Tales In Educational Technology

Stand up against SOPA and PIPA!

2012-01-18T00:19:00.014-05:00

Google and Wikipedia along with hundreds of organizations and millions of people are speaking up against SOPA and PIPA. Many organizations are staging online 'blackout' protests on January 18, 2012.

Please stand up against these two bills before Congress - Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House. Online behavior and Internet use will be tracked in the names of 'piracy' and 'protection' and severe penalties will be enforced on organizations and people. The Web as we know today will be censored and constrained and severe regulations will be imposed on online business/organizations. This will vastly restrict how the Internet is viewed, thwarting collaboration and digital progress.

Millions of Internet users, leaders, organizations, and people already oppose SOPA and PIPA. But more help is needed! The Senate will begin voting on January 24th unless we stop them.

Use Wikipedia to contact your local representatives or sign the petition at Google.

PLEASE DO YOUR PART.

DON'T JUST STAND AROUND!!

Learn more about these bills (from Time Magazine).

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Top Five Twitter for Central Ohio Sports

2012-01-13T16:25:00.021-05:00

Twitter and sports are like PB&J. Sports is a religion and Twitter delivers. Organizations, athletes, sports-writers, celebrities, are all hopping the Twitter band-wagon to communicate with the fans. The fans/followers like the instant updates and insider info and get to know the other party better through these personalized Twitter accounts.

Central Ohio is crazy for its sports - no surprise there! The Ohio State buckeyes football dominates TV and other local media. Baseball and basketball follows and hockey and soccer are relatively new, but have a good fan base. Most fans are now Web2.0 savvy and follow blogs, Facebook, and twitter updates along with the TV broadcasts and box-scores. It is now essential to have a Web2.0 component to sports to connect with the fanbase.

These here are my top-five Twitter accounts for (kinda) local sports. At the end, I have also added a couple more that are worth following. I have based these rankings on updates (the right amount), fan interactivity, goodies, and the general 'Twitter-Feel' instead of the old one-point-o (1.0) media.

Top Five - Central Ohio Sports

Account	What	My Comments
# 5 Brutus_Buckeye	The official mascot of Ohio State athletics brings you the official news feed from Buckeye athletics OhioStateBuckeyes.com	All (or most) Ohio State sports covered by this official OSU sports twitter account. Not as interactive and up-to-date since it has to stay 'official'.
# 4 CLBClippers	The Official Twitter of the 2010 & 2011 Triple-A National Champion Baseball Affiliate of the Cleveland Indians Clippersbaseball.com	Too many 'buy this' tweets but overall well written and good interactivity and promo information.
# 3 PDcavsinsider	(Though the Cavaliers are not a local team, there is a large fan-base in C. Ohio) Updates from the Plain Dealer's Cavs beat writers Tom Reed and Mary Schmitt Boyer. Cleveland.com/cavs/	In-game updates, additional insights, and links to articles from Plain Dealer, make it a good collection of Tweets.
# 2 BlueJacketsNHL	Official Twitter Site of the Columbus Blue Jackets Hockey Club Bluejackets.nhl.com	Great interactivity with the fans, players updates, retweets, making it great for Jackets fans, though the team could use a boost.
# 1 ColumbusCrew	Official Twitter feed of Ohio's Major League Soccer club, three-time Supporters' Shield winners and 2008 MLS Cup Champion. www.TheCrew.com	The BEST local sports Twitter page with great fan interactivity, updates, trivia, goodies, and in-game updates.

Honorary Mentions: CavsWitness (a very interactive site on mostly Cleveland sports, but some C-Ohio as well), Buckeye_Nation (all Ohio State University sports, but mostly football)

Technologies discussed: Twitter, Short Messaging Service, SMS

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Follow me on Twitter - aarkae

Students and Technology Use

2011-08-10T08:58:00.005-04:00

Its becoming increasingly clear that students are using every form of technology. They would love it if classes were taught with Facebook, Twitter, X-Boxes, and via Skype only.
Here's a great infogrraphic developed by OnlineEducation.Net on some statistics on students and their technology use.
(Courtesy of OnlineEducation.Net via Mashable.com)

Technologies discussed: Social networking, Tablet, Cell Phone, Mobile, Laptop

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

FLC Tech Tools 2011

2011-07-14T15:43:00.018-04:00

A few weeks ago was Tech Tools 2011…and I am still recovering. Tech Tools is a one intense week of workshops for language instructors. Using both theoretical and practical applications we explore technology tools readily available to instructors to aid in creating in-class and out-of-class activities for foreign languages. We focus on student-centered activities with task-based goals and include web-based platform like blogs, wikis, YouTube, Skype, and other software/systems like Audacity, Podcasts, Windows LIVE Movie Maker, MS PowerPoint and more.

How do we do this all in ONE week? Well, lots of preparation and practice. We have multiple instructors teaching various technologies while also paying attention to pedagogy and specific needs of these learners. While this is not easy, we try and work individually with the learners since they have a range of backgrounds and technology skill-sets. The following highlights some of the features of the workshop.

The entire course material and activities are based on a Google Site. Learners immediately get a taste of a wiki and learn some of the features. Next, they learn about the use of a blog and how to use them in a class setting. The biggest difficulty of using social net platforms is dealing with privacy and security since we are dealing wuth teachers and school students. Of course this is a huge issue in schools.

We guide the learners through the principles of image selection (Google/Flickr) and video selection (YouTube). I bet a lot of people don’t know about YouTube’s language selection, captions, and limiting videos by countries. These are essential tips for language instructors. More video editing is introduced in Movie Maker Live. Audacity introduces them how to edit audio files and use them in various ways – podcasts as a great example. Learners are now able to use these images, audio files, and videos in a PowerPoint presentation along with learning other important facets of making a successful PowerPoint presentation.

Collaboration plays a big part in teaching today. Skype was used for collaboration from various locations. Group work and wikis also enhanced collaboration. Choosing and using authentic material was also a big part of the course. YouTube videos, images, and Google Earth brought in an element of localized material/culture.

Though the week was intense, the learners were able to incorporate some of the new technology into their final presentations – that included KMZ files from Google Earth, audio/video file they had created/edited, use of a wiki or a blog, and more! It was truly an accomplishment for the learners and us instructors as well to see these results.

If you like more information on enrolling into Tech Tools, please feel free to contact me!

Technologies discussed in this post: Social networking, Blog, Wiki, Movie Maker, Audacity, PowerPoint, Skype, YouTube

Contact me:Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Pandora VS Last.Fm (Part 2)

2011-04-04T17:30:00.024-04:00

A few months ago I wrote a post comparing Pandora and Last.Fm streaming radio. These 2 services are very much alike and I thought that Last.Fm had the edge due to the social networking aspect, the added services for smaller bands, and the concerts/shows listing.

Things have changed a bit since - mainly that Last.Fm is NOT free for mobile devices like iPads and phones. Here is a comparison of the main features of the 2 services (Winner in RED) :
(More features compared in PART 1 as well)


Mobile listening	Free for 40 hrs per month. US only.	NOT free anymore. Unlimited radio play for $3.00/month
Upgrade	Yes $36 annually, Pandora One	$3/month, Subscriber
Pausing the music	Yes. PAUSE feature come in very handy. Believe me!	Only STOP permitted.
Lyrics	You can get lyrics for songs (not all)	NO
Shows/Events/ Calendars	Just added information on local shows, but not as good and lacks organization.	Yes detailed shows and venues information, including recommendations for user
Station control	Pandora has great station control: You can move a particular song to another station; Bookmark song/artist; Create new station with song/artist you listened	Has 'recommended' stations.
Song Selection and Variety (Here's a first five song list from music artist WILCO station)	Wanders about a bit from song/artist genre. So more 'variety': Outta Mind Outta Site- Wilco Windfall- Sonvolt Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues Glad Its Over - Wilco (Heroes) Pelz Kolmet - Kingsbury Manx Subterranean Homesick Alien - Radiohead	Sticks quite close to the artist style of music. Music style is consistent and has less 'surprises': * The Jayhawks – Blue * Whiskeytown – Dancing with the Women at the Bar * Ryan Adams – Sylvia Plath * Billy Bragg & Wilco – Hoodoo Voodoo * Uncle Tupelo – Graveyard Shift * Loose Fur – Elegant Transaction
Multiple artist station	No. But you can combine stations.	Yes - type in different artists directly

Bottom line - Pandora is better if you prefer to 'explore' the music. Last.Fm sticks closer to a certain style of a chosen artist and might be great if that's what you want. Last.Fm concert listing and social networking tools are lot advanced that Pandora.
If you are interested in learning more about music, getting your own band recognized, are interested in live music, and want to connect with other people with like tastes, then Last.Fm is for you.

