words are worlds I sailed upon

Tech Matters Progress Report

2008-01-29T20:30:00.001-05:00

NWP @ Rutgers University New Jersey
Technology Matters Minigrant

Progress Report
October 2007-September 2008

TECH MATTERS INITIATIVE

Money from the Technology Matters minigrant will be invested towards the Technology Team initiative. Over the course of the next year, the tech team will research, plan, and work on three projects.

First, members will read and discuss current literature on Web 2.0 applications for the classroom, implement a Web 2.0 project. Secondly, integrate and document experiences using Web 2.0 technology in the content area classroom. Finally, this information will be geared towards the hosting professional development in the areas of technology and literacy for our current teacher consultants, and again at our midwinter writing conference in 2009.

All active Tech Team members will be financially compensated from the Technology Matters minigrant for their contributions towards the initiative:

Tech team stipend to physically attend meetings & participate in two scheduled online book talks (one year incentive)

$25 per book talk
$50 attend meetings

Tech team bonus to document use of technology in classroom through narrative summary and student samples, work to be shared with tech team through online discussion (one year incentive)

$100 to use and document Web 2.0 technology w/ student samples

Tech team bonus paid upon presentation of Web 2.0 based demo at Brown Bag Saturday or 2009 Midwinter Writing Conference (will continue beyond first year)

$200 to present tech-based demo

Upon notification of receiving the ‘07-‘08 Tech Matters minigrant, I posted an invitation to join the newly forming Tech Team. The site director suggested that I advertise the Tech Team as a “study group” as opposed to a “subcommittee.” She was concerned that running another subcommittee— in addition to outreach, inservice, and continuity—would steal away volunteers from these areas. I argued that Tech Team members would be more dedicated if they weren’t overextended. We both had valid points. In the end, we both agreed to run the initiative as a “study group” with the consideration that at the end of a year, we could consider the possibility of adding technology as a fourth subcommittee.

Not including Susan and myself, eight other TC’s replied to my invitation with a letter of interest. This caused some concern, as the original TM proposal budgeted for a total of eight participants. The site director and I discussed the matter; she outright offered to cover additional participants through the NWP Rutgers budget. We both agreed that it was in the site’s best interest to take as many people as were willing to participate—especially considering the possibility of attrition.

Another notification was sent out invite teacher consultants to attend the inaugural Tech Team meeting scheduled for November 3rd. Overall the meeting was well attended. Two tech members could not attend due to prior commitments. One tech team member had a family emergency the morning of the meeting. There was only one “no show” without any given explanation. Three teacher consultants attended out of curiosity—including one TC who traveled from a neighboring NWP site. These TC’s made up for the Tech Team members that did not attend. Altogether there were ten attendees.

The meeting kicked-off with a discussion centered on technology and literacy needs of the 21st century. Participants then viewed and discussed the Shift Happens 2.0 video and discussed further implications for the future of education. The meeting concluded with a discussion of the NWP Rutgers Tech Matters Minigrant Proposal. I created a pocket-sized version for the participants to keep handy. Seven Tech Team members received a copy of Will Richardson's book "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasting... "The agenda, minutes, and synopsis of the meeting are also available on my blog:

http://wordsareworlds.blogspot.com/2007/11/inaugural-tech-team-meeting.html

In reviewing the Tech Team proposal and timeline, it came to my attention the initiative was already behind schedule. How could we be behind schedule in late October, especially considering Susan and I didn’t receive notification regarding grant status until late September? Apparently Susan and I were overly ambitious in planning what would be accomplished right away—we front loaded the timeline leaving little activity the year. This was most likely due to feeling hyped from the Tech Matters Institute. I still strongly believe the goals outlined in the proposal are achievable within one year; therefore the timeline was adjusted to even the pace of the tech initiative. For example, the technology retreat was moved from May and postponed until August. This adjustment should most benefit tech team members, giving them more leeway to participate in book talks, implement technology, and document the results.

Beyond the Tech Team, technology has infiltrated how the executive committee communicates. Upon Susan and my recommendation, the leadership team agreed to collaboratively write the 2008 Continued Funding Application narrative through Google Docs. The endeavor proved successful. In another area, I’m looking to guarantee continued use of the E-Anthology during the Summer Institute. Susan and I wrote the position of E-Anthology Facilitator into the minigrant proposal. Our original proposal defined the role to register participants to the Anthology, and respond to NWP Rutgers postings on a daily basis. As per the feedback of Shirley Brown and Paul Oh, the Anthology facilitator is now responsible to plan alongside the summer facilitator to ensure the place of the Anthology during the institute.

REDEFINING WEB PRESENCE

Buried deep within my minigrant proposal, I proposed to redevelop the static HTML-based http://nwprutgers.org website using dynamic CMS software. The Tech Matters ’07 website inspired me, but I was also interested to learn about other CMS such as Joomla. After reading several blogs reviewing CMS’s (ex. http://www.nicklewis.org/mambo-vs-drupal), I decided to give Drupal a try.

I used Fantastico to install Drupal 5.1 in all of a button click. Although the installation went quickly, the software was loaded into the main directory and therefore conflicted with the pre-existing homepage. Following the advice given on the Drupal forums, I've opted to install Drupal under a subdomain. This allows me time to fully develop the site, and have my tech team run through the environment to check for bugs. Once the new site is tested, it will be moved from the subdomain into the main directory, replacing the old, static website.

