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| Moving at the Speed of Creativity Updated : Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:21:46 +0000 7th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, Bushwhackers, and Jayhawkers (Kansas in 1861 – 1865) This is a 10 minute video interview recorded on January 14, 2012, at the Trapper’s Rendezvous campout west of Newton, Kansas. This historian shares some history about Kansas in the U.S. Civil War. He provided background about the 7th Regiment Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, the Bushwhackers, Jayhawkers, Quantrill’s Raiders and the scorched earth tactics which eventually (Read More...) Publ.Date : Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:32:41 +0000 Misleading Article About Oklahoma Lottery Funds Supplanting Education Funds Today’s NewsOK article, “Lottery paid $400M to Oklahoma schools” by Megan Rolland is very misleading in addressing the issue of lottery funds “supplanting” rather than “supplementing” state education funds. Megan notes correctly: The lottery law stipulates that the money is not supposed to supplant current education funding but is supposed to be in addition to (Read More...) Publ.Date : Tue, 10 Jan 2012 06:06:00 +0000 Introduction to the Common Core State Standards by Karen Robertson These are my notes from Karen Robertson‘s presentation on January 9, 2012, for the school board of Yukon Public Schools providing an introduction to the Common Core State Standards. Karen is the Executive Director of Curriculum and Assessment at Yukon Public Schools in Oklahoma. Common Core state standards initiative - state-led and developed common core (Read More...) Publ.Date : Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:12:53 +0000 Claim Your Online Content With Google+ Authorship Settings To take charge of your “digital footprint” online, you need to publish content which you “claim” virtually as your own. One effective way to do this is to add website links for sites where you regularly (or periodically) post using the Google+ Authorship program. (It’s free.) Some reasons to do this include: Customizing posts from (Read More...) Publ.Date : Tue, 10 Jan 2012 18:29:24 +0000 2011 in 60 Seconds [60in60 video] Inspired by Ben Grey‘s December 7th post, “Challenging Seconds,” I’ve opted for a sixty second video this year in lieu of a family Christmas Card. Following the rules outlined by Ben, this is a 60in60 video: 60 images 1 second per image (total of 60 seconds) The video tells a story Merry Christmas and Happy (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:32:06 +0000 Playing with Collabracam for The Zebra Print Webshow (cross-posted to playingwithmedia.com) This afternoon my kids and I spent a few hours playing with the iOS application Collabracam, which permits multiple cameras to be used simultaneously in a video shoot. We found the application buggy and in need of an update, but the idea of the app is GREAT and we ended up creating (Read More...) Publ.Date : Sat, 07 Jan 2012 23:42:07 +0000 MinistrySafe Online Video Training for Youth Protection from Sexual Abuse These are my notes from the MinistrySafe online training video for churches. This is a required training program our church has paid for all adult volunteers who work with children and youth to complete. My wife saw these trainers (who are lawyers in the Dallas area) present in person and helped bring this training program (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:12:44 +0000 Stream Hulu+ to a HDMI Television with Airplay Mirroring, an iPad2 and Apple TV Update 1 Jan 2012: We cancelled our trial membership to Hulu Plus. Although some negative reviews of the free Hulu Plus iPad app in iTunes might lead you to believe the app has “a lack of AirPlay support,” I’m pleased to report iOS 5‘s support of mirroring on an Apple TV permits content from Hulu+ (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 29 Dec 2011 05:18:46 +0000 Calculate and Learn about Percentages with Percentage Calculator Mateusz Mucha, a web developer in Krakow, Poland, has developed a free, online tool called “Percentage Calculator” you should show to your math students and use with them in class. Use this tool by visiting percentagecalculator.info I tried embedding the actual calculator on my own website, but for some reason that version didn’t work to (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:27:52 +0000 Use Digital Voice Recorders to Hear Student Voices The ten minute video, “Hearing Student Voices,” by National Writing Project 1st grade teacher, Renee Webster, provides a fantastic window into the ways a skilled and sensitive teacher can use simple audio recorders to transform reading and writing experiences for students. The technology tools in this case, digital voice recorders, ARE important for the learning (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:22:30 +0000 Transition to Common Core Standards by Jan Hoegh @marzanoresearch (2 of 2) #ocic12 These are my afternoon notes from Jan K. Hoegh’s presentation on 24 January 2012 in Oklahoma City for the Oklahoma Curriculum Improvement Commission. (This is the link to my morning notes.) Jan is a consultant for the Marzano Research Lab. (@marzanoresearch on Twitter – Jan is not on Twitter yet.) MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE (Read More...) Publ.Date : Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:02:23 +0000 A Touching Example of Family Digital Documentation If you have not already, take 91 seconds and watch the YouTube video, “Google Chrome: Dear Sophie.” It’s a fast-paced, touching look at how some dads are using digital technology to document, share and preserve the lives of their family and their love for their kids. It’s a compelling bit of media, and an outstanding (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:44:45 +0000 Avoiding AT&T’s Ridiculous iPhone Data Fees by Switching to T-Mobile This is a guest blog post by Sherman Nicodemus. The cost of activating an iPhone with AT&T is absolutely ridiculous. Since I have several kids, and eventually want all of them to be able to use smartphones, this is a real concern for me. Our family wireless bill now exceeds a monthly car payment, and (Read More...) Publ.Date : Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:13:58 +0000 OAESP Grant for Student Videography at Mustang, Elementary (Oklahoma) (cross-posted from the Storychasers blog) This video is a 73 second interview with Laquita Semmler, principal of Mustang Elementary in Mustang, Oklahoma. Mrs. Semmler won a $2000 technology grant from the Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals (OAESP) at the mid-winter conference on January 20, 2012, in Oklahoma City. She is planning to use the (Read More...) Publ.Date : Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:05:27 +0000 Going Mobile with WordPress and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) These are my notes from the January 30, 2012, Oklahoma City WordPress User’s group meet-up at The Div in Edmond. WordPress is a free, open-source content management system used by tons of folks worldwide to create websites. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. http://yesdancan.com is the website Dan Lovejoy built by hand (not (Read More...) Publ.Date : Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:24:52 +0000 The Best Political Spin Money Can Buy It’s election time in the United States, so among other things that means video spin doctors are earning big bucks. As the CNN article “A look at South Carolina’s tough presidential campaign ads” points out, the authorization of “super PACs” in the United States which can legally receive UNLIMITED contributions from corporations, labor unions and (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:03:09 +0000 Upcoming Wes Fryer Presentations in Oklahoma City (Feb – Mar 2012) I received an email today from an educator in Oklahoma City interested in attending one of my workshops on technology integration in upcoming weeks. I thought I’d cross-post the information I sent him in case this is of interest to others. I’m sharing a couple sessions at OTA/Encyclomedia in two weeks in OKC and several (Read More...) Publ.Date : Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:10:35 +0000 Trapper’s Rendezvous 2012: An iPhone documentary This weekend was my second opportunity to attend and participate in the annual Trapper’s Rendezvous campout held about 30 minutes west of Newton in southcentral Kansas. Two years ago, I shot a series of videos of different “mountain men” character re-enactors. (“Storychasing the 2010 Trappers Rendezvous“) My favorite video from that trip, however, was the (Read More...) Publ.Date : Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:49:21 +0000 Create a Custom Google Gadget for Blogger or Google Sites A large number of “Google Gadgets” are available to insert into sites you create with Blogger and Google Sites. It is possible to create a custom Google Gadget also, which can be embedded in multiple pages. In this seven minute screencast, I describe how to create a simple Google Gadget which can serve as another (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:03:58 +0000 Lessons Learned Using Puppet Pals on iPads in an After School Program For the first five weeks of this semester, I’m teaching a fifty minute “life skills” class on Thursdays for middle school students participating in a three hour after-school program at our church. The program is called “Tiger Club,” and middle school students enrolled at Central Middle School in Edmond Public Schools are involved. I was (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:24:49 +0000 Creative Math Word Problems about Rock Climbing & Mountaineering #favlesson Here’s a blog and Twitter meme idea: What is one of your favorite lessons from elementary, middle or high school? Post your lesson memory to your blog and share it on Twitter with the hashtag #favlesson. For ‘extra credit’ include a related Creative Commons image in your post. Here’s mine. One of my favorite lesson (Read More...) Publ.Date : Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:40:36 +0000 Make a Song with Sounds from Your Kitchen on an iPad Last week at our Apple Store in Oklahoma City I met Tyler Garcia. He recently graduated from the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma with an associates degree. He loves music and making digital music, and told me about a very innovative homework assignment he completed for one of his classes (Read More...) Publ.Date : Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:57:36 +0000 An Iterative Google Search (with advanced options) solves a MS Word File Saving Problem Here’s a simple fix to an irritating problem I found today which might help others. In Microsoft Word 2011 on a Mac laptop running OS 10.6 Snow Leopard, every time a teacher tried to save a file she got the following error: The disk is full trying to write to Macintosh HD. Free some space (Read More...) Publ.Date : Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:48:27 +0000 Stuff I Want to Share at OTA – Encyclo-Media 2012 Next Tuesday and Wednesday I’ll be attending, presenting, and learning at the 2012 Oklahoma Technology Association / Encylo-Media Conference in Oklahoma City. It’s been two years since I’ve been able to attend this February conference and I’m really looking forward to the opportunity. For my session handout this year, I decided to create a one (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:15:14 +0000 Underwhelmed by iBooks Author Software This afternoon I started a new eBook project using a collection of favorite Bible verses from the Friday morning men’s group at our church. The idea is pretty simple: Include verses from the NLT and MSG translations, complying with the copyright permissions for each provided on the YouVersion.com Bible website. Along with the verses, include (Read More...) Publ.Date : Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:56:58 +0000 FREE Enhanced eBook for Kids: “Snowflake Gets Lost” by Rachel Fryer I’m proud to announce the worldwide publication and release today of Rachel Fryer’s first eBook, “Snowflake Gets Lost.” I’m the proud papa of Rachel (age eight) who worked from August 2011 through January 2012 during “writing workshop” time in her 2nd grade class in Oklahoma City Public Schools to author this book. Rachel’s classmate, Madison (Read More...) Publ.Date : Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:43:02 +0000 Teach Your Students to be Digital Artists (and learn from Kevin Honeycutt) Today was my fourth week teaching a 50 minute “Life Skills” lesson at the “Tiger Club” after school program hosted by our church in Edmond, Oklahoma. This is a free after-school program provided for students attending Central Middle School in Edmond Public Schools. In this post, I’m going to describe the lesson “Be a Digital (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:15:02 +0000 Transition to Common Core Standards by Jan Hoegh @marzanoresearch (1 of 2) These are my morning notes from Jan K. Hoegh’s presentation on 24 January 2012 in Oklahoma City for the Oklahoma Curriculum Improvement Commission. Jan is a consultant for the Marzano Research Lab. (@marzanoresearch on Twitter – Jan is not on Twitter yet.) MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. The official description of this (Read More...) Publ.Date : Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:32:32 +0000 Access OTA – EncycloMedia 2012 Session Info via a Google Spreadsheet This evening I used TextWrangler to parse session data from the 135 page PDF file published for the upcoming OTA – EncycloMedia 2012 conference in Oklahoma City (February 7-8) into a public Google Spreadsheet. Use the following shortened URL to access this version of the schedule in a computer web browser or on your mobile (Read More...) Publ.Date : Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:39 +0000 Configure KidBlog for Safe, Moderated, Interactive Student Blogging & Commenting (cross-posted from playingwithmedia.com) This semester I’m working on a contract basis (thanks to federal grant dollars) as an “innovative instructional coach” in Yukon Public Schools. This morning I helped one of our sixth grade teachers facilitate her first lessons using free, ad-free class blogs hosted by KidBlog.org. In this post, I’ll share some of the (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:07:36 +0000 Classroom Management, Effective Instruction, and Student