vetNERD

Today's Links To Learning Workshop

2005-10-11T14:32:00.000+10:00

AFter three months, the Learnscope team for the WorldWide Graffiti project have met again!

Links to Learning teachers have once again met with project mentors in Sydney.

Check out some photos of our day.

2005-10-08T18:59:00.000+10:00

Oh, I've been oh so quiet!
My latest fun things are:

my moblog, thanks to the Engage_me project
del.icio.us, an online bookmarking tool thats just too cool! Here is my del.icio.us
wikipedia, still! REcent points of interest for me include this, and this.

wwGraffiti in Cessnock

2005-09-11T15:10:00.000+10:00

On Friday I finally went to see Anne-Maree at the Cessnock Links2Learning outpost, CDLC.
I drove in to Cessnock in the Hunter Valley, and easily found the turn off to the CDLC. It was marked by the burned out house that used to contain classrooms ownded by CDLC. Anne-Maree had told me kids had burned the building down - such a pity...

What was left of the CDLC was cool - a classroom and some offices, with a large yard overlooked by a huge mural created by the kids. The Police Citizens Youth Club adjoins out the back.
Anne-Maree showed me a Powerpoint presentation she had created for a big day at the centre. It featured images of the kids on various trips and projects throughout the year, with a music soundtrack.

It was at this point I was struck by the fact that Anne-Maree was already doing digital stories in Powerpoint. But then this project is about the kids doing the digital stories.

I asked Anne-Marie what might be the difference between using Powerpoint in this way (which she already knew how to do) and using MS Photostory.

We decided that the advantage of using MS Photostory was that is was free (if you have a registered copy of Windows).

We made a quick digital story of the day they made the mural, to a rock backing track. Cool!

Downloading Micrsoft Photostory 3

2005-09-03T13:38:00.000+10:00

For easy to use, free digital story software, using Microsoft Photostory 3 is a fair option.

Most of us are familiar with the Microsoft interface, so its not hard to learn the new software.

1. Downloading the Sofware

Go to the Microsoft Photostory 3 download site.
Click on the Download button.
A dialogue box will appear asking you to Run or Save the file 'PStory.msi'. Select Save.
A new box will pop up, showing your files.
Navigate to where you would like to save the file. My Documents is fine for now.

2. Installing the Software
Go to the My Documents folder (or where you told the file to save).
Double click on the file PStory.msi
"Run" the file, when asked by the next dialogue box.

You will then be asked to go to a website to validate your software.
This is a checking process by Microsoft, to make sure you have a real copy of Windows.
Only then are you entitled to the free Photostory software.

So follow the prompts to validate your software at the website.

You may need to return to the folder you downloaded the software to, and double click the MSPhotostory icon, to restart the installation. For some reason, the validation interupts the installation. You may have to start it again.

Follow the prompts in the Installation Wizard, clicking "Next". Just accept all the default settings.

Once you click "Finish", the software will appear in your programs list
(Start > Programs).

The software is easy to use, click around, have a look and have a go!

You just need a folder of images...

Flickr shows me Hurrican Katrina

2005-09-02T08:07:00.000+10:00

Flickr delivers today, with some amazing shots from New Orleans itself.

This photo is beautiful
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ratterrell/39315285/

Here are the whole lot
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ratterrell/tags/hurricanekatrina/

Wow...

Configuring a mobile (Nokia camera phone) to moblog.co.uk

2005-08-20T20:29:00.000+10:00

If starting from scratch to create a new moblog.

Go to http://moblog.co.uk
Create an new account. You will need to select a username and password. You will use these again, to configure the phone.

To configure the mobile to send images to your new moblog.

In the phone, create a new contact (Contacts > Names >Options > Add New contact), with the same name as your moblog username. Eg if your username is moblogbaby, name your new contact moblogbaby.
Go back to the main screen on the phone.
Click the down button once. Your new contact name (moblogbaby) should appear on the screen. Select it.
Select Options.
Select Add detail.
Select Email Address.
Type in the special moblog email address. The format of this email address is:

mb-username-password@moblg.net , ß yep, moblg

To take a photo:

Click the Up button once. The camera is activated.
To take a photo click the Centre button.

To upload a photo you have just taken:

Select Send.
The phone will say “Object Added”. This means it has attached the photo to your email.
You can now type text to accompany your photo. Don’t remove the file name (imageXX.jpg).
Select Send.
Select To Email Address
Select Search (you are just pressing the centre button over and over).
Select your contact (eg moblogbaby)
Select the email address you had entered..
Select OK.

Your image is now on your blogger. To see it go to:

http://moblog.co.uk/blog/username/

Hurrah!

Visiting Maitland Youth Centre

2005-08-15T20:44:00.000+10:00

Last Thursday I went to Maitland Youth Centre to visit Tony Head, as part of the LinksToLearning Learnscope project WorldWideGraffiti. Our project is looking at using digital storytelling software to as a tool to use in engaging these early school leavers.

I arrived to the front door of the centre to find a sign saying "Around the Back". It took a while for Tony to emerge from the new studio at the rear of the centre. He'd been mucking around in the studio with some of the kids.

After the kids left, Tony and I went inside and sat in front of the mighty PC. Tony had already downlaoded the free digital story telling software Microsoft Photo Story 3 and put otgether a cool story with the kids.

Their story showed a few of them setting up a couple of drum kits and having a jam. Over the top was a soundtrack Tony had recorded in the new studio, of a drum jam. It was a simple story called "Too Much Noise (Is Never Enough)" which showcased the new studio and the music created in it. It also showcased the talents of the kids, both in the drumming on the soundtrack, and via their input in to creating the photo story.

I gave Tony a few pointers about images and file size.

Tony's original file was over 32 megabytes, which is far too large for email or putting on the internet. Using the software that came with Tony's ordinary digital camera, we were able to reduce the size of the photos to about 35% of their original size. The batch process (which should be a function in most basic photosoftware) helped us to do this to all of the photos in one click. The file sizes of the photos went from about 1.5 megabytes to only a few hundred (you can go smaller still for a smaller file size).

We put the new, smaller images in the photo story.

