The more I use technology, the more I expect to find a tool to accomplish just about anything. My first inquiry is usually to perform a Google search. From there, I investigate the options.

A while ago I was working on a project for a faculty member, helping her post videos and other multimedia to a Google Site. I was stumped when I realized some of the videos she had provided on a CD were in a format I couldn't use--formatted to play automatically on a DVD player. At first I thought I wouldn't be able to do anything more with these but thought, what the heck, I'd do a search about this problem. Within a few seconds I found a great software tool (multi-platform, open-source, and free) that could convert just about any type of audio or video file to a format that could be published to an online service or website: HandBrake (http://handbrake.fr)

The software downloads quickly and is super-easy to use. All you need to do is browse for your file and select the type of file format you want it converted to. HandBrake will put it in a queue and tell you when it is ready. Their logo is an umbrella and fruit-studded cocktail and when your file is ready, a cute little window appears, telling you to put down your cocktail.



I'm not sure what a handbrake has to do with a cocktail, but the logo is easy to remember. So, the next time you are looking for a quick, easy, and free software tool to convert a video file, think of cocktails and handbrake. I think you will really appreciate this helpful tool.

Our kids work very hard at school, creating original artifacts that they are proud of. Wouldn't it be great if collecting, organizing, commenting on, and displaying certain pieces of a child's work started in kindergarten (or earlier) and continued through high school? This may sound like an administrative nightmare, but with current tools and a willingness to be proactive (teachers, students, and parents), our students could amass an incredible body of work, knowledge, and skills that would not only be something to look at, but help them view the tremendous amount of progress they really make throughout their school years.

There is much literature and conversation now about ePortfolios, with some software programs devoted to this task. But some people (including me) advocate for a more creative approach, one where the student assumes ownership and creativity. Helen Barrett, a leading authority on ePortfolios has created an excellent visual on the differences between a workspace and showcase portfolio: http://electronicportfolios.com/balance/index.html, which she calls "Balancing the Two Faces of ePortfolios." She describes a Portfolio as Workspace, which I like to call a "Learning Log," and Portfolio as Showcase, or what could then be labeled "Portofolio."

As I already mentioned, the tools are available that will enable students to begin the process of creating a Learning Log, a workspace of their learning experiences.

Here is my top 5 List of Applications for Learning Logs (all of them are free, none of them are specific ePortfolio software applications, and all include ways to subscribe through RSS):

1. WordPress: Yes, WordPress is a blogging software, but what better way for learners to start documenting what they are doing, reflecting upon their progress, getting feedback from others (comments), and displaying their work. The free-web based version works great for creating a Learning Log, a workspace where learners can collect, reflect, and display their work. WordPress blogs can be made public or private, with the ability to even make individual posts private or password-protected. You can add other users to your WordPress blog, add pages, customize it, and use categories to organize the work. In fact, you can now make a blog look like a website!
   
   If you want your students to have their own domain name, then sign up for one and install the server-based version of WordPress, http://wordpress.org. The advantage of using a server-based version is the ability to customize it even more, through the various plugins offered by WordPress. Plus, the student can have their own domain, something that will be more and more common with our learners.
   
   
2. Blogger: Blogger (owned by Google) is considerably easier to begin to learn, has most of the tools needed to organize a very good Learning Log, but lacks the assortment of themes and other customization of WordPress. However, if your student decides to move to another blog, most of them can be exported to another blogging platform. So, yes, you can export a Blogger blog to WordPress. Phew!
   
   
3. Google Sites: This is really a wiki, a website where others can collaborate. However, it could very easily be used to organize learning and artifacts. Google Sites includes all sorts of templates that can be adapted for a Learning Log. Or students could create their own layouts. Sites includes great themes, easy ways to upload content to a "File Cabinet" page, "lists" pages, easy ways to embed other Google Apps, and many other ways you can collect, organize, and present work. Like blogs, Sites can also be made public or private.
   
