Ideas and Thoughts» Miscellaneous http://ideasandthoughts.org Learning stuff since 1964 Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:09:45 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Testing ScribeFire http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/09/07/testing-scribefire/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/09/07/testing-scribefire/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 02:15:45 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/09/07/testing-scribefire/ I’m testing Scribe Fire. This is a test with the updated version. It was wasn’t working before. Hopefully it works now. I quite like Scribe Fire. scribefire]]> I’m testing Scribe Fire. This is a test with the updated version. It was wasn’t working before. Hopefully it works now. I quite like Scribe Fire.

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2008/09/07/testing-scribefire/feed/ 0 More sharing goodness http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/17/more-sharing-goodness/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/17/more-sharing-goodness/#comments Mon, 17 Dec 2007 17:28:20 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/17/more-sharing-goodness/ From the “sharing continues” files, this just in, Google now shows my friends shared items, my “friends” are my Google Talk friends. I just want more friends is all. Also , I discovered that I can export my Jing captures to flickr. Sort of the Skitch for Windows alternative.  Unless there’s something else? Powered by [...]]]> From the “sharing continues” files, this just in,

12/17/2007 11:18 AM

Google now shows my friends shared items, my “friends” are my Google Talk friends. I just want more friends is all.

Also , I discovered that I can export my Jing captures to flickr. Sort of the Skitch for Windows alternative.  Unless there’s something else?

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]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/12/17/more-sharing-goodness/feed/ 3 Speaking with authority http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/10/24/speaking-with-authority/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/10/24/speaking-with-authority/#comments Wed, 24 Oct 2007 20:03:01 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/10/24/speaking-with-authority/ I irritated when my own kids use the all too common inflection at the end of sentences that turn statements into questions? As we work to help our students write and even use videos to express themselves, kids generally have limited practice in speaking in public situations. I like this talk. Clear, concise and demonstrates [...]]]> I irritated when my own kids use the all too common inflection at the end of sentences that turn statements into questions? As we work to help our students write and even use videos to express themselves, kids generally have limited practice in speaking in public situations.

I like this talk. Clear, concise and demonstrates an important quality all too often missing in our kids today. I remember a chat with Christian Long in Boston where he expressed the desire for kids to have the wherewithal to express themselves clearly and confidently. Christian, if you’re still out there, I’d love to hear you chime in on this one.

In case you hadn’t realized,
it has somehow become uncool
to sound like you know what you’re talking about?
Or believe strongly in what you’re saying?
Invisible question marks and parenthetical (you know?)’s
have been attaching themselves to the ends of our sentences?
Even when those sentences aren’t, like, questions? You know?

Declarative sentences – so-called
because they used to, like, DECLARE things to be true
as opposed to other things which were, like, not -
have been infected by a totally hip
and tragically cool interrogative tone? You know?
Like, don’t think I’m uncool just because I’ve noticed this;
this is just like the word on the street, you know?
It’s like what I’ve heard?
I have nothing personally invested in my own opinions, okay?
I’m just inviting you to join me in my uncertainty?

What has happened to our conviction?
Where are the limbs out on which we once walked?
Have they been, like, chopped down
with the rest of the rain forest?
Or do we have, like, nothing to say?
Has society become so, like, totally . . .
I mean absolutely . . . You know?
That we’ve just gotten to the point where it’s just, like . . .
whatever!

And so actually our disarticulation . . . ness
is just a clever sort of . . . thing
to disguise the fact that we’ve become
the most aggressively inarticulate generation
to come along since . . .
you know, a long, long time ago!

I entreat you, I implore you, I exhort you,
I challenge you: To speak with conviction.
To say what you believe in a manner that bespeaks
the determination with which you believe it.
Because contrary to the wisdom of the bumper sticker,
it is not enough these days to simply QUESTION AUTHORITY.
You have to speak with it, too.

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]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/10/24/speaking-with-authority/feed/ 0 Interactive, Simplistic Design http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/10/08/interactive-simplistic-design/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/10/08/interactive-simplistic-design/#comments Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:16:44 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/10/08/interactive-simplistic-design/ Cathy Nelson alerted me to this site via twitter and being that I’ve been immersed in my K12 presentation on design, I  began to consider why this works. As Cathy alludes to, it’s very familiar format. Reminds me of a combination of the Apple ads and Lee LeFever’s plain English explanation videos of web 2.0 [...]]]> UPS Whiteboard

Cathy Nelson alerted me to this site via twitter and being that I’ve been immersed in my K12 presentation on design, I  began to consider why this works.

