Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Tech Professional

Well I'm far from a professional, but I have to admit I am very excited about some of the new things I have been introduced to through our masters class. I'm still trying to figure out how I can apply it to my profession because I am still getting used to it.

I would have to say, I am finding it tough to figure out how to implement Twitter and Facebook into my profession or my classroom, but the podcast idea and the introduction to blogging I am thinking will become useful. I have already been talking to my assistant coaches about setting up a weekly podcast about our basketball program that people can subscribe to. I've also been thinking about introducing blogger.com to my health class. Of course I would have to monitor the activity, but I think if we completed the beginning of the activity together in the computer lab it could work.

Overall I am having a great time learning!! Frustrating sometimes because we are dealing with technology and at some point it always finds a way to mess up, but I have gotten past that.

Web 2.0

I saved this site (http://www.seomoz.org/web2.0/short) on my home computer. A lot of great sites to visit and it is very user friendly. Gives you a quick look at what is new on the web and it organizes the sites in categories for easy selection.

The best site that I found was istats (http://istats.com.au/). It helps you organize your exercise plan and allows you to set exercise related goals for yourself. It even has a feature which allows you to group up with friends and stat your workout progress together. It helps monitor your weight and the overall benefit of your exercises.

A great site for PE teachers (higher end high school PE class or college class) and any individual who is setting up a new workout plan.

Google Docs


Google Docs

 

Probably the biggest benefit to me about the availability of a service like Google Docs is that you can almost eliminate the need for Microsoft Office.  Not only is it a hassle with different types of documents (.doc / .docx) being forwarded through email, but it is expensive to have on your home computer or laptop. 

 

In addition to eliminating the need for Microsoft Office, Google Doc is easy to use.  Has all the same options as Microsoft Word and it is very user friendly. 

 

I guess the only downside to this is you have to have Internet access.  For most professionals in the educational field that wouldn't be a problem, but for high school students it may. 

RSS Assignment

Awesome!! I love the idea of having one site to collect up all of my websites that I like to visit. Cuts a lot of time off of the time spent online. You can even add Twitter info on this site!! I love the idea and I will be using this for entertainment purposes, but it will be really helpful with school also.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Week #2 Readings

The main thing that stood out to me in the readings this week was the discussion on the generation gap. The difference between high school / college students technology ability and even us 30 year olds is evident. They are all over twitter, myspace and facebook while most of us are just learning our way around these things and for the most part we are more interested in staying with what is comfortable (like email).

The article regarding library changes even discussed the "new generation". The idea of looking at what the younger generations interest are and how they communicate is important if our library systems want to continue to meet "everyones interest". The traditional library with books, card catalogs and magazines should soon be a thing of the past. As technology continues to grow and new ways for us to access information become more and more common our library systems are going to have to continue to adjust.

The last thing that was of interest in the readings was the idea of libraries introducing "blogs" to their current system. A "blog" on a new book or article would be a great idea to generate interest. Not only does this allow people to communicate about topics of interest but it also brings them back into the library to find those books that are being discussed.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Microblogging

My fear with "Microblogging" is that it interfers with the educational setting (classroom). I am constantly on my students because they are attempting to send a text or read a text during class.

On the other hand I do like the different forms of "Microblogging" like text messaging or twittering for the convenience of getting in contact with someone. So I would say I am fairly neutral when it comes to this discussion.

Trophy Cases




We finally have trophy cases for our athletic department!! Here is a look at the before and after. It was quite a job trying to find most of the trophies that were spread out all over campus.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Good Luck!!

Starting this masters program is going to be tough, but I think we will all be successful!!