I started the Drupal development site way back in October. Shortly thereafter I became frustrated by the steep learning curve. Cron jobs? Customizing themes? Editing CSS? Running PHP tables? Building a core site module by module? To top it off, the administration panel overwhelmed me. It took me the better part of three weeks before I learned how to post to the front page. The project was temporarily put on the backburner while I prepared to attend the NWP Annual Meeting. I’ve documented my struggles with Drupal on my blog:

http://wordsareworlds.blogspot.com/search/label/Drupal

I’m pleased to say a session hosted by Jason Shiroff and two other TC’s inspired me to resurrect the Drupal project. Shortly after the New Year I decided to run the beta version of the next major release; Drupal 6.1 RC (Release Candidate); it feels so much more powerful and user-friendly in comparison to it's 5.0 brethren. Since Drupal 6 is still Beta, there are fewer themes and modules available. This means less time sorting through hundreds of third-party add-ons. Less time tinkering with plug-ins means more time with the core module. Given my initial frustrations, the second round proved more productive. I’ve managed to properly customize a theme, establish core modules, modify blocks, and bring users into the environment. Check out the development:

http://www.nwprutgers.org (old static site edited with Dreamweaver)
http://rodeo.nwprutgers.org (new dynamic site using Drupal)

To date, two Tech Team members (other than myself) have registered on the Drupal site, and joined the book talk on Will Richardson’s Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts… I’m somewhat disappointed by the lackluster turnout. I question whether this signifies team members haven’t read Richardson, maybe it was due to the Holidays, or if they are preparing to present at the Midwinter Writing Conference next week, or because of a reluctance to join the Drupal site. Maybe I was too ambitious requiring the members to join an online conversation without first planning more face-to-face meetings. Or perhaps TC’s would have a better response using a listserv communication where new posts arrive via email as opposed to logging into a bulletin board/forum. The truth could be any combination of these stated reasons.

In order to remedy the lack of participation in the online book talk, I first plan to approach tech members at the upcoming Midwinter Writing Conference on February 2nd. This will give me an opportunity to encourage each tech team member in person to join the online conversation. Secondly, I plan to extend the book talk deadline to February 29th; participants will need to contribute their first post by then to qualify for the $25 book talk incentive. In addition, I’ll schedule another face-to-face meeting to follow up the online book talk, get a progress check to see how (or if) members are implementing a Web 2.0 technology in their classroom, and to give attending members a copy of David Warlick’s book Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century.

UPDATED MINIGRANT TIMELINE

November / December:

Switch web hosting services and install Drupal in a subdomain of nwprutgers.org as a development site.
First face-to-face meeting with Tech Team.
Provide an overview: establish first project goal for the team, delegate responsibilities, & present the timeline.
Provide members of the Tech Team with Will Richardson's Blogs, Wikis, Podcasting…

January/February 2008:

Tech Team members participate in a book talk of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasting... through the NWP Rutgers Drupal development site.
TCs pilot technology tools and pedagogy in their classrooms and document evidence of students using technology in the classroom.
Documented evidence will be used towards the creation of new technology demos for Midwinter Conference 2009.

March/April 2008:

Tech team members will read Redefining Literacy for the 21st Century by David Warlick, and participate in an online book talk.
TC’s to pilot technology tools and pedagogy in their classrooms and document evidence of students using technology in the classroom.
Advertise/recruit for the position of E-Anthology facilitator.
Organize & plan Tech retreat. Decide which technologies will be presented to the leadership.
Work with leadership team to plan to offer a series of "Tech Saturdays" and tech strand at the upcoming Midwinter Writing Conference.

May 2008:

Prompt tech team members to participate in a discussion of successes & setbacks they’ve faced attempting to implement a Web 2.0 technology.
Train E-Anthology Facilitator.
Coordinate the Summer Institute and E-Anthology Facilitators to plan for technology & writing during the upcoming SI.
Gather data from TC pilot technology programs.

June/July:

Encourage TC’s to consider or begin working on a technology demo based on their current knowledge/experiences.
Consider planning a face-to-face tech team meeting during third week of SI to collaborate on technology demos.
Maintain contact with E-Anthology facilitator as needed.
Technology presentation at the SI?

August/September:

Host a Tech Retreat for the site’s leadership to unveil Drupal site and discuss the future of tech initiatives beyond the Tech Matters minigrant.
Work with leadership team to plan to offer a series of "Tech Saturdays" and tech strand at the upcoming Midwinter Writing Conference.
Consider possibility of Advanced Institute in Technology for summer ’09.
Joe & Susan submit a final report.

Spirit of Marathon

2008-01-24T22:51:00.000-05:00

What an inspiring documentary!

It sounds a bit cliché, but this movie delivers on its namesake by truly capturing the spirit of running a marathon-- particularly a big-city marathon like Chicago. The movie had a bit of something for everyone: a bit of history, trivia, training, injuries, physical theraphy, running philosophy, athletic competition, the achievement of running 26.2, and Kenyans. There was a little something for every level of long-distance runner. In fact, the movie was very well received by the audience-- mostly comprised of various runners. This might also be just the type of movie that a dedicated marathoner would show to a spouse, friends, or family to justify how training four months to run 26.2 miles is indeed fun.

Bagel Knife

2008-01-21T22:48:00.000-05:00

Tomato & Bagel Knife
Originally uploaded by The Marmot.

“Oh my God.”

I poked my head out of the upstairs bathroom door, toothbrush drooping out of my mouth.

“OH MY GOD!” This time my wife exclaimed at the top of her lungs. Her call rang out from the kitchen at the back of the house.

What was with all the excitement—especially first thing on a Monday morning? I couldn’t quite read the emotion in her voice. Either she won the lottery or there was something shocking outside the kitchen window.

Shocking?

Shrieking—she started shrieking at the top of her voice. I couldn’t quite piece it together, but she sounded urgent. Was someone injured? Katie, our kitty, is notorious for sneaking where she’s not supposed to be. The first image that popped into my head was that of our cat walking across the stovetop, or being slammed between a door and the doorway.

I jetted downstair.