As Cathy alludes to, it’s very familiar format. Reminds me of a combination of the Apple ads and Lee LeFever’s plain English explanation videos of web 2.0 tools and concepts. There are certainly many similarities and I’m not sure which came first but there are some important design elements that make these effective communication. The common elements include:

  • Whitespace…both literally in the use of a plain white background but also negative space which focuses the ideas.No distractions, just you and the ideas.
  • Personal touch…with all the ability we have in technology to automate and create very slick interfaces and interactions, we are still drawn to people just talking; talking like they’re your friend, not a sales person. He’s not wearing a suit and tie, just a regular guy talking to regular people.
  • Simple messages….using familiar tools and approaches to convey ideas.  Pen and a white board.

I think this is a trend we’ll be seeing more and more. Simple is good. But the use of complex tools such as flash (as used in the UPS ads) enables slick interactivity. The average user still struggles with creating visually interactive work of this nature but as with most things, these tools will become more prevalent.  The key is for us to examine the simple, clean nature of these experiences and never lose sight of the importance of clear, concise communication.  Show kids these sites as examples of effective communication techniques.

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]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/10/08/interactive-simplistic-design/feed/ 8 Recording audio with Microsoft Word or OneNote http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/07/17/recording-audio-with-microsoft-word-or-onenote/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/07/17/recording-audio-with-microsoft-word-or-onenote/#comments Wed, 18 Jul 2007 03:29:54 +0000 Wesley Fryer http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/07/17/recording-audio-with-microsoft-word-or-onenote/ As usually happens when I’m teaching others about a topic, this evening when I was sharing some tips about using the Macintosh operating system and Mac programs I learned a valuable tip: How to record audio and simultaneously take notes using Microsoft Word. I’d heard of this capability but never seen it demoed, and it [...]]]> As usually happens when I’m teaching others about a topic, this evening when I was sharing some tips about using the Macintosh operating system and Mac programs I learned a valuable tip: How to record audio and simultaneously take notes using Microsoft Word. I’d heard of this capability but never seen it demoed, and it wasn’t hard to do. We had to change the “view” in Word to “Notebook” to enable the functionality, and then select audio recording from the “tools” menu.

Interestingly, in doing some Google and del.icio.us searches for a screencast or tutorial about how to use this functionality of Word 2004, I couldn’t find any! I did find some references to this functionality in an old review of the program, but no tutorials. There are quite a few articles about using Microsoft OneNote on the Windows-side to record audio. I haven’t tried that either.

Has anyone had success recording teacher/instructor/professor lectures using either Word 2004 on a Mac or OneNote on a Windows PC? I’d be interested to hear what people think of the functional usability of these features. They sound great, but I’ve never talked with someone (in person or online) who has used them repeatedly in actual classes.

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/07/17/recording-audio-with-microsoft-word-or-onenote/feed/ 4 TripAdvisor as a model of social networking and critical thinking http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/04/25/tripadvisor-as-a-model-of-social-networking-and-critical-thinking/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/04/25/tripadvisor-as-a-model-of-social-networking-and-critical-thinking/#comments Thu, 26 Apr 2007 04:15:15 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/04/25/tripadvisor-as-a-model-of-social-networking-and-critical-thinking/ I’ve been using tripadvisor quite a bit lately and believe more and more in its model. Customer reviews are the only ranking system they use and customer use whatever criteria they like. Look up any hotel or attraction and you’ll find ratings and most important, reviews. These reviews are usually more important than the rating [...]]]> I’ve been using tripadvisor quite a bit lately and believe more and more in its model. Customer reviews are the only ranking system they use and customer use whatever criteria they like. Look up any hotel or attraction and you’ll find ratings and most important, reviews. These reviews are usually more important than the rating since they reveal bias and often details that validate the rating. Reading the through the various reviews and you’ll be pretty certain what you’re getting into.

The social networking is evident in the contributions users make and the benefit of learning from each other. Users can opt to leave the email address linked to their name if you have further questions. There likely no reason for anyone to give a good or bad review (unless they are working for or are competitor’s of the facility). Reading the reviews after the fact, usually verifies your research in some form and by adding to the comments, you richen the data.

