dougbelshaw.com/blog

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I’m at Google Teacher Academy today as one of the Lead Learners. The words ‘wow’ and ‘awesome’ are pretty much all I can muster at the moment. My brain is being fried!

I’m leading the Google Earth session.

Posted: July 29th, 2010
Categories: Education, Technology
Tags: CPD, Google, Google Earth, GTAUK, resources
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Background

Remember the hype just before and during the launch of Google Wave on 30 September 2009? It was going to be revolutionary, change the way we work forever, and oh! to have an invite…

And then reality hit home. What can you actually do with it?

It was all a bit… meh.

Growing maturity

Google certainly does love the ‘release early, release often’ mantra. That means, of course, that its offerings tend to get better as time goes on. And this is certainly true of Google Wave.

As you can see from the screenshot above, when you go to create a new wave you are given 6 templates from which to choose. Below is the ‘Task tracking’ option:

When you throw the extensions into the mix, you’ve got a very powerful collaborative tool. The iFrame gadget, in particular, is an extremely valuable option. I can imagine, for example, distributed teams using Google Wave for meetings. They’d use the meeting or brainstorm template, add the ‘Yes/No/Maybe’ gadget and the ‘Map’ gadget to organise a face-to-face meetup. There’s also several gadgets to turn Google Wave into the liveblogging app to end all liveblogging apps:

I’m going to be recommending Google Wave for meetings, project management and more over the next few weeks/months – both at work and for ‘extra-curricular’ activities. I’ll also be purchasing The Complete Guide to Google Wave by Gina Trapani’s, of Lifehacker fame. The book’s also freely available to read online – probably for a limited period only.

Are YOU using Google Wave? What for?

Posted: May 4th, 2010
Categories: Technology
Tags: business, collaboration, Google, Google Wave, projects
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I have unlimited love for Google Scholar, I really do. It’s the one tool that I really wouldn’t be without for academic purposes these days; I really wish it had been around when I was doing my BA in Philosophy and MA in Modern History. Still, I’m not grumbling – it’s around for my Ed.D. research!

There’s two really powerful things you can do with Google Scholar. The first, which I’ve mentioned to many people many times before, is click on the ‘Cited by…’ link underneath search results. This helps you find seminal papers fast.

The second is the subject of this post – integrating your access to electronic journals with Google Scholar. I’m fortunate in having two methods now – through Durham University because of my Ed.D. research and now through Northumbria University, hosts of JISC infoNet (for whom I now work).

(click on images to enlarge!)

Step 1

Go to Google Scholar and click on ‘Advanced Settings’

Step 2

Enter the name of your university/institution in the ‘Library Links’ box and click the button ‘Find Library’.

Step 3

When Google Scholar comes up with some suggestions, click the ones that are appropriate. Then click the ‘Save Preferences’ button.

Step 4

Search using Google Scholar as usual. Links to PDFs, etc. will appear to the right. Click on them and then login using your university/institution password. You will be directed straight to the PDF without having to login to various repositories.

Step 5

Use Google Chrome and the Docs PDF/Powerpoint Viewer extension for quick and easy access!

Posted: April 8th, 2010
Categories: Education, Thesis
Tags: academic, Ed.D., Education, Google, Google Scholar, Research, search, Thesis
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Google Analytics got me singing Lionel Richie songs recently:

Hello, is it me you’re looking for?
‘Cause I wonder where you are
And I wonder what you do

It’s interesting what people are actually looking for when they stumble across this blog:

There are two opposite approaches to looking at this data:

• Start writing more blog posts about these top 25 search terms
• Ignore what people are searching for and concentrate on what interests you as the author

The third, more pragmatic response would be a mixture of these. Take those things that people are searching for that interest you and write more about them.

Which is what I plan to do.

P.S. Gotta love the fact that searching for ‘the most amazing thing on the internet’ brings you to my blog…

Posted: March 19th, 2010
Categories: Everything Else
Tags: data, Google, Google Analytics, Lionel Richie, search terms
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Go to http://google.com. See how certain elements are revealed only when you move your mouse? That’s über-cool in my book. I wanted the same for the main part of my site - but have the coding skills of a rhino.

