Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. – Maya Angelou

Mr. Walker's Classroom Blog

  • From the HOTAAR site, you have to go to the site to see what the initials stand for, it is too good to copy.

    Please do not reprint or use the typogram without the appropriate permission. This is a personal site and I am just showing what a typogram is, I wish I had thought of this one, although it does inspire me to consider making one for something else.

    From the site:

    Ride…ride…ride. It’s calling to you with svelt circles and a promise of adventure. But is it a secret society, those who ride? In a flash of inspiration you search online and find the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, a public support group for people like you who hear the call. You order the 2010 LACBC Bicycle Resource Guide for $10, a fascinating digest of wheeling information for every situation. At the center, laying across a two page spread in black and white, is this typogram:

     

  • Reprinted from GoogleLatLong.  I was lucky enough to speak and be a part of this learning and crowdsourcing experience this summer.

    The View from the Summit: Celebrating Geo Users Across North America

    Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 2:04 PM

    Across the globe, a steadily growing community of passionate users are blazing new trails in the world of online geographic content. With the help of products like Google Map Maker, Google SketchUp and Building Maker, and Panoramio, Geo enthusiasts are harnessing the ability to add and edit various aspects of geography across 180 countries and regions in Google Maps and Google Earth.

    To celebrate the valuable contributions of our users, particularly in light of Map Maker’s United States launch in April, we felt it was time to connect with our amazing U.S. Geo Community in person. From July 20th-22nd, the Google Geo team welcomed avid mappers, 3D modelers and Panoramio photo contributors from throughout North America to our Mountain View campus for the first ever United States Geo User Summit.

    Brian McClendon addresses a rapt audience of Geo users

    The summit was an opportunity for our most active contributing users to come together to learn, teach and share best practices with one another. A Map Maker workshop brought everyone up to speed on solid mapping practices and ways to add that next level of comprehensiveness to the map. Google reviewers also made the trip to Mountain View, CA to connect directly with users and give them the inside scoop on what goes into reviewing an incredible number of mapping edits each day, while offering insight to both new and experienced mappers. The user-generated unconference sessions also gave everyone a chance to troubleshoot, voice ideas, and brainstorm potential new product features with Googlers. There was also plenty of playtime, including an RC Car Scavenger Hunt, which had teams of summit attendees chasing remote controlled toy cars to points of interest across the Google campus. Ultimately, however, the event served as a forum for users to share their amazing and inspiring stories with fellow members of the Geo community.

    Geo users mark their place on the map

    Hearing their stories and perspectives was definitely the highlight of the summit. For example, Sophia Sallas-Brookwell, an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, introduced her plan to implement Map Maker as a means of addressing the inequitable distribution of healthy food options in Chicago’s South Side. Educator John Walker described his extensive use of mapping and 3D modeling in his Gresham, Oregon classroom, and how he encourages his high school students to leave a thoughtful footprint in the world. Many other users also shared their tips, tricks, and motivations, igniting a noticeable enthusiasm among attendees.

    Googlers and Geo users join forces on Google’s Mountain View Crittenden Campus

    If you weren’t among the crowd at this summer’s U.S. Geo User Summit, feel free to visit the event website, where you can browse photos of featured speakers, brainstorming sessions, and RC toy cars escaping into the sunset. Extensive session notes and presentations are also available. If you’re interested in attending future events, please see the Map Maker Events Calendar, 3D Events Calendar and Panoramio Events Calendar. This summit was just the beginning of an ongoing celebration of the passionate mappers, modelers, and photo contributors around the world.

    Posted by Lori Savageau, Community Manager, Google Map Maker

  • The State of Education
    Via: OnlineEducation.net

  • This is a basic reprint from a recent post from Maximum PC. If any of you qualify for this and can afford it give Comcast a call.

    When Comcast scooped up NBC Universal earlier this year, regulatory officials made the Internet service provider promise to boost its broadband coverage to include 2.5 million low income households at a price of less than $10 per month (among many other conditions – PDF).

    Comcast is making good on that promise by rolling out its Internet Essentials program, which offers high-speed Internet to qualifying families for $9.95.

    Comcast lists a handful of conditions, including:

    1. Be located where Comcast offers Internet service
    2. Have at least one child receiving free school lunches through the National School Lunch Program
    3. Have not subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days
    4. Not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment

    The Internet Essentials service offers up to 1.5Mbps download and up to 384Kbps upload speeds.