Critical thinking is essential in that ratings alone can be misleading. For example, one hotel reviewer might give a bad rating because they discovered they don’t allow pets. This may not be an issue to you so the poor rating may be dismissed.  You tend to read several reviews in order to form an educated opinion. Checking a user’s other reviews to see if they are particularly negative or positive also provides insight.

Unlike wikipedia where it is an attempt to provide truth,  tripadvisor allows users to express their opinions and experiences and in turn allow readers to make educated decisions.

[tags]socialnetworking,tripadvisor,wikipedia[/tags]

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/04/25/tripadvisor-as-a-model-of-social-networking-and-critical-thinking/feed/ 2 Cool or Creepy? http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/03/06/cool-or-creepy/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/03/06/cool-or-creepy/#comments Tue, 06 Mar 2007 18:22:04 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/03/06/cool-or-creepy/ Photo editing, airbrushing are all wonderful tools. But they do raise questions of self-image. “Somewhere between “can we eliminate the red-eye effect?” and “let’s reshape the way your face looks,” we’ve crossed the line into creepy territory.” After living with 4 females who watch their share of “What not to Wear”, “Beauty and the Geek”, [...]]]> Photo editing, airbrushing are all wonderful tools. But they do raise questions of self-image.

“Somewhere between “can we eliminate the red-eye effect?” and “let’s reshape the way your face looks,” we’ve crossed the line into creepy territory.”

After living with 4 females who watch their share of “What not to Wear”, “Beauty and the Geek”, I don’t know what to think.

 Portrait Professional
 

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/03/06/cool-or-creepy/feed/ 3 Starting 2007 with data recovery http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/01/01/starting-2007-with-data-recovery/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/01/01/starting-2007-with-data-recovery/#comments Tue, 02 Jan 2007 02:32:31 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/01/01/starting-2007-with-data-recovery/ I spent much of the first day of the year trying to recover data. I logged onto my laptop this morning and was trying to edit a few photos when I got my first bluescreen with the new laptop. I restarted only to discover that my profile was corrupt. Okay, not to panic, I had [...]]]> I spent much of the first day of the year trying to recover data.

I logged onto my laptop this morning and was trying to edit a few photos when I got my first bluescreen with the new laptop. I restarted only to discover that my profile was corrupt. Okay, not to panic, I had this happen with another machine a year or two ago so I calmly tried to login again. This time it created a TEMP profile. I saw my files stored in my old profile and copied them over. Not sure if this was a mistake or not but after restarting, files were gone. Crap!

Okay let’s try System Restore. No good. Couldn’t restore to any previous dates. Next I’d search for a data recovery tool. A couple of tries and I found PC Recovery Tool. Somewhat awkward but it did manage to find most of my files, i.e. photos, videos, music and a few presentations. This process took the better part of 3 hours.

Now most if not all of these files were stored somewhere else but I wanted to see what was necessary to recover. Backing up more often is one lesson learned and yet I wonder if I’ll really do this. I certainly am grateful much of my work resides online as well. (Flickr, archive.org, google docs, del.icio.us to name a few) The most frustrating part was trying to restore my FireFox profile. I couldn’t recover it and trying to recreate all my extensions, bookmarks and settings is a bit of a pain.

Happy New Year.

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2007/01/01/starting-2007-with-data-recovery/feed/ 5 You’re not doing your job http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/29/youre-not-doing-your-job/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/29/youre-not-doing-your-job/#comments Wed, 30 Aug 2006 05:09:33 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/29/youre-not-doing-your-job/ David Warlick makes this claim: Is a teacher who is not using technology doing their job? An emphatic “NO!” As I think about the upcoming school year, I’m hoping to be more emphatic about my beliefs about teaching and learning. This quote inspires me. So given this I’m going to try to committ to a [...]]]> David Warlick makes this claim:

Is a teacher who is not using technology doing their job? An emphatic “NO!”

As I think about the upcoming school year, I’m hoping to be more emphatic about my beliefs about teaching and learning. This quote inspires me.

So given this I’m going to try to committ to a few things this year.

  1. Challenge everyone who uses the phrase “technology integration” As it’s been said, let’s just use it and stop forcing square pegs in round holes.
  2. Rather than help 100 teachers sprinkle technology into their teaching, help 10 teachers use the tools of technology to create new, engaging learning environments.
  3. Help more administrators, and leaders blog. I’ve talked enough and now I need to gently guide them into experiencing the Read/Write Web.
  4. Promote and explore ideas about messy assessment.

