Lightning on the Plains of Nebraska

Last night, as we were driving through south central Nebraska on the way to a wedding, we found ourselves in the middle of a large thunderstorm cell working it's way east along Interstate 80. We pulled off the interstate and took refuge in a Subway just north of Henderson, Nebraska. We hung out for about 30 minutes and once the storm had passed we continued on our journey. As we reloaded the car we were treated to an incredible lightning display from the storm that had just passed over us. I took some video of the lightning with my Blackberry and have posted it above. I can't remember seeing a lightning display that was as constant as this one.

Podcast #152 - eLECTIONS Presentation at 2008 NECC in San Antonio

Hello. Today's podcast is the audio from our eLECTIONS presentation last week at NECC in San Antonio. I co-presented this session with Frank Gallagher of Cable in the Classroom. eLECTIONS is a free online simulation in which students can play against each other or the computer and run a presidential campaign. If you teach the 2008 election you need to check out this game for use in your classroom.

The session was well attended - a full house with people standing in the back. Of course it is only the audio so there are some limitations without the visuals but I think it has value if you are interested in using the resource.

If you have any comments please feel free to leave a comment on this blog post or you can e-mail me directly at speakingofhistory@gmail.com Thanks.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #152 - eLECTIONS Presentation at 2008 NECC in San Antonio - MP3 Audio - 60 Minutes

Podcast #151 - Three Year Birthday for Speaking of History and My Top Ten Episodes

Hello. Today is the 3 year anniversary of the creation of the Speaking of History podcast! I never thought when I sat down on my living room couch with an i-River mp3 player on July 7, 2005 that I will still be doing this today and have 150 episodes online. Creating the podcast is a blast and today I thought I would go back and list my favorite episodes of all time. Some are special because of the content and some are unique for other reasons.

I have provided a link to each of these posts which contain a direct link to the audio. You can also see photos which accompany the podcast and additional information such as links to related material.

If you have any thoughts or ideas please leave a comment on this blog entry or e-mail me directly at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Speaking of History #151 - Three Year Birthday for Speaking of History and My Top Ten Episodes - MP3 Audio File - 18:26 Minutes

The Top Ten Episodes

#1 - Teaching the Declaration of Independence as a Break Up Letter - Episode #120 - September 30, 2007

#2 - Walking Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg - Episode #105 - July 4, 2007

#3 - Touring the USS Midway in San Diego - Episode #34 - July 9, 2006

#4 - Author Interview with Thomas Wheeler of "Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails" - Episode #79 - April 6, 2007

#5 - Jerry Armstrong of the Glory Road Team Discusses the 1966 Texas Western National Championship - Episode #66 and #67 - February 14, 2007

#6 - Travel Tips for Visiting Washington DC - Episode #27 - June 17, 2006

#7 - Create A Family Memory - Episode #128 - December 12, 2007

#8 - Scottsbluff National Monument - Episode #147 - June 20, 2008

#9 - John Dillingham Presentation on the Life of Alexander Doniphan from the Truman Library - Episode #83 - May 24, 2007

#10 - Ford's Theatre in Washington DC - Episode #70 - February 23, 2007

photo of cupcake is from Flickr and contributed by wishymom

Podcast #150 - Reflections on NECC 2008 - The Value of NECC

Hello. Today on the podcast I discuss the value of attending the 2008 NECC conference. Is it worth the time and money spent to attend the largest educational technology conference in the world with over 11,000 participants? Do we need a conference such as NECC in an era of uStream and podcasts to connect?

Direct link to Speaking of History #150 - Reflections on NECC 2008 - The Value of NECC - MP3 Audio File - 14:45 Minutes

Podcast #149 - A Visit To The Alamo

Hello. Today's podcast is a reflection on my visit to the Alamo while attending NECC 2008 in San Antonio. Not meant as a visitor's guide, but rather just some general thoughts on some displays and my experience. As an 8th grade American history teacher I have taught the Battle of the Alamo for almost 15 years and it was great to see it in person. I have also found teaching an event is much more powerful once you have physically visited the original location.

I have included some pictures of the Alamo that I took on this trip. I dropped by once in the morning at around 7:00 AM, did a tour at 9:00 AM and then took some pictures one night at around 10:00 PM after a nice dinner on the Riverwalk.