When saving the photo story, we selected the "Save for Email" option. This gave us a file of only 750 kilobytes, which is just fine for emailing to a friend. We did notice that when we played this file, the photo story dispplays in a smaller 'screen'.

Tony had done a great job installing and using the software, even involving the kids straight away. We simply went through some of the finer points of files and images to get the best reulst for sharing the photo story.

Next, Tony is interested in building a website, which connects to blogs by the kids, and showcasing the progress of the centre.

Rock on, Tony and Team Hunter!!

Good Games

2005-07-29T09:10:00.000+10:00

From goodexperience.com, which focuses on uh, good experience online a selection of Good Experience Games. (Number Hunt from Games for the Brain is a cool one)

I've been working with LinksToLearning teachers, who lament that their students only play games on the computers in their learning centres. So I have been trying to point them towards games with a bit more integrity. Not necessarily educational games, juse games that have more interesting game play, engaging plot and maybe a bit of learning!

(Uh, I've been remiss in doing the rock links into my posts. Today, i will let you know I am listening to Spiderbait "Shashashavaglava:, a bit of Butterfingers "I love Work" and the highly humorous System of A Down)

Links to Learning: Indigenous Crew and Digital Story Telling

2005-07-27T09:19:00.000+10:00

From the Australian Flexible Learning Framework, this information about the Indigital Centre (not sure how this site would run on a dial up connection):

"The Indigital Centre's aim is to reach out to Indigenous and disengaged youth in Victoria and nationally through music and the power of e-learning. The Indigital Centre is a multimedia and recording studio created by Fraynework Multimedia that offers aspiring musicians a range of skills in the music industry including band management, sound management, sound technician skills and event management."

This site can be used in conjunction with the fabbo Deadly Jam toolbox. And check out the other products aimed at engaging Indigenous students.

London Calling

2005-07-08T07:33:00.000+10:00

Bet the Clash never thought I'd appropriate London Calling for this purpose. But "London calling to the faraway towns/Now that war is declared-and battle come down/London calling to the underworld"...or underground...indeed.

I've been a news nerd for much of my life. I am, afterall, my father's daughter. Dad used to buy every newspaper, watch all the news services (back in the day when we had two TV channels to choose from) and uh, stay up til all hours watching cricket. I mimic many of these habits, now my Dad is gone.

Now I love the internet, the way I observe the news has changed. And how we might "teach to the news" has changed.

My journey to discover more about the London bombing started at your traditional type of news services:
cnn.com
Google News (where I have my own customised page - try it, newsnerds!)

Then I moved on to my favourite site for finding out pretty much anything:
Wikipedia
(I love this site so much! I browse it as my 'just cruising' internet site. Yesterday I read about islands of the Caribbean, as I had no real clue about the area. When I was a kid, I used to read encyclopedias and dictionaries - much to the delight of the school bullies. Now I can do it again...mwah! Wikipedia!)

But I love photos of news events. And on the internet, there are so many non-news service photos. With the rise of camera phones and digital photography, there are often opportunities to see images you don't see on the traditional news services. So I went to:
Flickr's London Bombing photo pool
The News Is Now Public
Wikipedia Images

Then I decided to see what 'the kids' were saying on their blogs over at Technorati.

I won't be buying a newspaper...

Blogger Tips

2005-07-07T12:36:00.000+10:00

During recent workshops using blogs, there have been some recurring questions.

I am no magician, though I have found the answers. Where? Blogger Help, of course!

The tippity-top questions are:
How do I edit my link list?
How do I post a picture?

xx There you go folks, blog on xx

Links2Learning Workshop

2005-06-29T09:50:00.000+10:00

Here are all the links the Link2Learning crew need for their workshop with me today.
(Sydney Institute, 29th June 2005)
AND THEY ALL WORK NOW!

Toolboxes
www.aris.com.au/cyberc Check out the Cybercentre toolbox. This has lots of numeracy and literacy activities including maths space invders!
www.deadlymob.org - this is a cool website. But I got confused! The ACTUAL toolbox is at Deadly JAM. Sorry guys. Both are great resources.
Where's the Party Check this one out for activities on health stuff for young folks.

Got a toolbox? checkout The Toolbox Champions site. Here you can find out more about Toolboxes and how to use them. The Toolbox champion can give you assistance in implementing your Toolbox purchase.

Want to buy a Toolbox? This site will tell you how.

Free Tools
Gimp: Like photoshop, but a bit techy to install. You may need assistance!
Open Office : Just like Microsoft Office - yep, it will talk to your Office files and other people's office files. Being used by the National Archive of Australia, US Defence Dept, Scotland Yard...it must be OK!
Flickr: free photo hosting and sharing. Has a blogging function - join up and you can blog any image from Flickr.
Skype: free voice online (make phone calls - cheap!)

Not so free:
elluminate: conferencing/video software. like the one demonstrated by Steph in our workshop.

Great Websites for Learning
Google Images: go to Google and click images: find lots of pictures (watch the copyright!)
TAFE studylinks : TAFE site with links to good learning sites for any topic
ABC: great site with lots of games and learning materials
Vibewire: a great site for young folks who are interested in self-expression
BBC: lots of learning materials. Use the menu on the left to find education/learning sections
Wikipedia: encyclopedia built by people; select English, but if you need other languages, there are several available!
Reachout: a site for young people with emotion/mental difficulties to read other people's stoies and communicate with others

Sites with some integrity: if you want to direct their web browsing to 'better' kinds of sites
v8 Supercars: for the car heads, has a kids section (right hand side of menu)
NRL: for footy heads
Skate Locate: how to find skate parks, as well as a bit of a sk8 community
Australian Music Online: for those that like going to gigs and stuff
Triple J: trendy radio station with excellent site: games, news, audio
*if you need more, find sites that apply to YOUR kids*

Quick search tips:
http://www.google.com/
– use several words that are specific to your search, eg: hammond c3 australia (to find other hammond organ enthusiasts/stores), community organisation web site hosting nsw (to find free web hosts), xbox fans australia (to find a community of gamers in australia), how to change a tyre australia (to find instructions on changing a tyre)

– localise your serach to get rid of irrelevant stuff (type in nsw or australia at the end of your search, or the town/city)

– the advanced search options give you better choices such as domain (you can select to get only .org.au sites, to avoid commercial sites), the time since the site was updated (good if looking for info on a recent event/publication, not 2 year old sites that haven't been updated), and you can copy your URL into a search box to find Similar Sites. That is, if you find a good site you can find other sites just like it.