I hope to share about a number of initiatives I’ll be involved with this year but these few things will be underlying much of my work.

And if I say to someone, “you’re not doing your job”, I’ll just blame David Warlick.

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/29/youre-not-doing-your-job/feed/ 1 My beautiful blog http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/27/my-beautiful-blog/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/27/my-beautiful-blog/#comments Sun, 27 Aug 2006 22:57:03 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/27/my-beautiful-blog/ Although I’ve committed to steering folks away from traditional website design, I still take pride in a well designed site. The focus should still be on content and the use of an aggregator keeps this in check. But never actually visiting the site you miss out on the personal and creative sides of bloggers. Jeff [...]]]> my blog

Although I’ve committed to steering folks away from traditional website design, I still take pride in a well designed site. The focus should still be on content and the use of an aggregator keeps this in check.

But never actually visiting the site you miss out on the personal and creative sides of bloggers. Jeff Utecht’s recent redesign is worth checking out. The inclusion of his “thinking stick” theme is very nice. Darcy Norman always seems to be tweaking his design. I recently updated my rotating headers with some new photos. Like Darcy, these are photos I’ve taken of things that interest me and places I’ve visited. I hope they help the reader learn more about me.

Christian Long and Kathy Sierra get noticed in my aggregator because they won’t post without images. I appreciate that in the name of visual learning.

So let’s continue to focus on content but once in a while visit my beautiful blog in person.

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/27/my-beautiful-blog/feed/ 3 My tribute to myspace photos http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/14/my-tribute-to-myspace-photos/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/14/my-tribute-to-myspace-photos/#comments Tue, 15 Aug 2006 00:36:12 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/14/my-tribute-to-myspace-photos/ Why is it every photo on myspace looks the same? Here’s what I mean: This video also encourages this photographic methodology. In addition to helping kids understand what blogging is, let’s also help stamp out this type of photography. Yikes!]]> Why is it every photo on myspace looks the same? Here’s what I mean:

myspace

This video also encourages this photographic methodology. In addition to helping kids understand what blogging is, let’s also help stamp out this type of photography. Yikes!

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/08/14/my-tribute-to-myspace-photos/feed/ 3 Cite your wikipedia sources http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/28/cite-your-wikipedia-sources/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/28/cite-your-wikipedia-sources/#comments Fri, 28 Jul 2006 17:33:48 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/28/cite-your-wikipedia-sources/ Tim Wilson discovers a wikipedia citing tool. As with http://citationmachine.net/, wikipedia offers many formats and flavours for your choosing. Here’s an example for Moose Jaw: Bibliographic details for “Moose Jaw” Page name: Moose Jaw Author: Wikipedia contributors Publisher: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 10 March 2004 13:31 UTC Date retrieved: 28 July [...]]]> Tim Wilson discovers a wikipedia citing tool. As with http://citationmachine.net/, wikipedia offers many formats and flavours for your choosing. Here’s an example for Moose Jaw:

Bibliographic details for “Moose Jaw”

Please remember to check your manual of style, standards guide or instructor’s guidelines for the exact syntax to suit your needs. For more detailed advice, see Citing Wikipedia.

Citation styles for “Moose Jaw”

APA style

Moose Jaw. (2004, March 10). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:28, July 28, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moose_Jaw&oldid=16357282.

MLA style

“Moose Jaw.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10 Mar 2004, 13:31 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 28 Jul 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moose_Jaw&oldid=16357282>.

MHRA style

Wikipedia contributors, ‘Moose Jaw’, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 March 2004, 13:31 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moose_Jaw&oldid=16357282> [accessed 28 July 2006]

Chicago style

Wikipedia contributors, “Moose Jaw,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moose_Jaw&oldid=16357282 (accessed July 28, 2006).

CBE/CSE style

Wikipedia contributors. Moose Jaw [Internet]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; 2004 Mar 10, 13:31 UTC [cited 2006 Jul 28]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moose_Jaw&oldid=16357282.

Bluebook style

Moose Jaw, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moose_Jaw&oldid=16357282 (last visited July 28, 2006).