Direct link to Speaking of History #149 - A Visit to the Alamo - MP3 Audio File - 10:20 Minutes

My 2008 NECC Presentations in San Antonio - eLECTIONS and Zune

Hello. This week I'll be in San Antonio for NECC 2008 and will be giving two presentations.

Monday - June 30th - 8:30 AM to 9:30 AM
Grand Hyatt - Crockett A/B
"eLECTIONS - Your Adventure in Politics - A Free, Online Learning Game"

I will be presenting this session with Frank Gallagher of Cable in the Classroom. We will be demonstrating the updated version of the online presidential election game - eLECTIONS - and discussing it's use in the classroom. It is a free online game that has recently been updated for the 2008 election.

Tuesday - July 1 - 10:30 AM to 11:00 AM

Microsoft Booth on the Exhibition Floor

"The Zune in My Classroom"

I will be discussing the recently completed pilot in which 25 of my 8th grade students were given a 4GB Zune to use in class. I was able to give each of my Zune students copies of the notes, audio studycasts and videos via the Zune. I will be discussing how I "beamed" the notes to them using the Zune wireless feature, quickly downloaded video content using the guest feature on the Zune Social and a USB.

View Upload your own

If you are a regular reader of the blog or a regular listener of the podcast please feel free to come to a session and say hello. I will also be podcasting and blogging from San Antonio. Hope to see some of you at NECC.

Podcast #148 - Throwing Out The First Pitch at Royals / Cardinals Game

This past week I was able to fulfill a lifetime dream - throwing out the first pitch at a major league game. As the 2007/2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year I was asked to throw out the first pitch at the June 18th Kansas City Royals - St. Louis Cardinals game at Busch Stadium.

Boeing - the primary sponsor for the Missouri Teacher of the Year Program - made the event possible. It was an incredible experience that I was able to share with my dad and my brother. My dad actually caught the first pitch with the Bob Feller glove he had as a child in the late 1940's.

In the podcast I describe the event - which also included a TV interview on the pre-game show, a radio interview in the 4th inning on the Cardinals radio network, a tour of the video control center for Busch Stadium and watching the game from the Best Buy suite. I have included video of the first pitch - which has been posted on You Tube and a goofy pregame interview my brother did with my dad and I.

Direct link to Speaking of History #148 - Throwing Out the First Pitch at the Royals / Cardinals Game - MP3 Audio File - 10:05 Minutes

Podcast #147 - Visit to Scottsbluff National Monument and the Oregon Trail

Hello. Today is a special podcast that I made with my 4 year old daughter while in western Nebraska last week for a family wedding. As settlers on the Oregon Trail traveled west they saw little but endless and flat prairie as they walked along the Platte River. Imagine their reaction as they came to what is now western Nebraska and they saw large bluffs and interesting rock formations such as Chimney Rock. One of the most impressive of these geographical features was Scottsbluff.

Today the rock formation is the site of Scottsbluff National Monument. You can visit the visitor center at the base of the monument, see replicas of the wagons and handcarts used on the trail and then trail your vehicle to the top of the monument for a beautiful view of the plains below - including the Oregon Trail.

I have included pictures from the monument, visitors center and the view from the top. The podcast features comments by myself and my daughter about our visit. You can e-mail us comments about the podcast at speakingofhistory@gmail.com or post a comment to this blog post.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #147 - Visit to Scottsbluff National Monument and the Oregon Trail - MP3 Audio - 6:28 Minutes

Podcast #146 - Assumed Hurdles to Web 2.0 in the Classroom

Hello. Today's podcast addresses some of the most commonly assumed hurdles to implementing Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. I believe that many educators have these same questions about incorporating these tools into their classroom.

If you have any comments or questions please feel free to e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com or leave a comment on this blog post. Thanks.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #146 - Assumed Hurdles to Web 2.0 in the Classroom - MP3 Audio - 15:38 Minutes

First Pitch - Test Post From Mobile Device

Hello. Just a test blog post from my mobile device as I drive back from St. Louis - my brother is actually driving right now. Last night I had the honor of throwing out the first pitch at the Cardinals - Royals game at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. As a lifetime baseball fan it was an incredible experience and it was even more special as my brother was on the field with me and my dad caught the first pitch. I will include a podcast and some pictures soon but I am happy to report that the pitch was in the air, was caught cleanly by my dad and never touched the dirt. More later......