Clipmarks - Share your clippings with otheres - social element
Evernote - Seems to be the most “professional” looking
Zoho Notebook - Looks like they are copying the Google interface
Microsoft Thumbtack - Well Microsoft is a big company. Does that help?
Google Docs - I think that this will be around for a long time
UberNote - Has many options to send notes - promising replacement.

The advantage of these choices is that they all seem to be free, although they do require some sort of registration.
Nobody seems to have a Firefox extension. That is the feature that made Google Notebook so easy to use. The other important feature is Longevity. The application needs to be around, so I am not going through this searching exercise again.

Let me know if you have any other applications that you have found in your quest.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://www.theteachingbox.com

Being an Education Professional these days is complicated.  The advent of the internet and computer technology has forever changed the way that I view education.

We are surrounded by information.  No longer is the library the only place to research for information.  So many sources, so many programs where do we start?

I believe that we must become USERS of technology, not necessarily EXPERTS.  There are too many applications out there for us to become experts.  The time it takes to become an expert on a single program could be better utilized learning three or four programs deep enough to get the job done.  The education professionals of the future cannot affort to be technologically challenged.  We must be able to discover new programs, delve in and use them effectively in a short period of time.

I have a number of applications that I use.  I would classify all of them as easy to learn.  If you are willing to set aside an afternoon you will become competent enough to begin using the program.  Then as you continue to use utilize the application it will get easier, and before you know it you may be an EXPERT and can teach others.  In the current economic climate you will find that the best part of these apps is that they are FREE.

Here are some Programs that I use in the context of Education:

Camstudio - http://camstudio.org/
I enjoy doing video tutorials, and camstudio is a good way to get started. It allows you to capture the action on your screen (along with sounds). Camstudio is a free and pretty intuitive program.

YouTube - http://www.youtube.com/user/theteachingbox
If you make videos you need a place to put them. Go to YouTube and create your own Channel. This way you can easily share your creations with everyone.

Gadwin Print Screen - http://www.gadwin.com/
I sometimes need to capture areas of my screen, Gadwin Print Screen is a free app that lets you do it easily.

Try them out and let me know what you think.  Share your favorite applications.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://www.theteachingbox.com

Well maybe people don’t like online classes because the ones they see offered, or the one they took last semester was CRAP.

I am not an insider in Academia, so I don’t know how it responds to technology. BUT when I was taking classes for my Post secondary Teaching Certification I got a peek into the world of Academia and I made some interesting observations.

My background in manufacturing has taken me many places. I have worked in the semiconductor world, and it is the height of technology in all aspects of the business.

I think that Academia is 5 - 10 years behind in the technology world. Therefore many of the tools of technology that are used everyday in a “technology company” are only being used by the Academic “early adopters”. (I think that’s us on Today.com)

I see a “bandwagon” approach here. Online teaching is a buzzword that seems to have been grasped by Academia of late and they are running with it. All the colleges now seem to offer online classes. Because of the lag in Academic technology acceptance and use, the implementation of some of these so called Online courses can be pretty poor.

Nevertheless a poorly done course is a poorly done course whether online or f2f. (as Dr. Bob told us in our Online Teaching Class)

Until this technology gap is narrowed I think we will continue to see some poor examples presented as “online learning”. Thus the response of the students “I don’t like online classes.”

I will do my best in Online Teaching to make the course engaging and useful for the student. Online Learning is in it’s early stages, and I feel there is much for teachers as well as students to learn. I don’t think that many of the Institutions that offer online classes really know what they are, let alone how they should be taught. They are just on the Bandwagon with everyone else.

I don’t have any solutions to this dilemma, but as the next generation moves into the world of teaching we will see the gap close. Maybe some of the issues will work themselves out, and maybe they won’t. I guess we shall see.  As Educators that utilize technology it is up to us to lead.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://theteachingbox.com

Lets look at an example:
World of Warcraft is one of the most popular online games ever devised.
Take a look at the Forums and Message boards.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/

The information found on these pages is absolutely amazing. The strategies, tips, and research rivals that of any encyclopedia. If you want to learn how to get your orc to level 50 in a specific dungeon, you will find exactly how to do it here.

The collaborative power of this online community knows no bounds, but remember.

THIS IS A GAME!

What if we could harness this behavior to solve real problems and perform research in the academic realm.

I see the use of these tools as becoming commonplace in the near future. Many are used right now. The key element that they lack in their use is structure and discipline.

