Fifth Year Anniversary of Blogging

It is hard to believe that this is my Fifth year anniversary of the AssistiveTek Blog which started back in July 2004. Little did I know that this experiment would survive all of these years, and as I close in on my 500th blog post some time this summer I can say thank-you, to all the readers out there that keep me going. It has been a very exciting trip being able to share information and my ideas about mind mapping, assistive technology, project management and Web 2.0 technologies. Along the way I have met some incredible people who have the same passion for the technologies that I speak about. And while others may speak about social networking in the abstract, I would have to say that because of my blog I have enriched my life by meeting so many wonderful people that I keep in touch with on a weekly basis. So as I reflect on the Fifth Anniversary of the AssistiveTek Blog it has been a great road trip and one that I'm sure will continue for another million miles or so. If you have a chance I would enjoy your comments as I celebrate the 5th Anniversary of this blog.

Posting to Your Blog from Google Docs

The more I explore Google Docs the more I find hidden features that continue to make things that much easier to do. Today I was looking at the Share tab and learned that it is possible to post your Google document directly to your blog by first selecting Publish as web page... After you have selected that option you will then be able to post your Google document to your blog. You may need to configure Google Docs and supply it with your blog address and password. You can even test the connection to see if it will work. As a test I am going to post this to my Blogger account from Google Docs. Let's see what happens.

No Limits To Learning

It came as a real surprise to me, when I read one of the comments posted today on my blog; to find one of my former students from Pendleton, OR write a post about me in his blog. About 3 years ago, I taught an Introduction to Assistive Technology class for Lesley University and had a chance to speak with Lon over some lunch. We chatted about what he was presently doing and I remarked that once the district learned that he had knowledge of assistive technology and that he was working toward his Master's degree that they would put him into a leadership position. Sure enough this is what happened and Lon is overseeing a large region providing assistive technology services to students. Lon is passionate about the work that he is doing and is blogging about it at No Limits To Learning. It is always exciting to hear from your students that they are doing great things! If you have the chance you can read his post by clicking here.

A Reader's Comment

I wanted to share with you an email that I just received from Roberta today which inspires me to continue the work that I do on the blog. Roberta lives in Italy and has been an avid mindmapper in all realms of her life. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into how she is using mind maps and take the time to visit her blog. It is exciting to know that mind mappers all over the world are enjoying my blog. Enjoy Brian

PS; If anyone else is interested in sharing their mind mapping experiences and how they are using it in their personal, business or professional life just shoot me an email.

hi brian s. friedlander

my name is roberta
and i live in rome, italy

i love mindmaps !

i don't speak english very well
but i try to read your fantastic blog

this is my life map n.0
and this is my story

One day i got on a special train and started a research trip. During this trip i have discovered that my thoughts must not necessarily run straight like a train, but they can simply follow their natural course according to a radial structure similar to the one of the brain neurons. Now, thanks to the mind maps, i look at what happens around me from different points of view: not only the logic, rational one, but also the emotional and creative one i can think and write in a different way, effective and amusing:i can turn the sheet of paper from vertical to horizontal, pass from the linear to the radial writing, use all the colours i want free my creativity. Since 2004 i have been using the mind maps daily to organize my work: plan new processes with my colleagues, synthesize books and above all take notes during the meetings, lectures, brainstorming sessions. Thanks to the technique of the mind maps i have begun to slow down the train of my thoughts: looking at the landscape outside my window discovering myself like this!

if you want read all my story
Story of a thought which from linear became radial again
http://www.complexlab.com/Members/rbuzz/articoli/pensiero%20radiale

this is my blog
http://mappementaliblog.blogspot.com

today I have written this post
http://mappementaliblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/mind-map-library.html

i hope that you want to dedicate a post to my story

thank you
ciao
roberta

Google Presentation Updated

Without much fanfare Google has updated the Google Presentation application. They have made it a lot easier to add graphics and to publish your presentations to a website or a blog. With your browser open you can drag pictures from within your browser and drop them onto your presentation-making it a lot easier to bring them in. You can also more easily change the background color of the slide or use your own image as the background. One of the most important features that was recently added was the ability to publish your presentation to the web or your blog. By clicking on the Publish tab you will see that Google will generate some code that you can use to embed your presentation on your blog or website.

Once you embed the code you will be able to view the presentation in a mini-viewer on the web as you see below. Check out the features and let me know what you think.

Blogging a Conference

I just saw a blog that appears to have been created solely as a means to interact, capture thoughts and ideas during the Brandon Hall Innovations conference. It's a great way for folks not at the conference to have a sense of what's going on there. And, I bet it is a fantastic learning and networking experience for the blogger. Kudos to the BH folks for encouraging this even if there were issues.

It's Feeling Like Summer Now

It is hard to believe that it is August 1st already and that the summer is running away from me. It is really hot and humid here on the East Coast but it is nice to know that the New Jersey Shore is just around the corner. It seems that this is the peak time for summer vacations and not as many people are spending their days reading blogs. At this time I am asking for your help to find out what kinds of things interest you so that I can tailor the blog to your needs. Please feel free to comment-it would be a great help for me going forward. Regards Brian

Profesional Development

My friend and colleague Karen Janowski got me thinking about the summer and opportunities for our own professional development. The summer is a great time for educators to be involved in professional development and to learn about new resources and ways to deliver instruction to their students. With the internet becoming ubiquitous and new Web 2.0 applications, now is the time to explore on your own these rich resources. If you haven't already taken a look at Google Docs, wikispaces, Skype or del.icio.us then spend some time getting a feel for the applications and how they can be used in the classroom. You may also want to take a look at YouTube and TeacherTube for ways to integrate video into the classroom using nothing more than an inexpensive webcam. I know that many teachers are looking for ways to get their students to write and what better way than to use a blog. Teachers can set up free accounts on Blogger and have a working blog up and running in minutes. Blogger gives teachers the controls they need to be able to limit who can post and how posts are moderated. However, before starting a classroom blog it is a good idea to consult with your building administrator. Also take a look at Vyew a new collaborative tool that makes sharing your desktop with students a snap. I would be interested in learning how you might use these tools when your return to your classroom in September. Have a great Summer of learning!