, a fancy photo sharing thing.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
KiTtY's VIRtUaLLy ReAl COmPUtEr EsCAPadEs
Hello once again friends, family and followers.
Another weekend has virtually flown by! I often find myself in a relective state of mind on Mondays and today is no exception. My oldest child, Lauren, went off to college this year - have I already mentioned that a million times? This alone has been fodder for hours of reflection. Remember whens and I wonder whats...Ah well, there is no better cure for reflection than some reality, right? Scotty, beam me up.
In my
present world I have a large class assignment that, true to computer world form, isn't going smoothly. As a result of my vast experience with computers, peripherals, software, etc. I always steel myself when beginning a project and expect that there will be a malfunction(s) - real, virtual or HUMAN!
For my eme5208I assignment I chose the Digital Video and Audio modules of Journey #1. Now; time to organize the "Required Materials for this Module". I got out the (circa 2000-how did it get so) old video camera and charged the battery. Charged the battery. Charged it some more. True to form, no charge!? @*$&%^!
After the battery had a one night sleepover at the Interstate Battery store, I learned that it will no longer hold a charge (i.e. it's D E A D). The helpful clerk, Mark, was able to find a relacement battery in stock (yay!) that did not fit into my camera (darn!). Mark was nice enough to write down the #s of two other batteries (not in stock) that his nice computer informed him would also fit my camera. $40-50. Sheesh. He suggested I look on Amazon or eBay. Geez, by the time (if I can find it at all) I get this battery it'll be Xmas! And I don't see the module posted yet, so I don't know what else I'll need.
So, shift gears. I do a few jumping jacks. Some push-ups, jumps, jog in place. Shake it out. Calm - feel the peace, let it in....ok. Now.
Let's see what the "Required Materials for this Module" are for the Audio portion of the assignment;
#1. Computer with sound card. Check! Whew..got past #1 no prob.
#2 Microphone. Right! I have a microphone we got with our very
first computer. In 1997. 11 years ago.
Don't panic: remember - you used it at school (with Audacity as a mater of fact) on a new Dell and it worked fine. A microphone is a micrphone right? Right!
I untangle it's cord from the mess of wires I discovered, but never wanted to look at, protruding like spaghetti from the back of my son's PC. After I recover from breathing in a large dust-bunny (good thing nobody can see back there...) I give the microphone a quick once-over. All the parts and pieces are here-good.
Drum roll. . . . . . Oh good, there is a little hole in the front of my laptop with a tiny drawing of a microphone! That must be where I should plug it in, D'OH....
Tune in for my next bLoG installment. Find out:
Come back soon to find out what the next real, virtual or human malfunction will be in-
KiTtY's VIRtUaLLy ReAl COmPUtEr EsCAPadEs
Another weekend has virtually flown by! I often find myself in a relective state of mind on Mondays and today is no exception. My oldest child, Lauren, went off to college this year - have I already mentioned that a million times? This alone has been fodder for hours of reflection. Remember whens and I wonder whats...Ah well, there is no better cure for reflection than some reality, right? Scotty, beam me up.
In my
present world I have a large class assignment that, true to computer world form, isn't going smoothly. As a result of my vast experience with computers, peripherals, software, etc. I always steel myself when beginning a project and expect that there will be a malfunction(s) - real, virtual or HUMAN!For my eme5208I assignment I chose the Digital Video and Audio modules of Journey #1. Now; time to organize the "Required Materials for this Module". I got out the (circa 2000-how did it get so) old video camera and charged the battery. Charged the battery. Charged it some more. True to form, no charge!? @*$&%^!
After the battery had a one night sleepover at the Interstate Battery store, I learned that it will no longer hold a charge (i.e. it's D E A D). The helpful clerk, Mark, was able to find a relacement battery in stock (yay!) that did not fit into my camera (darn!). Mark was nice enough to write down the #s of two other batteries (not in stock) that his nice computer informed him would also fit my camera. $40-50. Sheesh. He suggested I look on Amazon or eBay. Geez, by the time (if I can find it at all) I get this battery it'll be Xmas! And I don't see the module posted yet, so I don't know what else I'll need.
So, shift gears. I do a few jumping jacks. Some push-ups, jumps, jog in place. Shake it out. Calm - feel the peace, let it in....ok. Now.
