It has been quite sometime since I posted on this blog, and for good reason. I have been busy! Over 10 years ago I started this instructional technology site to share my learning from my master’s program at the University of Wyoming and my adventures as an instructional technology director for a school district. Life has thrown a few curves into my life’s plan along the way, but I still find myself in education but at the classroom level. Last summer, I gained new employment teaching world geography at Johnson Junior High School in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I was able to bring my family back to my home state and to leave the Sand Hills of Nebraska behind after almost a decade living there. My new exploits have brought me from teaching 8th grade American History to 7th grade World Geography, and I have spent most of the year developing a website and learning tools that can be found at http://oxpower.org (http://geosearcher.wordpress.com). I continue to use Quia (http://quia.com) for building most of my tutorials, the old and trusty Content Generator tutorial creator software, and make most of my presentations for students via Prezi (http://prezi.com). The summer, then school year, has flown by with a major move, and getting accustomed to a new school, students, and staff, but I feel right at home in my native state. The fall allowed myself and my family to attend almost every Wyoming Cowboy home football game, and we even caught a basketball game when the Cowboys were at home for the CBI tournament that they eventually won! I recently purchased a new computer (Mac Mini), and have been transferring and setting things up to keep rolling with technology (I shall share my adventures with that soon). So, there is an update for those that care, and for those that may have thought I had fallen of the face of the earth!
Who has been blogging for a decade!?!
Posted: May 3, 2017 in Education, Instructional Technology, TechnologyTags: ed tech, Education, Instructional Technology, Technology
Free and Cheap Instructional Technology Resources
Posted: April 8, 2016 in UncategorizedTags: Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, software, teaching, Technology
I was recently asked for a list of free and cheap instructional technology resources that I have found productive for use on computers. Here is a list in no particular order. I will share an app list (iOS & Android) later…
Hot Potatoes (FREE quiz maker) https://hotpot.uvic.ca/
Quia (Subscription quiz maker) http://quia.com
Kahoot (Online quiz maker) https://getkahoot.com/
WordPress (FREE Web space creator) https://wordpress.com/
Wikispaces (FREE Wiki maker) https://www.wikispaces.com/
PBWorks (FREE Wiki maker) http://www.pbworks.com/
Delicious (FREE bookarkmarking service) http://delicious.com/
Diigo (FREE bookarkmarking service) https://www.diigo.com/
MOODLE (Open Source Learning/Content Management System) https://moodle.org/
GIMP (Open Source Image Editor) https://www.gimp.org/
Inkscape (Open Source graphics software) https://inkscape.org/en/
Open Office (FREE Productivity Suite) https://www.openoffice.org/
Audacity (FREE Audio Editor) http://www.audacityteam.org/
Kompozer (FREE Webpage Creator) http://www.kompozer.net/
Ubuntu (FREE Operating System) http://www.ubuntu.com/
VLC (FREE Media Player) http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html
Blender (FREE Digital Rendering Software) https://www.blender.org/features/
Scratch (FREE Programming Software) https://scratch.mit.edu/
InfranView (FREE Image Graphic Editor) http://www.irfanview.com/
PDFSAM (FREE PDF Manipulator) http://www.pdfsam.org/
Jing (FREE Screenshot/Screencast Software) https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html
Infographic Projects
Posted: March 10, 2016 in UncategorizedTags: American History, History, infographic, Instructional Technology
I have had my students create infographic projects on World War II topics the past couple of weeks. Here is a link to the instructions and resources page Hokanson’s American History Infographic Project!
My new project…in the works
Posted: March 8, 2016 in Educational Leadership, Educational Technology, Instructional TechnologyEmbedded Tech a Division of Hokanson’s Instructional Technology
This is the beginnings of a plan to provide services to the educational community. Stay tuned…
The history of Star Wars Ken Burns style…
Posted: December 18, 2015 in Just For FunTags: History, Star Wars
WWI Online Games…
Posted: December 14, 2015 in Educational Technology, Gaming, History, Instructional TechnologyTags: Education, Gaming, History, School, WWI
I have shared a few of these WWI online simulations and games before. Enjoy!
