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.

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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......