Archive for March, 2011
Heading into the Foothills hospital this morning, the STARS air ambulance was just lifting off from the helipad beside the bus stop. Someone’s day started really, really badly.
a strong chinook blasts the snowpack out of the city. probably 3/4 of the winter’s collection of snow melted away in the last 48 hours. headwinds during the ride home were 50-77km/h, making it one heck of a great workout. and I made it home without eviscerating any lung tissue. awesome.
The intro for DS106 Radio has become pretty much burned into my brain. I don’t know who made the clip, but they took a segment of Cyrus’s speech from The Warriors, and smushed it into some marching band music (?).
The intro bumper from the best damned freeform internet radio station on the planet. Can you dig it? Can you DIG it? CANNNN YOUUUU DIIIIIIIGGGG IIIIIIITTTTTT? Yes. Yes, I can.
So, I converted it into a ringtone. It’s available in .m4r format for iPhone, and .mp3 format for Droid etc…
he’s a little excited. delighted. pleased. jolly. glad. happy.
evan set out his instruments to look at stuff with his microscope today. the notebook is for sketching what he sees. science is awesome 
the view from the 5th floor of the new Taylor Family Digital Library building, overlooking the west side of campus.
I just saw a link retweeted by David Porter, pointing to an interesting post by Mark Smithers.
Mark’s post is a great read, on why lecture capture may not be what we think it is, nor do what we think it does.
But, I don’t think that necessarily makes the technology bad. Yes, it offers a tempting crutch to lazy instructors. Look! My lecture is available online! I’m totally innovative and engaging. Next slide.
I think the technology used in lecture capture could be more effectively used, if you don’t just lecture. And if students are given the ability to use the tools themselves, to create and share their own resources.
I’m involved with the process of gathering information about faculty requirements for a potential campus lecture capture/casting system. I’m not at all interested in providing the shiny crutch. I’m definitely interested in providing tools to easily create content and share it with students, faculty, and the community.
I think having the effective tools in place is a good start, and necessary before getting to the next step – the really interesting educational activities that can build on stuff you can do with the technology. This is where professional development for faculty members and instructors is key – showing them that there is more to this stuff than just extending and amplifying boring and ineffective teaching practices.
I finally got back on the bike again, after hardly riding at all during this last nasty stretch of winterness.
the wet, salty road grime isn’t doing my bike any favours. worth it.
the view while slugging back some caffeine in the fancy schmancy atrium, before a meeting.
swimming lessons for The Boy™ at the Vecova pool near campus.