Honest Company

It’s Tuesday, April 28th, 2009 and welcome to episode 84 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. It is getting to be that time of year again where the work load crescendos to the point of becoming out of control as the last week of the semester is upon us and our final exams are coming up next week. This time of year both teachers and students rush to complete assignments and projects. Teachers are working hard to get all the grading completed so we can wrap up another semester and get ready to begin a new one. To listen click on the Play button > Download MP3 This cycle however is not as strict as it once was for universities as new technologies now make it possible for anytime and anywhere learning that can completely disregard the old-guard academic calendar cycles. This transition has been going on now for more than a decade for many universities and today the learning never ends. Whether you are taking a formal college-level course, pursuing work related training, or just updati...

It’s Sunday, April 19th, 2009 and welcome to episode 83 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. Last week I introduced the eeeasausrus project that the ITC has been working on and we have been continuing its development over the past week. The eeeasaurus project has been in field operations for over two weeks now and I could not be happier with the results. The combination of a small affordable netbook (eee PC 1000he) with a large screen HDTV mounted on a mobile cart makes it a great solution as a classroom presentation system. To listen click on the Play button > Download MP3 This week we have added a couple of additions that will make the eeeasaurus an even more powerful presentation solution. We have added a bluray DVD player and interactive whiteboard capability. I have provided a picture in the show notes of the eeeasaurus with the latest additions. We added a bluray DVD player that will provide faculty the ability to play back bluray DVD videos and/or regular DVD videos on the ...

It’s Saturday, April 11th, 2009 and welcome to episode 82 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. I have recently completed a project that may be of interest to other schools and/or businesses that must work within a set budget and manage their dollars wisely in these tough economic times. If you are like me your wish list always exceeds your available budget as there is always that additional tool you need to add to your toolbox. I am hearing from many schools that are currently experiencing budget difficulties and therefore need to stretch the dollars that they do have as far as possible. To listen click on the Play button > Download MP3 Spending technology dollars wisely is more important now than ever. I have been working on a classroom/conference room presentation system that provides a lot of bang for the buck and offers several other benefits as well, for schools, that I would like to share with you. I have named this project the Eeeasaurus because it combines the affordabilit...

It’s Saturday, April 4th, 2009 and welcome to episode 81 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. Last week I talked a little bit about a new face recognition program from face.com and offered my concerns about privacy issues technologies like this and other Web 2.0 services may have. As users of Web 2.0 technologies we need to be aware of the digital footprints that are being left behind online. To listen click on the Play button > Download MP3 You also need to be aware that new technologies may be invented in the future that may be able to mine little nuggets of information about your online digital identity. In the future these nuggets of information may be used to put together a profile about your online life based upon what I call digital fossils. Alone any nugget of information may not be worth much but if collectively put together the information has the potential for enormous value. The ability of using an application like face.com in conjunction with a facebook account should...

It’s Saturday, March 28th, 2009 and welcome to episode 80 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. This week there was news of an interesting new technology to be targeted at Facebook users that will certainly have a huge impact upon the way users of social networks view their online presence in the future. To listen click on the Play button > Download MP3 Often new technologies find uses that were originally not considered when the technology was invented. Face.com is a case in point and is currently developing its face recognition technology to be used in conjunction with Facebook. Face recognition programs have been around for several years now and the technology is maturing and finding new uses. Face.com is now doing small scale alpha testing for its face recognition software called Photo Finder and is partnering with Facebook to analyze the photos of selected alpha testers of Facebook. Photo Finder can automatically “tag” photos with a persons name based upon a facial recognition...

It’s Friday, March 20th, 2009 and welcome to episode 79 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. The ITC has recently purchased a Kindle 2 electronic book reader and I have now had some hands-on time with this innovative device. Waiting for a second generation device is generally a good strategy when purchasing any new technology especially if it is groundbreaking. To listen click on the Play button > Download MP3 Back on episode 74 I discussed my thoughts regarding this second generation device based upon all that I had read about it. Now I can share with you some of my opinions based upon practical hands-on experience. Some of my original opinions remain unchanged but I was pleasantly surprised about the efficiency of the wireless Whispernet service and the future possibilities this device offers students and educators. Here are my first impressions of the Kindle 2 after having some experience with it. Keep in mind that the novelty factor has a strong influence on ones view of a new...

It’s Saturday, March 14th, 2009 and welcome to episode 78 of TechTalk4Teachers, I’m Tom Grissom. Over the years we have witnessed a plethora of new technologies and the underlying standards that make it all possible. This week I was reminded about the not so long ago “good ole days” when a student was given an assignment to do a video segment for a class project. The means to the end result were not articulated for the project and neither the teacher nor the student knew the processes involved for producing the end product. Unfortunately the student chose a technology that was not the best choice for the assigned project. To listen click on the Play button > Download MP3 Since the invention of consumer level video cameras back in the 1980’s taping a video segment is as easy as pushing the record button. In the good ole days of recording to a VHS tape you simply ejected the tape from the video camera and placed it into a VCR player to play it back. VCR’s were a prolific technology an...