Worldly Wednesday: Non Robot Motoman

While talking to my grandfather on Christmas Day, I received an update on the Pearl and Mary Flanders School he funded in Cambodia.  Have you heard about the Motomen in Cambodia?  As we talked, he began to explain about the Motoman project to bring internet to the remote schools and doctors.  What better topic for the first "Worldly Wednesday."



First to briefly describe the Cambodia Rural Schools Project:  This project began in 1999 as a way to bring education to rural areas of Cambodia.  Student's wishing to attend school had to walk or travel by ox-cart for miles upon miles to the closest school.  Many were just too far away. Through the Cambodia Rural Schools Project, over 400 schools have been donated.  To build a school a donor contributes $13,000 and the Asian Development Bank matches this donation.  The land for the school is donated by the village. These schools are recognized by the Cambodia government as state schools and are staffed by official state teachers.

A typical school from this project is 3 - 6 classrooms and includes basic classroom furniture such as desks and chairs.  There are many other features that can be donated such as a library, solar panels, computer, vegetable garden, nurse, teacher, water well, etc.  

We have become such a technology dependent society it is hard to imagine living without postal systems, phones, and the internet.  But even further from our "reality" is living without medical care and educational systems.  How do we not only bring school buildings but also a connection to the world?  Motoman.



So, what is a "motoman"?  It is really a quit simple means to bring the world to rural villages like Ratanakiri. You take a motorcycle, in this case a bright red Honda, and equip it with mobile access points and a 256 kb/s satellite uplink also referred to as a First Mile Solution.  First Mile Solution based out of Boston first developed this system.

Five days a week, these motomen travel across the rural village to schools and health care facilities to transmit and collect information.  At the end of the day, they return to the hub to transmit everything collected. For individuals in these villages, whose average earnings are $1 per day, the motomen could be their only connection to the world.  These schools and health center are even able to use non real time search engines!

 

B3: Be Better Blogger

A new year's resolution I can keep, B³ :  Be a Better Blogger :)

While catching up on some of my rss reads, I happened across a post, Life is One Big Top Ten, on Sue Water's TAFE site .  In it she mentioned Steve Dembo's 30 Days to Be a Better Blogger. Ok I must admit I am a total geek, but it runs in my genes.  How many people have a 88 year old grandfather that blogs? I have been totally ecstatic that our parish finally opened up a blog site!  I have been waiting for years to have an interactive site for my students.

Since the unblocking (November '08) of Edublogs, I have been focused on the integration aspect of blogging:

• Organization of blog pages


• Steps for students to earn blogs


• Trial runs with students


• Finding great widgets


• Daily Journal dilemma (keep old, use edublogs, revamp)


• and so on..

I hadn't really focused on how my blog looks to the rest of the world.  My students love it, so it has to be great, right? LOL  Ok, maybe not:)

I am officially making a New Year's Resolution to complete Steve Dembo's 30 Days to Be a Better Blogger.  Wow!  a resolution I can actually keep:)  I didn't even take a sneak peak at what was going to happen over the next 30 days of this journey. I have already completed day one which involved revamping my about page.

UPDATE:  Great suggestion @suewaters, I am going to also work through the original challenge,  31 day challenge.  From what I can tell, it won't be too time consuming to complete both.  It is also broken into two categories, so challenges are different for beginners vs. intermediate.  Pretty cool!

End of Semester

I just wanted to let all of you know that I am very proud of you and how far you have come since your first project:) I only wish we could continue into next semester, so you would get full advantage of using the blog, wiki, etc. and even more new projects:)

Make sure to stop by next year to see what technology classes are being offered. With the ending of the 4x4 block and going to a seven period day, there will be changes. Maybe one of those will be even more technology classes:) I will post the information on the blog during the summer, and you can always email me. Don't forget to stop by next semester and tell me how your new classes are going!

Have fun over the break spending time with family and friends! Be careful and "think before you do"

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me.Phil 4:13

January's Widget

Computer Science wanted to make sure and post January's widget before they end the semester tomorrow:(

I'm sure you will really enjoy it!

http://www.widgetbox.com/widget/duck-hunt

UPDATE:  We have begun second semester, so the widget has been replaced with a link to the widget due to auto playing of music.

Blogs and Wikis

We began using a class wiki this semester after testing out a few.  We finally settled on a Mindtouch wiki at tiderwiki.wik.is The students had a great time changing each others paragraphs, but they are doing good.  We are up to three pages and that doesn't even count our wiki homepage:)

I wish I could keep everyone for next semester!  It is going to be great using a blog and wiki all semester and especially having student blogs.  We have decided that the best way to implement them is to post a journal topic and the student respond on their own blog.  I saw this on another class blog and it seemed to work well.  Sorry but I can't remember the class site.  The students definitely don't like using the discussion board because of the need to scroll past all the previous posts as well as all posts being mixed together.