Let's see what the "Required Materials for this Module" are for the Audio portion of the assignment;
#1. Computer with sound card. Check! Whew..got past #1 no prob.
#2 Microphone. Right! I have a microphone we got with our very
first computer. In 1997. 11 years ago.
Don't panic: remember - you used it at school (with Audacity as a mater of fact) on a new Dell and it worked fine. A microphone is a micrphone right? Right!
I untangle it's cord from the mess of wires I discovered, but never wanted to look at, protruding like spaghetti from the back of my son's PC. After I recover from breathing in a large dust-bunny (good thing nobody can see back there...) I give the microphone a quick once-over. All the parts and pieces are here-good.
Drum roll. . . . . . Oh good, there is a little hole in the front of my laptop with a tiny drawing of a microphone! That must be where I should plug it in, D'OH....
Tune in for my next bLoG installment. Find out:
**Does Kittygator's microphone REALLY work? **
>>Is it broken, and just APPEARS to be ok?<<
@@Does it have a voice warp feature so I can sound like an alien-wait, never mind that.@@
~~What is #3?~~
Come back soon to find out what the next real, virtual or human malfunction will be in-
KiTtY's VIRtUaLLy ReAl COmPUtEr EsCAPadEs
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Digital Imaging and Digital Audio
Whether it's camping, traveling, vacationing, or just relaxing with family, yours truly frequently harrasses everyone around me.
Why? Because I LOVE to take pictures! I'm the one who orders everyone to pose for pictures that document these memorable times of our lives. Some pictures are intimate & emotional, others fun & light-hearted, and I get them ALL on pixel!
I'm looking forward to these modules because I'll learn to use several tools, software and program 'tricks'. Then perhaps I can actually DO something special with the 7,000+ photos I have (stored online)!
Wouldn't you know though, this week when I got my Canon digital camera out, it wouldn't turn on. Assuming the batteries were dead, I changed them. Nothing.
Remembering a recent "Car Talk" radio show where the best advice they could give was to give the car door a good whack, I gave the camera a decent whack. Surprisingly, the camera began to work!
I took a few shots, but when I put the memory card in the printer, there were NO pictures! Another technologically driven frustration without a solution (yet!) Thankfully, I have a small Olympus and an OLD HP digital camera to use as stand-ins.
So the first adventure begins in Digital Imaging and Audio :-) I'm sure this is just the first of many. Next entry I will include details of the activity(ies) as I work through the assignments.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Emerging Technologies Post
As I read through the "Emerging Technologies" module for my UCF class and read the chapters in our textbook "Web 2.0 new tools, new schools", the pace at which new technology is being created and new uses for existing technology is being discovered is incredible!
Up until about 2 years ago, I was considered tech savvy and knowledgeable about the working of the computer itself and the concomitant peripherals, and relatively familiar with educational apps and devices such as zip and pen drives, ELMO overheads, computer microscopes, etc.
That isn't the case today. These days I struggle just to stay ahead of the students! It takes all of the 'free' time I have keep up with the programs and devices I need to use, leaving no time to discover new programs, applications, blogs, educational websites, etc. I haven't even been able to use the new White board yet =(
So, it excites me to see the possibilities I've glimpsed as I have perused the sites Ms. Kirkley linked to our readings.
As far as technology that I AM still familiar with and use regularly, my favorite is my digital camera and the sites/programs I use to edit, print, and store them.
To store ALL of my files (music, data and photos) I use Sugarsync, a web storage host with the following features:
You'll find the service at http://www.sugarsync.com/. I subscribe for a storage total of 30G; I'm currently using 25.4G. Originally, I was over the 30G limit, so I didn't include all of my music files!
This week Sugarsync just released their new feature - FILE SHARING. I can mark any file as 'shared' and send an email invite to view as many or as few as I choose!
When my external hard drive became unreadable a few years ago, I was SO very grateful that I was using online backup for my photos. At the time I had over 5,000 from a span of many years. Currently Sugarsync has backed up 55,455 files and 2,101 sub-folders - that's a LOT of important (to ME) 'stuff'!
Up until about 2 years ago, I was considered tech savvy and knowledgeable about the working of the computer itself and the concomitant peripherals, and relatively familiar with educational apps and devices such as zip and pen drives, ELMO overheads, computer microscopes, etc.
