Podcast for Educators

Where to buy Headset Systems

2007-05-16T10:50:00.000-04:00

If you are in the market for a headset or microphone for your computer, finding out where to buy can be problematic. Shop hard! Here's why:

Logitech Premium USB Headset 350-
- Logitech Price $49.99
- Skype Price $39.99

Plantronics .Audio™ 500 USB Multimedia Multi-Tasker's Headset
- Plantronics Price $59.95
- Skype Price $89.95

Episode 6- What Equipment Do I Need?

2007-04-06T02:57:00.001-04:00

Click the microphone to play the file

Show notes:

What kind of equipment do I need for podcasting? It turns out your most important piece of equipment is your microphone. You already have the rest. What will it cost? As little as $5. In this episode, hear samples of the:

Skype Microphone (direct to computer) $10 online/ $5 locally
Logitech Gaming Headset (direct to computer) $30
Audio Technica Headset Microphone (recorded to Zoom H4 recorder)
MCA SP1 Large Diaphragm Microphone (recorded to Zoom H4 recorder)

All music courtesy of The Podsafe Music Network
Visit payforthepodcast.com- check out the bargains and support the podcast
Call the voice comment line at (206) 350-POD 1
email me at vinny (AT) podcastforeducators (dot) net
Shownotes are always available at podcastforeducators.

Web 2.0 Links

2007-03-28T21:36:00.001-04:00

These links are prepared for a presentation to be given on March 29, 2007.

Who You Are

MySpace/ Facebook/Ning /Virb - Are you protecting your profile?
Amazon Wishlist To share your shopping list makes it public

What You Say:

Blogger What you say lives on forever
Tumblr You are where you visit
Flickr Anyone can repurpose your photos
YouTube/ Google Video Are these the most flattering pictures of who you are?
Digg When you Digg or Bury a site, SOMEONE will respond.
Skype If it's on, someone knows you're online
Google Notebook Notebooks were not secure when it started
Google Docs Great for sharing, but make sure it's secure

What You Know

Wikipedia Not a primary source, but can tell you what happened yesterday
Citation Machine Only here because it's a great resource...
Google Notebook
Google Docs

Where You Are

Twitter and Twittervision Tells the world what you're doing and WHERE YOU ARE!
IP Addresses You leave a trail wherever you go!

How You Unwind

YouTube/ Google Video Sometimes what you get is not what you wanted
Napster/ BitTorrent Sharing is illegal, to the tune of $30,000 each
Second Life/ World of Warcraft "On the internet, no one knows you're a dog."

Content and Comment Policies

2007-03-15T22:18:00.000-04:00

Since Creative Commons has published a new license (3.0), I decided it might be a good idea to create some policies here, just for the sake of having them. I don't expect I'll need them, but one never knows.

Creating content is a complicated process. While there are some great copyright and comment policies on the 'net, I like to adhere to a few simple ideas.

When I Build on The Works of Others: To bring you news, I must occasionally refer to other blogs, podcasts, and online resources. As I would expect others to respect my work, I attempt to respect yours as well. As such, if you believe I have not properly attributed works to you, please feel contact me using the information below. I will do my best to comply with your requests in a timely manner. There is no need for C letters, angry posts, or flaming comments.
When You Use My Works: The original works I create here are mine to share, and I give you license to borrow. This blog, podcast and other original content are protected under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. You are free under that license to Share and/or Remix the work, provided that you attribute the original work to me. Please do not imply that I endorse your work unless I have specifically done so. You may request my endorsement by contacting me using the information below.
My Authority: I'm a smart guy, but not that smart. You should neither accept my word as gospel nor dismiss it as hogwash. Please use it as one of a variety of sources, most of which are readily accessible on the internet. Isn't that how you got here in the first place?
Comments: Blogs and podcasts are meant to be interactive. You are welcome to participate by adding written comments to the blog/shownotes, emailing me, or calling and leaving voice comments. I welcome discourse of all types. However, I do reserve the right to delete comments that are inappropriate or offensive. I shall be the sole arbiter of comments, but as a rule, those comments that will be deleted would be discriminatory, racist, sexist, or clearly spam. I do not delete comments solely because they offer contrary points of view. In fact, I welcome them.
Tone: Blogs and podcasts can easily be misconstrued because they lack facial expression, body language, and sometimes context. If you find yourself on the uncomfortable end of the tone of any content here, please feel free to say so. I will try to be considerate of such concerns in future posts.
Affiliations: I love blogging and podcasting. I do it for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment and information of others. You should know these things about my works:

What I write is not sanctioned by my employer, nor should any content be considered the opinion or policy of my employer.
I do not receive direct compensation from any vendor whose products I review or endorse.
I could be convinced to write on your behalf. However, if I do I will disclose such affiliation clearly within the content.

