post the link somewhere, as I am going to do. I have uploaded the same Writing in Cyberspace presentation. You can access it for 30 days <a href="http://wikisend.com/download/946398/technology-for-slwp-showcase.pdf">here</a>. After that, the link won't work.<br /><br />As Barry says, this would be perfect before a conference presentation: Upload your presentation to <a href="http://wikisend.com/">Wikisend</a> and you will have access to it during the conference. If your bag is lost, if your computer crashes, whatever, you are covered. I like the idea.<br /><br />By the way, you can keep a document live for anywhere from 1 to 90 days. And you can protect it with a password.<br /><br />Thanks for the <a href="http://tech4esl.blogspot.com/2008/06/easily-transfering-andor-making-large.html">tip</a>, Barry!Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-50585836221492720032008-06-29T10:48:00.006-06:002008-06-29T11:09:43.998-06:00CalameoStephen Downes had a <a href="http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?post=45090">post</a> about <a href="http://en.calameo.com/">Calameo</a>, so I knew I had to give it a shot. I tried it with a couple different documents that I had lying aorund, and it didn't do much for me. Then I tried it with an old presentation that I had on <a href="http://www.slideshare.com">Slideshare</a>. I converted it using <a href="http://en.calameo.com/">Calameo</a>, and this is what I got.<br /><br /><div><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="256" height="103"><param name="movie" value="http://www.calameo.com/global/components/cmini/cmini.swf?bkcode=0000042172ecd1888eaad&langid=en&clickTo=view&clickTarget=_self&clickText=&autoFlip=0&page=1"><param name="scale" value="noscale" /><param name="loop" value="false" /><param name="salign" value="t" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="never" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://www.calameo.com/global/components/cmini/cmini.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" scale="noscale" allowScriptAccess="always" loop="false" salign="t" wmode="transparent" style="width:256px; height:103px" flashvars="bkcode=0000042172ecd1888eaad&langid=en&clickTo=view&clickTarget=_self&clickText=&autoFlip=0&page=1"></embed></object></div><br />While it isn't spectacularly different, I like the page-turning more than the arrow-clicking of a regular presentation. I think I will be playing around with this some more.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-35431682748248496712008-06-28T07:12:00.005-06:002008-06-28T07:39:17.540-06:00Summer Reading<a href="http://infocult.typepad.com/infocult/2008/06/reading-in-mid-summer.html">Bryan</a> inspired me to share with you what I have been reading.<br /><br />I am finishing up <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Brother-Cory-Doctorow/dp/0765319853/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214659008&sr=8-1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Little Brother</span></a> by <a href="http://craphound.com/bio.php">Cory Doctorow</a>. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it.<br /><br />I just finished <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Burn-Journals-Brent-Runyon/dp/1400096421/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214659043&sr=8-1">The Burn Journals</a> </span>by <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=52604">Brent Runyon</a>. The true story of his suicide attempt at fourteen, it is not a book for everyone, but I think it is an important book. It is billed as Young Adult nonfiction, but parents should read it, too, I think.<br /><br />And what will I be reading next? There's nothing waiting on the bedside table. I may try one on Bryan's <a href="http://infocult.typepad.com/infocult/2008/06/reading-in-mid-summer.html">list</a>, but I don't know. Any suggestions?Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-54071729112319315032008-06-25T21:25:00.004-06:002008-06-25T21:34:20.758-06:00Thanks for the encouragement.Many people have been very kind, encouraging me to get out there and take pictures. My life has been a little crazy lately, but I have been trying. This is one I took today as we were driving through Texas. <br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3t7Bktwh8IkTAgHtN-k6C5S1IyYRylIIEDgLJ_LC6IWlDvRJjL7BkedK7Skevyl99w2SMtOTG7RYBL2d7-w8j2MAaicd4x_B65QyajhLiUOfoKprhH_rGx3RklL5PUmgKyXM/s1600-h/TX+HWY+1269+"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC3t7Bktwh8IkTAgHtN-k6C5S1IyYRylIIEDgLJ_LC6IWlDvRJjL7BkedK7Skevyl99w2SMtOTG7RYBL2d7-w8j2MAaicd4x_B65QyajhLiUOfoKprhH_rGx3RklL5PUmgKyXM/s400/TX+HWY+1269+" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5216027640324347938" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We had been going along fairly flat land -- or so we thought. We came around a corner and got a breathtaking view that extended for miles. By the time I got the camera out, I had missed the best shot. But this one was pretty nice, too, I think.