Verdict - Pandora now takes slight edge.

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Social Network and the Oscars

2011-01-31T03:16:00.025-05:00

Several people have asked me what I thought of the movie Social Network and whether I would recommend it.

I have watched all the 2010 Oscar (Academy Award) best movie nominees and this is my take on Social Network, and why it should win best movie of 2010. It was deftly directed by David Fincher (who also made classics like Fight Club and Se7en) but did not include any major stars to draw audiences like the other nominees. Every other nominee (except Winter’s Bone) has multiple Hollywood heavies in significant roles. And it was based on a ‘maybe’ story/book unlike some other Oscar nominees based on ‘true’ events (like The Fighter, The Kings Speech, or 127 Hours) that audiences are typically suckers for.

So why is Social Network the best movie of 2010.

Firstly it is not a cliché crafted just for the Oscars with EPIC, principel karacter flaw, artsy-faRtsy themes (Black Swan, True Grit, The Kings Speech – all pretty good movies BTW). We have also repeatedly seen movies about famous people and moments in history winning these Best Movie awards. Social Network is not one of these historical movies. Or is it?

Fincher is immensely successful in showing how tech companies like Facebook (and in some ways Google, Apple, Microsoft etc) have started – i.e. with an idea and some brilliant (or crazy) minds. These folks have defied odds and have gone through the grinder to create some of the most successful companies of this generation. Past movies have tried this before, but with not much success (see Startup.com for a good one). The movie's premise of the geek starting up a company amidst a high profile university and controversy works effectively with the relatively unknown cast of characters.

But Fincher taps into something bigger. Social networking (and Facebook) has changed the way people live and interact. No longer is Facebook just a photo-n-update tool. It's quickly becoming a major vehicle for groups and communities, voice and expression, and as we have seen recently – revolution. The influence of Facebook (and Twitter) can't be denied as one of the catalyst for the recent uprisings in the Middle East (Tunisia, Egypt and maybe others?) So maybe the movie is about big moments in history and famous people after all (?!?) I don't mean to say that Fincher foresaw this, but the movie shows the seeds of a historical moment/company.

While other movies might have the best actor (Colin Firth), best actress (Natalie Portman) or even the best visual effects (Inception), Social Network is relevant, contemporary, well-casted, well directed and fresh. It is revolutionary like the concept behind it and maybe it in turn will start a new trend in Oscar winners.

So 2 Thumbs Up or 5 Stars or 10 popcorns or tomatoes if you like - but Social Network is a must watch!

Technologies discussed: Facebook, Twitter, social networking

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Lessons from the SLOAN Online Learning Conference

2010-12-20T10:15:00.027-05:00

This is Part 1 - Whats going on in Online Learning
Part 2 - is here - Social Networking etc.

Expectations From the Conference
I work as Technology Integration Specialist at the Foreign Language Center (FLC) at the Ohio State University (OSU). Even before I selected a conference to go to, I wanted to achieve a few goals from the trip/conference. These goals relate to enhancing online learning at the FLC and the various language departments. This hopefully will benefit other folks at OSU too.
These were my primary queries:

What are the some of the major hardships in online learning?
What are the trends in social networking? New technologies?
Audio and video creation/updating and sharing?
How are other organizations using videoconferencing?

The Conference
I picked the Sloan Consortium International Conference on Online Learning. This conference fitted my search criteria and covered the topics that I was looking for - blended learning, international applications, open educational resources, social networking, and more. It did also help that it was in sunny Florida in November, which is usually when snow hits Ohio. The venue was the Caribe Royale Hotel and Convention Center, centrally located and nearby to the various theme parks that flood the Orlando region. Sessions Attended
Like most conferences, there were several concurrent sessions almost every hour and it was difficult to pick one over other. Its a good idea to try and come for conferences like these in a group/team so that important sessions can be covered. However I knew from past experiences that there would still be enough good sessions that I could attend.

Learning more about faculty response to online/blended learning was my principal goal. Uttendorfer in “Bringing Face-to-Face Instruction Back into Online Faculty Development” talked of the common problem that we face in online teaching i.e. of having different types of faculty with various skills levels and at various locations. He highlighted how they tried to bring the various faculty in the ‘same page’ by standardizing the methods to capture lecture (with Camtasia) and with the use of webinars (with Elluminate) for collaboration.

Storandt and Dossin also talked of the difficulty for faculty to transfer to online classes in their “Best Practices in Professional Development and Assessment for Online Instruction”. One of the primary reasons for this difficulty is due to the lack of support and training for the faculty. They reviewed the PBS TeacherLine service - a professional development resource for online course instructors. Such a model can certainly be used and/or adapted by other organizations as well.

I also wanted to learn a bit on what students thought of these online courses. According to
studies by Tao, Lim, and Bruder who presented “Why Do Our Online Students Stay?”, online students are significantly more likely to dropout than campus based students. They shared the results of their study and presented factors found to positively help retention. These included: enhancing the interaction between students and their instructor, offering on-time students support, and maintaining at least one synchronous component among various asynchronous features.

It is evident that moving from a traditional course to an online/hybrid course requires a lot more than just the technology to support it. In their presentation Pyke and DeGodev mentioned that moving to an online or hybrid class is certainly not an easy process and it requires a LOT of planning. They stressed the need for a shared vision, the implications of having an institutional need for redesign as a major driver, and the value of aligning departmental goals with the project.

Betts, from Drexel University also had very good suggestions for moving to an online course in “Online & Blended Program Sustainability: 10 Questions All Administrators Must Be Able to Answer.” Though online education has been growing at a very past pace, there have been lots of growing pains. It is very important to understand the economic and demographic factors that are changing the higher education landscape. She stressed the need to engage students and personalize the online educational experience.

Looks like the shift to online classes will continue and we as facilitators have to be prepared and provide the right technology and support.

REFERENCES: PRESENTATIONS (as appearing in this post)

Michael Uttendorfer “Bringing Face-to-Face Instruction Back into Online Faculty Development”.
Barbara Storandt and Lia Dossin “Best Practices in Professional Development and Assessment for Online Instruction”.
Jinyuan Tao, Dan Lim, and Mary Bruder “Why Do Our Online Students Stay?”
J. Garvey Pyke and Concepcion DeGodev “Redesigning Courses Means Redesigning Processes, Programs, and Sometimes Even People”.
Kristen Betts “Online & Blended Program Sustainability: 10 Questions All Administrators Must Be Able to Answer”.

Technologies discussed: Online learning, Blended learning, Webinar, Lecture Capture, Learning Management System

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Lessons from the SLOAN Online Learning Conference - Part 2

2010-12-18T10:55:00.025-05:00

This is Part 2: Social Networking and my poster on videoconferencing at the FLC.
Part 1 is here: Whats going on in Online Learning.

Social networking is certainly a hot topic in education. The conference had several sessions on social networking, web 2.0, and other related topics. I made a point to attend some of these sessions since this was one of my top criteria for attending the conference.

As expected the buzz on social networking was high, though it seemed that many were still not sure how (and why) to use social networking in the classroom. Hilbelink (Kaplan Higher Ed) stated that one of the issues with social networking sites is that they are in a constant state of change. The information can become overwhelming to absorb and difficult to filter and becomes frustrating to stay up-to-date. In her presentation she mentioned that social networking can add to a personal learning network, supplementing other learning and professional endeavors such as journal reading, conference participation, and association membership.

