Technology Thoughts

Blog has Moved

2007-07-31T19:56:00.000-04:00

I am in the process of moving the blog to this new address.

I made a Podcast!

2006-10-12T10:45:00.000-04:00

Yes, that's right. I've made my first few podcasts. These are being used by staff members at Kecoughtan High School for training purposes. I am learning a lot as I go, and have now gotten it down to a reasonalble work flow.

The staff members are recieving this well, but the process of subscribing is still very foreign to them. Most are having to update iTunes and Quicktime to view them. I am very pleased with the final product and expect to make many more of these.

I use Snaps Pro to capture video and audio. I use iMovie to edit video and then export it to Garage Band to edit audio balances and rss feed information. From there, the podcast gets exported to iWeb for publication. You can view the finished products here. Let me know what you think via the comment button.

Zookoda selling

2006-10-12T10:43:00.000-04:00

It appears that Zookoda (the engine I use to send the email versions of this blog) has put itself up for sale. Therefore, those of you that have been enjoying the email feeds might lose this feature. I also have plans of moving the blog in the future to a new location. If this happens, I will post a message here with the new link.

RSS Feeds

2006-10-02T10:27:00.000-04:00

RSS feeds are a great way to get a lot of information very quickly. If you don't know what an RSS feed is, here is the definition from wikipedia. Kecoughtan's site now has 2 RSS feeds. One in the News section, and one in the Guidance section. I have created these feeds so that parents and teachers can get up-to-date information about Kecoughtan without having to actually go to the site all the time to check. Also, this blog has an rss feed that you can also subscribe to. Most people choose the email option, but that will only update you once a week. With the RSS feed, you can be updated whenever you wish.

My favorite RSS reader is NetNewsWire Lite. I like it because it works very much like Mail... same system, same type of icons, etc.

Anyway, have fun, and start your RSS adventure today!

Productivity Software

2006-09-21T09:26:00.000-04:00

Next week's Tech Tuesday will be over 3 applications:

Apple Mail
Address Book
iCal

These 3 applications work together to organize your work environment. Many of you are currently using Entourage. While Entourage is a good program, the updates for it, (like Internet Explorer) are becoming a rare commodity. We have been noticing more and more problems with Entourage. While using 3 applications to replace 1 seems like overload, it's not as complicated as it sounds.

Personally, I've been using these 3 programs to organize my life for the past 2 years. I have used other programs before, but these are by far the most powerful and (more importantly) the easiest I have ever used. And the great part about it is the ability to sync with other mobile devices, like your iPod, or cell phone.

This will be a Tech Tuesday you will not want to miss. If you want a sneek peek at what these programs can do, check out the following links:

Apple Mail
Address Book
iCal

Enjoy, and I'll see you on Tuesday. Bring your laptop, and your iPod if you have one!

New Apple Store

2006-09-11T08:25:00.000-04:00

Well, I fought the crowd and went to the Apple Store Grand Opening on Saturday at MacArthur Mall. My wife actually made fun of me the whole way there saying I was going to be the only geek there. Boy was she wrong! There were LOTS of us geeks there. For about 2 hours after it opened, there was a steady line of people waiting to get in to get a sneek peek at the store as well as a free T-shirt. Nothing like free stuff to draw a crowd! Anyway, I snapped a picture of it with my cell phone for your viewing pleasure. If you've ever been to the Apple store in Short Pump, this is basically the same thing... just closer! They offer classes throughout the year as well as special nights for schools to showcase some of the work they do. I'm trying to coordinate something for us in the near future, so if your class has done a really cool project using Apple Technology, let me know, and we can set up a night for you to showcase it to the public.

Digital Divide?

2006-09-08T09:21:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting article I found from Wired News. I must say that I was shocked to see the statistics of how many minority students used the internet at home. To quote the article:

"Two of every three white students — 67 percent — use the internet, but less than half of blacks and Hispanics do, according to federal data released Tuesday. For Hispanics the figure is 44 percent; for blacks, it's 47 percent."