Bluebook: Harvard JOLT style

See Wikipedia, Moose Jaw, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose_Jaw (optional description here) (as of Jul. 28, 2006, 17:28 GMT).

AMA style

Wikipedia contributors. Moose Jaw. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. March 10, 2004, 13:31 UTC. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moose_Jaw&oldid=16357282. Accessed July 28, 2006.

BibTeX entry

@misc{ wiki:xxx,
author = "Wikipedia",
title = "Moose Jaw --- Wikipedia{,} The Free Encyclopedia",
year = "2004",
url = "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moose_Jaw&oldid=16357282",
note = "[Online; accessed 28-July-2006]"
}

When using the LaTeX package url (\usepackage{url} somewhere in the preamble), which tends to give much more nicely formatted web addresses, the following may be preferred:

@misc{ wiki:xxx,
author = "Wikipedia",
title = "Moose Jaw --- Wikipedia{,} The Free Encyclopedia",
year = "2004",
url = "\url{http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Moose_Jaw&oldid=16357282}",
note = "[Online; accessed 28-July-2006]"
}
]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/28/cite-your-wikipedia-sources/feed/ 1 Advice for Web 2.0 newbies http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/11/advice-for-web-20-newbies/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/11/advice-for-web-20-newbies/#comments Tue, 11 Jul 2006 20:16:01 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/11/advice-for-web-20-newbies/ On Monday, July 24th I’ll be giving a workshop entitled, “The Joys of Social Software”. I’ll be working with a small group of teachers introducing them to many of the great tools and applications to design a Read/Write classroom. Having done a number of these types of workshops, I realize I’m simply creating an awareness….exploration, [...]]]> On Monday, July 24th I’ll be giving a workshop entitled, “The Joys of Social Software”. I’ll be working with a small group of teachers introducing them to many of the great tools and applications to design a Read/Write classroom.

Having done a number of these types of workshops, I realize I’m simply creating an awareness….exploration, application, immersion, and implementation is something completely different. I need to keep this in mind as I’m often overly enthusiastic about the possibilities only to realize that for many, it’s just too much to wrap their heads around and in many ways are not really ready for all the awaits them.
Given the basic advice of taking one idea and developing it, what advice would you give them about transforming their classroom? How would you encourage them to use the tools to create a new type of classroom? What should they pay attention to? What should they be weary of?
I will try and provide an opportunity to bring in those who wish to speak live via Skype. I haven’t completely set my agenda but there will only be 5 participants so we can be fairly informal.

So add your thoughts and I’ll be sure to pass them along.

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/11/advice-for-web-20-newbies/feed/ 7 Happy Canada Day! http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/02/happy-canada-day/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/02/happy-canada-day/#comments Mon, 03 Jul 2006 03:34:17 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/02/happy-canada-day/ Happy Canada Day! Highlights included: Breakfast on the neighbours deck Park Art Walk Crescent Park Martha in the Water Park Shea and her friends at the pool The nap Icecream Street Art Martha and her scooter downtown (listening to the fake Bee Gees) Fireworks]]> Happy Canada Day!

Highlights included:

  • Breakfast on the neighbours deck
  • Park Art
  • Walk Crescent Park
  • Martha in the Water Park
  • Shea and her friends at the pool
  • The nap
  • Icecream
  • Street Art
  • Martha and her scooter downtown (listening to the fake Bee Gees)
  • Fireworks

Canada Day 2006

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/07/02/happy-canada-day/feed/ 0 Just in time learning? http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/06/22/just-in-time-learning/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/06/22/just-in-time-learning/#comments Thu, 22 Jun 2006 16:16:05 +0000 shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/06/22/just-in-time-learning/ I always like the little comic avatars some people use in their profiles. (see Rob) Never sure how to create one, I did a bit of searching yesterday to see if there was either some free software or some tutorials using existing software. My photo and image editor of choice has always been Fireworks. I [...]]]> I always like the little comic avatars some people use in their profiles. (see Rob) Never sure how to create one, I did a bit of searching yesterday to see if there was either some free software or some tutorials using existing software. My photo and image editor of choice has always been Fireworks. I do have Photoshop installed but quite frankly have never had a deep love affair with Adobe because I felt there was way more there than I or certainly most students needed.

Unfortunately I had no luck finding software or tutorials for fireworks. I did find a tutorial for Photoshop. So this morning I spent about 15 minutes walking through it step by step and came up with this creation.

