I am starting to think I should turn this into a WVU sports blog. Predictions this early are just crazy, but I have never in my life seen anything like someone picking WVU number one in football. Can I say that again … never. Time will tell, but it sure does make me feel proud. I finally know what it feels like to be in the company with Michigan, FSU, Miami, and the other big boys!
I knew I’d get burned for jumping into WP 2.0 … clearly it is my fault, but I am having a hell of a time figuring out how to manage my media with the new upload feature of WP. In the past I could simply use the dedicated Upload panel of the WP Admin area and then link it up. I guess the drag and drop is nice, but with images all I can seem to make work is a thumbnail version of my images. Not what I want.
My real problem is that I am using WordPress 2.0 for my class blog this semester and have been podcasting all my lectures — I guess you can’t call them podcasts, because all I can do is provide direct links to files. My WP RSS feed isn’t seeing them and not adding them as enclosures. I am using GarageBand to make my podcasts (and that works wonderfully) … and I am guesing becuase they are bookmarkable and enhanced with my slides GarageBand wants to export them as .m4a files … is that the problem? How do you link this stuff in WP 2.0 to make the feed update? I am not storing the podcasts on the same server as my WP install (I am using the huge amounts of space PSU gives me) and just using a standard link — like I did with WP 1.5 … I am starting to go crazy. Any ideas out there … I’ll keep looking as well.
So I’ve finally had some time to use GarageBand as a podcasting suite … I have to say it is very nice. I told my students this semester that I would attempt to podcast as many lectures as I possibly can so after the class period is over so they can download and listen to me all the time 😉 … I’m sure all of them will take me up on that one!
At any rate, the first lecture based podcast of the semester is up over at my class blog. I used some really cheesy built-in GarageBand jazz score for the intrto music just for the hell of it. It turned out to be OK … other than the fact it is an introductory lesson and my first attempt at doing this in the classroom. BTW, the feed over at my class blog isn’t working correctly, so there isn’t any real way to subscribe just yet. I am told it is being looked at.
So, all I do is walk into class with my PowerBook, plug a wireless microphone into the sound input, set the input in the system prefs, open GarageBand and go to the preferences to make sure the correct input is selected there, and start recording. At the end of the lecture I simply export my slides as images out of Keynote and drop them into the podcast track of GarageBand, record a quick date and time stamp for the front of the podcast, and add some cheesy music.
Tuesday’s podcast of my lecture turned out to be an edited 30 minutes. It took me about an hour to get it all together, but I must admit I was still learning how to use the software. I may try and be more selective with the editing, but who knows. At any rate that’s how easy it is! Now, if only iWeb actually let me publish to my PSU webspace as easily as it lets me publish to my .Mac space … then we’d be in business. Hey, baby steps!
So, after my crying and bullshit I did end up “getting” a copy of iLife 06. I still think the Apple Store should honor educational discounts, but at the end of the day, Apple did come through. I just saw some amazing things with the new podcasting capabilities in GarageBand … it is going to be a good solution. The whole iChat integration is sick … get on iChat with a couple people and watch what happens … all I can say is that it is flat out cool. Alright, more later … I’ll put it all through the paces tomorrow on the plane, but all in all it is a major upgrade — even if its just the GarageBand podcasting stuff you are looking at. The other apps are also very nicely done. Sorry for the bark earlier!
I went over to the Apple Store here in San Fran today to grab a copy of iLife 06. That store is so nice … the glass stairs, the endless amount of time you can chill at the machines, and the theatre are all just so sweet. They had like a trillion copies of iLife 06 so I grabbed one along with an educational game for my little girl. I must have spent an hour deciding on buying some other stuff I really didn’t need and then finally headed over to the counter to get my software. I asked the lady behind the counter if I could use my faculty/staff PSU ID to get my education discount and she said, “sure!” So she went through the whole thing and then proceeded to tell me that they do not offer educational discounts on software in the store. What a kick in ass.
I know there will be one back in State College for me either as a departmental purchase or as a freebie from the Apple Distinguished Educator program, but I have an eight hour day tomorrow moving between airplanes, gates, and airports that would have given me a really nice chance to discover the new features.
Speaking of features, I did get to try the new podcasting studio in GarageBand down on the MacWorld show floor and it seems very capable. It is a little overkill for the typical facculty member to use to capture their lectures in the front of a class, but for those who want to do a “real” podcast it looks like there is finally a solution that just works. I just wish I could’ve posted a podcast review of my new software today using my new software. Again, what a kick in the ass. BTW, I didn’t buy anything at the store … I just said no thanks and walked out.
I am getting set to fly out to San Fran this morning for some meetings with the Apple Digital Campus group … we are doing it around MacWorld because it allows everyone to be in the same place at the same time. I’ll be flying while Steve is doing his thing on stage … I actually had a pass for the keynote, but I am already spending way too much time away from home and another night would’ve been over the top. I’ll catch him on the replay once Apple posts it. And just being there later today, I imagine I’ll get to see whatever he releases. Oh, and being right next to the San Fran Apple Store will allow me to try not to burn a hole in my pocket on the next big thing.
The ADC meeting is going to be a good one. They’ve put together a great agenda and it will allow us to talk openly about how the ADC Exchange changes this year. There needs to be some open discussion about some of the things going on over there and this will give us a chance to do it face to face. Tonight we are visting with the John Lennon Tour people … looking at how they use technology to empower student’s ideas. That should be very cool … I’m hoping to take some ideas back for my class. I will probably be blogging from the air, but not about the Keynote. I certainly won’t be the first to write about the new stuff, but I’m sure I will have something to say about it. Well, off to MacWorld.
Another semester starting and another class blog. This time back to WordPress so I can help the IST Solutions Institute out with a study they are running. It might be tough to go back to the WP world after using Drupal the last couple of semesters, but what the hell. I’ll be posting thoughts about it here along the way. For now, it is coming to life … take a look.
I seem to be turning this space into a sprts blog … or a WVU fan blog. Not sure which one. But over the weekend, the WVU Men’s Basketball team went into Philly and beat previously undefeated and number 3 ranked Villanova. They didn’t just beat them, they picked the apart as they have done to a bunch of people this year and last. It is a good feeling. There is even a big story about more than just the game over at ESPN.com … and if prefer, there is always just the box score … cool!