Less than half is almost scary. Think of all the opportunities they are missing out on! Teachers, we need to change this statistic! While we can't force our way into the homes and ask parents to buy computers, we can stress to our students the importance of research on the internet. The library computers are free for students to use here at school as well as several computers at the public library when school hours are over. There should be no reason why any child is without the resources to succeed. Don't forget to share your own thoughts by clicking on the comment button. We'd all love to hear your opinion on this one.

High School Ace

2006-08-30T08:11:00.000-04:00

Here's a link that was submitted by our own Dina Persico. It's a page that reviews English, Math, Languages, Science, US History, and World History. A great resource for your kids to use! Try it out and let us know what you think by replying to the comments link below.

Switching from Windows to OSX

2006-08-27T21:22:00.000-04:00

Most of us, (including myself), grew up with a heavy emphasis on Windows. Working for Hampton City Schools might be your first introduction to OSX. If so, here are a couple of web pages that will make your transition a little smoother. Read through the tips and if you can master these few things, you'll soon realize just how easy it is to be bilingual.

10 Tips for new Mac users

10 Things every new Mac owner should know

Just as with anything else, practice makes perfect. The best thing you can do to help you with the transition is to use your new iBook every chance you get. If you can't figure it out on your own, don't worry, fuss, or stress. There are plenty of people here eager to help you. Good luck, and make sure you hug your iBook today!

New Web Page

2006-08-24T15:01:00.000-04:00

Well, I've been working hard all summer, and here it is, the new web page! Click here to check it out. Please make sure that all information is correct on it. If you have any changes or additions for me that I need to make, send me an email.

Tech Trek

2006-07-25T21:02:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am on day #2 of the 5-day Tech Trek in Norfolk. So far, I have learned quite a bit in the areas of Video Conferencing, Web Design, Digital Video Editing, Digital Image Manipulation, as well as more, but I'm too tired right now to recall them all. We start the day around 8:30 A.M., and end around 9:00 P.M. Needless to say, it's a lot to take in. After I can get back and digest it all, I'll let you guys know all the gritty details. Until then, it's off to bed for me!

End of the Year Wrap-up

2006-06-15T09:33:00.000-04:00

Well, it's time for summer! Just wanted you all to know how much I appreciate your input into the blog. Thanks for reading, and please, keep checking throughout the summer. I plan on adding more entries throughout the course of the summer. It's been a great first year for me as a Technology Resource Teacher and I feel I have helped a lot of people move a little further on the technology path. I am happy to announce that I will be at Kecoughtan full-time next year. However, this doesn't mean that you folks at Syms have to stop reading my blog. You are more than welcome to keep coming back, and please invite some friends while you are at it. The more input and opinions we can get, the better-off we will all be.

Thanks again for reading and I hope to read many of your comments in the future. Have a great summer!

Are video games a bad thing?

2006-05-31T09:24:00.000-04:00

Like many adults, you probably hear the words "video game," and automatically start thinking of wasting time and violence. Well, I'm here to let you know that not all video games are bad. In fact, some of them can be, well.... educational!

I grew up playing tons of video games. All kinds of video games. Most would be considered to be just plain wastes of time. But are they, really? The object of most video games is to solve problems. You have goals, and are encouraged to go beyond those goals for social recognition. Still sound like a waste of time? Isn't that what we want them to learn - problem solving skills and goal-oriented self-motivation?

Still not convinced? Take a look at this game. It's called Brain Age and is played on the Nintendo DS. Here is a quote about the game taken from the Nintendo page:

"Brain Age presents quick mental activities that help keep your DS brain in shape. Activities include quickly solving simple math problems, counting people going in and out of a house simultaneously, drawing pictures on the Touch Screen, reading classic literature out loud, and more."

What!?! You mean kids are playing a game that involves reading, writing, AND arithmetic?!? Yes, they are. As a matter of fact, it's not just kids anymore who are playing games. Many adults are finally getting into video games as well.

