Will: My Profession

Why watch TV when you can learn via online video lectures?

Fri, 08 Apr 2005 04:50:51 GMT

I found a couple of great resources recently for people interested in education: BYU's McKay School of Education has posted some excellent online lectures/presentations:

McKay School of Education :: Multimedia Library

The Indiana University School of Education has a similar page:

http://www.indiana.edu/~icy/ebrownbag/

personal blogging tool

Thu, 10 Feb 2005 04:06:50 GMT

This new tool looks like a strong candidate for what I am looking for for work -- a blogging tool that could simply publish to a network share and be accessed like any other file out on the network: Tangelo takes the Radio approach to weblogging.

The main reason I like Radio is that it lives on my own computer. There's a weblogging application for Mac OS X and Windows called Tangelo that takes the same approach...

"Tangelo, termed 'web publishing with a twist,' is a departure from most traditional weblog publishing tools. Instead of installing or using weblog software on an Internet web server, Tangelo is installed on the user’s computer as a standalone application, providing much easier installation, greater weblog control, and ease of use. Tangelo streamlines organization of weblog text and images, and publishes the weblog to both an Internet web server and to the user’s own computer for better control and backup. In addition, Tangelo features integration with NetNewsWire 2.0 for posting RSS news items."

[Donovan Watts: Radio UserLand: The Missing Manual]

What do you call a blog you keep at work?

Wed, 02 Feb 2005 03:04:37 GMT

At the office I have started keeping a personal log, similar to a blog, but meant to help me keep track of what I have accomplished each day. So, if everyone abbreviates weblog to 'blog, then worklog becomes... klog! What do you think? Have I coined the next new bizarre internet-inspired word? I like it anyway.

My klog's nothing fancy though -- it's just a Word document that I format in Outline view to look like the typical blog format.

Mirror Neurons

Wed, 26 Jan 2005 02:46:14 GMT

I saw a segment on NOVA tonight that has some interesting implications in how we teach and learn: Mirror Neurons. My basic understanding of this theory is that when we watch someone else do something, neurons in our own brain mimic the activity needed to accomplish what we are seeing. They used the example of watching someone struggle carrying too many heavy packages. When we see them we vicariously live it out ourselves, trying to balance the packages for them. I have seen another example of this when someone feeds a baby. Often the person feeding will open their mouth as they are spooning in the mashed carrots, as if eating for the child.

I think it provides evidence for the value of observation when trying to learn a new skill, and also when trying to improve a skill. Observing is more than just "seeing how it's done" - it is already a form of rehearsal.

Also, Danial Glaser, the researcher interviewed, talks about how there is greater "resonance" of neural activity when you see something performed that you have physically performed yourself. You have a greater capacity to perform it cognitively while watching. So this might suggest the need to alternate between observation and practice.

50 Writing Tools

Sat, 06 Nov 2004 01:02:11 GMT

I recommend this site for anyone looking for practical writing advice: 50 Writing Tools

I read up to Tool #5 and plan on going back and doing the activities he suggests. Reading about these tools makes me feel like I am being let in on an ancient secret family recipe; the things he teaches go beyond simple grammar rules and give you an over-the-shoulder view into the methods of an expert writer.

USU is hiring professors

Sat, 30 Oct 2004 06:22:05 GMT

USU Instructional Technology is Currently Hiring. There are two positions open at Utah State in the Instructional Technology department: An associate professor and an assistant professor. For more information contact Mimi Recker or David...
[USU IT Blog]

Quotations from Chairman Powell: A Leadership Primer - Colin Powell quote, Colin Powell Leadership

Sat, 23 Oct 2004 18:52:14 GMT

great leadership advice!

Sun, 25 Jan 2004 05:20:28 GMT

F.D.A. Begins Push to End Drug Imports. The Bush administration is hoping to use a combination of inspections and pointed political advice to persuade local officials to stop importing medicines from Canada. By Gardiner Harris and Monica Davey. [New York Times: Health]

How everyday things are made

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 05:26:46 GMT

Another cool site I found via The Scout Report:How Everyday Things Are Made

The history of Insulin

Thu, 23 Oct 2003 05:16:00 GMT

I found an excellent website hosted at the University of Toronto about the history of the discovery of insulin (the website). I found this while browsing the archives of The Scout Report, an excellent source for finding the valuable internet. It is like having a tour guide who knows where all the good information can be found.

Roger Schank's Story Curriculum

Sat, 20 Sep 2003 15:09:42 GMT

This is a neat paper on curriculum design: Every Curriculum Tells a Story

Roger Schank makes a good point about how curriculums are often formed in patchwork fashion that loses sight of the need for students to be able to integrate what they learn in a way that makes it possible to cope with or solve big and messy problems.

Sat, 30 Aug 2003 19:17:20 GMT

World cheap drugs go-ahead. The World Trade Organisation approves a deal to give poor countries access to cheap drugs. [BBC News | News Front Page | UK Edition]

I hope that they are taking into account the manufacturing quality in this agreement. It sounds great on paper, but poorly manufactured drugs could cause more problems than they might solve.

Sat, 30 Aug 2003 05:25:05 GMT

I signed up for R625, Designing Instructional Systems, today. This class is given via the web, which may hopefully make it possible to get another 3 credits done without having to drive to the classroom once a week. The text for the class is a book on consulting called Flawless Consulting. I think the instructor is actually a well known consultant. It should be interested to get his perspective.

Fri, 29 Aug 2003 03:24:57 GMT

I just received an out-of-print book in the mail today: Competency Based Learning: Technology, Management, and Design by Dr. Ivor K. Davies (©1973). This red book is a rare find – Amazon.com only had one listed when I searched for it. Dr. Davies is a legendary professor at Indiana University that co-teaches task analysis and needs analysis classes. I took the task analysis class from him and really enjoyed it.