Affiliate and Associate Fees: I do have Affiliate and Associate accounts. Occasionally the links on the site will send you to a sales site from which I receive a fee if you complete a purchase. Under no circumstances are you charged a premium by using these links. In fact, you may receive a discount. However, you are under no obligation to make purchases for content, nor do I require recompense for content.

email bernie AT worldofbernie.com

(206) 350-5631

Tech Expo 2007

2007-03-15T15:26:00.000-04:00

Thanks to all of you who have come from the Tech Expo at the Macy Center. I will be adding a new podcast, aimed at Windows-based users, about "What Equipment You Need." It will focus on recorders, interfaces, and other hardware you might wish to use. Don't be afraid, though. It's relatively cheap to get into podcasting.

Hope you enjoyed the conference. Add me to your Bloglines for further updates.

New Audio Interfaces

2007-01-14T23:03:00.000-05:00

Of course, the moment I purchase a recorder/interface, they come out with a new one.

The TuneStudio actually records to an iPod. This is very cool, and a great way to get into recording using your existing equipment, if you have a microphone.

E-Mu has come out with a USB-MIDI interface called the 0404. It's about $50 cheaper than the closest competitor, and looks pretty slick.

Both should offer very effective ways to get audio into your computer. The E-Mu requires you to be at the computer, but can take MIDI input. The Tunestudio will be fine on it's own, will take more audio inputs, but not MIDI.

Podcast Resolutions for 2007

2007-01-02T18:37:00.001-05:00

I've made a conscious decision not to make any new podcasts here for a while, but I will continue to post information. Today we start the New Year with some podcasting resolutions you should make if you are podcasting now. Even if you are new, Jason Van Orden's list of podcast success tips is worth a look. It's a good read for the soon-to-podcast, the new-to-podcasts, and the old-hat-at podcasting.

update: Check out these resolutions at podcastingtricks.com to add even more fuel to your podcasting fires.

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Blogger now allows Private Blogs

2006-12-27T20:51:00.000-05:00

This is not so much about podcasting, but it could be. Just let me explain.

Blogger is now allowing private blogs. The folks reading and participating need Google accounts, but they are free and no one ever need use the other aspects of the account. This is a great improvement on the service for educators, because it means classroom blogs can be set up and limited to only pre-approved users.

This can allow a similar limit for podcasts. You can create audio files, post them to a web server, and place links in your private blog. Now, unless someone is particularly tenacious, the traffic will be limited to only the folks you want to hear.

I still like Wordpress, and that is another option, but the prevalence of Google means that many of your students may already have Google accounts, eliminating some of the initial startup issues.

Happy Holidays

2006-12-23T22:53:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays
Originally uploaded by capn madd matt.

I'll be away from my computer for the holidays, so I wanted to take a moment to wish all of my listeners and readers the happiest of holiday seasons, no matter which holiday you celebrate.

Peace to all!

Podcasting Folks You Should Look For

2006-12-23T22:26:00.001-05:00

While you are home celebrating whichever holiday you choose, you should take a little time to check out the 10 Podcasting Movers and Shakers listed at Podcast Free America.

If you haven't heard of all of these people (or companies, as a few are not individuals) you are not deep enough in the podosphere. Since the best way to learn about podcasting is to listen to podcasts, get to it!

The One Thing I Wish I Had Known Early On- Imaging

2006-12-22T12:29:00.001-05:00

When I started as a podcaster so very long ago (less than 1 year), I started with a portable voice recorder, a patch cable, and a hosting service. As Bernies World grew and changed, I went through a variety of formats and iterations before finding my 'comfort zone'. I'm still growing and changing, but the change is coming much more deliberately and slowly.

You see, I've learned that my listeners have come to expect certain aspects of the show, and I want to give them what they expect, with just a little bit of surprise at a sitting. Why? Because for me, it's not about the shock. I don't know all of my audience, but I believe it's the same for them. And if it's not, it doesn't matter. There are a lot of podcasts out there to fill that niche. I have my niche to consider.