Bagel.

Bagel knife.

Blood.

My wife’s hands were dripping with blood. Bagel. Blade. She stood there staring at me, on the brink of tears; I staring back at her. My mind raced, not gaining any traction. I couldn’t comprehend the situation. My pregnant wife wasn’t supposed to be standing in the kitchen, bleeding, 6:40 A.M. on a Monday morning—the day my student teacher was scheduled to arrive.

All this before my first cup of tea.

But it only took a quick glance to know my pregnant wife would need stitches. I could see it in her eyes. My thoughts kicked into overdrive. Bandage. Cell phone. School secretary called. Keys. Coat. Check, check, check. And then we raced to the emergency room to be caught up in the bureaucracy of it all.

The emergency room nurse took her age, name, address, allergies, previous surgeries, prescription info, etc., etc., etc. The emergency room billing secretary took her age, name, address, allergies, previous surgeries, insurance, etc., etc., etc. The redundancy was astounding! We rushed through their questionnaires only to wait 40 minutes while doctors and nurses came off shift, chatting it up.

MY PREGNANT WIFE IS BLEEDING! SHE NEEDS STITCHES! WON’T ANYONE LIFT A FINGER TO HELP screamed through my mind.

Still we waited.

Till they moved from the “reception area” waiting room to a “medical” waiting room.

By now the bleeding had subsided, but we grew more and more anxious with every wasted moment. Eventually a nurse came by to reassure my wife and I the doctor would be right with us.

Two hours later, my wife was sewn back together: three internal and seven external stitches.

8 Weeks

2008-01-15T20:39:00.000-05:00

Proof of life.

Somewhere between grey and white lines of static, a little dot flickered-- a heart beat.

My Little Bean.

ONCE

2008-01-12T19:46:00.000-05:00

Once in a lifetime, a movie comes along. So profound. So moving. So memorable. Or at least that's how my friend Diana described the movie.

"After all," she said, "Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rating of 98%."

In Diana's eyes, any movie with a Rotten Tomato rating over 80% is worth viewing. Nothing is perfect, but this was nearly perfect... so she wanted me to believe.

Every time Diana stopped by the house, she'd inquire if my wife and I rented the movie as per her recommendation. Nope. Not yet. In fact, it became somewhat of a game to see how long we could resist her temptation. The both of us had stalled for weeks in following her advice... until last night.

My wife wasn't feeling up for going out, so we choose a night in instead. She broke down and rented the movie. When Diana found out, she decided to make an event out of our first time viewing the film. "I want to be there to share the experience with you," she said.

So Diana, her sister, my wife, and I cozied up to watch the movie. We donned our PJ's, cozied up with goose down pillows, and buried ourselves up to the neck with several layers of pillows. After getting settled in, we started the film... Diana was so right about this particular movie.

"Once" is a story of two Dublin singer-songwriters struggling to find a place in each others lives and music. Girl falls for guy. Guy falls for girl. Though both struggle to form a new relationship on the rebound, as each is also tied to their ex's.

There was so much chemistry between the two main characters. The music was heartfelt and sincere. The plot so simple and plausible. The movie had me feel so much emotion for for chief characters, that I wanted to believe they were real. The movie had that magic which makes your skin tingle at all the right moments.

In fact, I was sad left sad by the end of the movie. Not by the ending itself, but that it would be so long before I'll ever see another movie which will leave such a lasting impression. At least I can revisit those emotions by listening to the soundtrack, over and over...

Alright, so maybe it wasn't the movie of a lifetime, but it is arguably one of the best movies I've seen this year. Perhaps one of the top movies I've ever seen. Period.

Customizing Drupal: BlueMarine

2008-01-09T21:28:00.000-05:00

Tinkering around the Drupal "Themes" menu, I noticed the Garland allows color customization with the color module enabled. Background, header(s), link, and text. Simply enough, I could either point my cursor around a color wheel, or manually enter the hex color code. It was easy. Very easy. Though the website appeared more tailored than truly customized. Not quite what I was looking for.

So I consulted the Drupal Help Forum, and posted a topic titles Customizing Themes. In no time at all, I had several suggestions. One was to use the Firebug plugin for the Foxfire web browser. In essence, this tool allows web developers the ability to temporarily edit HTML, CSS, and Java code. The other was to use the BlueMarine theme, which is the easiest theme to reconfigure. I also consulted several blogs, forums, and websites for additional information. The Webmaster Tips site had thorough documentation. Because We Can also had a useful review of editing BlueMarine.

Locating the CSS codes took a bit of poking around, but Firebug allowed me to edit them on the fly once I found them. Looking for header and footer tags was also easy enough; I had a basic idea of what section I was editing. At some point, I would love to see some tutorial or blog entry that identifies what each color line changes. there were some edits (down towards the bottom of the code) where I didn't notice any change.

Check this out:

http://www.nwprutgers.org (old static site edited with Dreamweaver)
http://rodeo.nwprutgers.org (new dynamic site using Drupal)

Not bad, eh?

Giving Drupal Another Go

2008-01-05T20:11:00.000-05:00

My New Years Resolutions: be a good father, run a marathon, and learn how to manage a website via Drupal.

YES-- learning Drupal is right up there next to marathoning.

I migrated to Drupal way back in October. Know what? Nothing has become if it. I've become too frustrated to proceed. Cron jobs? Customizing themes? Editing CSS? Running PHP tables? Building a core site module by module?

I have no idea about any of these things... and all the user manuals are written for techies by techies.

Right about now, I feel that I'm way over my head. I've managed to create, corrupt, and rebuild the site from scratch at least a dozen times. AT LEAST! Thank God I'm running the development site http://rodeo.nwprutgers.org as a subdomain of http://www.nwprutgers.org. This way, no one else needs to see all my bumbling.

