Archive for April, 2008

Happy Birthday Hannah: Sweet 16

Posted: April 30, 2008 in Family, Learning, teachers
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Sixteen years ago I became a dad for the first time. I was scared to my wits about the whole thing and I suppose I still am! 😉 Hannah helped me learn to be a dad. She taught me how to play Barbies, have fun with water, to “do it again daddy,” to worry more than I ever have, to be prouder than I ever have, and to have a broken heart more than I ever could have known.

My joy is great because of Hannah, and I can’t believe how fast 16 years can go by. This little baby that arrived near high noon on April 30, 1992 stared into my eyes and won my heart forever. I can still see her and that moment in my mind as if it were yesterday. It was a great day, and life has improved each day. If I had to list one of my greatest teachers it would be Hannah. Because of what she didn’t or doesn’t know, I learn. That is so cool! I love you Hannah!!!

A Video From One of My Teachers…

Posted: April 29, 2008 in Courage, Creativity, Education, Educational Leadership, Innovation, Inspirational, Learning, Nature, Reflection, Respect, School, Service
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My blog has been a place where I have met some wonderful people.  These great folks have become my teachers and as they share their knowledge, experiences, products, concerns, and hearts they become my friends.  Kyle Addington teaches me more and more each day, and he created a video that I have been meaning to share and it cannot wait any longer!  Watch, learn, and do:

A List of Links to Web Resources…

Posted: April 29, 2008 in Collaboration, Education, Educational Technology, Exploration, Instructional Technology, Learning, NETA, NETA 2008, Open Source, School, School 2.0, Tech Tools, Technology, Technology Integration, Web 2.0
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I am sharing the following list that I gathered at the NETA conference.  Many of these tools I have used, but there are a few I plan to try out and share my thoughts on over the coming days.  For now, I share the raw list in case you are interested in giving them a try along with me.  Let me know your thoughts and experiences so that we can learn together.  Thanks!

Digital Storytelling at My House…

Posted: April 29, 2008 in digital storytelling, Education, Exploration, Family, Innovation, Learning, Middle School, School, School 2.0, Social Studies, Students, Talent, Technology, Technology Integration
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My son Charlie created a claymation video yesterday. You can visit his blog to leave a comment about his project. I think it’s pretty good for a first time go at claymation; so, let him know what you think.

Charlie’s Blog: http://chokanson.wordpress.com

NETA Day 2

Posted: April 25, 2008 in Digital Citizenship, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, NETA, NETA 2008, School, School 2.0, Technology, Technology Integration, Web 2.0
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Had a great day at NETA yesterday.  Excellent breakout sessions, good networking, and there are some great things going on around the state.  I hope to get to the vendor floor to look at the various offerings in more detail today.  I am hoping to get to some digital citizenship sessions today to bring back information  to our district.  Again, my notes can be found at my PBWiki:  http://hokanson.pbwiki.com

Good Morning From NETA Day 1

Posted: April 24, 2008 in Education, Educational Leadership, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, Learning Communities, NETA, NETA 2008, School, School 2.0, Technology, Technology Integration, Wiki, Will Richardson
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I sit waiting for Will Richardson’s keynote this morning here in beautiful Omaha, Nebraska at the NETA Conference.  This should be a good conference as I have heard many positive things about it.  My notes for the day can be found at my PBWiki; so, if you are interested head over to get the details.

Now That’s Talent!!!

Posted: April 21, 2008 in Juggling, Middle School, School, Talent
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My son Charlie and his good friend Wyatt!!!

NETA: Nebraska Educational Technology Association

Posted: April 20, 2008 in Education, Educational Leadership, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Learning, Learning Communities, NETA, NETA 2008, School, School 2.0, teachers, Tech Tools, Technology, Technology Integration
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I’m off to my first NETA conference this week!

NETA: “The Nebraska Educational Technology Association is a grassroots organization open to everyone interested in sharing information about using technology in the educational process.”

“Our membership is comprised of approximately 1800 members representing classroom teachers from kindergarten through college, administrators, technology specialists, researchers, and preservice educators.