Though doubt on the use of social networks in classes was high, examples of successful social networking use were many. Stoloff, a professor from Eastern Connecticut State was using ePals to connect with other instructors, and participants made use of international virtual connections to supplement their understandings of education in other nations. In his colloquium, local students developed projects on cultural aspects of one of these nations – culture, music, food, etc. These presentations were posted on a wikispace/blog and the international participants were able to critique the presentations and to correspond with the local students. Through this international/intercultural exchange, undergraduates learned of commonalities and differences between student lives across the global. Connections like these give a better understanding of culture than just textbooks or Internet articles.

Shelly Nice (Berkeley College) agrees that social networking has moved beyond an emerging technology and is very common among students in higher education. In her presentation “Research on Using Social Networking in the Classroom” she stated that it is now possible to integrate Facebook into a traditional course and class material can be shared in various forms and from multiple media outlets: computers, cell phone, etc. The audience (as expected) was very interested in seeing how Facebook and similar social networking mediums could be used in education and had very good questions.

Poster Presentation - Videoconferencing Technology: Reaching Out to Learners All Over the World

The objective of my poster presentation was to share the various ways that the Foreign Language Center (FLC) has used videoconferencing technology to enhance language learning at Ohio State University (OSU). I have noted that in several other organizations videoconferencing (VC) systems get only used for some classes and very little else. At the FLC, we have found numerous ways to use the VC system to benefit the faculty, students, and the university community. Besides language classes the FLC has used videoconferencing for training seminars, different types of conferences, departmental meetings, interviews, dissertation defenses, meetings with various experts to talk to students, and more. The FLC hosted famous French musician Moussu T for a live concert and a Q/A session that was groundbreaking for a video based session. Other interesting events include career seminars, an American Sign Language (ASL) conference, talking to authors in various countries to discuss their books for learners here at OSU, and more. In addition, the FLC is now able to digitally capture these sessions and stream and/or reuse them.
The presentation was well received. Many participants were interested to learn more about how we had done these events. Many were curious about costs and how these connections were made. The entire presentation can be downloaded from here!

REFERENCES: PRESENTATIONS (as appearing in this post)

Amy Hilbelink, “Out of Social Networking Sites”
David Stoloff, “Web Collaborations for an International, CrossCultural Education Colloquium”
Shelly Nice, “Using Social Networking in the Classroom”

Technologies discussed: Online learning, Blended learning, Social Networking, Web 2.0, Facebook, Learning Management System

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Top Five on Twitter - Tech News and Updates

2010-11-09T15:26:00.008-05:00

Part 2 of TOP FIVE Twitter accounts to follow. This one is on technology blogs and stories. These are the best resources for updates on new technology- gadgets, websites, reviews, social networks, and other tech matters that will help you catch up with technology without having to do a whole lot of boring reading. These recommendations are based on my actual use and the value I have got out of these.

To recap - one of the recommendations I posted (especially for new users of Twitter) was to keep accounts you follow between 50-75 so that your Twitter page is not cluttered. Another recommendation was to experiment with follows and un-follows until you find the tweeters that fit YOUR needs and not just based on others' recommendations.
So here goes:

Top Five - Technology News and Updates

Account	What	My Comments
# 5 Harry McCracken	Founder of Technologizer (tech site). Also a columnist for TIME.com. Updates on all kinds of technology equipment.	One of the most followed tech writer/blogger. Lots of great updates on 'personal' tech like mobile phones, computers, etc.
# 4 Campus Tech	News and additional tech resources on Education technology.	Tweets are not as often as I would like. Also quite specific to Education. Maybe not for everyone. But great resource if you are an EdTech.
# 3 Gizmodo	Lots of great updates on gadgets and other 'fun' technology. From the makers of the Gizmodo site.	Only recently started following, but have looked at the website for a while. Tweets are interesting and the content and links keep you entertained. Lots of 'cool' links.
# 2 Mashable	Web related news and updates - social media, tech and digital news and analysis from Mashable com.	One of the bext resources and news on web related, web2.0, and social networking sites updates.
# 1 Tech Crunch	Breaking technology news and opinions from the TechCruch blog site.	The BEST news and review of technology, gadgets, web sites, and all things tech that you can use in a neat and consistently updated package.

Technologies discussed: Twitter, Short Messaging Service, SMS, Search Strategies

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Follow me on Twitter - aarkae

Top Five on Twitter - Columbus Events

2010-08-29T11:18:00.008-04:00

People from all walks of life ask me why and how I use Twitter. Why I use Twitter is because it is my primary source of information from people and organizations that I think are the best in the business. I get my news, tech information, local events, and even humor and daily inspiration from Twitter. They all pop-up in my Twitter page and I glance at it a few times a day and sometimes look at the links that are mentioned. These few minutes give me a wealth of information on things that I need and care about the most.

How I use Twitter is still a work in progress since it has evolved from following a bunch of random people to now (more) knowing what and whom I follow (and un-follow). I look at lists for the best tweeters in the various fields I am most interested (example - education, technology, sports, entertainment, local events, etc) and pick the top few (on my own terms) and follow them for a while and then keep or un-follow them, if need be. I also try and keep the tweeters between 50-75 so that my Twitter page is not cluttered.

In the next few posts, I will provide a Top Five list of accounts that I follow and recommend – according to categories like Technology, Education, Entertainment, Local events, etc. For those of you are who are new to Twitter, or are considering Twitter, or even looking for a strategy, these TOP FIVE lists will be a good launching pad for your own Twitter account.

I start with local events (in Columbus) since technology and education will surely scare off some people, and I want you to get a feel of how Twitter can get you information that can be useful in your personal life (besides your professional).

Top Five - Columbus Events and News

Account	What	My Comments
# 5 614 Magazine	Information on local events and discounts on food and entertainment	Quite Random. Needs better organization. Feels like spam at times. But still very useful!
# 4 Sandbox Columbus	Coworking community in Columbus – good place to network and learn about shared resources	Not enough Tweets and quite specific. Maybe not for everyone. And too many 'join us' tweets.
# 3 Experience Columbus	Things to do in Columbus from the former Greater Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau	Sometimes too many tweets and links on things that are general and covered by other tweeters.
# 2 Fake Dispatch	Humorous look at news (mostly) from the Columbus region	Funny and informative at the same time. Can you handle it?
# 1 Columbus Underground	Complete look at local events and entertainment from the ColumbusUnderground folks.	The best view and review of not just local events and entertainment, but city development and planning in a very organized Twitter account.

Effective YouTube Search Strategies

2010-07-30T16:06:00.019-04:00

Many of us who use YouTube do not do use any search strategies besides typing your keywords in the search box and scrolling through the hundreds (or hundred thousand) videos that are listed. But there are better ways!

YouTube has changed over time and has modified its interface as recent as March 30, 2010. Over the years it has given users additional tools for searching, many of which get little or no use. In this 2 part post I will show you how to use effective search strategies within YouTube so you get to what you want quicker and have lots of time for music and kitty videos (No, not that kind!)

Lets look at 1. Search Options and 2. Customize

1. SEARCH OPTIONS
Just below the YouTube SEARCH BOX (at the very top) there is a Search Option.
After typing for a video, you can limit your search by using search options

Click on Search Options (see image below)
You can now change your search options by TYPE, DATE, CATEGORIES. LENGTH, FEATURES, etc

For example - You can search for videos that were uploaded just in the last month, or videos that are short (less than 4 minutes) or videos that are High Definition (HD). This will greatly reduce the number of videos that you have to scroll through.

NOTE – Remember to click RESET OPTION (TOP RIGHT) once you are done with your current search; else it will keep your search options for the next search as well.