The changes between episode 1 and episode 10 are dramatic. The length increased from less than 10 to an average of 30 minutes. The sound quality changed for the better. The format evolved into a 5 segment show interspersed around 4 songs. The content improved- greatly. The production value overall is better. It makes me look back... and wish I hadn't published some of those first shows.

If I had been smart, I would have made a few shows, shared them with friends, and asked them to be brutally honest. My wife would have been a great critic. She would never let me do something half-baked. I didn't, and now principle makes me leave them up there, for you and all to see. The newest, episode 28, is the last with my current recording setup, since I asked Santa for a new recorder. Another change for the audience, but hopefully one to enhance their experience.

All of this leads up to an important aspect of podcasting- Imaging. I'll not steal someone else's ideas, but send you to Podcasting News to hear it straight from them. They do a great job of imaging, and you should heed their advice. I didn't in the beginning, and I may have lost listeners that I'll never regain. It's like having a bad meal at a restaurant. No matter how much they tell you they've changed, you never really want to go back.

graphic courtesy of clipartheaven

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USB In Your Face? Ohhhhhhh... USB interface!

2006-11-29T19:57:00.000-05:00

I have agonized over the past few months on the next big purchase for my podcast studio. O.K., it's not really a studio, but in broader terms, isn't the whole world our studio?

I've decided that I need the best way possible to get the audio into the computer. I've been weighing a number of factors as I compared, namely:

Stand alone recorder, interface, or a hybrid of the two?

If a stand alone, how much and what type of memory?
What type of file output? wav, mp3, or some other arcane compression?

How many channels?
What types of inputs?
Built-in effects, or ports for outboard effects?
USB or Firewire interface?

I have considered, looked at, and dismissed a wide variety of gadgets, including:

M-Audio Mobile PreUSB- Portable Interface, with 3 inputs (2 microphone inputs and 1 instrument input). No onboard effects or recording capabilities.
M-Audio Audiophile USB- 2 Microphone inputs, as well as a MIDI In and a MIDI Out. Not really what I was looking for, but I did buy 2 for my High School Music Lab.
M-Audio Fast Track 4 x 4- 2 hybrid inputs (for mics or instruments), onboard effects, and phantom power. Very attractive, and at an attractive price too. Hmmmm...
All of the above, in their Firewire Versions. All too expensive. Worth it, but not on my budget.
Logitech AHS302USB Microphone- Not an interface so to speak, but with a USB audio card, which would allow for direct USB audio, eliminating the need for a microphone interface. Not really enough for me. It would help, but only in the short-term.
Logitech Premium Notebook headset- Again, not an interface, but a cool little headset with it's own case.
UA25 Audio Interface- Another Audio/MIDI interface. No on-board effects, but it does have Phantom Power.
Zoom MicroBR- Not really for the voice, but a cool guitar recorder. Records to an SD card, and has a great suite of on-board features. If you are a guitarist, you need this thing. I'm a singer and a podcaster. Wrong feature set.
Roland UA101 Audio Interface- Another awesome interface. 10 inputs. Big budget required.
Roland UA1EX- A very portable interface, but no mic jacks.
Roland UA4FX- A real multi-purpose interface, with MIDI/ Mic/ Instrument inputs. Only one mic input, and it doesn't look too sturdy.
Tascam US122- A combination audio/MIDI interface. I didn't love the look or reviews.
iKey Plus Audio- A portable recorder, using a flash drive for storage. A cool idea, but no XLR mic inputs, and no real display.
Fostex MR8 mkII 8 track Digital Recorder- Not an interface, but it records to CompactFlash, which could be connected to a laptop.
Alesis MultiMix8 USB- An 8 channel mixer with USB connections. A great idea, but the reviews rated it as somewhat noisy and unreliable. I have a mixer, so I really just need the interface.
Yamaha MW10 with USB- Similar to the above, with the same types of reservations and reviews.
Open Labs Miko- A pipe-dream, but fun to look at. $3000 is way out of my budget now, but I will get there someday...

In the end, I ordered the Zoom H-4 Handy Recorder. It appears to be palm sized (hence the 'handy' name) and got some solid, albeit quick reviews. Since it's new on the market, I may be adopting too early, but the feature set appears to be just right. It has 2 hybrid inputs, built0in effects, stereo or 4-track mode, and can function as either a portable recorder or a USB interface. It also takes up to 2BG SD cards, and runs on 2AA batteries.