   
4. Wikispaces: This is a very professional-looking and robust wiki. Remember, a wiki is nothing more than a website that you can create with others. The wikis I am including in this post include visual editors, which means you don't have to know any wiki markup language or html to post to them. Plus, wikispaces offer free and NO ADVERTISEMENT wikis for K-12 educators: http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers
   
   
5. Google Wave: You'll need to get invitations for this service, but as it expands it will become more available. A student could create a wave or any number of waves to record notes, write reflections, insert artifacts, and of course, drag other people into his/her wave for commenting and editing. We are just beginning to see how waves can be used, but I wanted to mention this here, for consideration and discussion.
   

The reason my list starts with blogging platforms is simple: I feel that students might be more inclined to reflect and even write more using a blog, since blogs by nature are online journals. Lack of posts is very evident when visiting a blog, unlike a wiki or website. A blog needs to be current to be interesting and entice others to read it. So, naturally, I like blogs to entice students to keep posting. When you write a blog you feel OBLIGATED to continue writing and writing well. It's the nature of the blog beast.

With the easy availability and free storage offered by multiple online applications, it's almost silly to store stuff on your own hosting service or school server. For many videos, slideshows, audio recordings, and other multimedia, you can use any number of free online tools to display your creative side. Remember, one of the key elements of these services is in their interactivity and sharing. Viewers can comment on your videos, either through text or video, you can view statistics, and can really publicize your presence.

Here are a few of my favorite video storage, sharing, and presentation services:

1. Screencast (http://screencast.com) This service keeps getting better and better, but I especially like its integration with Jing (http://jingproject.com) and Camtasia (a screen recording software and PowerPoint plugin (Windows only for the PowerPoint plugin feature). The basic service is free, but if you find you need more storage, the upgrade isn't too expensive ($99.95 per year with 2 months free for 25BG of storage space). The quality of the videos are excellent, you can grab the embed code and put the videos on your website, and best of all, screencast provides an automatic RSS feed for items you place in folders. It's easy to use and especially nice how you can upload your video you've created in Camtasia or Jing directly to your screencast account.
   
   
2. Blip TV (http://blip.tv) Again, this software has developed from an upstart online video hosting service started in 2005 to a major player distributing multimedia content. I was turned on to this service a few years ago, when I was trying to locate free storage space for audio files attached to a blog to create a podcast feed and still like it. I especially like their Learning Center, where they go through step by step the process of creating multimedia content, answering your questions about tools and how to produce and publish your content: http://blip.tv/learning. Blip TV will host your content free of charge and again, provide all of the code you will need to embed and distribute your content. You can add audio files to your blip account and then attach those to your blog posts, creating an automatic podcast feed.
   
   
3. YouTube (http://youtube.com). The ultimate and probably best-known video service in the world. You can upload just any any format of video and create your own channel. Statistics provide detailed information on who is viewing your video, videos are now viewable in High Definition (HD), and most importantly, YouTube now offers autocaptioning. It's a huge step forward to enable creation of accessible multimedia content. If you are using Camtasia, you can also upload directly to YouTube, another plus. YouTube videos are limited to 10 minutes in length, however, so you'll need to find another video service if yours is over this time limit. Which takes me to my next pick . . .
   
   
4. Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com). This is another video sharing and presentation service, that offers HD and a place for longer than 10 minute videos. I really like the quality of the videos on this service and how clean the interface looks. So, try out vimeo if you need a place for longer videos and again, free storage. 

So, start storing your audio, video, and other multimedia presentations on online storage spaces. It will save you time, help you publicize your content to the world, and save space on your own servers.

If you want a heaping dose of inspiration for the day, view Steve Job's keynote address at yesterday's introduction of the new Apple iPad. This revolutionary computer will connect to the Internet through the 3G (cell phone) network and also through WiFI, greatly expanding the availability of Internet access. It is a well-planned and functional tablet computer, with Apple's marvelous touch-screen technology and new applications built to work with it. Apple didn't design a device to work with existing applications, but instead built the device first and then designed new applications to work on it.

