Daniel Moix

Google released a new feature in GMail this week, “Call Phone,” that promises to replace an entire VoIP ecosystem that I have cobbled together over the years.  First, I’d like to explain how things did work, and then I’d like to show how Google has simplified placing and receiving voice calls on my computer for me.

As with any good lesson, let’s begin by defining terms…

Google Voice
A free service that allows users to use a web interface to control how calls are placed and received on their existing telephones.  Voice gives users a single, public telephone number, but does not allow calls to originate or terminate at a computer.

Skype
A free service that allows users to place and receive computer-to-computer calls.  To work, it must be installed and running in the background on both computers.

SkypeOut
A paid service, usually about $3.00/month, that allows Skype users to place calls from a computer to a telephone number in the US.

sipgate
Sipgate is a company that offers virtual telephone service.  Users sign up, download the sipgate software, and then select a telephone number.  When someone dials the telephone number, the software rings like a telephone, and the call can be answered on the computer.  Users are allowed free incoming calls, but outgoing calls are billed by the minute.  The sipgate software is very buggy

Kluge: /klooj/ (from The Jargon File)

1. n. A Rube Goldberg (or Heath Robinson) device, whether in hardware or software.
2. n. A clever programming trick intended to solve a particular nasty case in an expedient, if not clear, manner. Often used to repair bugs. Often involves ad-hockery and verges on being a crock.
3. n. Something that works for the wrong reason.

Right.  Whether my iPhone’s battery is critically low or I need to record a call for use in a podcast or other multimedia work, I often place and receive telephone calls using my computer.  Until this week, I’ve had a setup much like the one shown here.

When someone calls my Google Voice number, all of my telephones ring.  Additionally, the call is forwarded to sipgate.  When the sipgate virtual telephone application is running on my computer, it, too, rings like a telephone.  By answering the sipgate virtual phone, I have achieved my goal.  The drawback is that the caller is being routed through two different companies before reaching my computer, and if anything goes wrong anywhere along the way, the call drops.

Since sipgate charges by the minute for outbound calls, I decided to go with SkypeOut, which is only $3.00 per month.  When I call someone, I want my Google Voice number to appear on their Caller ID.  Until a few months ago, this meant using SkypeOut to dial my Google Voice account, and then using the Skype keypad to direct Google Voice to relay the call to my destination.  It was a lot like using a calling card.  Now, Skype allows SkypeOut users to set their SkypeOut Caller ID, making the process much easier.  Still, SkypeOut costs me $3.00 each month.

Until last week, placing and receiving calls from my computer was a mess!  Now, any time I’m logged into GMail (which is always), I can use browser-based software to do all of this without buggy programs bogging down my system or monthly fees!

To place a call, I simply click “Call Phone” from my GMail contacts list.  I enter the number (or select the person from the integrated Google Contacts list), and I’m quickly connected.  My outgoing Caller ID is my Google Voice number.

To receive a call requires a few simple steps, described here in the Google Chat Help documentation.  Simply place an outbound call using “Call Phone” in GMail, then  navigate to your Google Voice settings.  In your list of phones, you will see a new entry for your GMail account at the bottom.  Simply check the box!

Now, calls can be placed and received using a simple web-based tool offered free from Google that integrates perfectly with the other Google tools I already use.  What a great week!  Just another reason why Every Educator Needs Google Voice.

Summer is coming to an end.  Much of mine was spent working with summer programs at The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s (UALR) College of Engineering and Information Technology (EIT).  This time of year is also known as Attack of the Unpronounceable Acronyms!

EMBHSSC
The ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp is a two-week, academic, residential camp that emphasizes increasing students’ mathematics and science skills while introducing them to college life and stimulating their interest in science and engineering as a potential career path. Each day, campers attended classes that included problem solving, research and communication skills incorporated with biology, chemistry, physics, environmental sciences, earth sciences, technology, engineering and design concepts, and field excursions.