I'll let you know what I think, but it will have to wait until after Christmas. You see, it's a combination 40th birthday (2005) leftover money/ Christmas gift from wife/ Christmas gift from Dad. Will I be able to leave it in the box when it arrives? I don't know...

Subscribe free!

2006-11-21T16:01:00.000-05:00

I was at Michael Geoghegan's blog, and happened to read an account he wrote of the disconnect between those of us who understand podcasting subscriptions, and those who don't.

it is a big problem. The word 'subscribe' comes with such baggage. "I don't want to pay for it" could well spell the death of podcasting unless we promote the truth more effectively.

"it takes so long to set it up" could share a room with "If I don't like it, it's a pain to cancel." Both of these are quite true for those who are initially challenged by technology. This explains the growth of flash players, direct links to files, and media sites like Podshow. Even then, the inclination of the less-accomplished user is to bail on the entire process.

I wish I had the answer. I can tell you that I'm going through all my links and changing them to "Subscribe Free!" If it appears to be value added, then maybe we'll pick up some folks.

Episode 5- What Software Do I Need?

2006-11-16T01:29:00.000-05:00

Direct Link to mp3 file

Show Notes

Audacity
Castblaster, which integrates well with Podshow
Levelator

Music- “Next Time Around” by Asymmetry on the Podsafe Music Network

email me

Call the voice comment line at 206-350-POD 1

Other podcasts and blogs at World Of Bernie

Episode 4- What is an RSS Feed?

2006-11-02T23:05:00.000-05:00

Direct Link to Audio File
Links:

RSS General - a somewhat technical explanation of RSS elements
Will Richardson explains RSS for educators
Radio Willow Web- Take a look at this Planning Booklet for a great set of tips for every podcast!
TechPodZone has a great little program for creating your own feed on your desktop. Also a great tool for planning your RSS feed if you are using a hosting service.
RSS explained The Oprah Way
My own RSS Planning Template

Music- Family Groove Company- Byron's Got The Time

Available at The Podsafe Music Network

K12 Online Conference

2006-10-31T09:10:00.000-05:00

I have agreed to host a Skypecast on Saturday, November 4th at 10AM GMT as part of "When Night Falls", the culminating activity of the conference. (For you east-coasters, it's 5am on Saturday morning!)

This will be 24 hours of Skypecasting, summarizing the conference and giving feedback on what worked, what didn't, and what's next. It will be early in the morning for me, but grab your mic, make some coffee, and join me.

If you want to catch up and prepare, you can download all of the content using the feeds found at the k12 Online Conference blog.

I watched the keynote last night (which was a long but interesting) and will be using my commuting time to catch up.

Technology Leadership Institute- Will Richardson

2006-10-26T09:09:00.000-04:00

I'm at the Mohonk Mountain House with about 30 ed tech leaders. We're talking about a variety of topics, but today's topic is "Powerful Tools for the Classroom", presented by Will Richardson.

I'm already excited, because I've popped over to the links page on the wiki. I want to click through them all, but I'm deliberately restraining myself. I will let Will guide us here.

Powerful Tools for the Classroom

How do you and your teachers learn? Do the students know? If you asked them, could they tell you. Are we still the 'same physical space, teacher as sole authority' learners?

A change in the world is the fact that we learn in affinity spaces- places where we get together with folks of similar interests, in some cases passions. (Will showed us a Clustrmap of his readers at this point.) Do you have a learning network. Today it can be folks from all over the world. We drop into Christoper Sessums blog here, with much on cognitive theory. Will says he'd be working hard to read this. I with Will on this, but it's worthy reading, and part of the learning. How many of us have these types of networks, and are on our way to a self-directed PhD in weblogging and digital information?

Students are already building these networks, through MySpace, using text messaging, and IM. Email is too old school- it's for old folks like us. We're getting lost and left behind- we don't teach networking, at least not the really important kind. They've discovered, and we need to as well, that there is so much information out there, we can't process it all. The network offloads some of the knowledge and processes it for us, making it available in better bites (ed: or bytes?) Maybe what we need to teach is: how do you find good sources? (Check out Dog Island and The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus for bad examples)

However, it's a difficult time to be a teacher. "I don't want to do MySpace. I could be liable if something bad happens." "What if someone drops in on the blog, am I responsible?" We have to get past those feelings.