Hopefully there will be another student blogging competition next semester:)

Student Show and Tell

Today was Show and Tell for Web Design students.  I only have one word for it, AWESOME!  I can't believe how far they have come in such a short time:)

We are working on a Game Programming unit using Alice.  This unit will be moved to the multimedia class in the future, but for this semester I was testing it out with my web design students.  Each student was required to show the current Alice world they are working on.  Then they demonstrated a "how to" on something they included in their world.

It was great to see so many of the same functions/events configured in different ways and thus producing a different end result.  Most of the student already have the inactive component incorporated in their world.  All of the Show and Tells gave students ideas.

Way to GO!

Hey, someone needs to add an Alice page to our wiki.  That would be a great place to collaborate information.  I sure wish you all could stay for next semester:)

December's Widget of the Month

My computer science class really liked all the widget available, so we are starting a widget of the month post! Of course Christmas is on everyone's minds, so here is this month's widget:

Get the Christmas Countdown widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!

Stressed?

Well, some of you were starting to get pretty stressed on Alice today, but we had a lot of laughs with all your "learning" experiences.  I thought you might like a break during Friday's lesson:)  Of course I have to relate it to our unit, but....

My first attempt at game programming was when my brother and I created pong for our family computer. No, I wasnt a geek...we were copying it out of a book and then changed a few things to change colors and such.  Ok so we didnt have cable.  Anyway, I found a GREAT widget for you:)  

When you start feeling  aUGHHH... play a game of pong.  If it doesnt show up below then it is Smartfiltered:(

Get the Flash Pong widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox!

Unit 6 Game Programing~WD

Welcome to the world of game programming!  Of course you will find your daily directions on the lesson page, but this post will give you an introduction to the unit.  Each day will also have various demos according to the lesson.  The game programming unit takes you behind the doors of creating games and even give you hands-on practice as a graphic programmer who developes and modifies complex 3D graphic renderings.   I'm sure some of you are already thinking about what sprites you want to make and game ideas. Other's of you are in a panic thinking you only have a few weeks to learn a new programming language. This unit is just an introduction to game programming for which we will use the Alice program.   By using Alice, the first several steps of a graphics programmer has already been completed. These steps required a good grasp of math concepts such as vector and matrix math, quaternions and linear algebra.   These math concepts are really just an extension of what you are currently learning right here at MHS:)   You will be surprised at how much you will learn in just a few weeks!  



Step One: Research

Of course, we will start this unit like all others with...RESEARCH. You already know that during this unit you will primarily play some of the roles of a graphic programmer, but there are more roles behind the gaming industry.

Your first project is to create a Chat About It while researching game programming.  Check out the Mrs. D's File Cabinet for your project guidelines.

Get started researching!  As you do, make sure and add to our Game Programming wiki  on Tiderwiki.  As you find good websites, add them to your Diigo; you will need some good ones for your Chat About It:) Dont limit yourself to our class library collection!  You also have access to the MHS library, parish library, and even online libraries such as IPL.

Jumpstart Research Topics	Randy Pausch Video  Creator of Alice Software Project
Game Programming Roles in Creating Game Programming Top Names in Gaming Industry Top Gaming Artists Alice Software 3D Vectors Math Behind Game Programming

Step Two:  Organize

Ok this is probably your least favorite section of every unit.  Yet every unit requires some form of organization.  I have some good news, the "true" organization involved in Game Programming has already been completed for you.  I would like you to know about the organizational structure, documentation and code architecture, involved.  Once you are in the Alice program you will be able to see some of this organization.  You will need your storyboard for the planning stage, because this is where you will organize your plan using the software.

• What is the design document?


• How does data structure affect the organization of software?

Step Three:  Sneak Peak

Before you can plan your programming, you need to get a taste of the Alice software.  

1)  Download Alice

2)  Drag and Drop Alice in your Applications

3)  Open and Play:)

Don't worry, you aren't going to "mess up" the program.  You are learning through "trial and error."  There are built in tutorials you will find when you open the software.  Remember my first rabbit on Alice was going to move his arm about a meter and instead it detached from his body about a meter.  It reattached without any need for surgery!  From which I learned detail, detail, detail.  I was moving too quick, not using a tutorial, and forgetting detail.  HAVE FUN!

