Link to the video "Roadtrip for Lutefisk" from the Minneapolis Star & Trib:
https://gwwa.clcmn.edu/gw/webacc?action=Item.Read&User.context=rpasu0QbcuhbphfLma&Item.drn=63590z2z0&merge=msgitem&Url.Folder.type=Folder.UNIVERSAL
Monday, December 22, 2008
Foreign Service Jobs
Interesting article from the NY Times on the foreign service jobs: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/21/jobs/21officers.html?_r=1&em
Link to the US Dept of State website with 40 question suitability quiz "Is Foreign Service Right For You":
http://careers.state.gov/resources/foreign-service-right.html
Link to the US Dept of State website with 40 question suitability quiz "Is Foreign Service Right For You":
http://careers.state.gov/resources/foreign-service-right.html
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
OK Don't buy a Sony Mini DVD video recorder
OK This is just my personal opinion here, but I HIGHLY recommend you buy any other type of video camera other than a Sony Handycam mini DVD recorder. I was hoping to do some editing of my travel experiences but it is becoming quite apparent that this is easier said than done when it comes to working with this particular Sony camera. You see it saves files in IFO and VOB format which is not recognized by the major editing software programs--Windows Movie Maker, Apple's imovie. The camera is not equipped for firewire. So I'm basically out of luck (that was not my first or second choice of phrases to use here!) I have learned alot about file formats and file conversions, however, not of it is helping me be able to do what I want to do with it--EDIT and USE IT!!! It's become very frustrating (and part of the reason why I haven't been able to do anything with it before because who has a whole extra week to fiddle around with google searches on recommendations, and failed file conversations and trips to computer stores for help and assistance that all comes back to the same results--FAILURE! So my recommendation to anyone out there looking for a new video camera don't go with the Sony handycam minidvd 301 if you want to do anything with what you're trying to tape!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Archives and an Assessment
Since I will be teaching Mass Communication this summer I found a few resources while researching the 67th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Attacks that I thought I would document.
The first site is a collection of newspaper articles on Pearl Harbor:
http://www.thepearlharborarchive.com/MediaRequest.aspx
From that site a series of other interesting collections and free archives are linked including:
NewspaperARCHIVE.com
KennedyAssassinationArchive.com
September11Archive.com
TitanicArchive.com
FBIArchive.com
ImmigrationArchive.com
TornadoArchive.com,
EarthquakeArchive.com
Argument, Persuasion, or Propaganda Chart:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson829/Argument-Propaganda.pdf
Document Analysis Form:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson829/DocumentAnalysis.pdf
AWESOME ASSIGNMENT FROM RESOURCE LINK "Read Write Think" (readwritethink.org)that has students analyze a WWII poster. First students pick a poster from a great set of collections. Each poster has background information and a student comment dialogue box which pulls up for notetaking. Next the student is asked to analyze their choosen poster by answering questions revolving around "purpose, author and audience". The third step involves analyzing it further by looking at questions about the poster's "evidence, support, and outcome". Finally in the fourth step the student is asked to discuss overall impressions of the poster and then to categorize the poster as one of argument, persuasion or propaganda (justifying their answer of course). Upon completion the student can click on"finish" and a dialogue box will appear that asks if the student would like to print or save their assignment. The site even comes with a designed rubrik to help instructor's assess the students' permance on the assignment. How cool is that? http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=571&title=
A picture of Roosevelt's Reading Copy of his "Day of Infimy" Speech and correlating cool assignments can be found at this address: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/activities.html
The first site is a collection of newspaper articles on Pearl Harbor:
http://www.thepearlharborarchive.com/MediaRequest.aspx
From that site a series of other interesting collections and free archives are linked including:
NewspaperARCHIVE.com
KennedyAssassinationArchive.com
September11Archive.com
TitanicArchive.com
FBIArchive.com
ImmigrationArchive.com
TornadoArchive.com,
EarthquakeArchive.com
Argument, Persuasion, or Propaganda Chart:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson829/Argument-Propaganda.pdf
Document Analysis Form:
http://www.readwritethink.org/lesson_images/lesson829/DocumentAnalysis.pdf
AWESOME ASSIGNMENT FROM RESOURCE LINK "Read Write Think" (readwritethink.org)that has students analyze a WWII poster. First students pick a poster from a great set of collections. Each poster has background information and a student comment dialogue box which pulls up for notetaking. Next the student is asked to analyze their choosen poster by answering questions revolving around "purpose, author and audience". The third step involves analyzing it further by looking at questions about the poster's "evidence, support, and outcome". Finally in the fourth step the student is asked to discuss overall impressions of the poster and then to categorize the poster as one of argument, persuasion or propaganda (justifying their answer of course). Upon completion the student can click on"finish" and a dialogue box will appear that asks if the student would like to print or save their assignment. The site even comes with a designed rubrik to help instructor's assess the students' permance on the assignment. How cool is that? http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=571&title=
A picture of Roosevelt's Reading Copy of his "Day of Infimy" Speech and correlating cool assignments can be found at this address: http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/activities.html
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
CRS (class response systems)
There are alot of new and innovative ways to engage students with technology these days. One of the latest tools is a crs or classroom response system. Turning point and clickr are just two of the many companies that are in the business of selling units for the classroom. These units are still quite expensive (in my opinion) but are rather cool. Here's how they work. Here's a site that explains what it is and what it can do: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/cft/resources/teaching_resources/technology/crs.htm#what
If you didn't click on the link above but want a short version here it is: A crs is a combination of hardware and software that provides planned interactive classroom experiences. Students need to have an individual piece, usually referred to as a "clicker" that has multiple buttons on it for multiple choice type questions or survey options. Then there needs to be a main unit that is the receiver system which needs to physically be in the classroom. Using the special software, teachers create questions that then dropped into a powerpoint format for the class period. Then during class, when such a slide comes up the students can then make their own individual choice on their individual clicker. The overall results are tabulated and appear on the screen instantly. Kinda cool huh?