Links to Learning

2005-06-28T12:15:00.000+10:00

Today I am at the Sydney Institute TAFE, working for the Links to Learning Program. I am team teaching with Paulis and Peter, showing youth program staff how to use blogs.

There's nothing better than the hoots of pleawsure as somenoe gets their first blog happening in under 10minutes.

Been Holding Out for Hero

2005-06-08T13:21:00.000+10:00

Yes, yes, Bonnie Tyler sings me true. I've been waiting for a new hero (everyone is sick of me spouting about Jakob Neilson, I'm sure) and it is...ta da!! GRACE HOPPER!

First of all, she was the first woman to gain a PhD in Mathematics (uh, Yale, no less).
Grace wrote the first compiler, which led to US government development of COBOL one of the first business oriented computer languages. Yep, this lady was one of the first to create a computer language for programming.

She was forced to retire from the Navy at age 78. She then worked privately giving talks about computing and her career, ALWAYS wearing her full Navy dress uniform. Yep, this lady was staunch.

To quote Wikipedia: "While she was working on a Mark II computer at Harvard University, her associates discovered a moth stuck in a relay and thereby impeding operation, whereupon she remarked that they were "debugging" the system. Though the term computer bug cannot be definitively attributed to Admiral Hopper, she did bring the term into popularity. The remains of the moth can be found in the group's log book at the Naval Surface Weapons Center."

Or check out a photo here.

The clincher for me, in my fandom of Grace, was a set of quotes from Wikiquotes.

It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission. (http://www.chips.navy.mil/links/grace_hopper/86.gif)

Life was simple before World War II. After that, we had systems
Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) Newsletter, March/April, 1987, No. 167 (editor/author is Philip Schieber)

and these attributed quotes (no source):
The wonderful thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from.
The most dangerous phrase in the language is, "We've always done it this way."

Sigh. What a woman.

Online Assessment

2005-05-23T11:05:00.000+10:00

aaah, yes, its all well and good to deliver content online. But when you are delivering vocational training, where there is a practical component, online assessment is the tricky part.

We can deliver information to bakers on how best to prepare a recipe, but how do I know it is done correctly, when they bake the bread?

I can advise plumbers on which tool to use for a job, but how can I see they know they best way to fix a burst pipe? How do I observe their technique, when usually I would do it in the workplace, or on-site at college?

Of course, lots of clever people are coming up with ingenious ways to assess online. And here are some:
Assessing Online - Much more than multiple choice
Assessing Online

The Australian Flexible Learning Framework has created some great resources!

Mobile Content Gets Its Next Iteration

2005-05-23T10:13:00.000+10:00

Mobile content has been daggy and clunky to date. So far, its been text based and only really any good for sports results, stock updates and the weather.

Of course, the latest killer app for the miainstream mobile market has been the ring tone and handset technology is finally good enough to render these products in a decent way. Camera phones with good color screens are becoming the standard. And the kids love 'em!

It may be a tiny bit early (the Kgrind effect) but this mobile phone soap opera is a nifty idea and decently priced. It might actually get some subscribers!

Gets my mind thinking of educational and commercial applications too!

Bring The Noise

2005-05-09T15:10:00.000+10:00

OH my goodness! First we brought the noise, now we wanna measure it??

10x10 is the modern version of the scrolling text outside the Aust Museum in Sydney, which used to tell us, alternatively, how many people in the world at that moment, and the amount of rainforest cleared since some certain date. It was designed to freak us out - er, at least that was my perception.

This 10x10 thing kind of freaks me out, but also excites me. So...much...noise...

The navigation/representation is a bit like the new hip way of displaying favourites/most popular search terms.

..........Whatcha gonna do? Rap is not afraid of you..........

Are you Vulnerable?

2005-05-09T11:16:00.000+10:00

Gosh, this was a fun one. Roxette have come to the Kylie-names-her-blog-posts-after-daggy-songs party today.

Cuz I'm looking at a good site on computer security. Unfortunately, if you are serious about being a computer-based profesisonal, you should at least be up with a bit of the modern security thinking/solutions. I have fairly regular posts here on that topic.

Many people just don't understand why a PC should be insecure, they just wanna download their digital photos! And, they are then "wondering for so long, how this thing could go wrong."

A good site with chapters on each areas of computing where security has become an issue. I'm most interested in the Workstation and Web Browser information, as those are the areas that most concernt my clients directly.

And my 'don't it make ya feel good' link for today, about how very poor Indian kids have proven a wonderful, wonderful point.

Generation Next

2005-05-02T14:40:00.000+10:00

uh, maybe sometimes the titles of my posts are engineered to reflect the music I like. Well, its my blog, no crime!

Spice Girls, sage-group of a generation. In fact, Generation Next, senoritas! I know you don't think so, and may now question any credibility I had.

My first new thing today is the Open Media Network. I don't need to say much except...IT'S STARTING!! And those 'normal' media companies better think smart very soon. (By the way, 'IT' is just a general, online, free-stuff revolution with new 'ownership' models).

And the most real of next-generations (uh, the kids, our children...ISN'T SOMEBODY THINKING OF THE CHILDREN Department) is getting the cold shoulder in Washington. And I just love how people will go open slather on George Bush now, as the dark cloud of September 11th starts to lift.

Get to read what Bill Gates thinks of American education. You can probably extrapolate much of this to Austrlaian education. How many of your employer-manager pals have commented on how differently the kids of today fit into the workplace. I like the commentary that US congress didn't even rerally notice what was said by Bill. Rather, "they were too busy pandering to those Americans who don't even believe in evolution." Teehee....

Can't Hold Us Down

2005-04-21T10:15:00.000+10:00

No Adobe, you can't! Nobody can hold us down!

If your reader keeps crashing my browser, I will just find an alternative. A free and small one. One that doesn't take 15seconds to open with credits and crap. I won't be a slave to your dodgy applications.

FoxitPDF people. Foxit.

