From Flash Mobs to Flash Movies?

Posted on August 2, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

Remember Flash mobs? Well — here is definitely a more civilized equivalent: “Guerilla Drive-Ins.

From the NY Times Circuits:

Movie buffs have been organizing “guerrilla drive-ins” in a
number of cities, rigging together digital projectors, DVD
players and stereo speakers, then spreading the word online.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/29/technology/circuits/29driv.html?8cir

I just love the image this brings up of a swarms of VW vans descending upon a field.. watching a movie, then disappearing…

Whole new kind of Flash movie…

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Canadian Minerals

Posted on August 1, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

Well – this is a link for my geology course: Minerals and Metals Produced in Canada.

This site is reasonably up to date, and contains succinct summaries of the resources produced through mining in Canada.

The page has a link to the Canadian Minerals Yearbook, another good source for this information.

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UTS: Developing your academic career

Posted on August 1, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

This site, from the University of Technology Sydney, Institute for Interactive Media and Learning, is focused on early career faculty. The guidelines for developing an academic portfolio and developing a course portfolio are excellent. I like how they provide good practical advice and some realistic examples. Something for the TAG (Teaching and Academic Growth) and Science e-Portfolio project, I think! Excerpts below…

Link: IML: Developing Your Academic CareerIML: Developing an Academic Porfolio: Guidelines.

What is an academic portfolio?

An Academic Portfolio is an organised record of your academic experiences, achievements and professional development over a period of time. It consists of a collection of documents which illustrate the variety and quality of work that you do, along with your reflections on these documents and on your development over time. A portfolio can be kept in a variety of ways: in a folder with sub-sections, in a series of files in your filing cabinet, or in electronic form with a file of supporting documentation.

IML: Developing a Course Portfolio: Guidelines.

A Course Portfolio records information about a course through the collection of subject outlines, student statistics and achievements, and, more importantly, through reflections on course changes. Developing a Course Portfolio will enable faculty to improve courses through reflective and interative processes.

Cool…

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Earth Science Markup Language

Posted on August 1, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

Doing some digging around in geo-sites as well as looking for three-d matrix software (strange obsession, really). I found this interesting effort: Earth Science Markup Language

This project is also listed on SourceForge.

Not sure what I am going to do with this yet.. but I thought I would store it here.

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Been Gone for a While… weblogging and teaching on the (near) horizon!

Posted on August 1, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

Like the title says —

I’ve not been posting for a while, though I have a number of postings in the saved segment.. its just been a bit busy lately.. on a number of levels. (Conferences, hiring, WebCT Vista Pilot, family related events…. just a bit nuts!)

You know that feeling when you have not done something in a while, then you have to get back into it.. and its really tough to do? I’m most familiar with that with running.. exercise, etc… looks like weblogging is a similar thing!

Well – -today is the first day in August and I might as well get back on the bicycle.

My weblog may shift a bit in focus… I will be teaching a fully online course this fall. I am finally going to finish developing (yeah, like that ever happens in any course!) EOSC 311 – The Earth and Its Resources (with an emphasis on Vancouver and its Environs).

vanc_small.jpg

That’s right — Geology online.

I’m excited about this and somewhat intimidated… having to practice what one preaches is always a good thing — isn’t it?

<Gulp!!!>

So if you see a bit more geology here…

don’t be afraid…

Really — it won’t hurt to learn a bit about that!

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Apollo on the Loose!

Posted on July 31, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

Ok…

I’ve heard of pretty fancy rollout ideas for software, but I’m thinking D’Arcy may have gone a little far on this one…

From New York Newsday…

BostonHerald.com – Circus tiger shocks a few New Yorkers during brief escape

Yup – the tiger’s name is Apollo….

Rumour has it the tiger had a odd birthmark that looked strangely like a Calgary Flames logo…

Posted in Fun Stuff | 1 Comment

BBC: Climate film put to computer test

Posted on June 22, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

Using the Internet is a very interesting way — reminds me a bit of the SETI project… some researchers in the UK have put together a way to look at unique climate scenarios.

“A worldwide experiment to test the plausibility of the disaster movie The Day After Tomorrow starts on 22 June.”

Climate film put to computer test

Posted in Geology Sites | 1 Comment

Environmental Curriculum

Posted on June 21, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

Christian Science Monitor article descrinbing a course that involves a high level of experiential learning…

The natural world is their classroom | csmonitor.com

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Evaluation article

Posted on June 21, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

Saw this on on Stephen Downe’s Weblog…

Evaluation as a Strategic Tool

Will look at later!

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CETIS: Matching Content to Learning

Posted on June 20, 2004 by Michelle Lamberson

IMS has released a public draft of the Accessibility for Meta-Data specification, step two of addressing accessibility issues for learners (Step one being the Accessibility for Learner Information Profile (ACCLIP).

Wilbert Kraan of CETIS provides a thoughtful analysis of this spec, in CETIS-Matching content to learners. He outlines the positive aspects of the spec, as well as pointing out some perhaps “un-intended” applications…

All and all — an exciting thing, I think, and we’ll need to start looking into this right away…. a key focus for us (Office of Learning Technology) this year is to raise the profile of accessibility — I can’t wait to talk with my colleagues about the possibilities that open up with these two specs.

Underlying it all is the simple fact that accessibility principles are not about fixing problems, they are about opening up new pathways… these two specs certainly provide a strong foundation. Personalizing the learning environment, making it your own — it’s all about owning the process – -which I think is the key to learning.

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