I decided to run the beta version of the next major release; Drupal 6.1 RC (Release Candidate); it feels so much more powerful and user-friendly in comparison to it's 5.0 brethren. In particular, I like the addition of secondary links and ordering menu items by drag-and-drop rather than assigning weights. Also adjusting configurations within the administrator panel appears streamlined. Good news for me.

Since Drupal 6 is still Beta, there are fewer themes and modules available. This means less time sorting through hundreds of third-party add-ons. Less time tinkering with plugins means more time with the core module.

So far, I've successfully configured the aggregator, blog, forum, update status, search, and menu which come bundled with the 6.1 release. I've downloaded the image module, though I haven't had much of an opportunity to test it out. nicEdit WYSIWYG editor appeared promising at first-- very easy to install and utilize; however, it didn't take to cut-and-paste too well. This module might be better where users are generating new content (such as blogs and forums). Since most of my Drupal web work will involve cut-and-paste, I've disabled nicEdit for the time being.

All that being said, I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable navigating through the extensive administrator menu... I'm getting a feel for Drupal. The learning curve is steep, and it's going to take time.. but time is one thing I happen to have in this particular case. I don't have plans to have the site go live until August.

Spirit of the Marathon Movie

2008-01-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

The January edition of the South Jersey Running Company newsletter arrived today. An announcement for an upcoming documentary caught my eye. The Ritz movie theater at Voorhees will have a special airing of the movie "Spirit of Marathon," which is one of the first documentaries on this topic.

With all of my resolve to run the NJ Marathon, this movie seems like it would be just the thing to get me really psyched, because I need something to keep me going these next two frigid winter months. Anyway, I've already reserved my movie tickets... now I just need to shell out $75 for marathon registration.

Spirit of the Marathon Movie
"Spirit of the Marathon" is the first ever non-fiction feature film to capture the drama and essence of the famed 26.2 mile running event. Filmed on four continents, the production brings together a diverse cast of amateur athletes and marathon luminaries.

The show is ONE NIGHT ONLY - Thursday, Jan. 24th at 7:30. Meet at any of our stores around 6:00 - 6:30 and we can leave together.

Make sure you reserve your tickets on-line for:

Showcase at the Ritz Center
900 HADDONFIELD-BERLIN ROAD
VOORHEES, NJ 08043
856-770-9065
or
Washington Township
121 TUCKAHOE RD
SEWELL, NJ 08080
609-262-0581

I'm Only Mortal

2008-01-01T20:39:00.001-05:00

I'm 10+ pounds over my average weight; that is 20+ over my top-shape. I've clocked an average of 10 miles per week for the last two months. My hear trate is up, running pace is slow, and I feel fatigued having run only three miles. Additionally, I've previously experienced knee problems in the past, and I'm hesitant to pile on the miles too quickly.

The numbers don't lie.

I'm not exactly in top shape-- certainly not ready to run a marathon. I don't want to end up either burned out or injured, so there is no sense in picking an elite running program. Setting time goals aside, I've decided to set my sights on crossing that finish line whether I have to run, walk, or run/walk.

I'm only mortal after all.

There are eighteen weeks before the NJ Marathon. I'm looking to combine long runs, cross-training, and monitoring my heart rate. Not opposed to walking in either training or race day. All things considered, I've settled on the "Run/Walk Marathon" training plan from Bingham and Hadfield's Marathoning for Mortals.

Quoting the book (Bingham, Hadfield pgs. 244-249), this program is perfect for:

Veteran runners looking for an alternate strategy for improving speed and performance.
Runners who are injured or who have suffered injuries in the past.
Those who have been running less than a year and don't have a base of at least 20 miles per week.
Walk/runners who want a new challenge.
Veteran runners looking for an alternate strategy for improving speed and performance.

For those who are interested, I've transfered the regimen into Google Calendar so the information is more readily accessible. See below:

Marathon Training

2007-12-28T13:03:00.000-05:00

I've considered, no-- talked and talked about running a marathon for the past three years of my life. Coincidentally that was also the time when I was a graduate students. I let my personal ambitions displace my personal goals.

No longer.

It helps that I've successfully graduated with my masters. Now I feel ready to take on some new challenges. Starting a family with my wife. Writing and recording more music. And certainly tackling the training it takes to run 26.2 miles.

I'm serious this time.

In fact, I'm psyched by two Christmas gifts. My wife bought me the Garmin Forerunner; my brother-in-law gave me Marathoning for Mortals by John the Penguin Bingham and Jenny Hadfield. The book is exactly what I needed to get started. A common sense guide for the amateur marathon runner.

I also have the wit and wisdom from fellow runners in both the Haddonfield Running Company's Wednesday night run and the Mercer-Bucks Running Club. Jim, a regular at the M.-B.R.C. emailed me the following marathon training resources :

Here is a link to the Benjie Durden program. It was published in Runners World and in the 1992 Boston Marathon program booklet. It the one that has worked best for me, but every individual is different and some people find other programs work better for them.

http://www.io.com/~beckerdo/triathlons/trainmarathon.html

Bob Glover is a big wig in the NYC Road Runners. His book The Runner’s Handbook, The Competitive Runner’s Handbook is pretty comprehensive. I have used the training program in it (is it also sent to every entrant in the NYC Marathon). This worked 2nd best for me.

http://www.ingnycmarathon.org/training/trainingschedule.php

Hal Higdon is the editor of Runners World. I never used this program.

http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm

Jeff Galloway is an advocate of long slow training. He used to run a camp for aspiring marathoners during the summer. His book Galloway’s Book on Running has a lot of valuable information. I was personally least successful with this program.

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/marathon.html

There are a zillion other programs on-line, too.