(Not sure how we got here, but...) Have you seen the wiki for Star Trek? It's quite impressive. All of this info is so dynamic, and a product of the new 'truthiness'. The idea that we no longer always have what is true, but what we think is true. Now that everyone has a printing press, we can get some pretty strange and scary truths, like martinlutherking.org (actually a hate site).

There are some great resources out there, even on YouTube. Check out the Dove Real Beauty Workshop for a responsible use. This is a perfect example of modeling responsible behavior. (haha- the joke makes sense when you see the video)

We touch on Second Life here, and visit with Blogsar Lumpen. We also visit MIT Open Course ware. We close with an intense discussion of the implications of many of these items, and talk about how to become change makers. Ultimately, are we talking to the wrong folks? Superintendents and other leaders need to know and join in the process. This leads us to the inevitable conclusion- are we falling behind charter schools, which ultimately may be more flexible?

BREAK

You've heard about 'fan fiction'? Check out the content there. 270,000 pieces of Harry Potter fan fiction? Feedback from peers, productive critiques, and not in a school setting, but learning where and when they want to learn?

Another question- How are schools able to use these tools and be safe and successful. Not a lot of great alternatives, but Blogger and edublogs appear to be the popular ones. There need to be clear policy, and good education of the students prior to implementing it on their own. We need to teach them to drive, but then give them the keys. If we've taught them well, we hope they will be responsible.

45 minutes left- How do we start building a network using RSS, or open discussion. The crowd elects RSS.

RSS (Real Simple Syndication) allows us to subscribe to new content. Most blogs and podcasts have an RSS feed. It allows us to not visit 50 sites, but one aggregator, newsreader, or catcher. (He pops out of Flock, which has built-in aggregation, and over to Firefox 1.5, which doesn't. By the way, the new Firefox has built in subscriptions to feeds.)

Try searching on a provider with the addition of 'RSS' in the search. (new york times rss) and you see the feeds. Right click to "copy this link location" and paste it into your aggregator. Now look at Google News, and put in a news search. You get an RSS button in the left pane, and you could subscribe to a topic. Make sure to use "Advanced News Search" to limit your feed to providers, locations, etc.

We take a look at Bloglines to see a different interface. Using these tools, we don't have to go back to the blog/source again, unless we want to comment. We can then click the link, go visit, and comment.

We poke through Will's Bloglines, and we touch on the K12 Online Conference. There are 40 presentations over the next few weeks. This is the basis for his blogging and work. The blogosphere is connections.

"My writing starts with reading." (Of course it does!) Will calls himself a 'blog snob' in that he posts his 'intellectual sweat' on the blog. It's not a diary, but an online process of working out ideas.

Social networking site like del.icio.us (willrich) allow us to file content more effectively, using 'folk-sonomy' as opposed to 'taxonomy' by using our tags. We can share the tags too! Now we can subscribe to one another's reading. "What has Joe saved? Is he my kind of learner?" We can search del.icio.us for individual tags too! (I need to do this- what I do is not working!)

Furl.net allows us to save (as Will does) to do citations of websites. (WOW! My son totally needs this!)

Flickr allows us to share pictures. We can get a feed here too! Creative Commons (see Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig) is the way many of these images and pieces of content are licensed. Flickr allows you to tag photos, create mouse over tags, and create fiction. RSS can be found through tags (example)

Suprglu allows us to have "small pieces loosely joined" by connecting all of these feeds together. Take whatever RSS feeds and bring them all here, presented in a web page.

We close with "One Red Paper Clip." Alice Cooper- the fatal trade? Nope. It's about imagination. We have not seen the future- we can go anywhere, and there are a lot of steps.

What is your paper clip? What can you trade up to?

Tech Forum NY Podcast Special

2006-10-22T00:55:00.000-04:00

Direct Link to the Audio File

Show Notes:

Hall Davidson.
Corbett Beder of BX21
Susan Silverman of Kids-learn.org
Wiki Spaces
David Jakes
David Jakes blog
SMART600i series and the Sympodium

email pfe@worldofbernie.com
question and comment line (206)-666-3998 or (206)-moody 98
worldofbernie.com
podcastforeducators.blogspot.com

paste this link into your podcatcher for the free subscription-
http://feeds.feedburner.com/PodcastForEducators
Technorati Tags: techforumny06

NY Tech Forum Live Blog

2006-10-20T15:59:00.000-04:00

cross posted at Bernies World

I'm at the IBM Palisades Conference Center for a conference sponsored by Technology & Learning. It's geared toward educators and technology leaders, and it offers an exciting array of options for learning.