Fortunately, my good friend Paul Lewis (@aerotwist) is a bit lot of a coding ninja. In fact, he’ll soon be packing his bags for Sweden to work for Fi, one of the foremost web design companies in the world. He took about 3.1 seconds to knock up the relevant scripts, etc.

So now, if you go to dougbelshaw.com you’ll notice that the bullet points fade in when you move the mouse. Classy.

I’ve rewritten the README file included in the zip file below to make it more understandable by mere mortals, but you’ll still need to know your way around HTML. I’ll do my best to help if you get stuck and add a comment below, but I’m making no promises!

Posted: March 2nd, 2010
Categories: Technology
Tags: aerotwist, DOM, download, fader, Google, HTML, Paul Lewis, script
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As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a bit uneasy about Google’s de facto monopoly on, well, pretty much everything I do online. Yes, they provide everything for free, yes they’re offerings are class-leading, and yes they support Open Source. But that doesn’t make me feel any less worried about the control they have over my life online.

Recently I read How To: Escape From Google’s Clutches, Once and For All which is a great (if slightly paranoid) look at how you can shift your online life to other services.

Here’s what I’m considering:

Email

Advantages: Ultra-secure, out of Google’s clutches
Disadvantages: Paid-for ($49.98/year for 10GB), less features

 

Search

Advantages: Searches Google, Yahoo!, Bing and Ask from one box
Disadvantages: Still not completely rid of Google, no ‘product search’, integration with maps, etc.

 

Online office

Advantages: More features (e.g. Zoho Planner)
Disadvantages: Familiarity, integration with email

 

Web Browser

Advantages: Fast, visual tabs, Bittorrent and file-sharing built-in
Disadvantages: Fewer extensions/add-ons, less widely-supported

 

What do YOU think? Am I being paranoid? What would you consider switching to? What do you currently use?

(Image taken from modernl.com. Presumed fair use)

Posted: February 23rd, 2010
Categories: Technology
Tags: Dogpile, Google, Hushmail, monopoly, Opera, services, Zoho
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I’ve had my run-ins before with Dan Meyer when we were young(er) and (more) foolish.* But I have to give the guy credit – he can really think, write and teach. Read How Do You Turn Something Interesting Into Something Challenging? – almost the perfect template for how a teacher should reflect on their own practice. Dan goes from spark of an idea to a video showing how he taught it in practice in the space of the post. Exemplary!

Once you’ve checked out that post, you might want to try these as well:

• Scraping Away Layers Of My Own Skin
• The Blue Students
• You Have No Life
• How I Work: Coffee Shops
• Just stay hungry.
• Wherever You Can Find It (my absolute favourite post of his – just for the honesty)

On returning to subscribing to Dan’s blog I assumed he was still teaching full-time. He’s not. First he decided to enrol to study towards a PhD (What Just Happened?) and then deferred to go and work for Google (Going Corporate). Who wouldn’t?!

It serves to demonstrate, however, something of which I’m increasingly aware: it’s extremely difficult to sustain outstanding teaching over more than a few years. I think I’m correct in saying that Dan’s been teaching five years. I’ve been teaching six (at a lower standard) and it’s taking its toll.

Perhaps guaranteed sabbaticals after 5 years are in order? (combined with the MA in Teaching & Learning?)

* Perhaps we’re too much alike. I didn’t like Paul Lewis (@aerotwist) much when I first met him. Now we get on like… a warm house.

Posted: January 25th, 2010
Categories: Education
Tags: blog, Dan Meyer, Google, PhD, posts, teaching, tribute
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I had intended, as per my proposal in The new blog order to post another batch of some humorous, light-hearted stuff today. But I don’t feel like it.

Why? It would seem a little inappropriate given the huge loss of life due to the earthquake in Haiti to do anything else but provide a link to a place where you can donate to help the relief effort. Having grown up through various appeals (Ethiopia, Kosovo, etc.) I used to be pretty much immune to such appeals. Things kind of change, though, when you start a family of your own. A BBC Radio 4 report this morning about injured children sleeping amongst dead bodies did enough for me to donate this time around.

$

Don’t want to use this? Want to donate to another charity? Check out Google’s Support Disaster Relief in Haiti page.