A message board can quickly becomes a mass of information that is disorganized and useless. File upload areas become graveyards of obscurely named documents that no one can understand. Online chat becomes informal text strings of “omg, rotfl, and lol“.

I seek to create an online virtual environment where these tools are used in a structured way.

Message boards must be moderated and postings organized. File upload areas must have naming convention rules. Chat must be complete words and sentences.

The beauty of this environment is that it can be populated with students who already know the tools and how to use them. Even if they aren’t familiar with specifics, they can be taught.

1. Tools are defined and students demonstrate how to use them.
2. Rules and discipline are applied to the use of the tools
3. The virtual classroom is built, and problem solving and learning can begin

The tools of internet technology surround us. Now we must put them to use.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://www.theteachingbox.com

When I was in my Post Secondary program I had a short discussion with my friend Brent at a seminar class. He told me about the awesome multimedia video clip that he made for his class he was helping to teach. The class was a freshman communication class.  He proceeded to tell me how proud he was of his video, and the time that he put into the creation of this WORK OF ART.

He said that when he played it for the class, they watched it, and shrugged their shoulders. Not terribly exciting to them it seemed. Just like watching a cartoon on the Television. Brent said that he wasn’t drummed out of the classroom with a chorus of boos or throwing of vegetables, but they weren’t nearly as excited about it as he was.

As he told me this story I was mortified, because I was planning to do a similar project.

After thinking and discussing it a bit more. Brent said that he seems to get better interaction and response from the students when he teaches Face to Face in a classroom environment.  (i.e. he actually stands in front of the class and teaches).

This is an interesting observation. I belive that in as Online Course Brent’s video clip would probably have been better received by students, but in the f2f (face to face) classroom environment students seem to prefer real people.

I am saving this story for future use (If Brent allows me to tell it, and of course embellish a bit).  It can be filed under technology is an aid to teaching, and not THE Teaching. As an educational professional I need to know that MY PHYSICAL PRESENCE in the classroom is the best teaching tool. Don’t rely on the technology as a crutch in face to face classes.

I think that the students come there to see the professor, not video clips.
What do you think about how to best utilize multimedia in a f2f (traditional) classroom?
How about in an online (virtual) classroom?

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com
http://www.theteachingbox.com

We are individuals with the different talents. I believe that it is our duty to take these gifts and use them to the best of our ability. Sometimes we know early in life what these gifts are and are able to develop them right away. This was not my case with the gift of teaching that I believe I have been given. The best way to present this topic is to tell my story.

I have always been interested in things mechanical. While growing up I was always taking things apart, and tried my best to reassemble them, not always successfully. I was sure my gift was to be a mechanical engineer. Even though I had this aptitude I was not sure that it was what I wished to do for a living. Upon graduation from high school I proceeded to join the Navy to pursue my career. I was trained as a nuclear mechanical operator and spent the next four years on an aircraft carrier. While in the Navy I honed my practical mechanical skills. I knew for certain that after I got out, I would be going to school for mechanical engineering.

Looking back now I see that even though I had the gift of mechanical aptitude (not one of the gifts mentioned by Paul in Ephesians) another interest began growing within me. One of the assignments I had while on the ship was that of a trainer. When someone reported to the command they were required to undergo a rigorous training program to learn their job and become formally qualified. Two years into my assignment on the carrier, I was fully qualified and considered a senior operator. I was chosen by my division officer to assist in the training program that I had gone through. This was the beginning of my awareness that possibly I was fortunate to have been given another gift in addition to my mechanical aptitude.

Six years in the Navy went by quite quickly and upon leaving I was accepted by the University of Minnesota into the Mechanical Engineering program. I spent the next 5 years as a student, and didn’t think much about teaching. After graduation I started my career as a mechanical engineer. Although I focused on the discipline I had studied in school, I kept seeing areas where people needed to be shown how to do things. Maybe my gift was beginning to awaken.

About a year ago I was speaking with a good friend of mine that is a pastor by training. In our conversation he told me I had “the gift”. Not sure what he meant I asked him to please explain. He proceeded to tell me that in the time we have known each other many of our conversations centered on my giving him help with various issues that arose with his computer. He said that I was very adept at fixing the problems, but while performing the work, I was able to explain to him in terms he understood what I was doing. Thus he said I had the gift of teaching.