"Thinking Bigger While the World Gets Smaller"
Opening the conference was Hall Davidson. If you have not seen Hall, it is worth the price of admission. He is funny, self-deprecating, and just a little brilliant. He discussed many cool tools that can help the modern educator in preparing lessons, and a number of ways to use the "technology in their pocket." His take on cell phones in the classroom is unusual and exciting at the same time. Since every kid in the class these days has a cell phone with a camera and a net connection, why not have them use them as a tool when it comes out or rings in class? Take this annoyance and make it a tool. "Go out and take a picture of an animal, a plant, and an insect". Poof. A science lesson.

"Communicating and Collaborating Online Using Video"
So far it's not too much new for me, but I forget sometimes that I'm looking at this technology through jaded eyes- I've been video conferencing for years. (Thank you, Nora and Crhristina!) This was my first international video conference, however- these folks brought in a school in the UK and a few schools in NYC. 4 windows simultaneously, by the way- very cool!

Dr. Gersh of Dominican College, a few scant miles from here, is a last minute fill in for one of the presenters who is out. She's getting into Skype Conferencing, which I find fascinating. I will be asking about the possibility of getting these technologies to communicate. It would be great to be able to send a webcam to someone (or maybe they have one) and connect with them on the school's video conferencing gear. We're skyping now with Dr. Norman Shapiro of CultureQuest. He's telling us about their project, where students use the internet for research and come in direct contact with individuals from other cultures to verify their research and learn about the culture directly. They are looking to grow, and you can learn more at CultureQuest Consortium News.

Corbett Beder of BX21 is covering Blogs and Vlogs. BX21 is a program that's not using live video connections, but using prepared content. 150 students participate in this program, and study these emerging technologies. He's pointing out the importance of planning and preproduction, but they use all types of tools, from camera phones to serious camera gear. They cover low to high end software, and they even teach about intellectual property and Creative Commons. Cool!

Lunchtime
Met some nice folks from a small private school in Jersey, as well as a staff member in the State Education Offices in Connecticut. The food was amazing!

Note to self
Do not go to another conference without my camera. This place is gorgeous, and I have no way to share it with you. I know Hall took pictures- maybe he will Flickr them.

Blogs, Wikis, and RSS
Susan Silverman of Kids-learn.org ran our Round-Table Session, in which she told about her work in these areas. The questions around the table were interesting, and it's clear that there is great interest in these areas of growth. In three years, as Hall said this morning, this is where we will all be. If you didn't know, by the way, Wiki Spaces is offering free wikis to educators. 85,000 are left as of today. (To all my tablemates- If you are visiting, Thanks for coming, and for sharing at the table! Comment and say hello. Don't forget to go to the other podcast.)

The Ten Keys to Effective Professional Development
David Jakes is the guy I came to see. If you don't know, he is a prolific blogger, well respected presenter, and all around fun guy. He opened up by sharing a little fun video on Conference Bike
and then leapt into what good staff development ought to look like. His top ten (paraphrased by me, with apologies):

Have a mantra.

Do you have a vision statement? A mission statement? A mantra is better. No b.s. What are the watch words that help you plan your professional development?

Align professional growth with organizational goals.

Why are we doing what we do, if it's not helping us meet our goals? Who has that kind of time?

Know your audience.

How many times have you sat every teacher in a room and give them one session, regardless of their prior experience and current comfort level? David used a picture of leather buckets. Each one ready to receive, but all different in some way.

Pilot, Pilot, Pilot.

How will you know if it works? How do you know if it meets your needs? How will you be certain you have the infrastructure to support an initiative?

Use your people resources effectively.

Do you need outside contractors? Should you do it yourself? Why not have a group of turn-key trainers (from your pilots!) to teach your teachers?

Have a dedicated space and resources for professional development.

David showed us the dedicated space in his district. Have someone available throughout the day to offer staff development. Folks in the building. All day. David has 8 period covered by releasing 4 teachers from supervision and 1 class each day.

Get out and see new things.

