Wishtrip Map

I did a Wishtrip map for a vacation I'd love to take one summer.  One of the perks of being a teacher is the summer, when I have over a month of time off to work on whatever I want.  I'd love to take this trip:



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I've been to all of these places at least once, but I'd love to see them again.  Spending four or five days at each one would be ideal.  The only thing holding me back is the cost.  I don't even want to think about how much it would cost.  Thousands and thousands of dollars.  

New resume blurb.

I have a passion for instructional technology.  I have formally studied computer engineering, computer programming, and networking.  I can utilize cutting edge tools such as Twitter, Tumblr, and other social networking sites to improve learning and retention at your institution.  I understand the role technology plays in the future, and I can prepare your students to succeed after graduation.

I did it.

Well, I tied the worlds together, so to speak.

I like video games.  I don't think I've done a good job hiding it (not that I've really tried).  One issue I've had is finding a physical store where I can buy used old games.  I don't mind buying them from Amazon and Ebay, but there's something special about walking into a brick and mortar store and chatting with someone who loves the product so much they're trying to make a living off of it.

I finally found one called Lost Ark in Greensboro because of Jeff, the guy I'm pictured with.  I was asking on arstechnica.com about local video game stores and this guy popped up with an answer.  Lost Ark was having a pinball tournament this past weekend so we decided to meet there.

All in all this wasn't a tough project once I got started.  I wasn't comfortable just meeting someone at a restaurant or something, but a store in Greensboro where we weren't forced to sit across from each other was perfect. 

He's much better at pinball than me, but I did better at House of the Dead.

Southeast Trip

Map

Project Gutenberg

I love to read.  It's pure escapism to me.  I spend my day inside teaching history, so when I'm free I like to walk somewhere quiet, sit under a tree, and read.  The more fantastic the better.

When Project Gutenberg was envisioned in the late 90s I got excited.  They were going to be a collection of all public domain works that anyone could browse and download.  Today they have over 38,000 free books in HTML, epub, Kindle, Nook and other formats.  In less than 5 minutes I can read Alexadre Dumas' catalog on my Kindle for free. 

As a teacher this is invaluable.  I don't have to buy books anymore.  If I'm discussing the Reformation I can pull quotes from many of Luther's works.  I could also turn my students loose and have them find their own quotes.  Because Gutenberg checks copyright status, I can freely use any part of any of their books in any way I choose.

Here is one of my favorite books - The Three Musketeers

Project Ideas

Here are my three project ideas:

Fun group - Skit using Google Hangouts.  We've hammered out some of the (very) early details but we probably need another meeting this week to all get on the same track.

Serious group - Tutorials of Web 2.0 tools.  Each of us could make a tutorial which we would then share we each other and future classes.  I know having a brief tutorial, video or text, would make me more willing to use tools I didn't know a  lot about.

Fun individual - YouTube review of Shadowgate for the NES.  I'm going to play Shadowgate and give it a modern style video review and then host it on YouTube.

Thoughts?

Couchsurfing

Coursurfing.org is a very interesting site.  I'll give it a brief review here:

The Good:

• Great UI (except for one thing; see below) - Appealing colors, easy to navigate, all pertinent information is on the front page.
•  A group for everyone, literally.  I found one group that likes French cooking, one that likes English soccer, and one that likes to kayak.
•  Lots to do, even if you don't want to share your couch.  CS is a lot more activity oriented than things like Facebook.
• It allows users to browse through profiles, something most social network sites don't allow.
• Facebook integration saved me from creating yet another login.
• Amazingly international.

The Bad:

• There is no simple way to find people. I literally stumbled upon another teacher at my school. Finding D.I. took about 30 minutes.

Overall this is a good service.  I think this is one I'll be sticking with over the years.

Objectives Redux

• A concise definition of Web 2.0
  I feel like I met this one.  I really liked the exercise where we built a definition together.  The formal definition may be fluid, but all Web 2.0 technologies involve collaboration, teamwork, and usability, in some fashion.
  
• Clear understanding of Web 2.0 technologies
  This I checked off with all of the different programs we've explored in this class.  Everything from audio, video, and picture sites, as well as social networks, both formal and informal.
  
• Practical classroom applications of said technologies
  This I've had to invent as I went.  A lot of thse technologies have very clear classroom applications (what' better, writing an essay or a wikipedia entry?), but working in a modern day public school really puts limits on what my kids can do and when.  Did you know that I'm breaking board policy by tweeting with my students, which is public, but that I'm allowed to talk with them on their personal cell phones every night?
  
• An understanding of social media limitations in public schools (primarily legal concerns)
  I'm learning that this is impossible to gauge because every system sets up their own rules.
  
• The technical know-how to troubleshoot potential problems
  As Mandi said, so many of these programs are user friendly enough that I haven't run in to any problems.  Any problems that may exist are usually on their end and I can't fix them anyway.