Motivation by Mark Mcleod These are my notes from Mark Mcleod‘s keynote address at the Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals (OAESP) mid-winter conference on January 19, 2012, in Oklahoma City. The conference is sponsored and organized by the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA). Mark’s official website is www.markmcleodpresentations.com. MY THOUGHTS AND COMMENTS ARE IN ALL CAPS. (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:09:44 +0000 A Call to Increase the Volume of our Profession in Educational Politics These are my notes from opening comments by Dr Michael Schooley, Deputy Executive Director of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, at the Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals (OAESP) mid-winter conference on January 19, 2012, in Oklahoma City. The conference is sponsored and organized by the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA). (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:55:03 +0000 Use Appointment Slots on a Google Calendar Google Calendar (free) offers a wonderful feature for teachers: The ability to set up “appointment slots” which other people can click on to schedule a meeting at an available time. This is ideal for scheduling parent-teacher conferences or other meetings in which individuals in a group need to specify a time that works with their (Read More...) Publ.Date : Tue, 24 Jan 2012 04:32:47 +0000 Remember TEACHERS Make the Biggest Difference, Not Devices I’m quite enthused by Apple’s announcements yesterday about iBooks Author software (free, Mac-only) as well as iBooks2 (free) for iPad. James O’Hagan is spot on in his post for EdReach yesterday, “The New iBooks Release Means . . .” iBooks Author software will make it even easier for teachers as well as students to create (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:22:56 +0000 Supplemental Oklahoma Rules for K-12 Online Courses In late December 2011 I received an email about draft rules written by our Oklahoma State Department of Education which cover online courses for K-12 students. This document is available as a PDF from the Oklahoma SDE, and I’ve archived a copy too. Emergency rules regarding online courses for K-12 students in Oklahoma public schools (Read More...) Publ.Date : Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:51:17 +0000 Temporarily Copy Offline YouTube Videos to Your iPad Even if YouTube is unblocked in your school for teacher access, it can be challenging to share YouTube videos with students during class. YouTube download speeds can be slow at school (especially in the afternoon) and YouTube videos often display online with distracting (and sometimes inappropriate) “related videos” as well as comments. While free tools (Read More...) Publ.Date : Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:53:26 +0000 Cross Examination Debate Flow Template for Numbers in iWork ’09 This year I’m continuing to serve as a parent volunteer with our speech and debate team at Classen School of Advanced Studies in Oklahoma City. Last semester I ‘made the digital switch’ and started flowing all cross examination (CX) debate rounds on my laptop instead of using legal pads. I’ve seen some different ways people (Read More...) Publ.Date : Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:20:46 +0000 What’s So Common About Common Core? These are my notes from Dr. Sharon Wilbur, Tiffany Neill, Levi Patrick and Pat Turner’s presentation, “What’s So Common About Common Core?” at the Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals (OAESP) mid-winter conference on January 19, 2012, in Oklahoma City. The conference is sponsored and organized by the Cooperative Council for Oklahoma School Administration (CCOSA). (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:48:05 +0000 Teacher Leader Effectiveness (TLE) and the Tulsa Model #oaesp12 These are my notes from Michael Barlow, Dr. Cassandra Funderburk, Cindy Taylor, Talia Shaw and Linda Hendrick’s presentation, “Teacher Leader Effectiveness (TLE) and the Tulsa Model” at the Oklahoma Association of Elementary School Principals (OAESP) mid-winter conference on January 20, 2012, in Oklahoma City. The conference is sponsored and organized by the Cooperative Council for (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:54:25 +0000 A Saturday Filled with Media Creation and #playingwithmedia Today was an unprecedented Saturday for media production and new media experiences around our house. Everything kicked off with a great breakfast with Alan Levine, who visited last night enroute to the east coast, and a big thrill listening to him broadcast live from I-40 on #ds106 radio from his iPhone and talk to my (Read More...) Publ.Date : Sun, 29 Jan 2012 03:22:07 +0000 Optimize a Google Site for Mobile Accessibility and Metrics (cross-posted from