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-42694338375201501602008-06-25T17:32:00.005-06:002008-06-25T20:56:54.987-06:00Letting students inside the processClarence has a great post called <a href="http://remoteaccess.typepad.com/remote_access/2008/06/the-things-i-carry.html">The Things I Carry</a>. He talks about things he has given up in his classroom and things he is going to give up. He has what, to me at least, is a great idea:<br /><blockquote>This year I'm starting off the year with having the kids look at the required outcomes for the<a href="http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/ela/curdoc.html"> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">ELA</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">english</span> language arts) curriculum</a>. There are a whole lot of them and I've decided to start with this one document since it is the one I am most comfortable with. I have placed <a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pkoEr6wmNFtUzkl6j1u4maQ">all of the outcomes</a> onto <a href="http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pkoEr6wmNFtWJwpz68ArgTQ">a spreadsheet,</a> and in the fall I plan on having small groups of kids take one or two outcomes, write it up in kid friendly language, make up a rubric for assessing this outcome and then make a work sample that would meet it. Once all of this documentation has been produced, it will all be assembled into a binder which kids can access. But this is all background work. The purpose of it is to give kids choice about what they are learning.</blockquote> This part of the idea is important, I think. It takes the outcomes and makes them accessible to the students. After this step, you can be sure that the students know what it is they are expected to do during the year. And they have have more than a vague idea of how they could demonstrate that they have met an outcome. I think this gives students very valuable tools to use throughout the year.<br /><br />He then gives an idea of what students would these tools and what it might look like in the classroom:<br /><blockquote>For example, if we are doing a unit on present day societal issues, at the beginning of this unit, I plan on having the kids choose possibly four or five of these outcomes that they want to pursue over the unit. They will then have to collect evidence and conference with me, showing me they have met the outcome. By years end, they should have spreadsheet that shows they have completed all of the outcomes. Done on a Google spreadsheet, we will be able to see its revision history, make comments on it, etc.</blockquote>This is such an incredibly simple and yet profound idea. It lets students in on the process: Why do we make them do the things we make them do? How do we decide what they do when? It is transparency in the classroom on a daily basis. It gives the students choice. It trusts them to understand that there are certain things that have to be done. It gives them ownership -- or at least can help foster ownership -- of what goes on in the class.<br /><br />As I am not currently employed, I can only dream about this. But I would really like to try it. I hope Clarence will blog about this process throughout the year.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-3517768632370745522008-06-15T09:28:00.003-06:002008-06-15T09:32:50.275-06:00Wordle for tag cloudsEveryone seems to be doing it, so here's the tag cloud for my del.icio.us account.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGui-C8FZeXiRfNvbWp4KCe3lyFKSf3k9kwWOp9qKobec-2KCESVvextgRcwxRfyVMhliwXb9eGD6pXkatCQrOMXAqMafeW1KujWBrd3GxBO1oyvCS1eGArIFSHWydR2zgzuSH/s1600-h/wordle+cloud"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGui-C8FZeXiRfNvbWp4KCe3lyFKSf3k9kwWOp9qKobec-2KCESVvextgRcwxRfyVMhliwXb9eGD6pXkatCQrOMXAqMafeW1KujWBrd3GxBO1oyvCS1eGArIFSHWydR2zgzuSH/s400/wordle+cloud" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5212130830127423138" border="0" /></a>I think I need to rethink my tags. But it is interesting to me to see this. <br /><br />The tag cloud was done in <a href="http://wordle.net/">Wordle</a>, and I really like the way it can be customized. <br /><br />Thanks to <a href="http://infocult.typepad.com/infocult/2008/06/wordle-for-tag-clouds.html">Bryan</a> for the link. (His is so much more interesting than mine! Check it oot!)Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-81265607379534757442008-06-13T18:30:00.002-06:002008-06-13T18:43:27.225-06:00Back from New OrleansI just got back a couple hours ago from the <a href="http://www.selu.edu/acad_research/programs/slwp/index.html">Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project</a>'s Advanced Institute 2008 New Orleans Marathon. It was, as always, a wonderful experience. We wrote. We talked about writing, talked about teaching, and just talked about life. We stayed at the lovely <a href="http://www.lerichelieuhotel.com/">Le Richelieu Hotel</a> in the French Quarter. It is always hard to leave my writing friends after such an experience.<br /><br />Now comes the hard part: finding pieces begun at some time in the past that can be revised and turned into finished pieces. It is a challenge -- but a good one. I am ready!Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-2464970627163133872008-06-10T11:35:00.002-06:002008-06-10T12:17:01.404-06:00Writing among writersI spent yesterday with a group of Louisiana writers. Most were from the <a href="http://www.selu.edu/acad_research/programs/slwp/index.html">Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project</a>. The others were from other Louisiana Writing Project sites. And then there was <a href="http://www.lclark.edu/%7Ekrs/">Kim Stafford</a>. He is director of the <a href="http://www.lclark.edu/dept/nwi/">Northwest Writing Institute</a> and son of the late Poet Laureate of the US, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Stafford_%28poet%29">William Stafford</a>.<br /><br />Kim had us writing and talking about writing all day. It was great! I hadn't realized how much I missed it. I thought blogging served as my outlet for writing, but I find that I need this community of writers, too.<br /><br />Tomorrow we head into New Orleans to write for three days. I am really looking forward to it!Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-67788110259719518842008-06-08T12:11:00.002-06:002008-06-08T12:19:32.949-06:00Photography and meFirst of all, thanks to those people who commented on my last post, encouraging me to take pictures. I appreciate it. Thanks, too, to Gabriella for making me feel guilty for not having uploaded pictures to Flickr yet! <br /><br />I am stuck with photography where I used to be stuck with writing: I can't see that anyone would be even remotely interested in any pictures I take. I don't seem to be able to find anything unique or beautiful or even interesting to take pictures of. I went out to the back yard today and took a couple shots, but they weren't even interesting to me! I am going to keep trying, but it may take me a while to work up my courage.<br /><br />It goes back to what I was saying about the <a href="http://www1.nikonusa.com/slrlearningcenter/index.php">Nikon site</a>: they want you to figure out what your passion is right from the start. That is where my problem is. If I knew what I wanted to photograph, it would be easier to do it, I think. <br /><br />Do I have it backwards?Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-29057125450900197702008-06-04T13:33:00.002-06:002008-06-04T13:46:15.042-06:00Learning photographyWhile in Albuquerque, I bought my husband a new digital camera. See, I wanted one, and he thought I should get a really good one. But I know myself: I will take snapshots with it. What do I need a 10x zoom for? So, he gets the new Canon and I get the "old" Sony: 7 megapixels, 3x optical zoom. I am happy and so is he. <br /><br />I have never considered myself particularly artistic. He is definitely the photographer in the family. But I have an urge to be more creative, to take more pictures. I look at the wonderful shots <a href="http://teacherdudebbq.blogspot.com/">Teacher Dude</a> posts on his blog, and I long to be able to do the same. <br /><br />So today when I saw a <a href="http://www.oculture.com/2008/06/learn_the_art_of_photography_the_nikon_way-2.html">post on Open Culture</a> on the <a href="http://www1.nikonusa.com/slrlearningcenter/index.php">Nikon Digital Learning Center</a>, I was really happy. I haven't done much more than just look at it yet, but I want to take some time and really check it out. <br /><br />The hard part, for me, is the first step they talk about:<br /><blockquote>Find the type of photography that moves you!</blockquote>How do I do that? It's the same problem I used to have with my writing, though, so I am fairly sure that if I explore photography enough, I will eventually figure it out. At least I hope so. <br /><br />I have always been so focused on words. I want to break out of that, to become more image-oriented. Maybe this will give me a little guidance on taking pictures and maybe that will inspire me to move beyond the written word. At least I hope it will.