Posted: January 15th, 2010
Categories: Everything Else
Tags: BBC Radio 4, charity, donation, earthquake, Google, Haiti, UNICEF
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Quentin Hardy, Forbes:

Your day begins with a wake-up call from your Google Android phone. As you run to the shower, you hit Google News and check headlines, then Gmail. Your first appointment of the day has been moved to a new location; Google Maps will direct you there. Quickly update your expense report–including the printout of that sales presentation using, say, Google Template–and shoot them to the back office in India (in Hindi, if you prefer, with Google Translate). Your boss wants to discuss your group’s contributions to some marketing documents? Lean on Google Groups. You’re not even out the door yet. You have the rest of the day to search for work-critical information on the Web while you’re at the office–to say nothing of snatching a few moments to download a game, check stock prices, organize your medical records, share photos and pick a restaurant and movie for the evening. How convenient.

I love Apple stuff. I love Google stuff even more because it’s free, is often the best solution, and most of the time promotes collaboration and sharing. However, I’m a bit concerned that they could know a little too much about me. Here’s the Google stuff I use currently:

• Google Chrome web browser
• Google Apps (personal)
• Google Apps Education Edition (at work)
• Google Picasa
• Google Product Search
• Google FastFlip
• Google Maps
• Google Dictionary

I wasn’t very far away last month from purchasing AlertMe Energy for our house. This uses Google PowerMeter to show how much energy you are using at home. It’s better than the LCD display we’ve got currently, but I was a bit uneasy about it – for the same reasons that I would be about using Google Health.

It’s all very well using the best stuff, but at what cost? All it would take is a government requisition of the data from one company and, if I used Google PowerMeter and Health in addition to the products I already use, they could know:

1. What I’ve been looking at online.
2. The names of my family and friends.
3. Where I’ve been recently.
4. Who I’ve been communicating with and what about.
5. What I look like, as well as what my friends and family look like.
6. My political bias.
7. How much energy I’ve been using at home.
8. My health record.

I think that’s too much information to put into the hands of one company, even if there mantra is Don’t be evil.

So I won’t be buying an Android phone. I won’t be buying AlertMe Energy (or any other service that uses Google PowerMeter) or using Google Health either.

I have to say that it’s a potential problem, not an actual one at the moment… I’ll keep you updated.

Further reading:

• New Statesman – Is Google Evil? (August 2009)
• Google Public Policy Blog – Google’s Approach To Privacy (December 2009)

Posted: December 21st, 2009
Categories: Technology
Tags: AlertMe, data, diversity, excellence, Google, identity, privacy
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The problem:

Kerry Turner:

Any educator launching into the world of social media has to know its risks.

…

One evening, after reading several posts on Twitter, it was mentioned that school Acceptable User Policies were declaring that all contact with students on social media was to be avoided.

…

There are strong cases for and against its use. Most important is where the very public nature of social media spotlights professional conduct, where it is used as a vehicle for bullying, or presents us with evidence which we might need to flag up or report to a higher authority. Teachers worry that their natural way of conversing; expressing themselves after a frustrating day, or humorous posts about their personal life could compromise their position at work and result in a telling off from a superior. Yet we teach children to mind themselves online. Within reason, do we not need to consider the same? My belief is that as more students and NQT’s are educated about their use of social media, so the number of incidents which have resulted in censure will become less.

(my emphasis)

A solution?

IF “teacher” AND “http://www.google.com/search?&q=teacher” = “unprofessional” THEN “censure”

Goodness knows I’ve tried my best to put together some reasonable Acceptable Use Policies and ‘Digital Guidelines’ in the past. I think that we have to come to terms with the fact that people live increasingly large amounts of their lives connected via social media. So if you’re a teacher, use Twitter and occasionally swear, then protect your updates. If you don’t, and mind what you say, then as you were.

Using Google (or any search engine, for that matter) to search for an educator should bring up positive results on the first page. If it doesn’t, you’re doing something wrong.

After all, anyone can find out something negative or ‘unprofessional’ about a person if they do enough digging.

Posted: December 7th, 2009
Categories: Education, Technology
Tags: AUP, common-sense, e-safety, Google, guidelines, Kerry Turner, social media, Twitter
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