Disclaimer: Sure, you probably have a fine time with Adobe. It works fine on my other PC. But rather than frig around, I just got another one.

Small World Experience

2005-04-21T09:07:00.000+10:00

I like little shows that teach me something.

Here is a little show explaining Networking in nice simple terms and a harmless, welcoming little Flash interface.

Mmmmmm. Smooth. Simple. Interactive. Networks....

Bad Management

2005-04-18T10:02:00.000+10:00

Uh, can you sing the title to this post to Bon Jovi's* "Bad Medicine"? It sooooo works for me. But I do love every one of John Bon's 'Greatest Hits". Not to forget Richie, who I have been chanelling for about 12 years in my alternate career as a guitar playing banshee.

OK, bad management. It does my head in. I'm not talking about bad financial management, or dogdy industrial relations practices or any of those hard managment skills. People (well most of them) seem OK with those hard skills. If you screw up there, it is, to my mind, a reflection of over-arching bad managment.

(I want to think of a term other than bad managment. It sounds a bit plain, a bit real, a bit true. And not nearly hip-new-business-minds-jargonish enough. By the way, I love hip-new-business-minds and subsrcibe to several. They are my MBA texts. I am not doing an MBA.)

Bad managment is really simple, yet soft, skills. Here are some tips I would give some folks, from what I have observed lately.

If you employ someone new, introduce them to the rest of the staff. Have a desk for them to work at.
Avoid coralling information to only one person in the team
Avoid cossetting that person so that they start believing their own self-importance above others in the team
If there are projects within the organisation, share information about their existence with the rest of the organisation
Actually meet your staff. Don't be happy with 'Hello". Saying 'hello' to your staff, a leadeth doth not maketh.
Take the time to find out what knowledge and experience lie within your staff, outside their job description. Its an extra investment you may not know you had
Your business is too important to tolerate any attitudes other than collaboration and transparency

Oh, its probably the most negative post ever! Not all of those things happened to me, but I have observed these things. My frustration is with myself. I need to get out there and do this myself - a bit tired of sitting at my desk, observing shortcomings in workplaces and dreaming up better business management strategies, when I should be doing something far more banal. When they are paying me fuck all. Oops! Swear word!

*Oh, you gotta click that link....

Cut The Talking

2005-04-05T13:47:00.000+10:00

..as said by the Dugites (I remember them from when I was about 10 and thinking the singer was the most interesting looking lady I'd seen - AND her name ws Linda Nutter!).

Anyhow, must remember this tip from lifehacker:

After stating your initial offer, stop talking! Breathe normally, but wait for the other party to speak next. After they make a counteroffer, continue to hold your peace for a bit — faced with silence, many will immediately start to sweeten the pot.

I mean, the idea is not THAT unknown to me, but it is very difficult to leave silence. Try it. We all have this urge to fill silence, keep the flow of conversation. We are hardwired to start talking when the other person finishes - or increasingly our hardwiring is changing so that we want to start talking before our conversational partner has finished their part in the exchange.

But I think it may be worth the discipline to try to keep quiet for long enough so that the above process happens. And believe me, its only a very, very short period of time that will pass before the discomfort of conversational silence will force them to speak. And sweeten that deal!

Changes

2005-04-04T13:24:00.000+10:00

I am the innovating, change bringer inerer champeen. BUT, I fear change from QWERTY to DVORAK. Keyboarding is such an integral part of my life, that I think the change could be worth it. But can I learn it? Its such a second language to me now, QWERTY. My hands think out my words onto the computer screen. Can I unwire that really firm process?

This is such a compelling article for change and efficiency! Especially when the author notes:

As a result a new layout was devised which was designed to move common letter sequences further apart and also to slow down the typist, thus reducing the risk of jamming. In 1873 that layout was used on the first commercially produced typewriter, and it has stuck with us ever since as the QWERTY keyboard. 130 years later most people still use a keyboard layout specifically designed to be as inefficient as possible.

And my hands are so sore...

Ever heard of the Simputer?

2005-04-04T12:46:00.000+10:00

Simputer

A very FOSS friendly product. Reminds me of Marc Prensky's training idea of mobile phone circuits printed onto cardboard, cased in cheap plastic and dropped out of planes in rural areas...

What is it? (God I love Wikipedia)

Where is the commercial site?

How is it selling?

Nifty.

No connections

2005-04-01T10:26:00.000+10:00

Old rockers UFO were predicting my plight when they said:

Take me to the highway
Take me to heaven
I can feel Jesus, right in my bones
Looking for a high class up-market doorway
With no connections, no telephones

And I don't care what it's all about
I don't need to know

Uh, except the bit about Jesus. The highway is obviously the information superhighway.
Which to me, is heaven. (Sad, huh?)
And I'm looking for a nice place to sit and compute - a high-class up-market joint would be swell!
And my quest is for WiFi, so no connections (and particulalry NO DIAL UP) are needed.
And I don't want to know how or anything, I just want to USE IT.

Introducing the WiFi Hotspot list. It only lists one cafe in my town, but its very close to my house. Hurrah!

Back to Basics

2005-04-01T09:42:00.000+10:00

Trust Billy Bragg to remind us that we need to keep it all simple!

With the rise of so many cool new distributed applications, its good to remember that the SEARCH is still your most powerful web tool. Google is great, but even it sometimes frustrates me with its lack of understanding of my query.

So step in Phil Bradley and his search engine guide! Previously, when looking for search alternative, I simply queried a directory, like dmoz.org. But it is hard to select the correct search engine for the purpose from a directory list. Phil's guide helps immensely!

Bloggers Beware

2005-03-16T14:16:00.000+11:00

Well, I blog from work and home in this blog. I have been careful to not explicitly mention my employer or issues at work. Rather, any opinions I have are at the industry level.

I also see this blog as professional development, and keeping track of the stuff I like and learn.

This article looks at the life of the blog in the workplace.

One of the funniest things I see in management since the advent of IT in day to day business and education, is the perception that problems are DIFFERENT online than in face-to-face.

In this example, companies are decrying the use of blogs to speak freely with current and prospective customers. However, as one obviously-thinking individual says:

"There's always a risk, but you always have that risk anytime you put an employee on the phone," Forrester Research analyst Charlene Li said.