Personally, I still love to play video games. My taste in gaming has changed throughout the years, but my passion for them will always remain the same. Currently, I have pre-ordered the Nintendo DS Lite (Launch date is June 11), and have already purchased 2 games for it - The New Super Mario Brothers (gotta get my Mario fix on!) and Brain Age. I'll give you a full review after I actually get it in my hot little hands.

Are your students using their cell phones in class?

2006-05-25T11:38:00.000-04:00

I thought this was pretty interesting. Apparently, there is a device that's being used in certain places called a "Mosquito" that emmits a high frequency that can only be heard by most people under the age of 20. Most people over the age of 30 don't hear it at all, so it is used to keep loitering teenagers away from certain areas. You can read the article here.

Teens have begun using this technology to their advantage and have recorded the noise and saved it as their ringtone for their cell phones! That way, they can text message and call each other in class without any teachers being the wiser! Teachers, you've got your work cut out for you now!

A Musical Blast from TV's Past

2006-05-24T10:18:00.000-04:00

O.K., here's one of those time-killing sites you just have to check out. Go to the link here. Thanks to Carolyn Sexton for pointing out this little gem to me. It's a site that hosts all of the TV theme songs to almost every old TV show imaginable. I've found from playing with this site that I definitely watched way too much TV as a kid. Still, it's nice to remember all those great shows... which makes me think - why isn't there anything good on anymore?!? (See my article on "The Death of TV") Enjoy!

Skype Me!

2006-05-22T11:04:00.000-04:00

For those of you that haven't heard of Skype, it's basically an internet based phone service. You can talk to other people, instant message, and send files back and forth easily. The really neat thing about this is that you can make phone calls to regular phones or mobile phones now for free to anyone in the US or Canada! (At least until the end of the year) You can download the free program here. You can also make secure conference calls and text chats as well! What a great tool! Say goodbye to long distance charges!

Browsers

2006-05-16T09:09:00.000-04:00

On one of the email reports, it tells me what browser you are using to view the web page. I was shocked to see that over half of you are still using Internet Explorer! Microsoft has stopped all it's upgrades and support for that browser on a mac. That means you not only have been experiencing more and more crashes (these will only get worse with time), but may not realize, you are missing half of a web page in many cases.

Still not convinced? Here's a test you can see for yourself: Open www.blogger.com (yes, you'll have to authenticate) in Internet Explorer and Safari (throw Firefox in there too if you have it). Now compare the page. Should be the same, but it's not! You'll notice several links missing from the Internet Explorer version. One of these links just happens to be the one you need to create a blog page.

My personal opinion - for what it's worth, is that Firefox would be the best browser to use. Safari would be my second choice, but I will not recommend that anyone continue to use Internet Explorer. Worried about losing all those bookmarks? You can import them into either Safari or Firefox. Come by and I'll show you how.

Communication

2006-05-16T09:03:00.000-04:00

O.K., I need some feedback on this one. With the addition of the email feature for this blog, I am curious to know what delivery method you like better and why. Some of you will faithfully visit the page every couple of days and check to see what's going on. However, I know a lot of you will be busy these next few weeks (especially with SOL testing going on) and may not have time to view the web page. That's where the email comes in. It will be a weekly update (every Monday) that will keep you up to date. What I am finding, however, is that with the emails, not many of you are clicking on the links to read the rest of the story. I'm not sure if you aren't interested, or just didn't realize you could do that. Every title is a link that will take you to the rest of the blog entry. Let me know what your thoughts are by clicking on the comment button (you will have to authenticate to do this).

Password Security

2006-05-11T09:03:00.000-04:00

Have you ever given your password out to your spouse or child? Do you just have one password that you use for everything? Has a student ever been over your shoulder while you typed a password in the system?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it's time for a change! As teachers, you have a responsibility to uphold security on confidential information (grades, IEPs, etc.) Come by and I'll teach you how to remember numerous passwords, as well as practice "safe computing."