Having walked through the tutorial, I had no real idea what I was doing and if it would turn out. This is fairly similar to many students experience with school. Just follow along and don’t ask questions. You’ll see it’s right in the end.
In this case, it was fine. The key here is I had a goal and was willing to walk through the steps blindly to reach it. Is this just in time learning? Not really. I didn’t really learn anything. I couldn’t reuse any of the tools and step in the tutorial for anything else. There is no transfer of learning. For some things, that’s okay. I’m happy with the outcome but don’t have anything reusable. Students need to experience more transferable learning and yet understand the value of this type of “throw away learning”.

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Blogged with Flock

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/06/22/just-in-time-learning/feed/ 2 I wish I never wrote about digital cameras and why stats matter http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/05/11/i-wish-i-never-wrote-about-digital-cameras-and-why-stats-matter/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/05/11/i-wish-i-never-wrote-about-digital-cameras-and-why-stats-matter/#comments Thu, 11 May 2006 22:44:59 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/?p=233 In October of 2005, I wrote a post about buying digital cameras for less than $100. (Notice I didn’t even link to it here). A good number of my readers find my blog by doing this type of search. It’s not exactly what I’d like to be known for and I know I’ve written much [...]]]> In October of 2005, I wrote a post about buying digital cameras for less than $100. (Notice I didn’t even link to it here). A good number of my readers find my blog by doing this type of search. It’s not exactly what I’d like to be known for and I know I’ve written much more thoughtful, insightful posts than that but nevertheless, it is a popular post.

I just finished a great conversation with Darren (a podcast I’ll post shortly) and he talked about how others have found his class blogs. He talked to his students about what they were writing about and how others really want to learn from him and his students.

 

Statistics for your blog is more than an ego boost. It helps you understand what people think is important and what they want to read about. So for now I’ll think about my digital camera post in the same way that car dealerships entice you with free golf clubs or fishing equipment (I actually got one of these in the mail today). They really don’t care why you came, as long as you spend money. So come to my blog and hopefully you’ll learn I’m more than your digital camera expert…which I never was!

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/05/11/i-wish-i-never-wrote-about-digital-cameras-and-why-stats-matter/feed/ 1 The New Distribution Model http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/05/06/the-new-distribution-model/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/05/06/the-new-distribution-model/#comments Sat, 06 May 2006 22:30:03 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/?p=229 It’s interesting as you begin to have deeper discussions with those who understand copyright and open source distribution. At the tlt2006 conference conversations I had with Rick, Rob, Alec and even David Porter all speak to the concept of sharing ideas and products. While this is not a new discussion, it has spilled over into [...]]]> It’s interesting as you begin to have deeper discussions with those who understand copyright and open source distribution. At the tlt2006 conference conversations I had with Rick, Rob, Alec and even David Porter all speak to the concept of sharing ideas and products. While this is not a new discussion, it has spilled over into another aspect of my life.

My daughter is attending Humber College as a music student. She has been in the recording studio as well. She’s applying for a music grant with Factor. I’ll be helping her soon to set up a website to promote her music. A recent posting from the Freakanomics blog pointed out Jane Siberry’s distribution model. Bascially you determine how much you’re willing to pay. Here’s her statistics:

% Accepting gift from Jane: 17%
% Paid by determining price: 37%
% Paying Later:46%

Avg Price Per Track: $1.14
% Paid Below Suggested: 8%
% Paid At Suggested: 79%
% Paid Above Suggested: 14%
This type of free or user detemined payment model is certainly a new phenomenom that most of us have trouble completing understanding. It appears it may work. Basically if you have a product or other marketable skill, the long tail concept should work in your favour at some point.

I’d be interested in your thoughts on this one.

Meredith singing at Open Mike

Here are Meredith’s songs in case you’re interested.

]]> http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/05/06/the-new-distribution-model/feed/ 2 You’re never far from home http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/04/21/youre-never-far-from-home/ http://ideasandthoughts.org/2006/04/21/youre-never-far-from-home/#comments Sat, 22 Apr 2006 04:28:06 +0000 Dean Shareski http://ideasandthoughts.org/?p=222 Came across this sign in Union Station in Toronto. A reference to days gone by when Canada had a viable passenger train system.]]> Came across this sign in Union Station in Toronto. A reference to days gone by when Canada had a viable passenger train system.

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