One gentleman pointed out that we do not give teachers enough time to get out and see new things. It is so difficult to get someone into the class, they don't leave. Add in the cost restrictions and it becomes nearly impossible. (#8 helps with this)

Support individual professional growth with time and resources.

David spent some time here on Blogger, Bloglines and RSS feeds. These can create opportunities for individuals to learn from the great resources available on the internet. Even students can be participants in this process. Let them learn and choose what is appropriate for their growth. The K-12 Online Conference was featured here. Cool idea here- use this as a source of professional development. Sign up and select a workshop to see/ listen to.

Extend opportunities through learning teams and clubs.

When folks come back after professional development, have them come back and observe and share these ideas. 95% of teachers participate? Wow. I would have guessed half. It's costly but worth it, because it costs time and subs.

Evaluate professional development growth.

Evaluate Participant Reactions, Participant Learning, Organizational Readiness (oof- we don't do this), Participant Use of Learning, Student Learning. This helps us to gauge our performance as developers and the ability of the student to take our work back to the classroom and use it effectively.
Student Learning = Student Performance + Student Achievement. We can evaluate learning by looking at their work and their product.

By the way, David- I was the Project Adventure Guy.

Products
OK, I know I'm talking in broad terms here, and I get no money from them (unless they would like to send a check...), but I love the stuff that SMART Technologies sells. Their new products, the 600i series and the Sympodium are amazing products. I love the 600i because it works without a computer and will allow you to download your work to a flash drive for printing and saving later. The Sympodium removes the SMARTBoard from the equation, and may be utilized in a place where standing in fornt of the board is just ineffective. High ceilings, large rooms, multiple screens.

You Don't Need an iPod

2006-10-20T02:22:00.000-04:00

Episode 2 in "The Beginners Series"
Direct link to mp3 file

You can get a podcast on a computer

Many have players on their page

Online services can help you play them from the net-

Podcastready.com

podnova.com

You can play them in your browser

click the link- most browsers will ask you if you want to open them, and they will even suggest the program.

You can download them to your computer

click the link and select download, or
right-click the link and choose 'save link as' and then it will download

Use a podcatcher or feed catcher like:

itunes
podcastready
juice
newsgator

If you do use a podcatcher, you still don't need an ipod, because all allow you to play the files on the computer.

You CAN use an mp3 player

ipod is easiest
others are tougher to use.

next episode- what is a feed?

email pfe@worldofbernie.com
question and comment line (206)-666-3998 or (206)-moody 98
worldofbernie.com
podcastforeducators.blogspot.com

paste this link into your podcatcher for the free subscription-
http://feeds.feedburner.com/PodcastForEducators

What is a Podcast?

2006-10-16T02:58:00.000-04:00

Play this podcast!

Show Notes:

Podcast essentially 2 elements

audio program

usually mp3 but can be wav

RSS feed

Really Simple Syndication
Subscription doesn’t cast money.

Audio program is easy to do

many Windows laptops have mic built in, and open source and freeware can help construct it
Apple makes podcasting extremely easy right out of the box

Feed can be tougher

Good news- software can do it for you
Most hosting company’s will handle the feed for you- you just type the info right on the internet, upload the file, and you’re done.

How do you get a Podcast? Check out the next episode! You don’t need an ipod, all you need is a computer.

Email pfe@worldofbernie.com
Leave a voice comment or question at (206)666-3998

We're coming!

2006-09-30T21:54:00.000-04:00

The templates in a bit of a shambles, and the podcast hasn't been posted yet, but we're coming!

Excuse the links that take you to Bernies World. That's where I stole the tmeplate from, and I'm cleaning it all up. Hopefully this weekend, or while school is closed on Monday, we'll get up and running.

Help us develop

2006-05-04T21:36:00.000-04:00

We'd like to develop a site and a podcast for educators who aspire to use podcasting as a part of their work in schools.

Whether you are an administrator or a teacher, we want to hear your thoughts. Add a comment and help us design the podcast just for you.

Some ideas we're kicking around-

Equipment for creating podcasts
links to other sucessful education podcasts
internet resources for student podcasters
using podcasts to connect to the school community (students and parents)

Offer us some more!

Parking Space

2006-05-03T22:49:00.000-04:00

I've started a new podcast called The Educator Podcast. We're only in the infant stage, so we'll get it up and running soon. Check back later.