New Feature

2006-05-08T15:02:00.000-04:00

Like the blog, but too lazy to check it? I've got a solution for you. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and you will see a place where you can subscribe via email. Type in your email address and click the subscribe button. Each week, the new blogs will be sent to you via email. Thanks to Zookoda for making this possible.

Quick Tip: The Black Dot

2006-05-08T13:06:00.000-04:00

Ever noticed that black dot that sometimes appears in the red dot used to close programs? If you haven't, don't be ashamed, it's easy to miss. Here's what it means:

The black dot means you have made changes and haven't saved.
The red dot means your file is up to date and saved.

The Death of TV?

2006-05-05T14:37:00.000-04:00

With the introduction of video podcasts, I find myself watching less and less TV. To me, podcasts are more interesting because they can focus on such a narrow audience. We no longer have to suffer through what the masses find appealing. Those of you who know me, know that I march to the beat of my own drum. I don't always go with the inline crowd. Well, my TV viewing habbits are no different.

I find myself bored with the everyday sitcom. I am nausiated by shows like Amerian Idol and that bad Let's Make a Deal spin-off (can't remember what it's actually called). They just don't keep my attention. It takes great writing and plot developments to keep my attention. I LOVE Boston Legal, the Sopranos, and yes, I hate to admit it - Desperate Housewives. So that makes 3 shows that I like out of a thousands of shows to choose from --- pretty poor! Other than that, I don't watch TV. I am much more engaged when I watch a podcast. Currently, I subscribe to 15 podcasts that I listen to or watch on a daily basis. A little skewed? I think so.

In my humble opinion, I think it's only a matter of time before we see traditional TV programs die a slow, painful death. Long live IPTV! Let the revolution begin!

You've got mail!

2006-05-03T10:40:00.000-04:00

Are you still using iPlanet to view your mail? Entourage is nice, but give Apple Mail a try. It's already on your laptop and works great! If you need help setting it up, come by and see me. I'll be glad to help you.

New Toy!

2006-05-02T09:54:00.000-04:00

Well, I've done it. I've taken the plunge and bought at brand new 20" Intel iMac! I'm very excited, and can't wait to get home to play with it some more. It will take me a while to get it all set up just the way I want it, but in the end, it will all be worth it. I also purchased a .mac account as well and plan to move this blog to a new site. I will be giving everything a serious overhaul, so be prepared for change! I'd type more now, but I just don't seem to have the time (gotta do some research on moving my iTunes and iPhoto libraries over to the new machine). I'll post some pictures of my shiny new iMac later.

iPhoto in the Classroom

2006-04-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

Got some ideas for iPhoto in the Classroom? Tell us about them by clicking on the comment button below. Come share your ideas with other teachers!

Here are some ideas from Apple to get you started.

Let's Go Shopping!

2006-04-24T09:51:00.000-04:00

On-line shopping is becoming more and more popular these days. For me personally, I enjoy the ability to get those hard-to-find items easily. I'm not one to go browsing in a store. I figure out what it is I want, go to the store, find it, buy it, and head back home usually in under 30 min. My wife, on the other hand, enjoys going shopping for shopping's sake. She will "wander," (usually aimlessly) through the mall and come back with a slew of items she never intended to buy.

Even though we both have different shopping habits, there is always a place on the internet for both of us. For example, there is no place locally to get loose-leaf green tea (which I happen to love). So I get all my green tea from Adagio.com. If you are a teacher at Kecoughtan and would ever like to try some, come down to my office and Nathan and I will be happy to brew you a cup.

For those of you closer to my wife's shopping habits, you might enjoy perusing the isles of Overstock.com. My wife claims you can get some really good deals there. Wired News also recently published an article with 10 of their Wackiest E-Commerce Sites. Take a look and let me know what you think. Happy Shopping!

Lord of the Files

2006-04-13T13:15:00.000-04:00

What would happen if children made up their own laws and ran their own government? William Golding wrote a book on this principle in 1954 - "The Lord of the Flies." In the book, a group of children are stranded on a deserted island, and in order to survive, they are forced to govern themselves. There are no adults to guide them in proper decisions, so to make a long story short - total chaos breaks out!