playingwithmedia.com) More classroom teachers and other educators are using Google Sites to create websites these days. Google Sites is free, flexible, and well integrated with other “Google Tools” like Google Docs and YouTube. Certainly Google Sites has limitations, but its FREE price tag combined with flexibility (especially when a school is already using (Read More...) Publ.Date : Thu, 05 Jan 2012 05:19:40 +0000 Entrepreneurial Traits and Skills To Nurture in 2012 (Cross-posted from Playing With Media) The clock is ticking and here in central Oklahoma we’re about to ring in the new year. This evening my wife and I watched Cameron Herold’s outstanding TEDtalk from June 2010, “Let’s raise kids to be entrepreneurs.” As we consider new year’s resolutions and goals for 2012, Cameron’s suggestions for (Read More...) Publ.Date : Sun, 01 Jan 2012 05:53:02 +0000 Yukon 6th Grade Parents and Teachers Provide Students Feedback on Writing (cross-posted from the Yukon Public Schools Learning Showcase website) This semester, students taught by Debbie Callison at the Yukon Middle School 6th Grade Academy have been writing and sharing their poetry online using free, interactive websites hosted by Kidblog.org. All the posts written by students, as well as comments submitted by others to each website, (Read More...) Publ.Date : Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:18:24 +0000 Help the Oklahoma City CoWorking Collaborative Reboot! For the past several years, I’ve been a member and beneficiary of the Oklahoma City Co-Working Collaborative. If you’re not familiar with the co-working model, you should definitely read up on it. It’s great, and a super way for creative professionals to network as well as work together. The okcCoCo is winding up a week (Read More...) Publ.Date : Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:26:47 +0000 Recoverable and Resumable YouTube Uploads with Chrome and FireFox Here’s an excellent reason to consider using a recent version of Chrome or FireFox as your web browser when uploading videos to YouTube: Uploads are recoverable and resumable file transfers when using these browsers. This evening I uploaded two large, high definition videos to YouTube from this past weekend’s Trapper’s Rendezvous campout in southcentral Kansas. (Read More...) Publ.Date : Mon, 16 Jan 2012 04:24:48 +0000 Lessons Learned Videoconferencing on the BlueJeans Network (Dec 2011) To close out 2011 and start 2012 I’m starting a series of “lessons learned” blog posts. In this first one, I’ll share some of my takeaways using the extremely innovative BlueJeans.com videoconferencing service for professional development workshops. This month I offered a series of “videoconference PD” sessions I called “The 12 Days of Playing with (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 30 Dec 2011 05:47:40 +0000 Why We Cancelled Our Hulu Plus Subscription Today we cancelled our family trial subscription to Hulu Plus. Last week I shared my excitement at being able to use the free Hulu Plus iPad app and “mirror” from an iPad2 on Apple TV to watch TV programs on our television. In the end, however, the regular ADVERTISING in Hulu Plus (along with the (Read More...) Publ.Date : Mon, 02 Jan 2012 02:27:59 +0000 Create a Custom Digital Newspaper on your iPad with Flipboard & Google Reader (Cross-posted from my new website and iPad productivity training website, ipadwithwes.com) In this episode of “iPad with Wes,” author and digital learning consultant Wesley Fryer explains how to create a custom digital newspaper on your iPad using the free application Flipboard. The video is 9 minutes, 17 seconds long Referenced links in this episode include: (Read More...) Publ.Date : Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:38:37 +0000 Dave Ramsey on Strengths, Jobs, Entrepreneurship, Lifelong Learning & Persistence My father led a class for Dave Ramsey‘s “Financial Peace University” this past fall at his church in Manhattan, Kansas. Since I’m exploring some new job as well as consulting possibilities following the completion of my PhD this fall, he shared the Lesson 11 CD with me over the holidays titled “Working In Your Strengths.” (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:35:38 +0000 Common Core Transition Ideas via Marzano (cross-posted from Professional Development Reflections from Yukon PS) On January 26, 2012, we attended a full-day workshop about “Common Core Transition” led by Jan Hough with Marzano Research Lab. These are some of our takeaways from the day. Handouts from Jan’s session are available on the OSSBA website. Writing Across the Curriculum One of the (Read More...) Publ.Date : Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:15:42 +0000 |
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TESOL Certification for teaching english abroad in non-native English speaking countries.