It's a good way to check and see if students are really getting the material you are presenting. It can also be used as a review game or as a survey. However there are some downsides to the crs. Besides the cost factor of the units, there's the fact that the clickers need and go through batteries. So then the discussion becomes who's responsible for the clickers? Do students buy their own? Does the individual instructor or the particular department purchase them? Or does the school buy some and instructors reserve them on a need to basis? If individual instructors are in charge of buying their own, how is the technology supported? Does the IT department need to learn a whole bunch of programs? Or if it is up to the students to purchase them, will one clicker work for different systems? If not, how can we prevent students from being required to buy different clickers for different teachers? There are alot of questions that still need to be discussed and recommendations made. Unfortunately, I applied for a grant to help fascilatate such discussions, but it didn't go through.
Another option that's out there now is software programs that do similar tabulations but a student uses their cell phone. When Michael and I tried one such site, my cell phone didn't register. Apparently some other students had similar issues at the student success day where they were trying the program out. Here's an article that talks about how they are being used:
The entire article may be viewed at http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_tp/22_10/news/602056-1.html
And here's the website of the company mentioned in that article: http://www.polleverywhere.com/
Don't know what's going to happen on our campus as far as recommendations, but I'm excited to think about the possibilities these technologies provide.
If you didn't click on the link above but want a short version here it is: A crs is a combination of hardware and software that provides planned interactive classroom experiences. Students need to have an individual piece, usually referred to as a "clicker" that has multiple buttons on it for multiple choice type questions or survey options. Then there needs to be a main unit that is the receiver system which needs to physically be in the classroom. Using the special software, teachers create questions that then dropped into a powerpoint format for the class period. Then during class, when such a slide comes up the students can then make their own individual choice on their individual clicker. The overall results are tabulated and appear on the screen instantly. Kinda cool huh?
It's a good way to check and see if students are really getting the material you are presenting. It can also be used as a review game or as a survey. However there are some downsides to the crs. Besides the cost factor of the units, there's the fact that the clickers need and go through batteries. So then the discussion becomes who's responsible for the clickers? Do students buy their own? Does the individual instructor or the particular department purchase them? Or does the school buy some and instructors reserve them on a need to basis? If individual instructors are in charge of buying their own, how is the technology supported? Does the IT department need to learn a whole bunch of programs? Or if it is up to the students to purchase them, will one clicker work for different systems? If not, how can we prevent students from being required to buy different clickers for different teachers? There are alot of questions that still need to be discussed and recommendations made. Unfortunately, I applied for a grant to help fascilatate such discussions, but it didn't go through.
Another option that's out there now is software programs that do similar tabulations but a student uses their cell phone. When Michael and I tried one such site, my cell phone didn't register. Apparently some other students had similar issues at the student success day where they were trying the program out. Here's an article that talks about how they are being used:
The entire article may be viewed at http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_tp/22_10/news/602056-1.html
And here's the website of the company mentioned in that article: http://www.polleverywhere.com/
Don't know what's going to happen on our campus as far as recommendations, but I'm excited to think about the possibilities these technologies provide.
Monday, December 1, 2008
World Aids Day Resources
In preparing my other blog on World Aids Day, I found some interesting resources I wanted to document for potential class inclusion. First and foremost is the world aids day website:
http://worldaidsday.org/
Videos:
The Problem of HIV Stigma http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5TLjMZzCQ1U&feature=related
World Aids Day 2007 from amfAR.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGcnc2tgjZI Which is a great conception piece on understanding how many people are infected and what those numbers really mean.
http://worldaidsday.org/
Videos:
The Problem of HIV Stigma http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5TLjMZzCQ1U&feature=related
World Aids Day 2007 from amfAR.org http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGcnc2tgjZI Which is a great conception piece on understanding how many people are infected and what those numbers really mean.
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