2. CUSTOMIZE

Scroll all the way to the very bottom of the page. (see image below)
Look for the LANGUAGE/ LOCATION/ SAFETY MODE options

Click Language: English
Choose your language. This will change the interface to the language of your choice. OK, this does not narrow down the number if videos, but it can be very useful for people comfortable in other languages (hence saving time!)

Now click Location: Worldwide
Choose the country from that you would like to view content (videos and channels). This will help when you are searching for videos specifically from another country (e.g. - Mexico, Spain, etc).

There is also a Safety Mode. By Default it is Safety Mode: Off
Clicking ON in the safety mode helps to negate listing videos that contain potentially objectionable material on YouTube. This can be useful if you are showing videos for your kids or in a classroom setting. (YouTube has a disclaimer that this is not 100% accurate, but it is quite useful) .

So there you go - 2 easy and effective ways to narrow down your searches.

Technologies discussed: YouTube, Search Strategies

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Tech Tools 2010

2010-06-30T16:15:00.015-04:00

One of my busiest weeks as Technology Integration Specialist at OSU wrapped up on June 18. This was THE week for ‘Tech Tools: Technology Tools for the Foreign Language Classroom’ - an intensive workshop for language instructors. During this eventful week, the learners explored a range of technology to create activities for foreign languages. Learners included PhD candidates, schoolteachers, and administrators who were all involved with language teaching/curriculum.

These inquisitive learners were immersed in a variety of online tools and popular classroom technology from Day 1 Hour 1. Technologies included Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, Skype, Audacity, YouTube, Windows Movie Maker, Google Earth, PowerPoint, and more. Pedagogy related to the use of such technology was an essential component of the workshop. They started Day 1 by creating a teaching philosophy that they expanded by the end of the week and also added a technology component to these teaching philosophies. All this new technology brought out some good questions from the learners:

How will our teaching change as we participate in the "Read/Write" web and how do we better prepare our students to be collaborators?

What will become relevant and irrelevant in this new age? Will cyberspace replace bricks-and-mortar buildings with digital libraries? Will teachers be passé?

My other reaction is that I feel disappointed in some of these technological changes. I was horrified when I read that the fastest growing user group is the age group 2-5!

The principal technology behind the participants’ interaction was a wiki (created using Google Sites). Learners also learned how to create, use, and interact within a wiki environment. One leaner said, “I was amazed by the idea of a Wiki.... to be able to check facts about an article and to change it...like a real verbal interaction. Wiki is a very useful tool in a language class where the goal is interaction.”

Learners also experimented with the use of blogs and how it can be utilized in a language classroom environment. Multimedia editing was a big part of the curriculum. Visual literacy was a big component of multimedia creation. Learners were able to edit and use audio and video files with Audacity and MS Movie Maker, and incorporate these into Podcasts, YouTube, and Skype to make lessons interactive and fun for their students.

On the final day, the participants seemingly ready with the new set of technology tools presented their lesson plans. The anticipation was heavier than the release of the newest ‘Twilight’ movie (or close enough!). The learners presented lesson plans with a range of video and audio, interactive PowerPoint, use of YouTube videos, use of Wikis, Google Earth components, all successfully incorporated. It was quite an accomplishment for the learners and for the workshop instructors as well, since we had invested months in planning, designing, and presenting. The grueling week had finally come to a satisfying end!

Some of the quotes from the learners (after the week):

A lot of students tend to be very creative when using technology and it helps putting what they have learned into practice.

I will keep these possibilities in mind while incorporating these types of ideas into my own teaching style.

I love all of this technology but it is all complicated. Fantastic when it works!

It's a jumping-off point to get me headed in the right direction. And with Tech Tools 2 next summer (hint, hint), I could return more prepared and tech-savvy to my classroom.

Ok then - Cya'll next year (hopefully!)

Technologies discussed: Windows Movie Maker, Web 2.0, Video, Audio, Editing, Skype, YouTube, PowerPoint, Audacity, Blog, Wiki, Podcast, Picasa, Google Earth

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Pandora VS Last.Fm

2010-05-04T08:57:00.023-04:00

Streaming radio/music stations have been around for over two decades now. However in the last 8 years or so, streaming web stations where you can customize your music choice have been popular. Pandora and Last.Fm are the leaders of this pack.

The concept behind both these services is that you stream music based on your listening preferences. Listeners create ‘stations’ based on artists and/or genres and the database behind these services send you music on your computer or mobile device. The streams themselves are generated by each service’s (quite) complex formula of similarity of music based on artist, genre, style, mood, year, etc.

Pandora is very popular in America and is the leader of the industry. Last.Fm is also popular, but is more popular in the UK and Germany (2 other countries where it is free!). They both have similar features – use on mobile devices, ability to buy music, social networking, artist information and more. But they are different as you peel off the skin-layers.

Here is a comparison of the 2 services (Winner in RED) :


Cost	Free for 40 hrs per month. US only	Free in US, UK and Germany; Unlimited radio play. $3.00 in most other countries
Language	English only	English and 10 languages
Cell phone application	Yes – all major phones	Yes – some major phones
Upgrade	Yes $36 annually, Pandora One	$3/month, Subscriber
Stream generated by (Database)	Music Genome Project 400 distinct music characteristics	Audioscrobbler – based on users listening habits
Videos	Video series and ‘inside looks’. But NO artist search	Yes – search of artist generates videos (from YouTube) as well
Buy Music	Yes (ITunes and Amazon)	Yes (Amazon)
Shows/Events/ Calendars	NO	Yes detailed shows and venues information, including recommendations for user
Social networking	Yes – can see friends and their stations and bookmarked songs/artists. Can leave comment	Yes - Very advanced Facebook and MySpace like features
Desktop Client Player	Yes (with Upgraded version)	Yes FREE– ITunes, Windows Media Player, etc
Label and Artist uploads	No	Yes: For Free (Great for aspiring artists/bands)

My verdict - If you want to listen to your type of music and are less interested in social networking and additional features, (no-frills) then Pandora is for you.
If you are interested in learning more about music, getting your own band recognized, are interested in live music, and want to connect with other people with like tastes, then Last.Fm is for you.

Winner: Last.FM
(Look for Part 2 - More feature comparisons - including searching, groups, charts, tags and more!!)

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Best Films on Technology

2010-02-01T22:51:00.011-05:00

If you know me, you know I love movies.
I also dig technology. Technology is also my job and it pays me.

Movies + Technology = Sci-Fi Movies

Presented here for your viewing pleasure is a list of Sci-Fi movies that needs attention and some others you need not bother. This list has gone through rigorous discussions with other avid movie people and tech geeks.....and as expected, there is no real consensus. But its still a big list and can be used at least for reference.

(Note - If something is not on the list, it means I didn't care about it or I have I not had the opportunity.)

ABOUT THE CATEGORIES
Favorites - Does not need explaining
Close to the Top - Some of the very best; Probably on others' favorites.
Also Very Good - Well made and worth the time.
Didn't Like em as Much- People thought it was good, but it was missing something for me
Duds - Wasted my money, time, and brain cells
Have Not Seen - but might see it soon

(Click on Categories below for more details)

Favorites (RANKED)	Close to the top (Alphabetical)	Also very good (Alphabetical)
1) 2001: A Space Odyssey 2) Terminator 2 3) Gattaca 4) The Matrix (ONLY the first one) 5) Mad Max - Road Warrior 6) Back To The Future (I) 7) Akira	Aliens (I, II) Avatar Blade Runner Brazil Children of Men Close Encounters of the Third Kind District 9 Escape from New York Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Ironman (2008) Jurassic Park Planet of the Apes (1968) Predator (1987) Star Trek (2009) Star Wars (IV, V, VI) Young Frankenstein	Clockwork Orange Dark City Fifth Element Iron Giant Repo Man RoboCop Scanner Darkly Serenity Stargate Starship Troopers Strange Days Terminator (1984) Tetsuo: Iron Man (1989) The City of Lost Children The Fly (1986) THX 1138 Total Recall Transformers (the first one only) Twelve Monkeys

Didn't like em as much as others did	Duds	Have not seen
Contact Donnie Darko ET Fahrenheit 457 (read the book, instead) Ghostbusters I am Legend Metropolis Minority Report Pleasantville The Abyss Truman show V for Vendetta	1984 (Read the Book) Aeon Flux Alien III Armageddon A.I. Alien vs. Predator Dune The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) Independence Day Matrix (II, III) Star Wars (I, II, III)	Moon (2009) Rollerball (1975) Ghost in the Shell The Road (2009) Solaris (1972) Sleeper (1973) Stalker (1979) Logans Run (1976)

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Favorite Technology Movies

2010-01-30T13:08:00.003-05:00

This is a part of a multi-post on: Best Films On Technology

Here's more about the best of the best, and movies that you should not miss.These are the films that have not just a great story, but a theme that carry over time and generation. These have been very well directed and have been ahead of its time and have spawned countless other films and even genres.