That isn't the case today. These days I struggle just to stay ahead of the students! It takes all of the 'free' time I have keep up with the programs and devices I need to use, leaving no time to discover new programs, applications, blogs, educational websites, etc. I haven't even been able to use the new White board yet =(
So, it excites me to see the possibilities I've glimpsed as I have perused the sites Ms. Kirkley linked to our readings.
As far as technology that I AM still familiar with and use regularly, my favorite is my digital camera and the sites/programs I use to edit, print, and store them.
To store ALL of my files (music, data and photos) I use Sugarsync, a web storage host with the following features:
It’s the world’s simplest online backup with remote access,
multi computer sync and online sharing built in.
You'll find the service at http://www.sugarsync.com/. I subscribe for a storage total of 30G; I'm currently using 25.4G. Originally, I was over the 30G limit, so I didn't include all of my music files!
This week Sugarsync just released their new feature - FILE SHARING. I can mark any file as 'shared' and send an email invite to view as many or as few as I choose!
When my external hard drive became unreadable a few years ago, I was SO very grateful that I was using online backup for my photos. At the time I had over 5,000 from a span of many years. Currently Sugarsync has backed up 55,455 files and 2,101 sub-folders - that's a LOT of important (to ME) 'stuff'!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Whew, I need to catch my breath. Ahhhh....
Hello there! Long time, no type/read. That's mostly because I have been busy. It seems like every one of us had a Dr. visit (including the cat), haircut, dentist appointment, meeting, etc. We also ran out of all sorts of things vital to our everyday lives (detergent, hygiene items, pet food and so on), so Target cleaned up when I visited there too!
My son also brought home his 2nd report card - I was holding my breath because his mid-semester progress report was way below the acceptable margin. But...he pulled it out! He brought home all As and Bs as usual, and 2 great comments too.
My husband is gone more than he is home these days. But don't feel too sorry for me-we both work from home which is claustrophobic at times. It's either feast or famine.
I'd like to tag along when he goes to Atlanta, but we don't have many options for leaving our 14 year old son during the school week.
I AM excited about a different trip though. My trip (along with my 19 year old daughter) to Dubai has been scheduled - WOOHOO! We areleaving Mar 6, returning March 14. Gosh, it's a very long flight (~19 hours). I've been told to take Tylenol PM and try to snooze for the majority of the plane ride. We have rather long lay-overs too, but that give us wiggle room in case of a delay.
We can't wait to see our best friends; Dawn (My BFF) and her daughter Monica (my daughter's BFF). Isn't that cool? They are living in Dubai for a year. Dawn's company builds marinas and Dubai is famous for having created not 1 but 3 islands - 2 look like palm trees, and the third looks like Earth (this is when viewed from the air). It is absolute debauchery and waste, but I hear it is something to behold. They use the old adage "It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here" to describe how they feel about Dubai.
I must go and prepare some dinner for my son and myself. More later....TaTa
^..^ Kitty
Hello there! Long time, no type/read. That's mostly because I have been busy. It seems like every one of us had a Dr. visit (including the cat), haircut, dentist appointment, meeting, etc. We also ran out of all sorts of things vital to our everyday lives (detergent, hygiene items, pet food and so on), so Target cleaned up when I visited there too!
My son also brought home his 2nd report card - I was holding my breath because his mid-semester progress report was way below the acceptable margin. But...he pulled it out! He brought home all As and Bs as usual, and 2 great comments too.
My husband is gone more than he is home these days. But don't feel too sorry for me-we both work from home which is claustrophobic at times. It's either feast or famine.
I'd like to tag along when he goes to Atlanta, but we don't have many options for leaving our 14 year old son during the school week.
I AM excited about a different trip though. My trip (along with my 19 year old daughter) to Dubai has been scheduled - WOOHOO! We areleaving Mar 6, returning March 14. Gosh, it's a very long flight (~19 hours). I've been told to take Tylenol PM and try to snooze for the majority of the plane ride. We have rather long lay-overs too, but that give us wiggle room in case of a delay.