An interdisciplinary experience that we created this year that I am particularly proud of called on students to combine skills from Mathematics, Science, and Technology classes to analyze water quality data from various sources on campus.  Trimble, a leading provider of advanced positioning solutions, lent over $40,000.00 worth of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) hardware and software to the camp identical to those used in the gulf oil spill clean-up efforts.

Students worked in groups in the field to analyze water samples from fountains, streams, and sprinklers.  Using their understanding of chemistry fundamentals such as pH, they paired water quality information with location information collected using the GPS receivers.  Back in the classroom, students visualized the data with Google Earth, allowing them to speculate about possible pollution sources.

HSRP
I have been involved with the University of Arkansas at little Rock’s High School Research Program (HSRP) since its beginning in 2006.  The objective of the HSRP is to engage academic high achievers in a focused research environment by proactively mentoring them and helping them make informed choices on appropriate course work during their high school years for pursuing future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. In addition, the three week residential summer program provides informal peer mentoring by engaging students in faculty research projects, allowing high school students to establish early contact with college students and professors in specific areas of their interest.

Students worked on a variety of research projects this summer including Micro-Electromechanical Systems (MEMS)-based piezoelectric materials in health monitoring applications, Computer Modeling of Human Respiratory Physiology, SCRATCH Programming, Robotics, Distributed Computing, and Social Network Mood Analysis.  For a full list including project descriptions, consult the 2010 project list.

As you can see in the above Animoto, the high school students have considerably more “play time” than the middle schoolers, but they all achieved great things this summer!

For more information about UALR, EIT, EMBHSSC, HSRP, or any other unpronounceable acronym, contact Vernard Henley, vwhenley@ualr.edu.

Just a quick post — I’m stretched really thin working two summer camps simultaneously, but this was just too cool to pass up!

When they first start using Google Maps, most people want to make a “places I’ve been” map.  The Google Maps interface is clunky to say the least, and the requirement to place the pin in just the right place causes some to abandon this project early.  Even when you have a cheat sheet, it’s easy to get lost in the process.

Enter foursquare.  This is a social tool that lets you “check in” with your location-aware mobile phone when you visit a place.  Recently, Starbucks offered discounts to people who were the most frequent checker-inners at their nearby locations.  While I was explaining to a group of middle school students how to use $5,000 Trimble GPS systems to collect and plot geolocation data points in Google Earth this week it occurred to me that it should be possible to do the same thing with foursquare data on a Google Map.

I’m not the first person to make this discovery, but it was my own idea, I swear!

To access your foursquare location feed in Google-friendly KML format, click on History and then pick the orange RSS icon.  From there, copy the second link, labeled KML.  Pay attention to the bottom note about adding ?count=25 to the address you just copied to specify the maximum number of most recent points to pull.  This defaults to 25.  The easiest part of this whole process is on Google’s end.  Just go to http://maps.google.com and paste your KML URL right into the search box!  Finally, click the “Save to My Maps” link (which only appears if you’re signed into your Google account).

If I survive this middle school camp I promise to blog again soon!

Google recently opened its Voice service to all comers.  I’ve been using Google Voice for a little over a year, and I’ve recommended it many times to friends and colleagues.  Google gives you a new number, a unified voice mail box, and control.

I give my Google Voice number to everyone.  I put it on my syllabi, I list it on my resume, I hand it out on business cards, I share it in workshops, and I even post it online.  My Google Voice number is (501) 303 MOIX.

I have my Voice account set up to announce callers.  This feature is optional.  What happens when someone calls my Voice number depends entirely on their Caller ID information.

If it’s a new number…
the caller is greeted by “the Google Voice lady,” is asked to speak their name, and then hears ringing.  If the call is not answered, it is sent to voice mail.

If it’s a caller who has already given their name before of if their number appears in my Google Contacts list…
the caller simply hears ringing.  If the call is not answered, it is sent to voice mail.

Depending on who is calling and the time of day, some, none, or all of my phones ring.  When I answer, I hear the name of the caller and a list of options.  The primary options are to take the call or to send the caller to voice mail.  If I select voice mail, I still have the option to listen while the message is being recorded and break in if necessary.

