Final Video - AR Pitch

This is my final video for ETC.  It is a pitch for my Action Research Project about Student Response Systems.  Please comment!

PE 6 Part 3/6 Schoology Groups

The final Schoology and PE post! This video covers Groups within Schoology and also looks at some of the other powerful features like analytics! Enjoy and thanks for watching!

PE 5 Part 2/5 Schoology Courses

Here PE 5! This video covers how to set up courses in Schoology and looks at all of the dynamic features and power of the Schoology system.

PE 4 Part1/4 Schoology Intro

Here is part one of three of my PE for week 2.  Schoology! I think it's better than Moodle!

PE 3 Moodle Part 3

This is the final video for this week on Moodle.  Here I cover creating course categories and courses within them. See you next week for more Moodle!

PE 2 Moodle Part 2

Here is part 2 in a 3 part series of Moodle videos.  In this video I cover some very basic appearance editing. Enjoy!

BP12 OMM Aviary.com

Here is a one minute video I made about Aviary.com

PE 1 Moodle Part 1

In this video I show the begging steps to set up Moodle on Mac OSX.

BP11 Comment to Jerusha Hufstetler

Follow this link to a comment a made on Jerusha Hufstetler's blog!

BP10 Comment on Ginny Holm's "HolmFront"

Follow this link to view a comment I made to Ginny Holm's blog about Google SketchUp!

BP9 Aviary.com

I discovered Aviary.com while using StumbleUpon.com (Warning: Using this Firefox plug in may take many hours of you life leaving you feeling and amazed!) Here is the basic idea behind Aviary:

1.  I have a problem that requires the creation of a digital image, sound, or graphic and I do not have the software I need to complete the task.

2.  Use one of the many FREE cloud based tools to accomplish this task.

3.  Save to the cloud and export to my disk in many various formats.

4.  Prepare an amazing soundtrack for a lesson or video. Add mark up to screen shots.  Hold a t-shirt design competition for the entire school.

With Aviary, students, teachers, administrators, and business professionals can utilize the power of expensive, confusing software in a free easy to understand interface.

From the perspective of a Technology Education teacher I have found this tool very helpful in my introductory level courses.  The site provides a fast and easy way to create high quality digital media.  This is very useful for easing students into the “big picture” learning curve of digital media creation software. I have even observed the first signs of evidence that the site is a catalyst for passion and talent in other more advanced courses.

Many of my students use this tool to create t-shirt designs for Threadless.com.  This site hosts designs to the public for viewing and voting. Highly ranked shirts get printed and the selected artists make money on sales.  I can’t wait for a student to get selected!

Even with these ideas and more I think the very best part of this Web 2.0 tool is the price, scope, and weight.  No downloads or particular platforms are required for all of the many tools and the price is set at free.

Here is a sample beat I made for you listening pleasure.

BP8 OMM Google Docs

Here is a video commercial about Google Docs. I hope you enjoy!

BP7_Comment to Tremeris

Well Hello!

Follow this link to view a comment I left for Tremeris Sanders on his ETC blog.

This is a picture of him playing the tuba!

BP6_Comment to Mike

Hey! Check out my comments on Michael George's Blog. Click Here!

BP5_Google Docs

I want to introduce you to Google Docs! For those of you who have not used this tool it is amazing!  Here is the basic idea behind Google Docs.

1.  Create a document either in word or some other program or by using Google Docs.

2.  Post the Doc to Google Docs and share it with all of your friends.

3.  As new information needs to be added each of your friends can log on and edit.

4.  As if having only one document between any number of people isn’t good enough, multiple people can edit all at once and see changes in real time!

Here is an example of how one might use Google Docs.  For my AR project I will be collecting lots of data from students because the entire project is to determine the effectiveness of Student Response Systems (“clickers”). As each student answers questions the information is saved into an Excel spread sheet.  I am going to use Google Docs to house that spread sheet so that my critical friends can peak in and see what I am collecting.  Beyond just looking and being able to edit the spread sheet they can leave me notes right inside the document. 

Using Google Docs to collaborate will make organizing all of that data very simple and efficient.  It will also allow me to store my work in the cloud so I can access it anywhere from any computer and work on it whenever I want.