Most important – pick a program and stick with it (religiously).

I have yet to settle on a training program, though I've decided to run the NJ Marathon in Long Branch, NJ. Race date is scheduled for that first weekend in May. Given a four-month marathon running program, I'll need to begin preparations immediately after New Years Day.

Personal Narratives from New Jersey

2007-12-23T09:08:00.000-05:00

I'm pleased to announce my very first student podcast on the Youth Radio network!

Earlier this year my 6th grade students journaled evocative memories in their lives. I taught my classes a series of writing lessons from Barry Lane's "The Revisers Toolbox." The students then crafted personal narratives employing "snapshot," "thought shot," and dialog writing techniques.

We then went to the computer lab to digitally record their narratives using the free, open source software Audacity. This actually proved to be useful as a tool for revision, as it forced the students to slow down, read the words on the page, and actually hear what they wrote! They also recorded for publication. With parent permission, several students volunteered to have their work published online.

I am very pleased with the results. Please check out the latest post from my students on Youth Radio: http://youthradio.wordpress.com Special thanks goes out to Kevin Hodgson of the Western Mass Writing Project for starting and organizing the Youth Radio Project!

The News

2007-12-17T12:40:00.000-05:00

December has been on of the most trying months in my entire life.

First, my father-in-law passed away rather unexpectedly; as if that wasn't bad enough.

My wife and I have been trying to conceive for nearly a year-- without success. We finally decided to turn towards doctors for answers; the doctor flat out told my wife and I that we have a slim-to-none chances for a natural pregnancy.

The doc recommended surgery to improve our chances, at least give us some hope. That surgery was scheduled for this morning.

Do you believe in miracles?

Yesterday morning my wife woke up and tested positive... I'M GOING TO BE A DAD!

Can you believe it? Can you believe IT?

I can't. In fact I'm having a really hard time dealing with all these emotions. The death of my father-in-law. The doc's prognosis of "slim-to-none." Dealing with the surgery. Now the surgery is indefinitely postponed. My wife and I are going to be parents! This is too over-the-top; talk about a low-point and a high-point within the span of several days!

What a Christmas gift!

WiFi Vagabond

2007-11-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

Woot! My birthday gift arrived ahead of my birthday this year-- just in time for the National Council of Teacher of English (NCTE) conference in New York City. Check it out, a Firefox Ogio Messenger Bag.

This is a techie bag for sure!

The bag is incredibly well designed right down to the minutia, like a comfy shoulder strap, ergonomics, and lots of compartments designated for specific purposes: laptop, power cord, iPod, headphones, PDA, key clip, glasses, cell phone, pen sleeves, plane tickets, ID badge, and mesh pockets for this-and-that.

It took me a good 30-minutes to explore the bag, and all of it's hidden compartments.

The fabric appears very durable, which is important considering I wore through my previous laptop bag. The zippers are all an Ogio custom design. Believe it or not, I consider the zipper a hallmark of a well made item. A good zipper means to me that the manufacturer spared no expense-- only the best, right down to the smallest detail.

My only gripe are the two plastic, rectangular loops that connect the shoulder strap to the bag. Granted, I packed my bag to its fullest potential, but the loops didn't quite hold as I thought they should. Instead they rotated, and scrunched up the strap. The integrity of the plastic and strap do not appear compromised in anyway. My only gripe is why spring for custom zippers if they shoulder strap doesn't hold as it should.

Awesome. This bag will suit me well for my trek to New York City for the NWP/NCTE conventions. I'm a roving computer lab, a WiFi vagabond, ready with microphone, digital camera, laptop computer, iPod, headphones, etc. etc. etc. Now if only I can find some WiFi hotspots, I'll be in business...

The GPS Runner

2007-11-10T11:19:00.000-05:00

This morning several members of the Mercer/Bucks Running Club were sporting their new Garmin Forerunner GPS Navigator-- a device that tracks heart rate, distance, and pace with the capability to measure, record, display data, and upload the whole kit and kabodle to your personal computer. It's a powerful piece of technology for sure, with a price tag to match. Typically the Forerunner sells for close to $400 at many running stores.

The runners divulged their secret to the group: apparently they purchased their Foreruner for nearly 50% of the listed price. Some while back, Amazon.com listed a huge sale on their Garmin products. Amazon.com lists the Garmin Forerunner 305 Wrist-Mounted GPS Navigator and Personal Training Device with Heart Rate Monitor for $205.97-- reduced 45% from their listed price of $376.99.

That's not all.

At the time I'm writing this blog, Powerbar offers a $50 Garmin rebate on the condition that you register for their Nutrition Edge Newsletter. That rebate can be used in conjunction with the Amazon.com sale for a combined savings. Now knock another $50 that off the Amazon.com price tag of $205.97. Note: this trick won't work with with an eBay purchase, as you'll need a sales receipt from a recognized retailer.

$376.99 - listed price
$205.97 - Amazon's sale price
$155.97 - price after Powerbar rebate

Wide World of Emus and Roms

2007-11-09T09:54:00.000-05:00

I am Generation Atari... born and raised on video games.

Bah-- forget Erikson's stages of psychosocial development; my life is marked by generations of gaming consoles.

I cut my teeth on an Atari 2600 way back in the day.
Then came perhaps the most influential system of all time-- the Nintendo Entertainment System came about when I was in intermediate school.
I traded in most of my games for pennies to the pound to purchase a Sega Genesis during middle school.
My high school girlfriend owned a Super Nintendo... and for a while she lent it to me. Well, until I broke up with her.
My college girlfriend (now current wife) owned a Sony Playstation and LCD projector. Now that's true love!
It seemed only fitting that my college friends chipped in to purchase a Playstation 2 as our wedding gift.