Indeed. So when considering problems of the networked environment, think about if you have necountered similar problems in the 'real' world.

One example I like is about student harrassment in online learning. To me, its not that different from setting rules for classroom harrassment. So what if you can't reach out and clip them over the ear, or see the behaviour (you can't always see it in the class room either!) in front of you. If the harrassment is reported, you have the same resources at your disposal that you would have in the classroom. The processes are the same. If the harrassment is not reported, the issues are the same in both realms. (Of course there are exeptions to both sides of the story).

Another is tracking of students movements when they are studying in an online, closed course. Why?? Aren't we supposed to be concerned with competency and assesment? In the classroom situation, am I able to monitor the amount of time a student spends reading the text at home? No! So why should I be able to monitor how many times a student accesses the online content? And why should I really care? It isn't a good indication of the learning taking place!

Blackberry is NOT a fruit

2005-03-16T13:32:00.000+11:00

I am a bit of a language nerd and I like to watch how language and culture are intertwined.

Today's revelation? A blackberry is no longer a fruit.

When you type in an organic object's title and get returned pictures of gizmos, I feel the tide has changed on the poor old word 'blackberry'.

Clear Concise Security Advice

2005-03-16T13:23:00.000+11:00

One of the best articles on basic PC security that I have seen.

I was pleased to note I already did most of these things!

Planning IT systems

2005-03-16T12:04:00.000+11:00

Just a nice little snippet of wisdom, from one Markus Rex, Linux boss for Novell (who 'bought' Linux a year ago):

"I've learned from a couple of rather painful experiences the best thing is to make sure you imagine what needs you will have five years from now.

If you can't guess that, then maybe two years. If you can't guess that, you should not make such a fundamental decision.

Acknowledging that some consultants are also resellers of certain technologies, Mr Rex strongly recommends companies ensure any consultants engaged have the company's interests at heart.

"The lesson is make sure that you engage somebody who has an interest in your wellbeing and knows what you are doing and can really treat you well," Mr Rex says. "If it's a hired consultant that's fine, but make sure it is somebody that you pay, not somebody the vendor pays."

I know these kinds of tenets can never be proven as the 'best' idea, but I think it is good to be able to set some kind of boundaries/goals when making large, seemingly overwhelming decisions. And I am tired of IT consultants fooling people into buying the software they are pedalling, rather than admitting their product is not the best for the purpose.

So whilst I don't see Mr Rex's comments as gospel, it can be interesting to have a yardstick to measure by. Even if you end up burning the yardstick and buying one twoice as long, at least you have had a framework to work within, to break.

I like breaking frameworks.

You Can't Get What You Want (till You Know What You Want)

2005-03-11T09:52:00.000+11:00

Joe Jackson, you soothe my troubled soul with you're nerdy empathetic tunes...Is she really going out with him, indeed! Today, you tell me:
Sometimes you keep busy reaching out for something
You don't care, there's always something there
Sometimes you can't see that all you need is one thing

I'm busy, reaching out, searching for a tool. All I need is one thing...

A tool that will let me look at lots of stuff on my desktop, like my tasks, calendar, bookmarks and file directories. I'd love it to be a simple little free download.

But I don't really know how to descibe it for a good search. Search terms have included:
personal desktop
personal dashboard
desktop tools
personal portal

and more.

i have used TUCOWS, download.com, zdnet.com.au and Google in an effort to find something. Microsoft Personal Dashboard from Team Sharepoint is the kindof thing I'm after. But not Microsnot...

Any tips welcome.

I don't need to know that right now

2005-02-24T10:26:00.000+11:00

Love Google sometimes, like its my best mate...

Frustrated that I can't think so creatively all the time, I decided I wanted to call this post "I don't need to know". So I put that phrase, and the word 'lyrics' into a search, and came back with the fabbo Johnny Paycheck song! So not only were the sentiments in the lyrics, but also the artist's name!!

I have been thinking a lot lately about exactly what my skills are. The reason I get a bit confused, is that I feel like I can do anything at all, given access to the right tools. Slacker Manager gave me the perfect quote:

"I don't need to know if I know where to go. Basically, I don't need to know the answer, if I know where to find the answer. I swear I should get that tattooed across my stomach."

That how I feel about any job I may undertake, in any industry at almost any level. It sounds terribly conceited in today's measurements of employability. When I get in interviews, I always feel like telling them "Look, its just another job where I do admin or management. Relax, your industry is not that special, I can learn it in a jiffy! All the processes are similar no matter where I am".

But of course, you can't tell someone there industry is just the same as every other industry. Sure there are cultural differences, different products and legislative requirements. But the frameworks of the business are always the same.

Get over it employers. Every employer says I'm one of the best they have had (My current manager contacted my previous manager when recruiting for my job. My last manager told him "You'd have rocks in your head not to see this girl". He saw me. I got the job. ) But everytime I go for interviews, prospective employers just can't get a handle on what I can do. My resume is too varied and broad and they are unable to see any long term experience in one industry. Suckers!

Stop ticking antiquated employability boxes. There are new paradigms at work for your best, most innovative staff. So let them use their favourite tools and you will be rewarded.

she just laughed and said "You're so funny"...

2005-02-18T12:37:00.000+11:00

You'll never live like common people!
You'll never do whatever common people do!
You'll never fail like common people!
You'll never watch your life slide out of view,
and dance, and drink, and screw!
Because there's nothing else to do

So says Jarvis Cocker (and more recently William Shatner!!) and now I join this chorus!!!

On web projects, there is often the requirement to link to other websites and pages within those websites. I am experienced at reading the copyright statements and ascertaining what permissions are required. Sometimes it is required that I make contact with the site owners to ask 'permission to link'. Other times, this is a courtesy, or I can't clearly make out the copyright requirements. So I make contact to ask permission.

Recently I had asked three websites if I could like to their site, for a Local Government publication I was creating. Two of the site owners took the standard line of replying by email, graciously giving permission and often thanking me for being bothered to ask!

But the third was a government department. Today I received a signed letter from the DIRECTOR-freaking-GENERAL giving me permission, with several conditions and the general tone of "don't mess with our shit". A common reaction when people do not 'understand' the internet, and its these folks that help perpetuate the fear culture around technology.