Please feel to free to comment on what you think about this list and why something in this list should or should not be there!

1. 2001: A Space Odyssey The more I watch the movie, the more I marvel at it. Its not-so-subtle themes of evolution, AI, and extra-terrestrial life though covered by countless other films, have never been more thought provoking (with literally little to say). The ending is spectacular and probably why all of it made so much sense (or no sense to many). It is Kubrick's masterpiece, although he has done many other excellent films.
2. Terminator 2 If you were not afraid of cops, you certainly were after Terminator 2. James Cameron's highly successful film was a non-stop thriller ride and had cutting edge special effects that was dynamite in the movie and all the way to the bank making it one of the most successful films even today. Arnold's best movie to date and probably the one that won him the California governorship.
3. Gattaca Gattaca went unnoticed for a lot of people, but this quiet movie hit me like a perfect storm. The underlying identity theme, the 'you are not good enough' story line, and the post-modern futuristic world was powerful to keep me thinking for months and years. The film also had excellent acting that is rare in so many sci-fi movies and did not rely on action and explosions to make its mark.
4. The Matrix The horrendous sequels to the Matrix could not extract it from this list. The coolness factor in the film was not just the leather and vinyl, or the special effects, or the kungfu, or the action sequences, or even the badass sentient agents, but the fact that the Wachowski brothers gave themselves the license to do whatever they wanted with the inherent 'matrix' idea.
5. Mad Max - Road Warrior Despite the fact that Mel Gibson has lost all dignity, I still remember that as a kid no movie was as kick-ass as the Road Warrior. The crashing, burning, flying, boomeranging action in the film are some of the best ever. The strange characters, the Australian desert, and that crazy accent gives it an out-of-this-world feel. It still holds up against the big budget action and sci-fi films and hence walks into this list.
6. Back To The Future (I) Name me any other sci-fi movie that is also funny, has a great story, great music, eccentric characters taken from your own town, and a (literally) high-wired climax that's memorable and still does not need any geek status to enjoy. Back to The Future made sci-fi accessible for all and also made it fun. It opened up the doors for everyone else to enjoy a sci-fi and be able to relate to the experience.
7. Akira This powerful Anime based on the extremely popular manga series is not a 'cartoon' and not really for kids either. With overt tones of ESP, gang wars, anti-government, and terrorism, this film was ahead of the curve in many ways. Its detail to production, art, sound, and complexities in the storyline makes it a forerunner for not just animation films, but films in general. (Please watch it in Japanese to appreciate the details in voice and facial expression.)

Back to: Best Films On Technology

Technology Films - Yet to See

2010-01-29T13:56:00.013-05:00

This is a part of the post: Best Films on Technology
This individual post is more about the films on technology that I have heard good things about, but have not had the time to see.
If there are more films that you think I should include in the list, please post a comment or contact me:

YET TO SEE
Moon (2009)
Rollerball (1975)	This ones come highly recommended. Is it out on BlueRay, yet?
Ghost in the Shell	Also something, I should have seen in the theater.
Solaris (1972)	I did see the 2002 version, and it reminded me of 2001: Space Odyssey. Anything that resembles my favorite Sci-Fi gets thrown out the door. But I am willing to give the 1972 version a try.
Sleeper (1973)
Stalker (1979)
Logans Run (1976)	One of the coolest movie posters!

Back to: Best Films On Technology

Technology Films - Didn't like as Much

2010-01-29T13:53:00.005-05:00

This is a part of the post: Best Films on Technology
This individual post is more about the films on technology that I know that people liked or even loved, but I did not feel the same. These were certainly not BAD films, but they did not connect with me for some reason or another.
Please feel free to comment on why you think any of these deserve to be on another list:

Did Not Like em As Much As Others Did
Donnie Darko
ET	I liked it OK as a kid and like it even less now.
Fahrenheit 457	Read the book. Its gripping! The movie is just OK.
Ghostbusters	My friends love the movie. My first impression (in a small TV) was not very good and it has not changed much over time. It is funny though.
Minority Report	Such a cool concept. Such a waste!
Pleasantville
The Abyss	Cutting edge technology, but not enough to keep me interested and coming back for seconds.
Truman Show	Great concept and good acting even, but something did not work.
V for Vendetta	Another great concept, but some of it was a bit hokey.

Back to: Best Films On Technology

Technology Films - Also Very Good

2010-01-29T13:52:00.003-05:00

More coming soon
Back to Best Films on technology

Technology Films - Close to the Top

2010-01-29T13:52:00.002-05:00

More coming soon
Back to Best Films on technology

Technology Films - Duds

2010-01-02T13:56:00.001-05:00

More coming soon
Back to Best Films on technology

Coolest Technology of The Last Decade

2009-12-29T17:14:00.050-05:00

The end of the year is a great time for lists. There are lists for movies, albums, events, and even a list for disasters.

Just the other day, I was thinking of some inventions that had made a mark in the last decade. Hence this list of technology that has made an impact in our lives. These are inventions that were available for the consumers, were easy to use, and changed the way we live our lives.

Here is my TOP 5:

Number 5 - GPS Navigation - Making driving a lot simpler and stress free. Comes in various accents that sounds better than your co-driver (spouse).
Number 4 - Digital Video Recorder (DVR) - Making TV viewing easier and lot more specific. Now you don't have to rush home to catch your favorite episode of crazy moms.
Number 3 - Digital Books/E-Reader (Kindle, Nook, etc) - Taking reading to the next generation. Making reading hip again. Interface still needs improvement.
Number 2 - Netbooks (and other mini laptops) - Making laptops more accessible and robust.You don't have to take another college loan to get one of these.
Number 1 - New Generation Smart Phones (iPhone, Palm Pre, Blackberries, etc) - Combining the best features of the Internet and small application (Apps) technology and making them available fast and interactive in your hand.

I am curious to hear what you think about this list and what you think are the other technology that has changed our lives in the last decade.

Technologies discussed: GPS, Digital Video Recording, Digital Books, Netbooks, Smart Phones

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Digital Story-telling With Windows Movie Maker - The Basics

2009-11-30T14:32:00.026-05:00

Digital story-telling is an effective tool to show a project with images and short videos. It also does not require a heavy dose of audio/video skills and expensive and complicated editing software.

Windows Movie Maker (WMM) is one popular tool for simple video editing. It can be easily used for digital story-telling and similar projects. Here I show you the WMM interface and how to create and share a very simple WMM project.

Always start off by creating a folder that will house all your files for the project – audio, video, images, and the WMM file. This will keep your project organized and will make moving the project simple, if the need arises.

Open WMM and save the new project in the folder mentioned above.
The WMM interface consists of 4 panes: 1) Tasks 2) Collections 3) Storyboard (or Timeline) 4) Preview

Click on image above for details.

1) The Tasks Pane has a list of various tasks related to the project e.g. capturing video, editing movie, etc.
2) The Collections Pane consists of the Video Effects and Video Transitions. In addition, all the files (video, images, etc) that your import for your project are housed and listed here before you actually use them.
3) Storyboard/Timeline Pane
The storyboard view shows the videos and images along with any transitions that you actually use in your project (from the collection)
The timeline view has nore details than the sory board view and includes – Video, Transitions, Audio/Music, and Title overlay.
4) The Preview Pane lets you preview your movie.

