Open Monologue
Just because I'm making it up as I go along doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing

Archive for May, 2008

More thoughts on edupunk

2008/05/30

I was on Google Chat last night with Alec. One of the topics of our conversation was edupunk. We’re both attracted to some of the ideas that have coalesced around edupunk since its naming by Jim Groom and summation and further articulation by Leslie Madsen Brooks. Alec mentioned the ideals of being anti-authority and anti-establishment, [...]

The obligatory edupunk post

2008/05/30

Within the little educational technology corner of the interweb where I hang out, this has to be the fastest spreading meme/idea I have yet seen. I think that, like the mycelium of a fungus, edupunk has been growing below the surface of the conversation for a while. The conditions have recently become right for it [...]

The wonder of ducks and books

2008/05/27

Jennifer Jones wrote yesterday regarding her daughter’s use of books as a source of information. It reminded me of a story about my daughter at the Calgary Zoo. Stick with me – it is relevant. (photo by D’Arcy Norman – http://www.flickr.com/photos/dnorman/7823971/ The Calgary Zoo is an amazing place. All the exotic animals are there – [...]

Embedding Google Spreadsheet Forms and results in Google Sites

2008/05/23

I’ve been playing with Google Sites for a couple of days, and I noticed that one of the items that can be inserted into a page is a spreadsheet form. After a little playing around, I was successful. Here’s a screencast to explain how to embed a spreadsheet form into a Google Site page. You [...]

Embedding Google Spreadsheet Forms and results in Google Sites

2008/05/23

I’ve been playing with Google Sites for a couple of days, and I noticed that one of the items that can be inserted into a page is a spreadsheet form. After a little playing around, I was successful. Here’s a screencast to explain how to embed a spreadsheet form into a Google Site page. You [...]

Google does wikis

2008/05/22

Jotspot was a hosted wiki service, similar to wikispaces or pbwiki or wetpaint, that was purchased by Google in October of 2006. There was some anticipation of a Google wiki service which finally appeared rebranded as Google Sites a few months ago as part of the Google Apps suite. Google just announced that they have [...]

Viral Professional Development in High Schools

2008/05/21

I’m very lucky to work in a high school in which the principal has seen a need to have an educational technologist in the building. I’ve had the position for a couple of years and I’ve worked very closely with a couple of teachers, but I’d had problems trying to extend beyond them. I tried [...]

You can't spell 'Shareski' without 'Share'

2008/05/20

I mentioned Dean Shareski’s presentation on sharing in the last post as one of my presentation highlights at the TLt 2008 conference. Not only has he put the presentation slides online, he also recorded the narration (he didn’t have a recorder at the conference) to accompany the slides. Thanks, Dean, for sharing this great presentation: [...]

TLt Decompression 2: Great sessions and takeaway messages

2008/05/19

I’ve been reading some of the great reflections on TLt from others (Rick, D’Arcy, Jen, Alec, Dean and Dean again – gosh he’s prolific). After a couple of days for my brain to gear down from the conference buzz, a few presentations and themes stand out: The power of social networks, especially personal learning networks, [...]

TLt Decompression 1: Meeting old friends for the first time

2008/05/17

Every once in a while, someone asks me why I blog. My answer is that if I don’t, my head will explode. TLt summit 2008 just ended this afternoon and I am in need of some decompression after all that mental stimulation. TLt feels like it has been the best conference I have ever been [...]