Step Four:  Plan

Ok, take out your storyboard and plan what your character(s) will do.  Don't leave out scene(s).  Remember to think about the detail involved in making these actions.  Do you want to include other student's characters?  

Step Five:  Create

Get busy creating.  As you learn new tricks, make sure and post about it in the discussion board.

Step Six:  Share

Game Programming Forum

[forum:2492]

Chuckle, Chuckle, ...thought of the day

I have a piece of advice that I "oh so" recently learned. It isn't a good idea to delete the title of your blog. Im sure someone is thinking, "But why would I ever do that?". Well, I was helping a student see different ways you can change up a layout with banners and such. We decided to see what it would look like to put the title of the page on a horizontal banner with links under it, instead of at the very top of the page. you can imagine the rest:)

But thanks to Edublogs and of course James:) Everything is back up and running!

Easy Print Tutorial

While I was looking for something else, I happened across a great tutorial for creating Edublogs.  It does include a mixture of Wordpress screen shots mixed with Edublogs, so if small inconsistencies panic you - just use forum searches or Sue's blog.

Of course this led me the idea to see what a google search would find. It led to a search result of almost 300,000 hits:) Here are two full tutorial sites you might enjoy:

http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/Web2TL/blogging.html
http://teachteach.com/workshop/

And finally, if you are having problems organizing your classes, this page has several tips including using categories or topics (about middle of page).

Google Calendar

Well, the Google calendar is up and running:)  Make sure when you create your calendar that the events are marked public, so they will show up when you embed it.  Also, make sure to check to make the calendar public.  Follow this link for the directions to embed from Sue Water's Blog.
I made mine only show the agenda with no tabs, print, date, etc.  I will probably add a link to the full calendar right below, so students have the option to view everything.  Also, I would like to eventually have more than one calendar fed into one so each class is color coded.  If I would ever get an iphone I might even create a personal calendar.  Leslie Fisher has an excellent example of a personal professional combo deal for a Google Calendar.

Posting

Web Design is currently working on a web project and at least one group might use edublogs for their project.  Of course the students have already seen our class blog "in progress" and I have mentioned it to several teachers.  Keep watching the blogroll for even more MHS teacher blogs:)

This is a good time to mention good posting techniques.  For this, I turned to Sue Water's blog Click here for her post

As you can see, posting isn't the same as Myspace comments. You actually need to watch your grammar and punctuation. You also dont treat it like a text message either. Phrases such as "ttyl" and "brb" are not used when posting on your blog.

Make sure and visit the "about blogging" page before you start posting.

More things to try...

Everything is still going great with creating the class blog.  This week I am going to see if adding a Google Calendar is as easy as it looks:)  Of course the hardest part probably wont be adding it, instead it will be testing it at school with our smartfilter.  I hope to rss feed the calendar on my class website and this blog.

And for some exciting news, I found a wiki that works even with our smartfilter!  It is called Seedwiki at www.seedwiki.com.  The graphics are even better than wikispaces, and so far no issues with smartfilter.  Of course need to give credit where credit is due, our librarian went to a BER workshop yesterday given by Pam Berger.  I still can't believe that they had a web 2.0 workshop in our parish and I wasn't on the front row.  The workshop was for our parishes high school librarians.  Here is the real kicker, it was held at our school!  Of course Im not a librarian, so I wasn't invited.

Just Test it

The only way to learn is trial and error, so I adopted this philosophy with my Edublog:)  I have only written in once for help (not too bad) and so far I have successfully created post, pages, and subpages.  Having a parent page to create subpages was a great way to organize the pages.  I also added feeds, podcasts, and images.  

I really only have two tech tips.  Try uploading images and such both ways. I was only able to get it to work using the browser upload.  Secondly, if you are adding a rss feed and are copying the url, take out the "feed:" if it is on the url.

I am SO excited about how easy everything is on edublogs!  Im sure we are going to have many teachers jumping on the "edublogs wagon"

Research, Research, Research

What journey can truly begin without research?  My last few weeks have basically been spent doing just that-RESEARCH.  My computer science class had just begun their podcast unit, so I basically searched for everything from podcasts to websites to books on the Flat Classroom and Web 2.0. Somehow in this journey I ended up at Edublogs:)  It is a perfect addition to our class website, currently undergoing yet another remodel.  Im not sure which I remodel more my house or our class website!

I began a simple word document and folder.  The word document is just a copy paste of informational bits I've come across in researching.  Everything that had a pdf, I printed and saved in a folder along with keeping a digital folder.



If you havent already made your way to Sue Water's blog, it is a must!  Click here for Sue's Blog
Another "must stop" is searching the Edublog forum.