Our members are leading the charge toward the future by helping educators learn to infuse innovative technologies into the learning process. You’ll find us working year round to support educational technology, but our favorite time of year comes in the spring when nearly 2000 of us gather at our annual Spring Conference for two days of national speakers, engaging breakout sessions, hands-on workshops and an exhibition hall filled with all the best education technology vendors.

NETA is an official Affiliate of the International Society for Technology in Education. We join approximately 70 other affiliated educational technology associations from around the world in the improvement of teaching and learning through the use of technology.”

I will be attending the conference with four other colleagues; plus, we have a few others who will join the mix along the way. I plan to take notes on my PBWiki and to share the exciting events and knowledge that I gain at the gathering. Stay posted for information here at H I T too!!!

Who I Am Makes A Difference

Posted: April 18, 2008 in Courage, Education, Educational Leadership, Family, Inspirational, Learning, Parenting, Parents, Reflection, Respect, School, Students, teachers, Thanks
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A good friend and colleague, Larry LaShell, shared the following video with me today:

Web Link

I needed this today. Thanks Larry, you made a difference by passing this on!

Heather’s Birthday

Posted: April 15, 2008 in Family
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Tomorrow my Heather turns 5!!!

Posted: April 14, 2008 in Courage, Family, Humor
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My youngest of our 5, our little Heather, has a birthday tomorrow. That was a fast 5 years, but I can remember the morning she arrived like it was yesterday. In celebration of Heather’s courageous attitude I present the following short film: Daredevil Heather!!! Enjoy!

Heather’s Podcast Page (Sadly, Heather fell asleep this evening and we were unable to make her last podcast while she was still four!)  😦

Flickr Video!!!

Posted: April 9, 2008 in Education, Educational Technology, Flickr, Instructional Technology, Photography, Tech Tools, Technology, Web 2.0
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Flickr now does video! As their blog states:

“Video! Video! Video! The rumours are true and “soon” is now. We’re thrilled to introduce video on Flickr. If you’re a pro member, you can now share videos up to 90 glorious seconds in your photostream.

90 seconds? While this might seem like an arbitrary limit, we thought long and hard about how video would complement the flickrverse. If you’ve memorized the Community Guidelines, you know that Flickr is all about sharing photos that you yourself have taken. Video will be no different and so what quickly bubbled up was the idea of “long photos,” of capturing slices of life to share.”

Click the following for Flickr Video FAQs

Load ’em up and share ya’all! 😉

Adobe Photoshop Express FREE!

Posted: April 9, 2008 in Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, Open Source, Photography, Photoshop Express, Tech Tools, Technology
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Photoshop Express Adobe has gone live with its online photo editing presentation called Photoshop Express! My good friend Tim Vanderheiden, principal of Madison Middle School, gave me a heads up of this offering today. I plan to sign up and give it a go. Share your thoughts here on its capabilities if you get a chance! Peace!

The New WordPress Has Arrived…

Posted: April 5, 2008 in blog, Blogs, Education, Educational Technology, Instructional Technology, School, School 2.0, Tech Tools, Technology, Technology Integration, Wordpress
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Wordpress Logo If you are new to using WordPress.com, especially if I have encouraged you to do so as of late, you will notice the new administration design in the dashboard. In our blogging workshop this past Thursday I was able to warn those in attendance, but now I send out a message to everyone else to relax and remain calm. 😉

My good friend Brad Kovach has a nice explanation of the new features of WordPress 2.5. Obviously he is using the actual install, but what he shares is beneficial and I know it will answer several questions that may arise. Read his article at the following link: A look at WordPress 2.5

The changes you see now in the WordPress dashboard will take some getting used to, but I believe we will see the redesign as better organized for the user. Let me know your thoughts and comments on the new design; and, of course, please ask questions so that you can find your way if you aren’t sure where something is located now!

So, let’s see, I suppose we are due for some new video tutorials aren’t we!?! I will have to get my headset mic ready and fire up Jing next week. In the meantime remember: relax and remain calm. 🙂

Peace!