You know, every now and again I get nostalgic for the video games of bygone days. There's something to be said for those old 8, 16, and 32-bit systems. The playability completely transcended limitations of sound and graphics. I'd like to believe there is more than nostalgia to draw me back to old-skool games after all these years.

Scouting out all the old systems and games has proven to be quite a chore. I've amassed a small stockpile, but nothing close to all those games I sold off years ago. It isn't the collection propels me... I just want the chance to replay the video games from my childhood.

That is what draws me to EMU(lators) and (video game) ROMs.

An emulator is computer software that enables a computer to imitate another device. In this case, there is emulation software to adapt Atari, Nintendo, Sega video game consoles for the computer. In essence, ROMs are the computer games designed to be played with certain emu software. That is, you could download an Atari 2600 emulator, and then download individual ROM video games designated for the Atari emulator; Sega and Nintendo games aren't be compatible.

Now there is some debate regarding copyright laws. I don't have the legal background to fully delve into the topic, but I have some basic understanding. Copyright laws protect the economic interests of a producer (be it a writer, artist, film director, etc.) for a designated amount of time. Old video game consoles and games are no longer in production, and therefore no longer stand to draw a profit. From what I've read, emulator proponents argue the computer hardware and video game software is no longer in production, and is therefore abandoned.

Thus the term abandonware. A wikipedia article on the same topic points out that most often copyright laws are still applicable, even though some companies may not choose to pursue and prosecute copyright offenders via EMUs and ROMs. Interestingly enough, the Wii offers old Nintendo, Supernintendo, and Super Famicom games for download in a pay-per-download market. As far as I have read, Nintendo is actively trying to shut down various ROMs produced on the Nintendo title.

I am currently emulating the Super Nintendo through the Snes9X for Mac's. The software feels a little quirky loading ROMs, but game play is smooth enough. TheRoms.Com hosts a impressive database of video games from various systems, but especially the Super Nintendo. Right now I'm using the keyboard as my game controller, but apparently there is a market for adapters to retro-fit game controllers to computer USB ports. This would be helpful, as complex button sequences are difficult on the keyboard.

Inaugural NWP Rutgers Tech Team Meeting

2007-11-03T18:52:00.000-04:00

Today Susan and I hosted the inaugural Tech Team meeting at Rutgers Graduate School of Education.

The meeting kicked-off with a discussion centered on technology and literacy needs of the 21st century. Participants then viewed and discussed the Shift Happens 2.0 video and discussed further implications for the future of education.

I demonstrated how-to record digital audio using the open source software Audacity; student samples were also presented. The group brainstormed various ways to incorporate student- and teacher-created digital audio into the classroom.

The meeting concluded with a discussion of the NWP Rutgers Tech Matters Minigrant Proposal. I created a pocket-sized version for the participants to keep handy.

Tech Team members received their copy of Will Richardson's Blogs, Wikis, Podcasting... which was funded by the Tech Matters minigrant; they agreed to read the book and participate in an online book talk sometime in mid-January (date and technology TBA).

Much thanks to everyone who came out: NWP Rutgers TC's, Tech Team members, and especially Linda from the Trenton Area Writing Project. Extra, extra special thanks to Susan for jotting down the meeting minutes into Google Docs. and to Kim, our site director, for her continued support.

Here are the meeting agenda and minutes for any interested NWP teacher consultants:

Agenda

Minutes

The Genesis of NWP Rutgers 4.0

2007-10-09T19:40:00.000-04:00

Every now and again I find the need to ground myself, and really come to terms with the Internet explosion. It seem incomprehensible to imagine a world without Google, Wikipedia, and MySpace. How did we ever live without Google!

Well, the growth of the www.nwprutgers.org website mirrors advances in new information communication technologies (ICT). One would only need to visit the Way Back Machine to take a peek at the NWP Rutgers website in its yesteryears.

Check it out: http://web.archive.org/web/*/nwprutgers.org

NWP @ RU 1.0 was hosted on Angelfire-- a free site. This website is lost to the Wayback Machine.

That was short lived, and NWP @ RU 2.0 was born out of it's ashes. The new NWP Rutgers website was constructed completely from scratch. Dr. Julie Cheville composted the content, and Tech Liaison Joe Conroy coded the HTML. The second incarnation utilized frames (which was cutting edge web design at that time), and was strictly text-based. No images whatsoever.

NWP @ RU 3.0 took the content of 2.0, and improved upon the aesthetics of the site. A new layout was introduced, and infused some graphics along the way. Talk about curb appeal! NWP RU 3.0 is perhaps the most recognizable, as this format is the longest standing... until now.

It is with great please that I can introduce NWP @ RU 4.0-- a site that I hope to combine the content of 2.0, the aesthetics of 3.0, with the functionality of Yahoo! Groups. Thanks to Web 2.0 technology, the new site is powered by Drupal-- an extremely powerful content management system.

Huzzah!

NCTE Annual Convention

2007-10-07T18:39:00.000-04:00

Today I received an email announcing my panel presentation at the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention in New York City. Check out the link for the convention flyer.

October 2007

Dear Joe,

The 2007 NCTE Annual Convention is quickly approaching! This looks to be one of our largest Conventions to date, and I'd like to thank you for agreeing to be a part of it.

As educators, we historically have not called attention to ourselves for the many ways we share our expertise with others. At NCTE, however, we know that this is invaluable work and we would like to help you showcase it. Therefore, as a way to help you gain recognition for and/or promote the session at which you will be speaking, we've created a Convention flier for you:

Click here to view your Convention Flier:
http://www.ncte.org/proposals/annual101/speakers?pid=1597

Please feel free to print the flier out and post it on bulletin boards where you work, send a copy to your supervisor, or pass it out to your colleagues. You might even consider mailing a copy of the flier to your local newspaper.