The research process is still ongoing, and Im already up to 4 pages of notes.  I will have to get them in less of a "rough" state before sharing them online, but here are a couple of highlights on the subject.  

There are hundreds of Web 2.0 components could be incorporated into a classroom.  The difficult part is selecting what will work best for your classroom.

Wikis and Blogs
One of the best suggestions I found was to use wikis for facts and blogs for opinions.  Wikispaces has a free version for classrooms.  I plan to begin each unit with a paragraph on the unit topic.  The students will each have an account and add to the topic throughout the unit. I am going to use Edublog to add to our class website.  It will be used for my blog, student journals, lessons, etc.  It will also incorporate rss feeds and widgets such as news and diigo.  Students will have their own blogs after the first few weeks of class.  I first wanted them to get familiar with incorporating a website, blog, and wiki.  Plus they need to complete internet safety and etiquette lessons before having their own blog:)

Other "Stuff"
There are so many more items that could be used, but Im still researching these.  Some things to think about include:  polls, widgets, google calendar, student online organizers, and photo feeders,

One of the largest obstacles in our school is finding components that are not blocked by smartfilter or are allowed to be added to the "safe list".

Leading up to the Journey

The actual journey began pretty simple a teacher wanting to expand her class website to include more interaction.  Over the past three years I have changed our class website each year trying to find something that the parish smartfilter would allow and yet would include more student collaboration.  

I guess I should give a little background here.  When I first began teaching at our local high school I had a large yet typical class website.  There were links to lessons, activities, philosophy of education, helpful links, etc.  By second semester, each student had their own gaggle email account.  Of course I was very excited about my little space on the web and truly feel it helped land me my job:)  This job began as a one computer classroom and you wouldn't believe where we are today!  But that will have to wait for my "Growing from a One Computer Classroom" segment.

Gaggle was later blocked with an upgrade to our parish smartfilter.  So each year I seemed to be trying to adding more and more to the site, doing site makeovers, and wishing it was more.

About five years ago I grew restless with the whole black marble composition book for journals, and set out to find a way to integrate our journals into the class website.  Of course everything I found seemed to be blocked by our parish smartfilter.  It turned out that I was just a phone call away from my answer. I called our regional TLTC center to see if they had any ideas.  Janet had just recently been introduced to Nicenet at a training.  Of course it was being used for teacher collaboration but it was perfect for my class.  I simply added a link to Nicenet on our newly remodeled class website, added all my students as users, and began to post daily journal rather than write them on the board.  I also adopted a policy from one of my Blackboard Professional Developments; each student had to respond to at least two other posts.  By this time my one computer classroom had already grown to include a student computer center consisting of 5 computers.

Again feeling restless for more, I began to search for more ways for student collaboration.  About two years ago I found out about Chalksite while attending the state LACUE conference.  I had always turned away from these "cookie cutter" websites because I wanted my class site to be unique:)  Chalksite had recently been unblocked by our parish, could be personalized using html, and had a way for me to email (within the chalksite system).

This year I reverted back to my own website and integrated a parish created message board.  I did break the site up into blogs where the students could see everything about their class in one spot, but their only contribution was through the message board and posting of their work. 

I created an area of the message board for our teachers to access information about professional development, technology tips, how to's (fixing technology), etc.  While posting to this portion of the message board, I followed a link sent from central office about a "good reading".  One click led to another, and some how I found myself reading about creating a flat classroom.  It was ironic the timing because Janet, the former TLTC director, had just left my classroom the day before wanting to pow wow ideas for a new unit.  We were working on a multi classroom collaborative project using a twist from the Flat Stanley book and wanting to incorporate numerous areas across the globe.  I quickly printed numerous bits of information on the Flat Classroom.

Journey of Creating a Class Edublog

The last post mentioned that we werent going to have our class blog "ribbon cutting" until January '09.  I decided to begin blogging the process of creating this class blog.  So many times when a teacher is on the verge of beginning something new, stress sets in and it is easy to quit what in turn could have been a complete 360 in the classroom:)  The next few posts will be dated today or relatively close together, so I can catch you up on the process so far!  I hope you enjoy our journey:)

Welcome to Tider Techie:)

Tider Techie is our classroom blog.  We are located in North Louisiana at Minden High School home of the Mighty Tide!  This blog is currently under construction and should have its official "ribbon cutting" in January 2009.  Of course this is pending parish approval to unblock this class blog from SmartFilter:)  For the next couple of months, we will be working on getting parish blog approval and adding to the Tider Techie blog including rss feeds.