It made me laugh and laugh and laugh. BEWOCRASEE at its best. Big, fluffed up and full of NOTHIN'!

in my heart..there's a place called Swampland

2005-02-17T08:25:00.000+11:00

Just a quick note about how beautiful it is on my way to work when I catch the train. The rail line cuts through some of the most beautiful wetlands.

This morning I caught the early train, and dawn had only just finished her reign. The wetlands were teeming with black swans, tiny ducks and other waterbirds.

You can't see these areas except when you catch the train. You miss so much driving.

...one part water...four parts sand...(thanks to Kim Salmon and his Scientists for this posts musical references)

I Fought the Law and...

2005-02-09T14:22:00.000+11:00

sorry to the Clash, but in this case I won!

Today at work, I was innocently talking to the team about updating our customer database, so we can have an actual Customer Relationship Managment System (a CRM...yum!).

The someone said "Isn't that spam?". So I then had to go off and prove that what I intended to do was not spam, in accordance with the delightful Spam Act 2003.

I found these resources helpful, in case anyone else has to do this:
A quick overview at ZDnet
A non-govt anti-spam lobby group web site
A govt guide for business

Our result? I interpreted that we could send our marketing materials to the targeted groups.

Ms vetNERD, now also your legal policy interpreter!!

Taken Care of Business

2005-02-08T15:15:00.000+11:00

Heh, Bachman Turner Overdrive. Nice lyrics about girls catchin' trains to the city (whilst lookin' pretty), whilst the singer tells us that he does jack shit but play guitar. yeh!!

I just wanted to list/brag what system improvements I was making at my new job (I really, really would like to be a small business systems consultant thingy). I have:

created several policies and procedures for the admin team
gave an overview on simple website improvements, to increase business
started to revamp the marketing culture
consolidate data into a single CRM system (CRM = customer relationship manager)
writtten a service agreement for a large client
created a model for a nrew file management system
updated our accreditation requirements for trainers

and I have more fun stuff like this going on. The database stuff is doing my head in a bit, though.

Customer contacts are kept (in variously incomplete stages) in several locations and formats, if at all. I have to work out how to use existing data, but fit it all into one system.

I don't think we can get around some phone calls and data entry, to ensure the integrity of the data. Right now, I don['t trust the data very much at all.

And if I don't trust the data, well, I just don't feel safe....

Mummy....?

Its all a bit Elvis Costello

2005-02-08T14:42:00.000+11:00

I wanted to post today about a few things I am reading and being interested in. As for the title, I couldn't think of a blatant 'reading' rock reference. But I'm a bit melancholy today, and reading VET articles for fun is a bit nerdy. Elvis Costello, particularly "I wanna be loved". No real reason, but it just felt right for this post.

OK, I love Slacker Manager. I agree with his manifesto. Many parts spoke to me, mainly as I was already doing them, with similar goals. Stuff like being a slacker, yet the best employee ever, sending emails when you get in so people realise your hours of work, use keyboard shortcuts cuz its soooo much faster, create lists to aid survival as a slacker manager. Slacker Manager was the first thing that made me bother with RSS feeds.

I'm also reading about multiliteracy. I think a lot of educators understand this, but with educational spending becoming less and less of a priority for governments, how can such changes in teaching theory be implemented?

I also think I was spoiled with my time at an Innovations unit, where I spent lots of time solving problems, having access to new theory and seeing best practise around Australia. Sometimes these discoveries are obvious to me. However it is important to have practitioners discover for themselves, and lobby in their own back yard for change.

I'm also reading about desktop search tools and how they collaborate with writers, and digital assets. Just for fun....oh my gosh...

Its a Model and It's Looking Good

2005-01-31T08:47:00.000+11:00

Aaah, continuing my nerdiness, by displaying my Glenn A. Baker side. Musical references for my blog entry titles. This one comes to me from Big Black (via Kraftwerk, of course).

I like models. Better still I like models I can understand. Like this model for a virtual learning environment. these personal services are coming on fast and will be like second nature to the learners of tonight (as opposed to the cliche 'learners of tomorrow' cuz its gonna happen much fastert han that).

I only looked at Flickr and delicious the other day, am very curious about 43 Things, and can't wait til I have my laptop in my house (only a few days to go!) so I can start investigating it all much more.

As I browsed the delicious world of collaborative linking and keyword creation, I became interested in the current arguments about 'folksonomies', or social tagging practise (warning: This link contains discussion of yet another game - what's happening to me!). Apparently there is some concern about the validity of allowing communities to categories and tag their own information. Are verday folk capable of sorting information into intuitive categories so it may be found by other humans? Some question this idea.

I found it very interesting, and no doubt it could be important in the long term, but really the internet and information are such fabulous beasts that they will continue to proliferate whether we can metatag them correctly, or not!

Searchin..Lookin' For Love

2005-01-28T09:44:00.000+11:00

I gotta find a platform!
(Uh, only doyens of bad eighties trash will appreciate my bad lyrical pun...oh dear...)

My task is to find an online platform that suits our needs. AT present our organisation runs one course online, through the local university, using Blackboard.

Flush with success from the first course, the organisation is keen to look at alternatives, and maybe increase ownership of the online courses.

First product I checked out was CourseCompass, which was nice enough. Free, easy to use, student tracking, courses already set up. The catches?

easy to access resources are all Pearson Education products (though you can add your own)
students pay for an access code, which is how Pearson recoups costs
basically a 'would you like fries with that' for their educational book

But having said that, I do like how it works. Though I don't think it has courses that suit our needs.

I am outright rejecting Janison, Moodle and Clackboard (oooops a typo, but I like it nd might leave it!) as they are behemoths and sooooooo 2001! Yuck, yuck, yuck!! They only seems to satisfy needs of a system (tracking students etc) rather than making things fun and easy for teachers and learners. Gah!

I will continue my quest, and have asked for the help of one of my communities, Teach and Learn Online. See if that crew can give me some tips on the tools they like to yuse. And you?

Hi! I am a INTJ. What are You?

