RJ Stangherlin

Keystone Technology Integrator and STAR Discovery Educator

This site is for Mrs. Stangherlin's classes at Salisbury High School.

Twitter, Snaz, Snitter, Tweetr and Twitterverse: Absolutely Twitterific!

Do you Twitter?  Are you part of Twitterverse?  I am, and I love it.  If you like blogging, then you will really fall in love with micro-blogging.  Why? Because it’s a faster form of social networking, and you can add it as a widget to your Facebook, MySpace, or Friendster.  With Twitter, you can go global or restrict your “community.” I do the latter, and am lucky to be a part of a group of tech-savvy people from whom I learn--daily.  In fact, all day, if I am online.  Today, from coolcatteacher‘s twittering, I learned about three AIR-based clients for Twitter: Spaz, Snitter, and Tweetr.  If you’ve been clicking the links, by now you realize that all these apps are mashups.  Each client offers a different flexibility that interfaces with Twitter, and each app interfaces with yet more clients, providing almost endless functionality for social networking. 

If you have ever wondered why social networking is so popular, click on the video below.

I liked the Comman Craft Show so much, I added the app to my Facebook, and then did an RSS feed to my NetVibes account, which is my new home page for my PC.  Then I added the subscription to my iPod video, del.icio.us, and BlinkList with just a few clicks.  If you want to know what RSS [Really Simple Streaming] means in “plain English,” I’ll leave you with this parting video. 

Twittercast, anyone? 

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THIS IS?

Mrs. Meholic sent me a provocative email.  I am passing it along via my blog..  Amazing technology from Japan...but can you guess what this is?  [Interestingly, the original images have a file code that needed conversion with ZamZar and resizing with ShrinkPictures before they could be uploaded to our Salisbury21 blog.]

Look closely and guess what they could be…

Are they pens with cameras? 

Any wild guesses? No clue yet?
Ladies and gentlemen… congratulations!
You’ve just looked into the future… yep that’s right!

You’ve just seen something that will replace your PC in the near future.
Here is how it works:

In the revolution of miniature computers, scientists have made great developments with bluetooth technology…
This is the forthcoming computer you can carry within your pockets…
This “pen sort of instrument” produces both the monitor as well as the keyboard on any flat surfaces from where you can carry out functions you would normally do on your desktop computer.  As uncanny as it looks, you would actually be able to project on any flat surface and type on a similar flat surface--without a physical keyboard.  That’s what I’d call a conflation of virtual and real.  Are you wondering yet just how far away this technology is from the market?  Can anyone say, “Good-bye laptops!”
Although I am definitely a fan of emerging technologies, I am not sure I am quite ready for this new gadget.  I’d be happy just to figure out how to use all the options of the (relatively) new iPhone.  But then I remember David Warlick’s webinar and my favorite quotation from it: “Standing still in a time of change is like doing nothing at all.” Interesting times in which we live…

The Economist is hosting a debate around a interesting proposition that Randy Ziegenfuss blogged about this week.  You can cast your vote here and you can add a comment here or here.  What do you think about the technology-in-education debate?

The Pennsylvania Governor’s Schools of Excellence

Eight schools of excellence, 100 students maximum in each school.  For five weeks during the summer, 800 students get to study in a field of their choice--just for the sheer love of learning.  Ask any student who has attended, and they will tell you the experience is life-long 21st century learning at its very best.  Why?  Guess you need to watch Colin’s video to see students as creators of content, fully engaged and liking the process.  Click here to download the video, hosted by Curriki, a Global Education and Learning Community.  When I figure out how to compress a video file (guess I’ll ask my Twitter following), you can watch him on TeacherTube.  Coming soon.

The 2007 Insomnia Film Festival

The Insomnia Film Festival is back—and while the world sleeps, you could be making film history.  Check out this link for details.  Sponsored by Apple, the contest is open to high school and college students (grads check this out).  The 25 entries with the highest rating on November 9 at 12:00 a.m. EST will be screened by industry professionals, including Barry Sonnenfeld, James Mangold, and Nora Ephron.  Pretty cool. 

YOUR NEW PERMANENT RECORD?

Steve Dembo of the Discovery Channel, blogger for the Discovery Educator Network‘s Digital Passport and the Teach42 blog calls the Web “your new permanent record.” According to Dembo, “Once you put it out there on the Web you can’t take it back.  So, when you are looking for a job your potential employer may just look you up.” And he’s right. 

When you hit the DELETE button, you probably think--gone forever.  You couldn’t be more wrong.  Delete does NOT mean gone.  So, THINK BEFORE YOU POST, because you could just be creating your new permanent record. 

Please watch the two links--both YouTube videos, Version 1 converted by Zamzar, a free online file converter.

Think Before You Post: Version 1
Version 2.