The children of today have found their own "island" to govern - its name is Technology. They have found a world with no rules, no guidelines, and no morals. Needless to say, it's a child's dream and a parent's nightmare. Technology has come a long way, but unless we as adults are willing to step in and offer guidance, children will continue to make poor choices about how to use that technology.

Through the dramatization of the media, new technology always seems to be frowned upon. Adults are always looking for a way to shut it down, instead of reshaping it in a positive fashion. For example, when MySpace first hit the news, it was because parents were shocked to find out their children were posting potentially harmful information about themselves to the internet. Of course, the kids had already been doing this for years through instant messaging and social sites. Let's look at the good side of what MySpace did for children:

Children were using communication skills
They were sharing ideas across a wide audience
They were expressing opinions on subjects that mattered to them

Imagine where MySpace would be today if we had offered some much-needed guidance to our children about how to post information safely.

The power of parenting and teaching is influence. Believe it or not, kids look up to you. They need your guidance. Don't turn your back on the island of Technology - live there with them, and it will be a much happier place for us all!

Alternative iPod Uses

2006-04-12T10:41:00.000-04:00

I've had an iPod now for about a year, and I find myself using it for a lot more than just music. Here are some of the other things I use it for:

Contacts
Calendar Appointments
Listening to Podcasts
Watching movies (yes, it can be done, and looks pretty good too!)
Watching Video Podcasts
The back makes a great mirror!
Used the display to find lost change under a car seat.

Yes, that last one was pushing it, but it's true. Have you ever used your iPod in an unconventional way? Let us know about it - click the comment link.

Don't forget to set the alarm!

2006-04-10T13:10:00.000-04:00

Found this nifty little article about a new piece of software called iAlertU. Gives your mac an anti-theft alarm! Check it out.

A Little Humor to Brighten Your Day

2006-04-07T09:02:00.000-04:00

Well, it's Friday, it's raining, and here we are at a Teacher Workday! Life doesn't get any better than this! On days like today, I like to take a few minutes here and there to have a good laugh. One of my favorite cartoons (yes, I'm 31 and I still like cartoons) comes from Homestarrunner.com. In the "Toons" section, there is a cartoon called "Strong Bad Emails." The thing that makes this cartoon unique is that it is interactive. At the end of each cartoon is a link to email the character "Strongbad." Readers can email Strongbad and have their emails answered in cartoon form on upcoming shows. Pretty neat idea. Anyway, give it a try if you want or need a good laugh. By the way, a small amount of these are also available in Video Podcast form through iTunes.

Blogging for Teachers

2006-04-06T09:29:00.000-04:00

Our "Blogging for Teachers" class was so successful at Kecoughtan, today I will be teaching the same class at Syms. Teachers will be asked to share their ideas about Blogging for Teachers and how it can be used by clicking on the comment link. I'd like you to read what others have suggested and either comment on their ideas, or you can submit a new idea of your own. The choice is yours! Happy Blogging!

Here is Goochland County's Web Log page. Use it for ideas!

Major Apple Announcement!

2006-04-05T09:23:00.000-04:00

Well, now it's official. You can run Windows XP and OS X on the new Intel Macs. Apple has released a program (now called Boot Camp) that will allow you to "dual boot" either to Windows XP or to OS X on startup.

What makes this so significant? Well, I believe that many people do not want to buy Macs simply because they are so used to Windows and don't want to learn a new operating system. I think we can all agree that Macs definitely LOOK nicer than any PC out there. So, I think this will help get some of these Macs into homes that wouldn't have them there before. Once they are in the homes, people are bound to at least check out this whole "OS X" thing, because after-all, it's on their computer now in their house, and they paid for it. Speaking from personal experience, it only takes a Windows user a few weeks inside OS X to make them want to abandon Windows all-together.

All-in-all, I am very excited about this. Now, I will have access to those "Windows only apps," and can easily switch back and forth between environments. Thanks Apple!

Click here to visit the official website.