Why is this a service that all educators should seriously consider?

Documentation
By default, all Google Voice activity is logged.  Dates, times, recorded names, and call durations are all easily accessible.  If someone sends a text message to your Voice number that you reply to, both the incoming and outgoing messages are preserved.  Voice messages will remain in your account until they are deleted, and thanks to the text transcriptions they are searchable by keyword.

Control
Giving your home or mobile number to parents provides them with a means to contact you outside of work hours, but sometimes people call at the strangest hours.  By defining the times that you will not take calls you control when calls go directly to voice mail.

Consistency
This falls into two categories.  First, if all of your contacts know to use your Google Voice number, you will avoid a situation where your private home or mobile number “gets out.”  People will soon find that the best way to reach you is through the new number.  Second, you can consolidate your GMail and Telephone contacts using Google’s comprehensive contacts system.  Create and manage only a single copy of everyone’s information.  If you use a smartphone, you can even sync Google Contacts back onto your mobile device.

In the end, Google Voice has many handy features that you can only appreciate once you’ve started using it.  Voice lets you initiate phone calls and text messages right from your browser.  If you are on a call that you picked up on your home phone you can quickly and quietly transfer that call to your mobile phone by pressing *.  If you are “in the zone” and need to hold all calls, you can enable Do Not Disturb which can be configured to turn itself off after a duration you choose.

Using voice is not without its challenges, though.  If you are out and about and want to place a call using your Voice number, you have to dial into that account and then key in the number to call.  Alternatively, you can use your phone’s mobile browser to initiate the call, but it still takes some effort.

Head over to http://voice.google.com and set up your account.  It’s free, and they let you pick your own number.

Did you read about Montgomery County, Maryland schools partnering with Pearson to sell their new elementary curriculum?  The district gets $4.5 million:  $2.25 million flat plus another $2.25 million as an advance on profits from future sales.

Montgomery school officials, in turn, will open their classrooms to prospective customers and speak on behalf of the program at Pearson’s request. The company will have final say over content, although Montgomery schools will retain control over it in their classrooms.

Much of what I do as an educator is built on an open community of professionals who borrow and share.  This will certainly put an end to that sort of thing in this district.  In all of the media coverage surrounding the issue I have yet to hear the opinion of any teachers in the district.

I look on skeptically…

As educators, we are often told how lucky we are to have two months off work in the summer.  We are told this by people who have no idea what educators do over the summer.  If you are out of school now as I am, enjoy a little time off before you begin the real work.  If you are just finishing up your year, hang in there!

For many, the end of the school year and the hot months of summer are when “the professional development” is “administered.”

As a 21st Century Educator, my professional development is an ongoing process.  From staying in touch with my PLN, working on my graduate degree online, and attending or presenting at conferences, to having departmental meetings and conducting inservice workshops, the professional development cycle does not begin or end for me in summer.

Here is a snapshot of my summer plans

National Park Community College Retreat
For three days this month I will be attending the Summer Institute for Adjunct Faculty at the Rockefeller Center.  The Winthrop Rockefeller center in Morrilton, Arkansas, that is.  This will bring together approximately 20 professionals who are adjunct instructors at NPCC to help align our efforts with the mission and goals of the institution.  I’m looking forward to this retreat atop Petit Jean Mountain!

Arkansas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Preconference
I will again be presenting at the AASCD Technology Preconference.  Although I was scheduled to lead a session on Discovery Education‘s many products (streaming media, assessment tools) that are available to all teachers in Arkansas, it looks like the agreement that made the tools available will be coming to an end.  Instead, I will be introducing the participants to Prezi, an innovative presentation tool.

Go Paperless with Free Google Tools Workshop
In partnership with the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, I will work with 15 educators from across the state who are interested in integrating Google tools into their schools and classrooms.  This workshop has been described fully on this blog before.

ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock was chosen again to host the EMBHSSC.  This two-week program designed to expose middle school students to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.  Carl Frank and I will be teaching the technology components of the problem-based, interdisciplinary curriculum.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock High School Research Program
Since 2006, I have worked with UALR on this program that aims to provide high school students an opportunity to be mentored for three weeks by UALR faculty in a research setting and to assist students in making sound decisions regarding pursuing education beyond high school.  The HSRP was highlighted in a recent edition of the Computer Science Teachers Association CSTA Voice.

In addition to attending or presenting at these programs, camps, and workshops, I will also be preparing for my first year as a Computer Information Systems Instructor at Ouachita Technical College, keeping up with my PLN, and finishing my graduate degree.

Two months off in the summer.  I hope your summer months will be as fulfilling as mine promise to be!

I haven’t had a lot of time to blog this week, with finals, graduation, yet another graduate class, and preparing for next week’s GoogleFest.

I was asked to put together a series of hour-long sessions for this year’s end-of-year professional development days.  The sessions are Collaboration with Google Docs, Forms & Spreadsheets, Calendar & Presentations, and Google Sites.  With the help of a couple of colleagues, GoogleFest was born!

I began by planning the sessions and their descriptions, and then I recruited some help to share the workload.  I created a Google Site to house all of the resources associated with the sessions, and I tried to use as many Google tools in the creation of the resources.  Just hours before tr.im stopped accepting new URLs, I shortened the GoogleFest site to http://tr.im/gfest2010

Everything changed when I got my free Prezi account.

I had seen Prezi used once before in a presentation given by Steve Dembo, but they didn’t offer free accounts for educators at the time.  Through my work as a Discovery Education STAR, I was given a free Prezi account.  On a whim, I decided to organize a GoogleFest presentation in it.  By the end of the day, I had several of the workshops completed using Prezi.

Check out this great Prezi on Google Search Tips,  my GoogleFest Prezi, and all of the great Prezis categorized by discipline at http://edu.prezi.com.

PS:  If you’re new to Prezi, use the arrow keys to navigate!

Hosted in Partnership with the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI), the 2010 K-12 Computing Teachers Equity Workshop will be held in Atlanta, GA on Saturday October 2, 2010.  I participated in this workshop in 2009, and I highly recommend it to any computing teacher seeking strategies, allies, and support in reaching all students.  Scholarships are available, but you must apply soon!

This workshop will convene K-12 computer science teachers who work with under-represented populations of students at the Grace Hopper Celebration to:

• Instigate a discussion of equity and computer science curriculum;
• Create knowledge sharing opportunities on concrete solutions grounded in teachers’ articulated, specific needs;
• Disseminate these solutions to a broad audience of teachers, STEM practitioners, and interested stakeholders via workshop, Town Hall meeting and discussion of a newly released white paper; and
• Evaluate the effectiveness of these solutions in classrooms that serve under-represented student populations.

For complete details, check out the full workshop agenda.  Scholarships are available which cover travel, lodging, and registration costs for this workshop and the Grace Hopper Celebration.  The deadline to apply is May 24, 2010.

As I was parsing articles in Google Reader, I came across an article on the Learn Me Good blog titled, “Top 10 ways to close out the school year.” At first glance, I was appalled by what I saw. Napping contests? Surely you’re joking, Mister Teacher.

One of the ways I have decided to close out this year is to give students an opportunity to flex their creative muscles with Glogster.  Because I teach Computer Science, my bonus assignment asks the students to research famous computer scientists.  You might have them research people, places, current events, or other topics in your field.  The sky is the limit.

Glogster is a wonderful web-based interactive poster creation tool.  Far beyond PowerPoint, students can embed photos, videos, music, links, and text in a rich web-based environment.  When done properly, Glogs can be captivating for viewers.  Check out this student-produced work on the Grapes of Wrath or this Glog about Glogs (a meta-Glog?).

Educators can register up to 100 student accounts for free — no student email addresses required — at Glogster’s education site:  http://edu.glogster.com