preclectic

Where've You Been?

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:31:00 +0000

Hello! If you looking for fresh posts, surf on over to my new address, Preclectic.com. See you there.
:-)

Paradigm (Tilt) Shift

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:22:00 +0000

Ever heard of tilt-shift photography? By carefully manipulating a camera with special (often expensive) lenses, it's possible to produce a photograph of a life-sized location or subject that looks remarkably like a miniature-scale model. The results of the technique are engrossing and are useful for creating compelling images. Thanks to the TiltShiftMaker site, students can generate their own tilt-shift pictures without spending a dime!

Game to Learn?

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:07:00 +0000

I've been playing Planarity (devised by the ever clever John Tantolo) for years now. Planarity is a supremely addictive game/pastime that's based on planars and graph theory. Give it a try. Hours will disappear! In fact, I find it hard not to want to play Planarity because the game is so darned engaging. After playing the game I find myself thinking about what I should have done but didn’t do. What is it about certain games (like Snood, Sudoku and Tetris for instance) that generate a continual desire within us to play them over and over again? If only we could capture the thrill and satisfaction that games and enjoyable diversions provide and infuse the same qualities within other, more educational pursuits, our students would create a stampede to learn. Heck, we could use games with a purpose to make the world a much better place.

Marc Prensky, author of Digital Game-Based Learning and twitch speed expert, notes that most popular games:

focus on engaging the user,
encourage frequent, important decision-making in relation to the game,
making provisions for leveling up (providing immediate feedback that tells players when they're getting better at the game–not,for example, unlike good assessment), and
allow users to embrace technology.

Why aren’t schools doing more to incorporate Prensky’s ideas within classroom settings? I wonder what might happen if we designed instruction so that is learning emotionally engaging, relevant, and possibly fun. Fulfillment and education are not mutually exclusive pursuits. Technology gives educators the means of making travel along the path to enlightenment a pleasurable, meaningful journey.

Make Mine Mac: Picasa

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:49:00 +0000

Okay, Mac users, Google's sending you a spiffy, post-holidays gift: Picasa for Mac. Enjoy!

Far Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:06:00 +0000

Have you heard of the Space Collective?

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Happy GNU Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:00:00 +0000

Make the world a friendlier place. Exercise your freedom and teach your students to do teh same. Encourage your pupils to work cooperatively. How? Celebrate 2009 by exploring the GNU Operating System.

For more information, join the party at the GNU Project!

Countdown to 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:14:00 +0000

Well, it won't be long now. TimeandDate.com's new year countdown is ticking away the moments. See you in 2009!

The Energy to Change

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:35:00 +0000

2008 is on the way out and 2009 is almost upon us. What better time is there to reflect upon ways we can all make the world a better place in the coming year? Consider, for example, peace on earth and sustainability. A big step toward making our planet a more tolerable place for children, living things, and other, equally interested parties, is making more informed, better use of resources. We, all of us--administrators, teachers, media specialists, students, parents, community members--need to know how much energy we're using. WattzOn is a website that helps users calculate the amount of power needed to support all aspects of a chosen lifestyle. Before ringing in the new year, pause to consider how and why we can all reduce energy consumption and get a handle on climate change.

Related links:

It's later than you think. Take a look at Worldclock and you'll see why.

Construction Instruction: Sodaconstructor

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 20:34:00 +0000

One of the best ways to get pupils interested in school to construct learning experiences that are additively engaging, challenging, and fun. When students enjoy the process of experimenting with a concept and develop the desire to habitually ask, "Hey, why does this happen?" they're on their way to self-motivated lifelong learning. Good teachers do all they can to inspire, incite, and engineer such outcomes.

For example, dedicated Science teachers know that their learners need multiple pathways to understanding. As such, instructors can give students opportunities to play around with tools such a Sodaconstructor, an interactive tool that simulates the use and behaviors of masses and springs. Why is this good? Here are a few reasons:

For starters, the resource is intriguing. Once people see it, they want to play with it over and over again.
The wow factor in Sodaconstructor naturally generates a great deal of critical, higher level-thinking that's needed for comprehending the application of the Scientific Method. When students create interactive objects that move about as a result of masses and springs, budding engineers have an opportunity to adjust variables such as gravity, friction, and speed adnd hypothesize what should or will happen nezt.
Next, Sodaconstructor is accessible anywhere there's an internet connection. Think 21st Century learning--anywhere, any time.
Finally, it's free!