PowerPoint Tips

2006-04-04T09:22:00.000-04:00

Keep your text short and simple
Light background = Dark text
Dark background = Light text
Content is more important than "whistles and bangs"

Quick Tip : Command + Tab

2006-04-03T09:08:00.000-04:00

Did you know that you can easily switch between multiple applications in OS X and Windows? For OS X, hold down the Apple (Command) key with one finger and tap the Tab key with the other. Let go of the Apple key when you get to the application you want. For Windows, hold down the Control key with one finger and tap the Tab key with the other. Let go of the Control key when you get to the application you want.

MyThoughts on MySpace

2006-03-31T09:29:00.000-05:00

MySpace is one of those things that no one can seem to explain. It just doesn't make sense. They have over 66 Million users. What is it? It's a blog site... But here's the catch... It's horrible! The user interface is so bad-looking, I don't know why anyone would want to spend time looking at it. But alas, they are still attracting lots of new people every day.

Lately, MySpace has been getting a lot of bad press. There have been several reports of child molesters stalking and hunting down unsuspecting kids. The bad thing about this, is the vast majority of kids are actually using this as just a form of common communication. The problem is that most of the kids aren't educated enough to know how to go about setting up a safer environment. They do have an option to only allow members of their buddy list view their page... But most teens are just too lazy to go through the extra steps. Is this MySpace's fault? I do think that they could make a better effort to educate teens on setting up a "safer" account. However, I believe it is the responsibility of the user to look out for him/herself. Know what you are getting into. It is also the parent's responsibility to get involved and educated about this before it's too late.

O.K., I've rambled on long enough about this... Your turn. Let me know what you think. Click the comment button below.

Here's a link to an article to get you started. Seems like they are starting to make an effort to clean things up.

Reflection on Podcasts and Blogs

2006-03-30T09:45:00.000-05:00

I'd like to thank all of you that participated in Tech Tuesday the past two weeks. We had a great turnout. For those of you who haven't experienced Tech Tuesday first-hand, we hope to see you soon.

Now that you've had training on Podcasts and Blogs for teacher use, I'd like to hear some ideas on how you plan to use this information. Let's share our ideas! Click on the comments button below and leave a comment. If you already have an account, you can use your screen name, otherwise, just leave an anonymous message. Thanks for participating!

Do you have Autisim?

2006-03-29T09:21:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder? Now you can take the test. In order to be classified, you have to score above 32... I scored 24, not sure what that means, but I scored a 24.

Click here to try it out.

Quick Tip: Command + [ or ]

2006-03-29T08:43:00.000-05:00

This is a quick tip for Microsoft Word:

Ever try to make text squeeze in a specific spot? Do you play with the font size numbers 10 or more times trying to make it work? Try the font-size shortcut keys.

Highlight the text
For Apple Hold down the Command (Apple) key and [ or ] to increase or decrease the text size.
For a Windows Computer, hold down Cntl and [ or ] to increase or decrease the text size.

Enjoy.

A Choice in Soda

2006-03-27T09:43:00.000-05:00

O.K., I found this link today.. if you like soda, or even if you don't, you have to see this! A real treat for those people who can never make up their minds on what they want.

Click here to read about it.

iLife '06 Review

2006-03-24T09:18:00.000-05:00

After much anticipation, I finally got my hands on a copy of iLife '06. As soon as I got it, stumbled through the packaging, drooling all the way, and plopped it into my iBook. I got a chance to play around with each of the programs and here are the results:

GarageBand: The biggest addition is the ability to create podcasts easily within Garage Band. I plan to use this feature later to do tech demos on various hardware and software. A great addition!

iPhoto: iPhoto is MUCH better! You can now edit in Full-screen mode and compare to other photos side-by-side. It made getting red-eye out a lot easier, and man does it make the photos look good!

iMovie and iDVD: This is the part that impressed me the most! There are now some really professional looking themes in both iMovie and iDVD. I put together a home movie for my daughter, Bethany, and wound up with a very impressive DVD. The menus are improved greatly from the '05 version. My only complaint would be that it still takes a really long time to burn a DVD (it's one of those things you let the computer just run over-night on).

iWeb: This is Apple's newest addition to the family. I was really looking forward to using this, and I have to say, I was very disappointed. The program is great - if you have a .Mac account. If you don't have a .Mac account, you won't be able to do 60% of the functions in any given web page. $99 a year, I feel is still a high price to pay. Unless of course the county would like to buy me a subscription....hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge!