MAKING A SIMPLE MOVIE
(This is a very basic 4-step movie making process. Additional tutorials will cover other topics)

i) Add a video (or an Image) – Go to the Task pane. Under Capture Video, click Import Video (or Import Pictures). Find the video file in your project folder and click IPMORT. The video is imported to the collections pane. YOU ARE NOT DONE. Drag the video down to the Storyboard. Add another video or an image.

ii) Add Video Transition (or Video Effect) -In the Collections pane drop-down window at top, click on Video Transitions. Select a Transition that you like. Drag transition onto the timeline
You can preview any transition by double-clicking on it and watching in the Preview Window. NOTE – Transitions can only be added between videos or images.

iii) Add Title Overlays - Go to the Task Pane. Select Make Titles or Credits. Select the clip or image first, then proceed with instructions on screen for placement and text format. You can also add End Credits from this location.

iv) Saving to view- Go to the Task Pane and click Finish movie (or Ctrl-P). Choose your location (My computer, CD, etc). This may take several minutes to render, so make sure it is ready to finalize.

NOTE: Your WMM movie can be enhanced with a narration, additional audio, editing of the clips and other effects, but the steps above will get you started and on your way.

Technologies discussed: Windows Movie Maker, Video, Audio, Editing
Thanks: Rebecca Bias, Assistant Director, FLC, Ohio State University

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Carmen Lite - Adding News Item

2009-09-28T09:12:00.009-04:00

Carmen is the course management system (CMS) for Ohio State University. Desire2Learn (D2L) provides the redesigned system behind Carmen. Like most CMS, Carmen has a lot of features that are very helpful for instructors and students. However, like many other CMS, they are hard to learn and maintain for instructors.

My boss (a professor) came up with an idea that should help most instructors. She stated that Carmen can have a simplified version that helps instructors basically know what they need the most – upload syllabus, upload some content, and manage grades. She called it ‘Carmen Lite’. I liked the idea and decided to purse this in order to help OSU instructors. I will provide here some of the most essential pages need to know Carmen without having to learn the entire Carmen system.

One of the most useful and important aspects of Carmen is the news page. Since this is what students see first when they enter the CMS. Instructors can input the most important items in this section – like the syllabus. Here is how you can do this. Lets upload your Syllabus file:

Go to your class homepage.
Click on the + icon (New News Item)
Type the HEADLINE
Type the CONTENT
You can also enter when the Item will be available in AVAILABILITY (Do not worry about this)
To add your syllabus file, Click ADD A FILE
- Browse and find a file your syllabus file your computer
- Click ADD
- Click UPLOAD.
Click SAVE

That’s it!

Technologies: Carmen (Course Management System)

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Bing VS Google - Part 2

2009-07-30T10:25:00.031-04:00

When I wrote about Bing a few weeks ago, people backlashed at me like I criticized their first-born. Google has (rightfully) enjoyed dominance for several years now, and will certainly feel the heat from Bing. This is great for end-users.

Microsoft has now partnered with Yahoo (after unsuccessfully trying to acquire it) and this will surely make the challenge with Google more interesting. Bing is now receiving favorable reviews from various circles and has also slowly increased its share. With Google challenging Microsoft in the operating system and Office software fields, the battle will only benefit the users again. That is what I am most gleeful about.

Bing has clearly seen the search engine from the perspective of the ‘regular’ person and has organized the page accordingly. The thing about the ‘regular’ person is that more and more people use the search engine for almost everything, hence blurring the lines.

Some of the other useful features that Bing has highlighted (see/click images for details):
* Images can be quickly displayed in various formats (small, medium, large, with information) and pop out when hovered. More images are displayed if you wait.

* Videos will start playing when hovered, thus saving you time. (This could actually be a bit annoying since you can accidentally play a video when just moving around the page. Just hover out!)

*Popularity index of the searched term is displayed in a time-line graph. This also shows the top-ranked searches in the same ‘category’ helping you find the most popular item in the searched ‘category’.

It will now be interesting to see if Google ups the ante and provides newer features. Google currently has over 70-80% (numbers vary) of the search engine market, but time will tell if Bing will make a ding in this share.

Technologies: Google (Search Engine), Bing

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

People Make the VC Technology Tick!

2009-07-14T16:33:00.016-04:00

The last three weeks of my work-life were fully dedicated to a program called Regents’ Chinese Academy. One of the main facets of this program was a three-site videoconference that collaborated Ohio State University, Miami University (Hamilton), and Washington State Community College.

Video Conference (VC) technology is getting better and IP based VC is improving since most sites follow the H.323 standard and have similar equipment. But the fact that there are still different types of audio and video equipment, varying broadband, echo cancellation devices, etc makes things a lot trickier. And in our case, the fact that more than 2 sites were involved over a bridge, made things a lot more complicated.

I have stressed before of the need to test and maintain protocols on VCs. But in the case of important VCs, it may also be important to personally know the staff that drive these systems. Since this was a 3-week program, I had the chance to go and meet the tech people from the other 2 universities. At first I thought that this was unnecessary, but in hindsight that was one of the most important factors that helped to make this event work. Knowing the staff at the 2 sites personally, and how they interact with technology and people was directly responsible for increase in the response rate during tech issues. Knowing who to contact and what type of response – speed, method, language – was expected helped tremendously in a situation where the technology was complicated and needed a lot of attention.

Moral of the story: Though VC technology has taken over some of the person to person contact, knowing your business partners personally alleviates some of the headaches that technology itself brings.

Technologies: Videoconferencing, Polycom, H.323

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Bing VS Google - Part 1

2009-06-10T17:08:00.005-04:00

Most of you are already wondering….So how is Bing different from Google? Should I even bother?

I have not been a supporter of Microsoft and its product and naturally stayed away from its BING search engine, touted to be (one day) better than GOOGLE. The very thought of something replacing Google is blasphemous to many since we google more than we eat and sleep.

In the last few days I went over BING in some detail and looked at some features. (This post deals with organization and layout). Here are some interesting (& different) features:

Organization in Bing is a bit different and depending on how you like your placement, you might prefer this to Google!
(SEE IMAGE Below)

The search results are divided into categories and these are placed visibly on the left panel of the page (and also within the results). This keeps the layout neat.
Below this left panel of categories are the related searches that list other items that are similar to the searched term. This can be a useful tool.
The search results (but not all) can be previewed when you hover your mouse pointer at the right side of the search result(s). This quick view can be a useful time saving feature during your searches.
There is also an enhanced view (I think only) for Wikipedia items that you can view within the Bing page. This might be helpful in quickly getting information while still staying within the search engine and other categories that Bing displays.
Bing also lists your search history helping you track your searches (this can be modified for privacy reasons).

Bing might have a long way to go to beat Google considering Google is well established, but the new features might give users and Google itself something to think about! Just to have another strong search engine is what the end-users need!

Technologies: Google (Search Engine), Bing

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Flying Over Google Earth

2009-05-08T13:45:00.013-04:00

I recently conducted a workshop on Google Earth (GE) at the Foreign Language Center. Its significance as a learning tool major leaped after I prepared for this workshop. Most of us who are familiar with GE might have played with the maps and looked at some images/photos of places. But the features of the new GE (5.0+) are a lot more interactive and learner friendly and can be used not only in a language class, but anything to do with geography, history, monuments, places, art, weather, photos, traffic, news….wait, I think that pretty much covers everything.

We went through the basic navigation quickly since I thought it would be cool to play around with some of the PLACES and LAYERS panels. We had a birds-eye view of Madrid (Spain) and marked our own places (called place-marking). We were able to see 3-D renditions of monuments, look at live weather, come eye-level close to the streets of Madrid (amazing!) and literally walk up and down these streets (called ‘street view’). We were able to look at historical imagery (a time-line of sorts) and see how it has changed over time. I could tell the workshop attendees were having a lot of fun!