Assistive Technology
Posted: July 30, 2015 in UncategorizedTags: assistive technology, Education, Instructional Technology, Technology
There is a great article on assistive technology at Buzz Feed titled – How A Simple Apple Feature Called Switch Control Is Changing Lives
“For years, Christopher Hills’s cerebral palsy made it nearly impossible for him to use a computer. Now he’s editing video on one.”
10 Essential FREE Android Apps…
Posted: June 7, 2015 in Android, Apps, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional TechnologyTags: android, Android apps, apps, Education, StraghtTalk, ZTE
Android apps are plenty, and I have had the past couple of years to decide on what I consider to be the most essential. I am a low end user, purchasing economical devices for classroom use and, in the case of my phone, a StraightTalk ZTE Rapido LTE device. In these situations you don’t have access to much storage space; so, I have narrowed my usage to the following apps (all FREE):
WPS Office (Kingsoft): My go to app for reading and creating documents as needed. Yes, Google Drive is there too, but I really like WPS Office on my devices.
AVG AntiVirus & AVG Cleaner: Great antivirus detection and a cleaner to free up space when I need it.
Camera360: Solid photography app to make your phone camera full featured.
AccuWeather: In the Midwest it is nice to know what is on the horizon. This app provides you with all the information you need.
Chrome: First choice browser.
Dolphin Browser: The browser I use when I need to employ Flash for classroom use.
Amazon Kindle: This is where most of my books are; so, it’s nice to have access on multiple devices.
Facebook: Allows me to connect with family and friends.
Jewels 2: My favorite handheld game. Infinity mode is the best.
Walmart: Savings Catcher saves me money each time I go to the store.
Anytime you have several files to transfer to a web server, FTP is the best option. In the past I have used Transmit (not free) on my Mac, but there are some good options that are free to use. The one I like the best is FileZilla. Better than being free is that it works on all platforms (Windows, Mac, Linux). It is easy to setup once you know your connection information, is simple to understand and manipulate, it works fast, and it does a good job of reconnecting in case it disconnects and therefore picks up right where it left off. Give it a try if you are looking for something fast, easy, and free…
“The Ghost Army”
Posted: April 22, 2015 in UncategorizedTags: Education, History, Learning, Social Studies, teaching
Interesting World War II article at The Morning News on a WWII secret unit the “waged war and fakery” as a weapon… The Ghost Army
The Android Tablet Saga Continues…
Posted: April 10, 2015 in UncategorizedTags: android, DOPO, edtech, Education, Instructional Technology, Learning, tablets, teaching, Technology
As I shared some time ago, I have been embedding DOPO Android tablets into the learning process in my classroom. My students and I have been utilizing the devices this school year without any major bumps in the road. One was dropped and met its end, but the rest of the tablets have weathered heavy use. One thing I miss is access to Flash; so, I installed the Dolphin and FlashFox browsers as a solution to run some of my Flash based resources (I do have alternative HTML versions as a work around too). Yes, these browsers utilize the last version of Flash to run on Android (11…), but I’m not too concerned about a security risk as we spend most of our time in the walled garden of my classroom website. Many of my students also use their own devices (a few tablets and mostly phones) to access my online resources. I also reworked my classroom site, that runs via WordPress, with a more mobile friendly theme. So, what will the new school year bring? A continued effort in personally financed and low end tech that can follow me anywhere…
“A Smarter Way to Teach the Teachers”
Posted: April 8, 2015 in UncategorizedTags: Education, inservice, plc, professional development
Great article on professional development for teachers: A Smarter Way to Teach the Teachers
Freedom isn’t free…
Posted: April 8, 2015 in UncategorizedTags: Fort McPherson, freedom, national cemetery, Nebraska
This is a picture I shot at the Fort McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell, Nebraska. I am thankful for the freedoms that I have and for the sacrifice given for me to have them…
H I T - Hokanson's Instructional Technology 