All-in-all, for $50, this is a steal! Run, don't walk to your nearest Apple store and snatch it up!

Podcasts in the Classroom

2006-03-23T11:55:00.000-05:00

I was first introduced to Podcasts through my daily trips to iTunes. Since then, I have been a faithful subscriber to several Video and Audio Podcasts. Some of my favorites are TWIT (stands for This Week in Technology), DLTV (Digital Life TV), and MacBreak (self explanatory).

I believe certain podcasts could be very effective in the classroom. The advantage that they all have is that they are current. These are great for history classes looking to get a dose of daily news. ABC News has a podcast called ABC News Now. No commercials to fast forward through, and no need to set up a VCR the night before. You can download it while you are taking roll!

For more ideas and information about Podcasts, I'll be talking about them next Tuesday in the Teacher's lounge at Kecoughtan. Hope to see you all there!

Combining Music and Math

2006-03-22T09:09:00.000-05:00

As a musician, I am well aware of the correlation between music and math. I found this site on Digg.com and thought it was pretty interesting. Could be useful in either a music or math class. Check it out by clicking here.

Technology at its Worst!

2006-03-21T08:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I checked this link out on Diggnation and now I'm depressed. Want to know how long you are expected to live? Check out the Life Expectancy Calculator . I'm looking at 76, and my wife is looking at 102. Guess I gotta start exercising or something!

Diggnation

2006-03-20T08:42:00.000-05:00

Have you ever visited Diggnation? Diggnation is a user-based Technology News Site. Users pick the most important news by giving a story a "digg." The stories with the most "diggs" get put on the Front Page. You can see what stories I have dugg by going to my user link here. Or you can see the main page by clicking here.

Apple Come-back?

2006-03-17T15:36:00.000-05:00

I thought I would address this issue, since I feel so strongly about it.

I was a PC user for my entire life before I came to work here in an Apple dominated school district. My initial reaction when given an iBook was, "well, I like the iPod and all, but come-on... a Mac-in-trash!" Boy was I wrong! This notebook has changed my entire computer experience - in a good way. I no longer have to fight with drivers / hardware conflicts / and viruses. Also, I am just in awe of how great the iLife suite works together. Apple has done such a great job with their products, I just don't understand why anyone puts up with Windows anymore.

I honestly believe that if everyone were handed a mac to play with for a week or two, no one would ever go back to Windows again. I think that with the iPod being such a big hit, Apple will once again work its way back into the computer domination that it once was... I just hope I'm still alive to see it happen!

Server Problems

2006-03-17T13:41:00.000-05:00

Well, it appears my blog has suffered some server glitches today. Technology - great when it works, and a pain when it doesn't. Anyway, don't let flaky servers deter you from coming back. It looks like whatever problem they've been having is now resolved.

Tech Tuesday Change

2006-03-16T11:32:00.000-05:00

Tech Tuesdays will no longer be held after school. They will be held in the Teacher's Lounge throughout the day. If you'd like to attend, just bring yourself, your laptop, and a friend to the Teacher's lounge anytime during the school day on Tuesday!

This Tuesday's topic will be blogging. Hope to see you there!

Blogging

2006-03-16T09:03:00.000-05:00

Ironically, I thought that my first blog should be about blogging. How can teachers use a blog? Some thoughts come to mind:

Homework assignments
Overviews
Links to webpages to help with class projects
Thoughts of the day

Please attach a comment if you have any other ideas how teachers can use blogs.

Here's a link to Goochland's website containing serveral teacher Blogs.