One of the best (and overlooked) feature is ‘recording a tour’ (requires some prior planning). The best way to use it is to have placemarks of places that you want to show and then record a tour (with your own voice-over) along with photos, 3-D views, current weather conditions and the whole enchilada. Your imagination will run crazy!

I encourage educators (and others) to look at GE closely and see how such related information can be added to your info-bank as you make your classes more visual and interactive.

Technologies: Google Earth, Youtube, Online Images

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Banging Heads With the Videoconference System!

2009-04-28T17:53:00.008-04:00

Unlike the previous posts in this blog that refer to some success story/event, this one is a little different!

The Foreign Language Center added a new mini videoconference room (in addition to the Kermit L. Hall Videoconferencing Center) to accommodate smaller videoconferences – for thesis defenses, interviews, one-on-one meetings and language instruction, etc. The room is equipped with a new Dell Optiplex 755, a Sony Bravia KDL46V4100 LCD TV and Bose Companion II Speakers. If all this sounds snazzy, it is! We do have excellent equipment. The software for videoconferencing is Polycom PVX and this might be where the problem is!

The IS department installed the software (since only they have admin privileges) and instantly we had issues. But I was told that the software worked well in the past. During the first few weeks we were unable to make any consistent IP calls. After several attempts by the IS staff and weeks of tests, it looked like we were finally able to call ALL numbers. All fine I’d thought!

About a month ago, the University of St Andrews tried to connect with this room for a conference. But after several unsuccessful attempts we decided to scrap this and talk on the phone. A massive trial-and-error and elimination process later, we discovered that this room is NOT able to RECEIVE any calls from external stations. So began all the ‘fixes’ that I have tried. Some experts say it’s got to do with the firewall settings. The IS staff checked for that and everything else related. No luck! Weeks later, some other experts say it was with the software settings and I checked and rechecked and rechecked and rechecked (not a typo) for all possible setting errors. After about 6 weeks of all this – I’m giving up!

I guess the solution is to reinstall the software but I am skeptical that this will work. And if that does not work then we have to redo all of this with another software. I’m not going to be the usual calm person then!

Technologies: Polycom PVX, Videoconferencing, Network (access/privileges)

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Class Videos On YouTube – Again!

2009-03-11T17:21:00.014-04:00

(2 part post – This is Part 2. Here is Part 1)

As mentioned, I have been working on videos for Dr. Smith in her Spanish conversation class to upload presentations to YouTube (for grading, sharing, reference, etc.). Considering I have worked with YouTube and have already done this for Dr. Smith, this session was going to be a breeze. That's what I'd thought.

I had this marked on my calendar and was 'ready'. I had the Canon miniDV Camcorder loaded on a tripod and connected to the same Sony Microphone (ECM – MS957) that I had used successfully before. Once again, the whole taping session was smooth sailing. That's what I'd thought.

I came back to my office and plugged the camera into my Mac (via Firewire) and was ready to do some quick editing in iMovie 08. Dead silence! I mean dead.....dead silence. It took me some fumbling around and David Lynch moments of emptiness to realize that the taping session had NO sound. None at all!

Half a day later I realized that the microphone was the culprit (I like to blame things on inanimate objects!). The microphone had enough juice for a test, but that was it. So the rest of the session had NO audio. Lesson learned - test your batteries; do not hesitate to use new(er) batteries. Luckily, Dr, Smith was nice enough to ask the class to redo the entire set of presentations. I had to re-tape everything, edit them again, and then only upload them to YouTube. Everything went well. Thats what I'd thought!

One Saturday morning at 1:30AM, I received an email from a student mentioning that the group videos were actually NOT private and that others could see them as well. Sheeesssshhh! All that group levels, members, uploading and then (only) adding to the group, was all a waste of time. So here I am at 2:00 in the morning making the videos 'private' and allowing just the class (Youtube allows 25 people) to view the videos.

Technologies: YouTube, iMovie, Video Taping, mini DV Camcorder, Video Editing, Video-sharing.

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Class Videos On YouTube – A Good Mix?

2009-03-11T17:16:00.015-04:00

(2 part post – This is Part 1)

The last few weeks have been busy with videos, videos, and more videos. Hence the slight delay in the posts.

I have been working on videos for Dr. Smith in her Spanish conversation class to videotape the students during the presentations and uploading these to YouTube. This is neat since we can have an archive of the presentations that students and faculty can watch (again) for various reasons (grading, sharing, reference, etc.)

Planning, as I mention often is quite important. The first session I had this quite figured out. I had the (easy-to-use) Canon miniDV Camcorder loaded on a tripod and connected to a studio Sony Microphone (ECM – MS957) also on a professional stand. Extra tapes. Good background. The whole taping session was smooth sailing.

YouTube was another story! One would think loading the videos on YouTube would be the easier part of this project, but it was real tricky. The catch was this had to be in a YouTube ‘group’ (like ‘folder’) so that only the class could see the videos. Editing the movies was also quite easy on iMovie 08 since the edits were quite basic. iMovie also has this neat feature with you can upload videos directly to YouTube with 2 clicks (SHARE).

But of course, if things were that easy…First of all, edits were trickier than I’d thought they would be. The 2-click upload to YouTube did not work for me, since I needed the videos to be in a group within my account. (This feature only permits videos uploaded to your account – not into groups/folders). So something I was hoping would take minutes o edit and upload was now taking 3 times the work, since I had to put the movies into my computer, upload them into the group, and then make them private (another feature in YouTube).

All in all, the project was a success since the students enjoyed the videos, and Dr. Smith was able to view them when desired and assign more accurate grades.

Technologies: YouTube, iMovie, Video Taping, mini DV Camcorder, Video Editing, Video-sharing.

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Technology Integration Specialist,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Web 2.0 in 2.0 Hours!

2009-02-10T09:13:00.004-05:00

You may not think that it is possible to cram in fifteen years of Web 2.0 development in a 2-hour session, but darn it, I was certainly going to try! Not only was I going to talk about the key Web 2.0 topics, I was going to show this as a major tool in language teaching and also have the learners create a blog AND a wiki!

The learners – faculty and staff from the various language departments at the Ohio State University – were a very curious bunch with genuine desire to incorporate 2.0 facets along with a healthy dose of ‘how the heck will Facebook and MySpace help in my class?’ feeling. We dove into the intros and rise of Web 2.0 and some major pedagogy (heavy!) and looked into adding 2.0 aspects into the classroom. Blogs (with Blogger) and Wikis (with PB wiki) were the natural candidates for hands-on creation and we went into these with very little difficulty, with occasional questions. By the time we completed creating these, time was ticking away.

Facebook and Myspace has some educational merits, but the returns seem minimal to me. I like the collaborative efforts these social networks provide, but long-term gain is debatable. I think video upload sites like Youtube certainly can be a strong educational tool as well. Podcasts and vodcasts are great tools for sure, but the efforts needed to create these are not small.

The bottom-line (as suspected) was that faculty are willing to learn and incorporate these tools into their curriculum, but time is a deterrent. Additional technical guidance and support can help pave the way for 2.0 in classrooms.

Technologies: Web 2.0, Blogs, Wikis, Social Networks, Podcasts, Video-sharing, Youtube, Facebook, Myspace.

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Instructional Aids Associate,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Technology Workshops - Easy as 1, 2, 3?

2009-01-29T17:30:00.004-05:00

Tech workshops are quickies to learn something new or brush up on something you have not used in a while. Having been to a few of these in recent times and getting utterly bored in a good number of those, I was faced with a dilemma since I had to conduct a workshop for a department here at OSU.

So how was I to keep this thing not boring and still be able to deliver these ‘techy’ materials? Though I had conducted workshops in the past, I wanted a new look and certainly not put the attendees to sleep. Once again, I referred to my friend, ‘google search’ and looked up some technology workshops. God there are some awful ones out there! Youtube is loaded with a million bad ones and some good ones too. After viewing a bunch of these and reading several other ones, I was equipped with some really good ideas.

