Week 4, Show Me What You Learned

Scratch, Alice Project, Flash

I really love the idea of these programs (although flash and I had it out, and flash won - NOT the program for me!). I looked at the websites for Scratch and the Alice Project. I did not download the software needed for the, however, because I am running out of space on this hard drive and need to conserve space for my final media project. I think once I'm done with this masters, Scratch will be one of my first 'play for fun' programs to see what it's really capable of. I saw several samples on their site and they had a lot of variances in quality. I'm curious to see what it can do.....

Video Streaming Tools

So I checked out the other sites, besides youTube. I have seen teacherTube before, and really it's just not as good. The quality is lacking and it's simply not as complete. So I checked out vidler and blip, as I've never seen them before. I had no expectations, and I guess for good reason. Again, these sites just aren't very complete. Maybe we are just totally spoiled by having youTube for so long, and it's so comprehensive (large variety, professional and not, etc...) that anything less isn't good enough. I don't know, but for now, I'm sticking with what I know.

Thesis Freak Out - Part 2!!!!!!!!

The bulk of this week was dedicated to thesis writing. I started this week organized, but with only about 5 pages written. Thankfully, my organization helped because by today, I had 19 pages written and my draft is officially submitted. Freaking out a little bit, but I have to let it go and remember "it's just the draft, it's just the draft, it's just the draft." Now I have some time to work on the rest of week 4 assignments (except for the fact that it's almost 1am). Oh well - who needs sleep? :)

Reading Week 3 - Rule #6

Don't take yourself so d#$@ seriously!

That's all. 'Nuff said.

Reading Week 3 - Leading From Any Chair

The best way I can relate this to another situation (one that would work for students) is think of a football team. You cannot win the game with one person. The quarterback may be one of the most visible players, but he can't throw, catch and run the ball, all on his own. Also, where would those players be if there were no water boy? That person, who gets the water tables set up, is just as important to the game, keeping the players hydrated, and the players who are actually playing. No one is more important than another. And EVERYONE can contribute as much as they'd like if they just realized this.

Week 4, Stickam Session

First, let me begin by saying - JARRBS lives on!!!! We really are a great group. We work well together. And we really are far more interesting than what we expressed in this session. That being said...... I completely appreciate the idea behind Stickam for a few reasons. 1. It could be great for group meetings, such as the one we had 2. As a live blog/podcast, if used for educational/informational purposes (I don't really care what John Doe had for dinner last night, I would rather see it used for informative things) My concerns with this program though, unfortunately overshadow the positives. 1. The lag is just really distracting. You can't tell who is in the conversation and who is not. And for me personally, I would speak, and a good 10 seconds later would hear a response. I would end up forgetting what I even said! 2. Although I didn't have any problems with this, there was apparently a connection problem with several of the group mates. This would certainly create problems in a meeting. Great concept - could use some tweaking. I think I'll stick with Skype. I have a feeling they will be adding video soon, and it is just so much clearer.