2005-01-27T14:43:00.000+11:00

At a training day recently, I sat the Meyer Briggs test to determine personality type in the workplace. I enjoy these kinds of exercises, whether or not I put much stock in them.

My result was an INTJ, and the narrative surrounding this result does seem to reflect my characteristics quite well. It would be great if more people did this kind of stuff. Not necessarily Meyer Briggs, but any of them. Heck, I did cognitive bahavioural therapy and learnt a real stack about myself.

Though, I get a bit frustrated knowing so much about my personality and altering it to accommodate the needs of others. I don't want to advocate Meyer Briggs tests for all, as I don't know enough about the science of it.

But self-awareness is a great thing, and empowers us to have positive relationships.

And on a learning bent, if we know how we best learn and commumicate, the learning pathways can be altered to reflect that. I think there needs to be a lot more discovery about our learners, individually. Of course, the modern economic models make that unthinkable, even though it is of benefit to humanity.

Gran Turismo4

2005-01-27T13:50:00.000+11:00

Uh, its been over a week since I posted, and by sheer coincidence, I am writing about games again! I am soooo not a gamer, but rather fascinated with their potential.

I live with a Gran Turismo player, and I find the game so interesting. I'll sit and watch, likes its a real motorsports show. The variety of cars, the customisation of each car, the authenticity of the tracks made me think about it has a historical artefact, and a learning tool.

On the version I have seen (Gran Turismo 3 I think), a player can customise the car's motor with quite a number of specificatations able to be changed. When I learnt version 4 was still due out after years of development, I got excited about what the customisation functions would like in the new version.

Apparently, according to this article about the new release, there are real pit crews in the new one. But I imagine that the games options could get quite detailed, so that the customisation functions somehow replecated some of the skills required for engine design or motor mechanics. The potential exists for a great, engaging tool for teaching these skills to a cohort often disillusioned with learning.

Game play would involve building a certain car with certain specifications, or a kind of car that would have certain characteristics and uses. The learner would then 'play' the game, with the set task in mind. Teachers would 'mark' against the resulting car. Of course, it is not teaching real handskills, but rather the theory of car customisation.

Rolling out the Playstation in class would encourage learners to show off their knowledge...

No wait, if its boys in trades, they will definitely be keen (read comepetitive) to show how much they know!!

More about games...

2005-01-18T13:50:00.000+11:00

Now I am NOT a gamer. Anytime I am convinced that playing a screen-based game might be fun, I always get bored before completing the game. The other day I was playing Blocktris (the no-name version of Tetris) and about halfway I just stopped and handed over the controls.

At uni, I did get into Sonic the Hedgehog and Mortal Kombat. I was alway Sonja, as she was the coolest chick. She had this move where she would do a handstand, grab her opponents neck with her THIGHS and slam him down. I was so impressed that I wrote a song about it in about 1993, for my band at the time. the chorus was:

"Sonja, thighs of steel/With boots you'd be cool/Goro's gonna get you/Sonja, thighs of steel"

Uh, she didn't wear boots, but wore jiffy things. I thought boots would make her indestructable. Goro is the big scary dude at the end - you have to beat him to progress up the levels.

Anyhow, I am not a gamer, but know that a lot of learners engage very well with screen=based games. So this article in the SMH caught my eye.

Problem is, I am probably not going to expore this software anytime soon. Its good, however, to know that people are developing these kinds fo software packages. Just the other day I saw this software that allowed you to make your own movies.

The ony thing is, to me, they do feel a bit pre-made (especially that movie site)...

eGames - can they make ANYTHING fun?

2005-01-17T13:20:00.000+11:00

The AQTF (Australian Quality Training Framework) is a set of standards to which RTOs (Registered Training Organisations) must adhere, in order to maintain registration.

Famously, it is a big, dry document. However, knowledge of it is vital to manament in the VET sector.

Uh, I've actually read it and didn't find it too boring, but many would rather poke their eyes out than read another standards document.

Enter Thiagi and Marie Jasinsky, experts in their field. I have met Marie several times, and think she is a whiz. I'd love to work with her, like some crazy little apprentice and she's be my colourfully-scarfed master.

Here are some eGames , including a game to help folks understand (and remember) the AQTF. Sure beats dry lectures!

Commonwealth Super Megaplex Colleges

2005-01-14T13:48:00.000+11:00

Well, not really. But this is the first article I have read that explains what the Federal Governemnt intends with its national VET colleges. It seems any RTO can tender for the delivery of VET, and TAFEs will lose if they snooze.

But isn't it a terrible waste of resources to have TAFEs tendering for their own core business, lest a competitor gazump them? I pity the poor TAFE staff, having to negotiate what I imagine is a complex and resource heavy process.

Alternatively, it is a great opportunity for reinvigoration of VET, which is a pretty daggy industry sector. It needs sexing up!

Two Cool Things

2005-01-14T11:59:00.000+11:00

Just quickly, two cool things I have seen in the last few days.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/89/zigzag.html
"In April, W+K launched a pioneering advertising school called "12." Instead of a formal curriculum or full-fledged faculty, 12 offers 12 students 13 months of real work for very real clients."

I laughed out loud when I read about the teachers "surprise at their [students'] 'consistently counterintuitive' approaches". Ah, the frustration of the old rubbing up against the new.

http://www.globaldialoguecenter.com/emoto_exhibit_flash.html
I have been having a bit of a brainstorm with some colleagues over this one. First, I expressed my disdain that water does not like heavy metal...

Its a hot day outside, so I might be off to the beach later. and yes, that is really my local beach. Suckers!

Off Topic: Andrew O'Keefe

2005-01-11T08:49:00.000+11:00

Uh, currently fascinated with Andrew O'Keefe.

It started by simply watching Deal or No Deal. Then I watched him on the Tsunami concert, wearing a suit (including pastel yellow tie with light blue detail) that looked like it came from a car salesman on the Gold Coast, talking over Eddie MacGuire and belittling Rove. Sigh.

Then I wake up Monday morning to find he is the replacement Kochie on Sunrise. Things are good.

2005-01-10T09:21:00.000+11:00

I'm becoming increasingly less enamoured with software/hardware and more and more curious about the human systems that surround our technology.