Parker Palmer in The Courage To Teach speaks about the heart of a teacher. He says that teaching is more than just technique; it is part of our identity. He speaks of teaching as a true calling in an almost spiritual way. Although Palmer doesn’t share his faith with us, he talks extensively about the spiritual nature of teaching.

Even though my teaching experience is limited, I now fully understand and agree with Palmer when he speaks of finding your true self through teaching.

——————————–

This was an excerpt from a paper I wrote last year when I was taking a class in graduate school called “The Teaching Craft”.  I have recycled it here because my friend at  educationation asked the question, What Makes a Good Teacher?  He had an extensive list, and many of the points reminded me of my professor in The Teaching Craft.  She discussed Parker Palmer extensively and how teaching is more than a Job, it is a calling or Vocation.  This short post tells my story.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com

I stopped by Illarterate.co.uk today and saw an excellent Blog posting on “Concise Posting”.  What a great topic!

The purpose of my Blog is to present information to an audience.  I have chosen a niche area in the blogosphere that has a relatively small population.  Small is a relative term of course.  I am saying small compared to News based blogs, or Blogs that talk politics.  I didn’t have a chance in that arena, so I stuck with two things I like and linked them together.  Education and Technology

Regardless of the Blog topic, my purpose is to build a readership base and keep them coming back for more.  Hopefully in the process I will build some collaboration.  The Illarterate blog post was short and sweet.  He stated that the average Blog reader stays on the page for 30 seconds.  Talk about short attention span…wait, that is about how long my interest is kept as well.

He says make an interesting opening paragraph, keep the word count low and use good formatting to allow the reader to get the idea you are putting across.  I am going to take this to heart.  I write on Education issues.  Academia LOVES long wordy papers.  The Blogosphere abhors it.

I am in a quandary.  I just finished up some classes in graduate school.  How do you think I wrote my papers in those courses?  The length of a Blog post is a very good topic for Education and Technology, especially when it deals with online work.

I am thinking that Maybe it is better to break up large thoughts into smaller snippets across multiple posts.  SEO (Search Engine Optimization ) doesn’t like short posts, and one commenter on the Illarterate posting said 300 words is the minimum.  I will do a bit more research on this, but for now here is my plan for my posts:

• Length = 300 Words
• Minimum of 1 Graphic
• Use Formatting (Bold, bullets, colors)
• Compelling First Paragraph

I will stick with these 4 points and will let you know how they work.
What do you think of my plan?
Send me links to what you consider a “Perfect” Blog posting.

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com

Students and Online Technologies

I’ll start with a shout out to my friend on Educationation as his recent post covered this topic as well.  Stop by the Educationation Blog for an interesting read.

Introduction -
Found some interesting stuff this weekend. I really need to spend some more time looking at raw data, but these seem to be from reliable sources, so I will throw it out there.  Is what we see here part of the Mindshift of the next generation? Maybe computers are the Mindtools spoken about by Jonassen and Carr (2000).
Note the Jonassen and Carr writing was in 2000. Most of these studies I show are from the last year or so. Have things changed?

Students Actually Use the Internet for Education

Technology Horizons in Education -
Research by NSBA speaks to students using internet for education based purposes. THis study has an interesting component of social networking which is generally prohibited by schools inside the walls of the classroom. I will defer to the Communication Majors as to what “Social Networking” actually is as we would define it today.

Web use may boost student achievement

eSchool News - (registration required)
A couple of interesting Quotes, which really shouldn’t surprise us.
“Learning was enhanced when interface adaptation matched the users’ cognitive style.”
“The internet is the preferred medium for information for this digital generation.”
They speak to the use of visual interfaces for learning such as design of web pages and the like.

Students More Likely Webheads Than TV Addicts

Online Media Daily -
I was part of the TV generation. Is it dying?

Internet Study

Stanford -
Some interesting data on how people spend their time online.
Most of it is not too surprising

In conclusion this data confirms my thoughts that we are on the beginning edge of technology in Academia.
It is worth our time to learn how to use it effectively.  As I have stated before, as educators we need to understand how to use the technology, we don’t necessarily need to become experts.

—————————————————————-

References:

Jonassen, D. H., and C. S. Carr. 2000. Mindtools: Affording Multiple Knowledge Representations for Learning. In Computers as Cognitive Tools, Volume Two: No More Walls: Theory Change, Paradigm Shifts, and their influence on the use of computers for instructional purposes, edited by S. P. Lajoie. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates

I have noticed quite a few news articles discussing the prospects of education in the light of this economic uncertainty.  Many people are turning to education in these uncertain times.  Why does education seem flourish during an economic downturn?