Another great feature about Google Docs is the ability to export documents in just about any format. So when I am finished with the project I can simply save the Google Docs spreadsheet as an Excel spreadsheet with all the same formatting.

If you aren’t already using Google Docs here is link to get you started. Click Here.

BP4_PhotoPeach_Web 2.0

I went looking at lots of Web 2.0 tools and found Photo Peach! Photo Peach is a great photo slide show generator that is really easy to use! I made a quick ScreenFlow video that lays out how to use the tool. Enjoy!

My PhotoPeach Slide Show

BP3_Diigo Group

If you haven't heard of Diigo you should really check it out!

I set up my Diigo group and invited all of my Critical Friends.  I really hope they take a look at the site and determine it to be useful and join!  I am very excited to use this site and get started collaborating online with my AR research. Which is slow to get started...

Davids AR Diigo Group Screen Shot.

Here is a screen shot of THEteam's Diigo page.  Pretty much the best team ever created at FSO

I am excited about Diigo but again I know it is one more tool that sort of does what other tools do and at this point it is about adapting and using it. I guess we'll see!

BP2_iGoogleScreenShots

Again I am impressed! I am really getting a feel for iGoogle and how useful it can be.  Now I just need to use it so that it grows into something organic.  Some of the items I will need to get acquainted with using are the MyListy tool and the Google Reader.  I am new to RSS and the idea that is actually useful and I like to make paper lists that I can hold in my hands and doodle on. But here are my bare minimum tabs that meet the project requirements.

Click to enlarge.  Duh.
Home Tab.

FSO Tab.

Action Research Tab.

ETC Tab.

BP_1_Google Reader

Screen shot of David Hotler's Google Reader

RSS Feeds.
I am going to be very honest here.  Up until this very assignment I viewed RSS feeds as a tool used by old people to make websites look more like newspapers.  After really taking a look as some of the feeds I have found I am starting to really appreciate the aggregation and compounded feel of Google Reader.  I just turned 25 so I know this new revaluation has nothing to do with my age and more to do with my recent exploration. So in my new journey I have found some great feeds that deliver information pertinent to my life as a Technology Education Teacher. Here is my list:

Apple.com
MacOSXHints.com

As a teacher that has 24 iMacs and 5 iPod Touch's in my classroom I am always looking for new softwares, best practices, and tips for using Mac.  Apple has a great education section that offers some "best practices" from around the globe.  Some of these examples can be idealistic but reading how others use Mac in the classroom is a great way to get new ideas.  MacOSXHints is filled with great tips and hints for getting the most out of your Mac. The site is super simple and down to earth. On the right one can filter all of the hints by topic.  Which is nice when one is just exploring new ideas.

Wired.com
PlanetPhotoshop.com
TED.com

Now as a Technology Education teacher and as a teacher of literacy I am always interested in new technology and having my students read and write.  As a part of my class I have students start a blog using blogger and post to it once a week.  I really like Wired the magazine and have just recently become more interested in their website.  I direct students here and to TED to look for great technology articles that they can blog about.  Many times the student lead me to things I would have never found or have over looked.  This practice is a great way to let the kids find something that interests them and then write. Planet Photoshop is probably the best PS website I have ever been too and now having the feed I am excited to be able to stay up what is new over there.  When students are finished with work in my Imaging Technology class I send them to this site to stay busy.  Even if they just look at what PS can do they are learning something.  I give extra credit for completed tutorials.

NPR.org
Experimental Theology

The last two feeds are listed not as something I use to stay current in my professional feed but something I use to keep my mind sharp.  If you know three things about me you know I love Apple Inc. you know I am obsessed with NPR and I am very spiritual.  I like the NPR RSS feed. It reminds me of the app on my phone.  I get most of my NPR fix on the drive to work.  When I get in I use NPR.org to listen to the rest of the news and now when I have a few minutes of quite time I can read my NPR RSS feed! The Experimental Theology feed is new as of this assignment. My good friend Micheal George turned me on to this blog as of recent and I have really taken a liking to the thoughts and ideas posted here.  I am a firmly believe that all humans are different paths up the same mountain.  The route we take is not important, just that we climb up each day and help others along the way.

So as I become more RSS savy I hope to find more feeds that really get to the point and bring together the information that I like and want.  For now though these are keeping me busy.