Thanks again for your preparation and hard work. I look forward to seeing you in New York!

Best,
Jacqui

Jacqui Joseph-Biddle
Convention Director
National Council of Teachers of English

Tags: National Council of Teachers of English, NCTE, TALK, TEXT, AND TECHNOLOGY: REFLECTION IN THE WRITING CLASSROOM, Mapping Diverse Literacies for the Twenty-First Century

Drupal-- One CMS to Rule Them All...

2007-10-07T17:46:00.000-04:00

As my first endeavor at SiteGround, I decided to try Fantastico to install a CMS-- but which one? Was curious about Drupal vs. Mambo vs. Joomla, etc. Found this blog entry: http://www.nicklewis.org/mambo-vs-drupal Alright, so the guy isn't completely impartial, but I read through another two or three separate blog entries to support his claim. Most people simply lambasted Drupal's choice of terminology. Ah well, can't please everyone.

So I used Fantastico to install Drupal 5.1 in all of a button click. Although the installation went quick, I had some questions about maintaining the old www.nwprutgers.org/index.htm site, while running Drupal development site parallel as an index.php. All of my questions were quickly answered on the Drupal forums: http://drupal.org/node/181386#comment-278372

Following the advice of many, I've opted to install Drupal 5.2 under a subdomain: rodeo. Thought that was a good way to commemorate TM07. Drupal is now live at http://rodeo.nwprutgers.org. This will allow me a year to fully develop the site, and have my tech team run through the environment to check for bugs and to learn the ins-and-outs. The rodeo subdomain will be dropped once the new Drupal-based website is ready to go live to the general public. It will eventually be moved over to http://www.nwprutgers.org, replacing the older website.

Looks like Drupal is fairly powerful, flexible, and complex. Will take me some time to get the feel for the site, but I have high hopes based on how TM07 modeled their Drupal site. Found a tutorial for noobs, check out the Drupal Cookbook (for beginners): http://drupal.org/handbook/customization/tutorials/beginners-cookbook

Tech Matters Minigrant Accepted!

2007-09-28T14:34:00.000-04:00

YES!

I finally received the good word that the NWP @ Rutgers "Tech Matters" minigrant was accepted, and that the site will received funding! This is awesome news...

Dear Kim and Joe,

On behalf of the Technology Matters Minigrant reviewers and the National Writing Project, I’m pleased to inform you that the National Writing Project @ Rutgers University has been awarded funding for your site’s Technology Matters Minigrant proposal.

The reviewers are currently putting together feedback regarding your proposal. You will receive this feedback in a few weeks along with a formal letter to your site announcing your grant award. Additionally, Mike ***, Director of Grants and Contracts, will contact your grants office with contract paperwork shortly.

We look forward to learning more in the coming year about how your minigrant supports your local site in thinking about technology, writing, teaching and learning. If you have questions or concerns about your minigrant, please feel free to contact me, Lizzy *** who is the program specialist for the Technology Liaisons Network, or the minigrant coordinators, Betty *** and Felicia ***, who have also been cc’ed on this email.

Congratulations on the funding of your proposal, and best of luck with the work ahead!

Sincerely,
Paul ***

*** Last names removed to respect individual's privacy

NWP Rutgers Webhosting Move to SiteGround

2007-09-23T19:10:00.000-04:00

I am planning to relocate the web files onto another web hosting service. This will not change the domain www.nwprutgers.org, but will will change where the files are actually stored. Plus I'll get some new web tools to make the website more interactive for our TC's (like rolling the features of Yahoo! Groups and NWP Rutgers into one website). This change also aligns with the former site director's vision to create a NWP Rutgers TC database of up-to-date contact info and professional development listings.

I've conducted research into hosting services via the recommendation of another TL-- Scott of the Texas Bluebonnet Writing Project. Not only is Scott a top notch techie, but he attended Tech Matters 07. We rode the mechanical bull on that same fated night. He tagged the following webhosting service tagged under his del.icio.us account:

The BEST Web Hosting Services: $4.95/mo, Free domain, Free website tools, Top customer care, Secure servers. Joomla hosting, Mambo hosting, PHPbb hosting, osCommerce hosting, WordPress hosting. SiteGround - the best Web Hosting Provider

Not only will the new site give me more powerful web tools-- like Joomla, Mambo, or Drupal-- but it looks to be cheaper per month as well. Right now we are paying $95.40 per year for web hosting under Doteasy. The new service under SiteGround will cost $5.95 per month for hosting.

Alright, so NWP Rutgers will only save around $20 on a yearly basis, but every penny counts right? All this should come under the $250 I have set aside in the proposed Technology Matters minigrant budget.

Bottom line? NWP Rutgers will get more for less.

New (and Free) Music in Rotation Part II

2007-08-30T15:03:00.000-04:00

I came across the following video from one of my vlogger RSS feeds to which I subscribe through Miro. Give this video a view... and listen carefully to the lyrics.

This MC is throwing down verses about Zork. How Geeky is that? Yup, enter MC Frontalot-- the premier artist in a breaking subgenre of hip hop known as "nerdcore." This is an explanation of the genre, taken from the Wikipedia article on Nercore Rap:

Nerdcore hip hop, or geeksta rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music that is performed by nerds or geeks, and is characterized by themes and subject matter considered to be of general interest to nerds, though it can appeal to others as well. Self-described nerdcore musician MC Frontalot coined the term in 2000 in the song "Nerdcore Hiphop". Frontalot, like most nerdcore artists, self-publishes his work and has released much of it for free online. As a niche genre, nerdcore generally holds to the DIY ethic, and has a strong amateur tradition of self-publishing and self-production.