For instance, I find this article about identity and access management very interesting. What is one of the bugbears of working life, particularly in a large organisation? Remembering passwords, IT departments being almost paranoid about network access, managers often not understanding the real risks to security or over-reactive security on systems that inhibit the ability to do a task efficiently.

Solutions to these problems have not been widely implemented. It is up to users to keep track of their passwords and access status'. Apparently, up to 35% of help desk calls are in regards to passwords and access, and these calls can cost an organisation up to $31 each (according to the article).

So the new hot spot, entrepreneurial geeks, is in the area of identity and access management. Help us poor lot just get on with our work and not have to remember our passwords so fervently. Passwords are always kids/pets names, usually followed by a single digit number, which is changed periodically (and consecutively) to appease local password update conditions. Other favourites are seasons, department names and nick names. I've not ever investigated password management software, as it doesn't seem to me to be the solution. Software, on my computer, keeping my secret access codes to my computer. Hmmm....

Free Courses...hmmmm...

2005-01-07T08:36:00.000+11:00

There is a lot of talk about free courses and giving content for free and so on. Love these ideas, I really do. And its all the rage.

I just wanted to record one I found, here. Not a very riveting topic area, but I work in local government training now, so need to be aware of whats out there.

1.. Not sure why the text is so grainy and hard to read.
2. I can't get back to the main eLearning page from a course. I must go all the way back to the 'normal' site and renavigate. Or trim the URL. But not all users are savvy with that technique of finding your way our of a dead end web site.
3. On some screens, the text is nice and clear and black. The rest is fuzzy and blue. Blue text!
4. The photos are generally of poor quality. I understand this may have been a concession to saving bandwidth (since many of the target audience for this site are in rural areas), but I am pretty sure you can get better results optimizing images for the web.
5. Oh oh oh! Nice to see some interesting use of technology! On the "Essential Info" page (a misnomer, as the page contains nothing essential, but rather is a marketing page for other courses and a background into the organisation) it is noted that they use web-cams for executive coaching sessions. Nice work!
6. Ran the most rudimentary accessibility test, and it may not at all be valid. But I ran MS Narrator (I don't have a copy of JAWS yet) and it basically spoke HTML gobbledygook and then went silent. Hooray...

The pedagogy is OK, supplying students with online resources. But for what is esentially a content repository (MS Word documents, info about the facilitators, quizzes) I feel they have over-dressed it. It could be simpler. The content is pretty darn good, really.

Another victory for a designers! Another backward step for clients who aren't sure what they need/want! Or rather a forward step, as they learn from their mistakes...

The Importance of Furnishings in Education

2005-01-06T13:05:00.000+11:00

Yep, furnishings. I have been fascinated with the impact of good physical design on learning ever since I saw LIRNspace, or rather virtually toured it, as I have never been there. And my friend Leigh has a great design idea for a recessed computer table, to alleviate the distraction of PCs on the desk of students.

Anyhow, I read this cool article about another idea on classroom furnishings. This UK primary school uses a podoim/lecturn idea, instead of the teachers desk. It seem to be opening up the classroom space so that the students move around the classroom more. It removes that physical barrier of the teahcers desk 'guarding' the teacher and the blackboard from pesky students.

Uh, Jakob? Yeh...why?

2005-01-05T13:37:00.000+11:00

Uh, second day of my Jakob love. I AM NOT ASHAMED!!

This is a great article about advance hypertext, and the true possibilties for 'user-constructed structure'. Mmmm, yum! The ability to annotate your own visits to sites is fab. You could make notes on links like "This link does not go to what I want. Don't click it", adding your opinions of your experience, so you can remember next time which bits of the site sucked, or which parts were useful. Or to remember how you got to a certain page.

This article is a pearler, on Top Ten Web Design Mistakes. He derides those who would break our bakc buttons, Flash developers and their kinky non-standard user interfaces ("Sure, I'll click the floating apple to open the FAQ section!!") and content writers who still think they are writing for 'normal' media. Oh, and I didn't know click-thru rates for advertising declines by 50% per year - might need a new tactic for sales online! Oh hang on...its SPAM!

One could go on and on about Jakob, but maybe I should stop here. Most of my web-pals really dislike him and I'm not sure why, when he is so user-focused. That, for a start, is something to admire.

Maybe they interpret Jakob as dissing anything 'designy'. Well, he doesn't, he just prefers good design, that adds to a users experience. Many designers try to make a page as whizz bang as possible, and forget that the user must understand it. Educating the user on how to use your site in particular is not your option!

Maybe my web-pals think Jakob hates Flash. But he doesn't. Its just that Flash designers often forget useability concepts. I had this situation occur on a job I was managing.

One of the designers used Flash to create a media player interfact. the caption said "Press Play to start audio". There was then a triangle on the media player interface, which one could interpret as meaning "Play". This website was a literacy product, and if you say 'Press Play" there had better be a 'Play" on that screen. To you, it may seem obvious. But you are a savvy, English speaking user of online technology.

OK, OK, off the Jakob soap box. Why does he make me so evangelical??

Jakob...I still love you after all these years

2005-01-04T13:46:00.000+11:00

Upon cleaning up one of my inboxes, I came across my neglected subscription to Jakob Neilsons 'Alertbox' column.

I love the way the site looks, though probably over-emphasizing simple design. Many designers hate Jakob, because they are made to be accountable for design decisions, outside the realm of design.

Designers are encouraged to think about information design and the user. He is misinterpreted a lot, and he in no way believes websites should be homogenous. Rather, that we consider certain concepts in relation to our users, when designing any online communications.

Some recent favourites from the Alertbox column include:
Email Design
Idealogy of Web Design

And I like Jakob's air of self-importance!

Debut Post for vetNERD at Blogger

2005-01-04T13:20:00.000+11:00

I did start another vetNERD elsewhere, but did not like the tools of the *other* blog provider.

2005 has brought me a new job in a Registered Training Organisation, as their training co-ordinator. Not sure what I will be doing yet, but one of my first tasks is to research Learning Management for online learning.

I'll just be leaving links and comments about vocational training, particularly edgy stuff, mobile learning, just-in-time....all that kind of stuff. There will also be links to strange and creative aspects of learning.