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-9853790204516366542008-06-04T12:00:00.002-06:002008-06-04T12:56:14.466-06:00The futureI sit here unsure about what the future holds and yet not worried. That's a minor miracle! I have two basic options: get a job or try to work for myself. Actually, I wouldn't really be working for myself because I don't pay much, but you know what I mean! <br /><br />I have a possible paying "consultant" job doing course development that would pay OK. No benefits, of course. It would be 6-12 months. I have been working for these people as a volunteer for about 3 years now, so I pretty much know what I would be getting into. <br /><br />I have 2 job applications out at the moment. One is here in Louisiana and the other is back in New Mexico. Both jobs would be OK. Both would have benefits. Both have their drawbacks. <br /><br />If I decide to go the consultant/course developer route, I am probably making a decision about the rest of my working life. (At almost 58, it is hard to find a job. It isn't going to be easier in a year.) That is the only scary part for me. Can I make enough money piecing things together? I want to do it. I want to try. <br /><br />The other disadvantage to the consultant thing is that it takes me out of the classroom entirely. I could probably find some part-time teaching opportunities, I guess, if I felt a real need to do that. <br /><br />I am doing the <a href="https://www.selu.edu/acad_research/programs/slwp/index.html">Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project</a>'s Advanced Summer Institute starting next Monday. That gives me two weeks of writing and time to reflect before I really have to make any decisions. We'll see what happens.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-53650065589721590772008-06-03T10:48:00.001-06:002008-06-03T10:49:31.921-06:00Back home againWell, I made it back to Louisiana without incident. It is good to be back. Not sure what will happen in the future, but at least I am here for now!Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-76020268342720522562008-05-30T16:11:00.002-06:002008-05-30T16:16:18.191-06:00Last day at workDidn't I have a similar post this time last year? Well, I guess it is that time of year again. Today was officialy my last day at work in Albuquerque. <br /><br />I don't know what I am doing next, but contrary to how I felt last year, I am not too stressed out about it. Actually, I am not stressed out about it at all. I return to Louisiana on Sunday -- well, I start the trip on Sunday. I am not one for long stretches of driving, so I probably won't get home until Tuesday. I am taking a two-week class that starts on the 9th, and I will begin to think about the future after that. I will, of course, keep you informed.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-7402050368000651542008-05-30T16:01:00.003-06:002008-05-30T16:11:33.437-06:00DIY dictation<a href="http://www.listen-and-write.com/audio">Listen and Write</a> is a great site that lets you listen to an audio text (including VOA Special English news reports and fables) in their entirety or in chunks to use as a dictation exercise. It looks pretty cool. You can log in to keep track of your scores, or you can just listen and type without logging in. I would really like to give this a try.<br /><br />Thanks to <a href="http://weblogs.elearning.ubc.ca/vschools/archives/2008_05.html#046615">Darren</a> for the link.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-12019164621549419402008-05-23T11:24:00.004-06:002008-05-23T11:38:58.371-06:00Visual ChemistryJenny's <a href="http://jennylu.wordpress.com/2008/05/23/schools-out-friday-16/">other post</a> was an example that I think <a href="http://www.presentationzen.com/">Garr Reynolds</a> and <a href="http://www.brainrules.net/">Dr. John Medina</a> would approve of. It teaches chemistry in a very visual way. While I am sure some people will object to parts of this, the theory behind it is one that is definitely OK: We learn better with visuals. See what you think:<br /><br /><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a45dXztokZM&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a45dXztokZM&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />Chemistry was not really a favorite of mine when I was in school. No science was, really. But how much more might I have learned if I had had something like this to watch? The concept of attraction and separation of elements is made real. It is visual. It is in my brain.Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-330716222646172132008-05-23T11:01:00.004-06:002008-05-23T11:24:13.351-06:00Garr Reynolds on Brain Rules<a href="http://jennylu.wordpress.com/">Jenny Luca </a>had a couple of posts that really caught my attention. <a href="http://jennylu.wordpress.com/2008/05/22/brain-rules-look-at-this-and-apply-it-to-education/">One</a> is a Slideshare presentation by Garr Reynolds on <a href="http://www.brainrules.net/">Brain Rules</a> by Dr. John Medina. <div style="width: 425px; text-align: left;" id="__ss_415548"><object style="margin: 0px;" height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=brainrulespzreview-1211213300619507-9"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=brainrulespzreview-1211213300619507-9" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="355" width="425"></embed></object><div style="font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma,arial; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/?src=embed"><img src="http://static.slideshare.net/swf/logo_embd.png" style="border: 0px none ; margin-bottom: -5px;" alt="SlideShare" /></a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/garr/brain-rules-for-presenters?src=embed" title="View Brain Rules for Presenters on SlideShare">View</a> | <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/upload?src=embed">Upload your own</a></div></div><br /><br />Not only is it a wonderful example of a presentation (of course!), but it also provides a few simple ideas that we, as educators, need to remember. Things like the fact that we don't pay attention to things that are boring and that we remember pictures better than text. (If you know Garr's take on presentations, that will sound real familiar!) He also talks about the fact that we need to exercise our brains.<br /><br />As teachers, we need to remember these ideas and, I suspect, the other ideas in Dr. Medina's book. I know I am going to check the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0979777704/sr=8-1/qid=1187199411/ref=dp_proddesc_1/102-0862374-2621721?ie=UTF8&n=283155&qid=1187199411&sr=8-1">book</a> and the <a href="http://www.brainrules.net/">website</a> out. Thanks to <a href="http://jennylu.wordpress.com/2008/05/22/brain-rules-look-at-this-and-apply-it-to-education/">Jenny</a> for the link!Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8710973.post-70071502514238242032008-05-17T18:11:00.003-06:002008-05-17T18:29:54.461-06:00More PCLinux machinesWell, we have added three more PCLinux machines in the family. <br /><br />It was really kind of funny. Almost. Sort of. Now that the disaster has passed. I upgraded my <a href="http://www.ubuntu.com">Ubuntu</a> machine to Hardy Heron and was quite happy. I had decided to keep it (Compaq Presario V22630US) an Ubuntu machine because it has a Broadcom 4318 wireless card -- and they aren't the most Linux-friendly cards out there. The wireless worked fine for a week or so and then started disappearing on a regular basis. Since I am teaching an online course, my Internet connection is not something I take lightly -- especially since my Acer seems to have bit the dust and I am waiting until I get back to Louisiana to officially declare it dead and look for a replacement. I tried every fix I could find in the forums. I made up some fixes of my own. Nothing worked. My husband, who at that time ran Debian on one machine and <a href="http://pclinuxos.com">PCLinux</a> on the laptop, suggested I try PCLinux on it. He had tried it on his Acer with the same wireless card, and everything seemed to be OK on the live CD. I was reluctant because I had not been aable to get the Live CD to see ot on mine, but he was persistent and suggested I try TinyMe. So I downloaded it. And it worked. Wireless, printer, everything. I am thrilled!<br /><br />While I was doing this in New Mexico, my son finally consented to turn his Acer laptop over to my husband for some Linux distro to be put on as he had all kind of problems on it running XP. (Most of them may have been of his own doing, but the fact is that the machine was dead running Windows.) My husband put on PCLinux, and everything worked. <br /><br />Meanwhile, my husband has had trouble getting things to work on his Debian Acer desktop, the one he had tried the <a href="http://www.pclinuxos.com">PCLinux</a> liveCD on, so he finally broke down and installed it. For the first time in the more than year and a half that he has had the machineee, he got the wireless working. <br /><br />Over the last year or so I have become very detached as far as Linux distros are concerned. If they work, I use them. If they don't, I move on to another one. So far, <a href="http://pclinuxos.com">PCLinux </a>seems to work more consistently on our machines than anything else. Thanks to all the people who have put in so much time and effort on it!Nancy A. McKeandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11502683354134304145noreply@blogger.com0