Know your material – (This one’s a gimme!) It’s almost impossible to know everything with tech material, but expect some questions from the group. I pointed out the breadth of the material to be covered and encouraged future sessions.
Keep the group small and manageable – This was you can have an interactive session.
Keep it (slightly) informal – I took the time to know each of them personally and also their tech skills before we began so I knew who would require more/less time.
Tailor the material – Even if you get some or most of the content from various sources, keep the examples and subject matter relevant to your group. I researched actual examples that pertained to my group.
Show the basics only – Whatever level be it, just show them how to get started and have them experiment with the rest on their own. I took the time during the workshop to make sure they got the basics and encouraged them to use the HELP pages or refer to other sources. I took extra time to show them where to get help after the workshop.
Examples of use. I told then stories of how others use them and how others were (also) having difficulty using them in the beginning.

These simple ideas should carry you a long way and make you seem like you know what you are doing! And you do, right?

Technologies: MS PowerPoint, Classroom Management Software, Carmen, Blogs, Podcasts.

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Instructional Aids Associate,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

An Apple, An Orange Or A Hippo For Group Documents!

2009-01-07T15:10:00.008-05:00

In the past few weeks, faculty members at the Ohio State University have approached me with help in incorporating a blog, a wiki, or a web-group in the curriculum. Great idea! I am glad (and very encouraged) that faculty is trying to incorporate facets of Web 2.0 in their classrooms. Students these days are well versed with 2.0 technologies (blogs, wikis, social networks, etc) and using these as classroom tools can certainly get their attention.

However, there seems to be some confusion about what these technologies are and what they do! Though most Web 2.0 technologies do not have rigid definitions/standards, each has a general purpose and should be used appropriately.

A blog (or weblog) is a term used to describe an online page (or web site) that maintains an ongoing chronicle of information. A blog also allows document collaboration via multiple authors but that’s not what really a blog is, especially when there are better tools out there. That is more a wiki. According to wiki.org a “Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser.” Wikipedia defines it as “a page or collection of Web pages designed to enable anyone who accesses it to contribute or modify content.” This fits the need of a class collaborative document. A web group (e.g. google group, yahoo group) can also be used to collaborate on a document and exchange ideas to develop a group document. Most wiki and web-group technology is free and easy to use.

It is important to know what all these ‘new’ technologies do (& can do) before using them in curriculum (or elsewhere). Misuse can be a major turn-off and can actually deter the students. Know your blogs, wikis, 2.0s, ducks, apples and oranges!

Technologies: Weblog (blog), wiki, google group, yahoo group, Web 2.0

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Instructional Aids Associate,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Yes, I'm Watching You!

2008-12-18T11:21:00.006-05:00

To say that televisions are ubiquitous would not be an understatement. We spend hours everyday watching TV. Add to this the hours one spends in front of a computer monitor, and our lives are wrapped around the tube. We work, play, eat, and even take a shower or go to the bathroom with one of these things on. The tube is a part of us and we do not even know that its there at times.

Enter videoconferencing!

Videoconference technology has been growing rapidly along with the growth of Internet bandwidth. Its use in education, business, and medicine is spearheading many other uses including personal uses with the use of simple webcams and technologies like Skype, Wengo, Gizmo, google video chat, and many more. The use of these technologies has become a commonplace. People have got so used to the technology that they forget where they are and who is watching!

The FLC at OSU operates a first-class videoconference center for distance learning (and other purposes). I have come across my share of ‘odd’ conversations during my short management of this room/technology. We have had slip-ups, loud conversations, alien echoes, boisterous music, strange backgrounds, and even wrong people ‘happen’ in this room. But the following takes the cake!

During a videoconference for Dr. Smith’s class with an American University classroom in Iceland (all names changed) members of the other party decided to have a shout fest! It started with a break in communication, but when we were reconnected (2 minutes later) they were having a mini party during which literally every member was yelling at each other (not fighting, yet) and banging on the table and passing/dragging items around the table. Mind you, every sound gets amplified with the microphones set on the table. The oddest thing about this was that the faculty member was not only present but was very much a part of this party (but that’s another blog too). It took a good 10 minutes to get them to calm down while every single one of their activity was broadcast on high def TVs here to an audience of 25.

So everyone, yes by all means, video chat away all you want. But please be aware of who is on the other end. Cause I’m watching you (I’m watching you)! Please be courteous not to yell, scream, shout, drum, bang, kick, scratch, pound, hammer, drag, tug, monkey and other noises/behavior that would in other ways be disturbing to the ears/eyes and the mind. Videoconferencing is a great technology and will only get better and popular, but please know the guidelines and lets keep it quiet and simple for everyone sake!

Technologies: Polycom videoconference , Skype, Wengo, Gizmo, google video chat, MS Word, Mozilla Firefox.

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Instructional Aids Associate,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

To Blog or Not to Blog….

2008-12-15T14:45:00.000-05:00

New city, new job, new responsibilities, and new ideas! Having amassed degrees and experiences, I come into this new job brimming with energy and ideas. I also would like to share these ideas with faculty and fellow Educational Technologists and other people interested in educational technology (ET). The need for the right tool was dire!

There are many methods and tools to share such information (newsletters, forums, emails, wikis, etc) but I think a blog is the most effective. There are blogs for all topics under the sun and ‘experts’ dishing out the latest and greatest recipes from air-soup to retire-now schemes. However, I see a blog as a strong tool in this case since it’s:

accessible
familiar to most people who deal with ET
Educational Technologists have similar issues around the world and can (are willing to?) exchange ideas and concerns with fellow experts.

My experience with blogging is light at best. Ok, I have blogged before and frequently read blogs, but to be able to blog consistently takes (I hear) patience and diligence. A command of the language is helpful too. My blogger friends advice me to keep at it though responses may be thin. In addition, I now come equipped with valuable advice from pros from problogger, dai lyblogtips, and more.

So with the right tool in hand, I lunge forward to reach out and bring in the various issues in ET that concern my tenure at the Foreign Language Center at the Ohio State University. I hope the faculty and other ETs (around the world) can also weigh in and share their comments and advice to kick this into gear. So, without further adieu…Lets Blog!

Technologies Used : MS Word, Mozilla Firefox, google search (for articles on 'blogging tips', images on 'blog dummy book')

Contact me:
Sujan Manandhar
Instructional Aids Associate,
Foreign Language Center
Ohio State University

Welcome to The Ohio State University!

2008-12-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

I finally started my position here at the Foreign Language Center (FLC) of the Ohio State University (OSU), after months of waiting to clear out the visa process. The visa process can be very frustrating (but that’s another blog!) and a balanced mix of persistence and patience is essential.

The position here is that of Instructional Aids Associate, that which would require the wearing of (the proverbial) ‘many hats’. I am excited about the position and the prospects since OSU is a large university with potential to work with various talents and (hopefully) many new technologies. My position entails me to meet the technological needs of faculty in their projects/instruction (hence the title), and will involve the use of videoconferencing for distance learning, multi-media, various audio and video equipment, and the use of different educational software. Since I also have an MBA (I knew this would come in handy), some work in the promotion of the FLC would also go hand in hand.

My background and skills fit in well with the position (yes, yes... I know the interview is over!). My desire and capacity to learn about information and technology and to use it for educational purposes, my ability to work with people, and my business background will all get a run for the money with this position. I expect many challenges along the way and many milestones as well.

I plan to use this medium (and others) to keep the educational technology community tuned into the progress that I make. This will also involve postings on accomplishments, some growing pains, the new projects and technology that I work with, and the cast of characters I work with in these projects. I expect to keep up this blog and hope that you can provide me with the feedback and comments to make this blog a handy resource for all.

(PS – I wrote this a month or so ago, but took some time to arrange and post the blog. Lesson No. 1 – Anticipate time and time delay!)

Technology - Written in MS Word (Mac 2004 Version), Photo by Photo Booth (no editing/cropping), Firefox 3.03, Blogger (google).