The best way to appreciate the power in Sodaconstructor is to give it a try. What are you waiting for?

Where to Go Bananas and Monkey Around with Lots of Data

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 04:04:00 +0000

Add context to your classroom content by having your students research and work with real-wold data. What's that? You don't know where to get that kind of data? No problem. Check out Infochimps. This site connects info-hungry visitors with a dazzling collection of free, redistributable data sets.

Spiffy!

I'm Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 03:55:00 +0000

Well, I've returned from visiting all of my relatives for the holidays. Though I hate to go a day without blogging, I purposely avoided posting for a few days. I'm proud to say that my family received the gift of my undivided attention.

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Have a safe, happy, and copyright-free Christmas! The image above and other goodies like it are available from the United States Library of Congress by way of the Prints and Photographs Division.

Twas the Night Before Christmas...NORAD Style

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 03:36:00 +0000

Are the kiddies worried that the Man in the Red Suit may not arrive? If so, have them check in with NORAD Tracks Santa 2008.

Don't stay up too late. Santa does his best work when everyone's asleep!

Walking Through a Linux Wonderland

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:12:00 +0000

Anyone checking my blog can see that I've been taking it easy. Aside from slacking off from my posting and occasionally checking my mail, I've been playing around with all kinds of Linux distros. I'm fortunate to have a reputation for being a guy who takes worn-out PCs. I got a lot of old laptops and desktops to experiment upon in my quest for tried and tested tools for free computing. When I get aging machines I enjoy loading the hardware with all manner of open source and free software. For the last five days I've been working my way through all of the flavors of Ubuntu.

My wife, bless her, has been very accommodating with my holiday hobby. Antiquated computers adorn my home like scattered toys. My floors may be messy but they bear witness to my zeal. I've been installing, examining, reviewing, and testing stuff like:

I've known about and used these resources for a few years and I'm still eager to explore their potential. The kind individuals who invest time and knowledge in refining all of these variations of Ubuntu make the prospect of using the systems irresistible. That's why I'm on holiday from Windows and thrilled about touring an alternative operating system or two. Why not take the plunge and see what Ubuntu or one of its cousins has to offer? Better yet, burn a few Ubuntu CDs and give them to your friends!

Tuning into Youtube

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:28:00 +0000

Hmmm. Joyce Valenza of the venerable School Library Journal has some useful ideas when it comes to accessing Youtube under less than ideal situations. Spiffy!

Good Doggy!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:30:00 +0000

Got old computers sitting around? Teach your old desktop and laptops some new tricks! Consider installing Puppy Linux. It's a small, fast operating system that runs from CDs, USB sticks and even hard disks. Puppy Linux has the potential to bring new life to an abandoned computer.

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May I Have a Word With You?

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:41:00 +0000

Language Arts/English teachers: You'll want to explore Lexulous (formerly Scrabulous, a game based on the commercial board game Scrabble). Lexulous is an addictive online word game that educators, pupils, parents, and others can use to build and hone vocabulary and spelling skills. To play Lexulous, participants generate words with a given set of letters (not unlike Scrabble). If you're hesitant about registering for an account, play the game in practice mode to get a feel for the action.

On a related note, Kotaku is reporting that Hasbro is dropping its copyright infringement lawsuit against the makers of Scrabulous.

Take It Easy: J2E

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:09:00 +0000

Every once in a while I run across something that's educationally useful and fun to play with, too. For instance, I stumbled across a playfully powerful Java-based (word?) processor that does some incredibly spiffy stuff. Although the site is for profit, j2e is currently free for individual users and worth exploring. It's just too easy to like this resource.