We can't wait to see our best friends; Dawn (My BFF) and her daughter Monica (my daughter's BFF). Isn't that cool? They are living in Dubai for a year. Dawn's company builds marinas and Dubai is famous for having created not 1 but 3 islands - 2 look like palm trees, and the third looks like Earth (this is when viewed from the air). It is absolute debauchery and waste, but I hear it is something to behold. They use the old adage "It's a great place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live here" to describe how they feel about Dubai.
I must go and prepare some dinner for my son and myself. More later....TaTa
^..^ Kitty
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Troubleshooting Reflection - EME5208- Production Techniques for Instructional Setting...
Hello All-
I'm just going to do a little tweaking to make this font look better. Let's see-
I just love the color "Hot Pink", and this definitely isn't it.
What abou...no this is "Baby Pink"
What the? It just gets worse. Soon I'll be invisible!
Aha! ... This is not it either. I think they call this 'salmon'
OK! Wow I don't even know what to call this color.
I just love the color "Royal Blue", so why isn't this the right color? It should look like the word "Preview" in the top right corner of this blog text box! Geez...
You've just read a little bit of what I was thinking as I tried to fill in a template for a set of page dividers. Only 3 font choices, no way to see if what you typed would actually fit onto the tab of the real divider, and VERY vague instructions. Mostly just buttons.
When I finally got the template to print, the letters were too small and it looked like I turned a piece of paper sideways and typed on it! How does the template actually benefit me?
Sound familiar? When you buy a cheap product that promises to have online support, templates, ideas factories, creative samples and MORE!, don't you believe it.
Avery.com even makes you download a tool if you want to use the software for printing on their labels!
I finally filled in the tab outline by hand. Guess what; it looks just fine. Now I'm feeling bad about the time I wasted trying to print them.
Now that I think about it, I feel bad about "wasting time" on the computer quite frequently. As I mulled this over, I realized/rationalized that I've learned most of my computer skills EXACTLY this way. Trial and error (mostly error if I'm really learning A LOT!)
=) Kathleen Kitty Redfern
I'm just going to do a little tweaking to make this font look better. Let's see-
I just love the color "Hot Pink", and this definitely isn't it.
What abou...no this is "Baby Pink"
What the? It just gets worse. Soon I'll be invisible!
Aha! ... This is not it either. I think they call this 'salmon'
OK! Wow I don't even know what to call this color.
I just love the color "Royal Blue", so why isn't this the right color? It should look like the word "Preview" in the top right corner of this blog text box! Geez...
You've just read a little bit of what I was thinking as I tried to fill in a template for a set of page dividers. Only 3 font choices, no way to see if what you typed would actually fit onto the tab of the real divider, and VERY vague instructions. Mostly just buttons.
When I finally got the template to print, the letters were too small and it looked like I turned a piece of paper sideways and typed on it! How does the template actually benefit me?
Sound familiar? When you buy a cheap product that promises to have online support, templates, ideas factories, creative samples and MORE!, don't you believe it.
Avery.com even makes you download a tool if you want to use the software for printing on their labels!
I finally filled in the tab outline by hand. Guess what; it looks just fine. Now I'm feeling bad about the time I wasted trying to print them.
Now that I think about it, I feel bad about "wasting time" on the computer quite frequently. As I mulled this over, I realized/rationalized that I've learned most of my computer skills EXACTLY this way. Trial and error (mostly error if I'm really learning A LOT!)
=) Kathleen Kitty Redfern
Friday, January 16, 2009
What does Blog mean? AHA!
AHA!!
I have it!
I think I already knew it and forgot, but BLOG is actually an "urban" word combining
web and log, see?
Did Webster add it to the Dictionary? Wait a second and I'll go out and check - I love the Firefox tabs!
I have it!
I think I already knew it and forgot, but BLOG is actually an "urban" word combining
web and log, see?
Did Webster add it to the Dictionary? Wait a second and I'll go out and check - I love the Firefox tabs!
Encyclopædia Britannica:
Blog
internet
in full Web Log or Weblog
Blog
internet
in full Web Log or Weblog
Yep! It's in both Merriam & Webster and Britannica.
In my first blog posting, I was so caught up in the actual term BLOG that I neglected to tell a little about myself. Well....there is so much and so little to tell.
I'll just state the facts, as Sergeant Friday used to say on Dragnet (Yeah, I'm that old...)