Here are some of my personal thoughts.  There have been a number of people laid off at my employer.  These people are re-evaluating their situation and quite a few of them are looking at taking classes to increase their knowledge in specific areas.  Others have thrown it all up in the air and are looking at going back to school for a career change.  Even those who were not directly affected by the downsize are taking inventory of their skills and are talking about classes or education.

I have always been a proponent of education, and my beliefs about it are reinforced by the current circumstances.  Education has a number of qualities that I believe are timeless.  Actually many of these qualities are shared with money but education is different.  If you lose your job money will become scarce, but education and educational opportunities won’t.

Money can be lost in an economic downturn, but your education and skills you have learned cannot be lost due to economic circumstances.  People generally agree that an education gives a person options and freedom similar to money, but again education cannot be taken away or lost.

These timeless qualities of education come to the forefront when economic uncertainty hits.  Increasing your skills in your current field may help you keep your job.  An employee with many skills is and employee who may make it through the layoff cycle.  Then again the loss of a job may be a chance to set off to something completely new and different.  These trying circumstances produce opportunity for all.

I have done quite a bit of “career counseling” in the last few months.  I have pointed people at educational opportunities both online and through the traditional classroom.  I have become somewhat of a resume reviewing expert.  I have even pointed some people to my network of business contacts to find possible employment.  I have become somewhat of a “go to guy”.

It has been an interesting journey, and I hopefully have helped people along the way.  This relationship building is my favorite and most rewarding part of being an Education Professional.

Good luck on your current endeavors.  I will see you online!

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com

I enjoy tutorials, especially web based ones.  I also have fun creating them and I will provide you with some examples.  Let me tell you why I find them useful.

Life is fast paced today and we are bombarded with information.  Online life is even more hectic.  There is always some new piece of software to learn (Word-Press) or a new computer operating system (Vista).  Along with these new things comes the need to understand and be able to use them effectively.  Another facet added by the Internet is the attention span factor.  People want information and they want it quickly.   I strive to make my tutorials short and concise.

A tutorial can be a simple web page or even a video.  I happen to like and have experimented with both forms.  Many websites use tutorials to help navigate the user through the learning process.  I suggest that as an Education Professional you should investigate the  technology used to create tutorials so that you can make your own.  The technology used is not as complicated as it once was.  You don’t need to master the technology, just become a good user.  By creating a tutorial you will increase your knowledge about the subject of the tutorial, plus they can be a good way to promote yourself and your skills as an educator.

Web Based Tutorials -
A web based tutorial can be as simple as a static web page.  Creating a web based tutorial is not as difficult as it once was.  Back when I first started playing around with Internet technology web pages were created in HTML using the notepad editor.  With the advent of the modern WYSIWYG editors the task of coding a web page has become much easier.  The beautiful thing is that most blogs come with an editor installed in the user interface.  Such as the Wordpress editor, a bit clunky, but it does work.  If you need a stand alone editor I recommend Kompozer.  It is a good editor that is small and compact.  Get the Portable version and you can install it on your flash drive so that you can edit anywhere!  Kompozer Portable Website  For my MAC friends there is a Mac OSX version at the Main Kompozer website. (http://www.kompozer.net/)

Video Based Tutorials -
Video based tutorials abound on YouTube.  I suggest that you create your own YouTube channel for your video work.  (Visit Mine HERE - TheTeachingBox )  There are free tools out there that you can use to capture your computer screen.  I have used CamStudio and found it to be quite useful (and best of all it is free).  To show by doing, and to be more concise here is a link to my Web Based tutorial:  Video Tutorials - A Beginners Guide

In conclusion I really don’t want to burden you with learning a bunch of new software packages.  Nevertheless it is critical to realize that the Internet is the medium of training as we move into the future.   As an educator you need to be part of it.  You don’t need to master the technology.  You just need to be able to effectively use it.  I will leave you with a link to my page highlighting some of the Online Tutorials that I have created.  I welcome any commentary on them.  They are always a work in progress and because they are online it is easy to correct and update them.

TheTeachingBox.com Online Tutorials Page

Good luck, and I will see you online!

-Loren
http://theteachingbox.today.com