Key Resource

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:59:00 +0000

Hate having to access pull-down menus for features of a program? Use keystroke commands instead. Don't know the keystroke commands? No problem. KeyXL is an indispensable database of keyboard shortcuts (including shortcuts for Windows, Macintosh and Linux) that's searchable by program. Spiffy!

Everything's Under Control...Really

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 03:50:00 +0000

Teachers continually state that they want their students to do a better job of thinking. Many educators believe that popular culture seems to be anything but supportive such an endeavor. Ever wonder where popular culture originates? Ever wonder who decides what cognitive content will be generated and disseminated? Take a look at the Elements of Information Control.

Battery Low

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 16:13:00 +0000

Sorry kids, no real posts today. I'm exhausted.

Forever Blowing Bubbles?

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 17:02:00 +0000

A few months ago, I stumbled across a service called the Awesome Highlighter. After using it in a number of classrooms, I became an immediate user and fan and posted my experience with using the tool. The service is a godsend for educators, students, and parents because it allows anyone to highlight text on web pages and subsequently receive a small link to the highlighted page. Reading a page that has been touched with the magic of the Awesome Highlighter is a quick means of zooming in on pertinent information.

Well, there's another service I'm about to add to my teaching toolbox that, like the Awesome Highlighter, will be extremely helpful to me. Bubble Comment is a (currently) free service that makes it possible for anyone to share video comments with others on just about any web page. After signing up with Bubble Comment, using the service is a simple three step process:

select a web page,
record a video comment, and
share the video comment with others.

Spiffy!

Too Much of a Good Thing: Piles of Files

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:36:00 +0000

Have a Mac? Running low on disk space? Want to know the sizes of files and folders on your machine? Check out Disk Inventory X.

Related links:

PC users don't despair. Check out JDiskReport for similar services.
Xinorbis is also worth a glance.

Augmenting Arguments: Debategraph

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 05:15:00 +0000

Famed polymath and writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once stated that "Nothing is more terrible than ignorance in action." Intelligent people know this and constantly seek to clarify their understanding. We need to able to review, refine, and correct what we think we know about issues and situations that concern or affect us. More importantly, we, as educators and citizens, must model how we go about formulating, analyzing, and clearing up our thinking. The young minds we teach need help with and examples of strategies for dealing with the tough situations that create debate and controversy.

A website called Debategraph is an excellent tool for helping people get a better, more visual representation of contentious issues. There are rarely simple simple solutions to the innumerable disagreements, disputes, and differences of opinion that plague humanity. Thankfully,however, there are options. One course of action is getting a perspective of the ideas, opinions, and facts that permeate an issue. Debategraph has the power to make this possible.

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Fontilicious!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeff Giddens) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 17:45:00 +0000

Know a student, colleague, friend, or acquaintance who is obsessed with the weight, style, and width of printed characters (in hardcopy and digital format)? Such individuals are unabashed fontophiles. They're the kind of people who are hungry for text. These crazed connoisseurs of letters, words, and paragraphs are constantly adding to and analyzing their alphanumeric appetites. They hunger for printed material. In addition to scanning any form of text for the value of its content, they're also assessing it for its aesthetic attributes. Take them out to lunch and they'll devour and relish digesting a menu as much as (if not more) than any entree. They're just as likely to snack on the contents of a few billboards on the way to the restaurant.

Fontophiles amuse and frustrate their friends with constant criticism of why some fonts are more or less pleasing than others. The misinformed use of fonts offends these folks. When writing, they spend more time choosing an appropriate font than they do composing text. Whether scrutinizing serifs or sampling a new selection of script, they lose themselves in their love of letters. They also tend to have very slow computers, having installed as many fonts as they can find.

If you know such a person and are looking for a great gift for your font fanatic, check out the Typographic Desk Reference. This tome is a thoroughly engaging reference guide of all manner of typeriffic terminology that's packed with over a thousand facts on typography. Your friend will positively appreciate ascender lines, groove on glyphs, and go hysterical over historiated letters.

Related links:

FontStruct lets users create their own fonts.
Cool your heels at CoolArchive's refreshing assortment of fonts.
FontLovers unite!
Previously printed on Preclectic: Fun With Fonts.