Name: Kathleen N/M/N Redfern, nee Kennedy. If you actually call me Kathleen, then you do NOT know me-probably trying to sell me something-it's Kitty to everyone else.
Age: Geez, I'm already 48.
Marital and Offspring Status: Married 21 years to Craig who, in partnership with me, produced 2 children:
#1) Lauren, age 19 and a Freshman at UF **How 'bout them Gators?**
(technically a Sophomore with AP and Dual-Enrollment credits)
#2) Bryce, age 14 and an 8th grader at Indian Trails Middle School in Winter Springs.
Location: For the past 9 years I have lived in the Tuscawilla neighborhood of Winter Springs, Florida. We moved here from North Florida.
Occupation: Florida Elementary School Teacher for 26 years-Whew! Currently on a leave of absence from Seminole County.
Education: Bachelors in Early Childhood Ed from Univ. of Fla., 1978-1982
Masters in Elementary Ed. From Nova Southeastern, 1989-1990
ESOL Endorsement (300 hours), 1995-96
*See my profile for MUCH more detail about me!
I'll just state the facts, as Sergeant Friday used to say on Dragnet (Yeah, I'm that old...)
Name: Kathleen N/M/N Redfern, nee Kennedy. If you actually call me Kathleen, then you do NOT know me-probably trying to sell me something-it's Kitty to everyone else.
Age: Geez, I'm already 48.
Marital and Offspring Status: Married 21 years to Craig who, in partnership with me, produced 2 children:
#1) Lauren, age 19 and a Freshman at UF **How 'bout them Gators?**
(technically a Sophomore with AP and Dual-Enrollment credits)
#2) Bryce, age 14 and an 8th grader at Indian Trails Middle School in Winter Springs.
Location: For the past 9 years I have lived in the Tuscawilla neighborhood of Winter Springs, Florida. We moved here from North Florida.
Occupation: Florida Elementary School Teacher for 26 years-Whew! Currently on a leave of absence from Seminole County.
Education: Bachelors in Early Childhood Ed from Univ. of Fla., 1978-1982
Masters in Elementary Ed. From Nova Southeastern, 1989-1990
ESOL Endorsement (300 hours), 1995-96
*See my profile for MUCH more detail about me!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
B L O G . . .
B...what is the B in BLOG an acronym for, I wonder?
I'm assuming (and you know what can happen when you ass u me!) L O G references the way in which we shall use this space to frequently 'log' our activities, thoughts, feelings, special life events, etc.
But the B? Bomputer? Biary? Betwork?
I'd better look it up on the Binternet - that's how I get ALL my info these days. The "at your fingertips" access to information has changed my life, I can tell you.
I'm an info junky. Not the kind you'll get from reading the paper, but facts, words, history, quotes, famous people (dead and alive).
Can't tell you how many times the parents made us kids get the dictionary at dinner to look something up - or the encyclopedia! Remember the set you could collect from the grocery store? I think there was a new letter every month if you spent so much, etc...well, anyway, now I send MY kids to the computer. No cheap, marginal information like we had. It's a wonder we learned anything at all, isn't it?
Now, let's see...I'll have to open another tab and browse to find the "B" answer, so I'll close for now and come back with (voi'la) information!!! (how do you put that little accent mark into a B L O G, anyway?)
I'm assuming (and you know what can happen when you ass u me!) L O G references the way in which we shall use this space to frequently 'log' our activities, thoughts, feelings, special life events, etc.
But the B? Bomputer? Biary? Betwork?
I'd better look it up on the Binternet - that's how I get ALL my info these days. The "at your fingertips" access to information has changed my life, I can tell you.
I'm an info junky. Not the kind you'll get from reading the paper, but facts, words, history, quotes, famous people (dead and alive).
Can't tell you how many times the parents made us kids get the dictionary at dinner to look something up - or the encyclopedia! Remember the set you could collect from the grocery store? I think there was a new letter every month if you spent so much, etc...well, anyway, now I send MY kids to the computer. No cheap, marginal information like we had. It's a wonder we learned anything at all, isn't it?
Now, let's see...I'll have to open another tab and browse to find the "B" answer, so I'll close for now and come back with (voi'la) information!!! (how do you put that little accent mark into a B L O G, anyway?)
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