Self-produced? Free and online? Too good to be true! In fact, the whole movement has garnered enough attention for Wired magazine to produce an article on the topic: Me So Nerdy. How's that for an endorsement!

Sifting through various nerdcore artist websites, I came across the Rhyme Torrent CD Compilation project-- a fanbase that's assembled various nerdcore tracks into volume after volume of compilation. Who doesn't like an off-the-wall mixed-tape now and again?

Check out these discs if you are looking for some fresh music... and are willing to embrace your inner geek.

New (And Free) Music In Rotation

2007-08-28T10:24:00.000-04:00

I subscribe to several vodcasts through a program called Miro. I'm sure that iTunes could also do the same thing, as all Miro does is RSS subscription and video playback. Use this for the feed: http://del.icio.us/rss/popular/system:media:video For instance, this video came my way: http://motionographermedia.com/carl_burton-drift.mov Eerie and beautiful all at the same time. Better yet, I get a ton of cool new videos and artists this way.

A while back I came across a video for the Irish indie rock band, Evil Harrisons. Unfortunately their home website, http://www.evilharrisons.com/ has gone by the wayside. Now that URL points towards their MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/evilharrisons I no longer have that video, but you can view a clip on their YouTube page http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMlOQpTHN5k Unfortunately, you can no longer DL songs for free, but check out their latest EP through iTunes. I'd love to find a way to get a hold of their older material.

Here is a Sigur Ros video that came my way: http://www.heimafilm.com/heima_trailer.html The images completely put their music into context for me. Can't say that I love them, but it is somewhat interesting. Someone on LastFM pointed out you can DL more Sigur through their home page: http://www.sigur-ros.co.uk/media/

Another video came my way though this RSS. Check out this video for The Mountain Goats: http://telemusicvision-server.com/videos/The.Mountain.Goats-Woke.Up.New.mp4 There is one free download up on LastFM that I DL'ed. They have a ton of material up on their website: http://www.themountaingoats.net/mp3/index.html The Jack & Faye 7" is a great place to start. Here is another site with more DL's: http://www.the-collective.net/~sashwap/goats/ I guess they have a live taping policy and allow distribution of their live music.

The same website has a link at the bottom to DL Neutral Milk Hotel songs: You can find that here: http://www.the-collective.net/~sashwap/media.html I haven't had the opportunity to listen to much of their music, so the jury is still out on the NMH (but I hear great things, and LastFM suggests that I might like NMH based on some other bands I listen to).

On a final note, I rented the movie Mutual Appreciation by Andrew Bujalski. He is comparable to Richard Linklater in the sense that the entire movie is driven through lengthy dialogue and little action. Whereas Linklater has a knack for making mundane conversations compelling, Bujalski uses one-line interruptions and dead space. Bishop Allen, the main character in the movie, is also the lead singer in a band of the same name.

A while back Bishop Allen (the indie band) released a series of songs through their "EP Project". A four song EP was released once a month, every month for a year. Hence there is the December EP, January EP, February EP, etc. The songs were somewhat rough around the edges, but contributed to two subsequent albums. You can download several MP3's off their home page: http://www.bishopallen.com/index.php

What a great way to discover new music.

NWP @ Rutgers Tech Maters Minigrant Proposal

2007-08-21T14:22:00.000-04:00

I finally finished the Technology Matters minigrant proposal. The final proposal follows a meeting with the executive team, collaborations with Susan, and a day-long meeting with the new site director.

The purpose of this initiative is twofold: to increase TC knowledge of Web. 2.0 technology in the content area classroom, and secondly to improve communication and collaboration at the NWP Rutgers site. The tech matters is setup like a study group, and we will support one another with encouragement and sharing resources.

Ultimately I’d like for the group to document technology in the writing classroom, and create teacher workshops to be presented during a technology strand in the 2009 Midwinter Writing Conference as well as for our own teacher consultants.

NWP @ Rutgers Technology Team Initiative

Preseting for Rutgers' CESP

2007-08-14T19:48:00.000-04:00

Rutgers University's Center for Effective School Practices (CESP) was looking to round out their catalog with more technology-based sessions. Knowing of my affiliation with the National Writing Project at Rutgers as their technology consultant, a Rutgers professor connected me with the assistant director with CESP.

Long story made short-- I wrote several proposals for workshop sessions, and two were accepted: one on podcasting, the other on collaborative technology. Although I've presented workshops before, this will be my first time coordinating a full-day session. To be perfectly honest-- I'm somewhat nervous-- no, anxious-- doing something I've never done before. But, to be perfectly honest, I've worked too hard to reach this point in my professional career to pass by this opportunity.

I'm looking forward to presenting!

Podcasting and Digital Storytelling in the Classroom

Tired of the same old, same old PowerPoint presentation? Are you looking for a better way for students to represent their knowledge through language, image, and technology? Then look no further. The fi rst half of the session will provide a tutorial how to create a digital audio recording. In the second half, participants will learn the ins and outs syncing images along with the audio track. When put together, multimedia presentations offer students a powerful tool for displaying their knowledge. This session is appropriate for teachers of all content areas, grade levels, and technology profi ciencies. Depending on the audience’s needs, the presenter can adapt to a PC, Mac, or purely Internet applications.

The Technology of Collaboration:
An Exploration of Wikis and Google Docs

Looking to use Web 2.0 technology but don’t know where to start? Perhaps your wondering about wikis, or want to know more about Google docs. Look no further. This session provides a hands-on tutorial how to use Wiki spaces and Google docs. Applications for use with teachers and students will also be explored. This is ideal for teachers with little to no experience using wikis and Google docs.

CLICK HERE FOR THE 07-08 CESP CATALOG

Tags: Center for Effective School Practices, CESP, Rutgers, professional development, web 2.0, education