The Apple engineers seem to think of everything, as usual, which gave me a revelation . . . Apple's success is closely tied to its willingness or rather its insistence on creating products that people want and then designing applications to work with the product--not building a product that will work with existing applications. When you think about it, much of our current economic woes and difficulties in business are enmeshed in our unwillingness to change and admit that some of our current applications or ways of running businesses just don't work anymore.

Why am I writing about this? Because I think it is time for Idaho adopt Apple's model for success and design programs its citizens want--online degree programs they can take from an online university in Idaho. If people from Idaho were given the choice (and the price was right!) they would probably choose an Idaho online university rather than an online university from another state.

How important is online education? Well, read this latest report from the Sloan Consortium, the College Board, and the Babson Survey Research Group, "Learning on Demand: Online Education in the United States, 2009." In this report you will find out that more than 4.6 million college and university students took at least one course online in 2008, more than a quarter of all post-secondary students in the U.S. This number represents a 17% growth increase over the previous year and outpaces higher education's overall growth rate of 1.2% in the same period. Two-thirds of the institutions interviewed for this report said that they have experienced increased demand for new programs. NEW PROGRAMS!

"Online education continues to establish itself as demand remains strong and new applications materialize, such as contingency planning for campus emergencies," said Frank Mayadas, special advisor for the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which funded the study. "We believe demand will fuel sustained growth especially within public universities and community colleges, raising the need to share research, optimal methods for faculty training, and other best practices to new levels of importance."

Sustained growth? Who wouldn't want that in Idaho? How do we get there? Here is my plan:

Create an Idaho Virtual University, created and shared by all Idaho institutions of higher learning. Faculty members can share their expertise and teach at this centralized online university, which can offer needed and innovative degree programs, certificates, and other courses throughout the state and beyond. The revenues from this Idaho Virtual University (I even have a cute title for it: IVU, pronounced "I-View," which could symbolize a student's ability to view a bright future and more) could be shared among the state institutions of higher learning, adding to their revenues, while also adding to state revenues in both direct and indirect ways--additional taxes generated, more jobs created in building the infrastructure of the IVU and administration, and more jobs created through a more highly skilled workforce.

But here's the best part: It would simplify the offering and sharing of courses among universities. No fee sharing, no sharing of student records, no complicated procedures for students to follow, (remember, each institution may have different start/stop dates, different due dates for grades), no additional administrative procedures. It would be simple, geared toward student needs, and move Idaho into the competitive yet promising field of online learning. The State Board of Education could sanction this new online university and it could start immediately, designating degree programs, designing and offering courses, and get Idaho moving forward in online education.

Can universities follow Apple's business model for innovation, vision, and meeting the customer's needs? Sure we can, and Idaho Virtual University could be a great start.

When you write a blog, create a class website, add content to your Moodle site, or put just about anything online, you want people to stay on your site or page. That's why you should know how to create and insert embeddable gadgets. Your reader can view your rich content on your blog or website through these gadgets, right on your page, never leaving your website. In essence, your readers are viewing content that is hosted on another location, but it looks like it is on your website. And they stay on your site.

What kinds of embeddable objects can you put on a website? Well, the list keeps growing, but here are a few ideas:

1. RSS Feeds: Widgetbox blidgets (http://docs.widgetbox.com/developers/blidget/) or create a feed from multiple feeds using Yahoo! Pipes and then embed that feed!
   
2. Videos (YouTube, blip.tv, Vimeo, authorstream, you name it)
3. Music (mp3 files embedded with the Google MP3 player)
4. Flickr photos and slideshows
   
5. Picasa Web Albums
6. Screencasts, slideshows, you name it, using screencast.com, slideshare, animoto
7. Other rich multimedia, such as VoiceThread, meebo, stickam
   
8. Google Apps tools, including Google Docs, Spreadsheets, Forms, and Presentation and many other Google tools, such as Google Maps, Charts, Calendars, Books, Talk . . .
   
9. PDF files: issuu (http://issuu.com)
10. Games: Embeddable games (http://www.addictinggames.com)

Here's a great list of Google gadgets for your webpage: http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open

So, keep your readers where you want them . . . on your site! Use embeddable gadgets to make your site more interactive and meaningful.