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Just one concern. . .

Just one concern: By introducing more creative strategies to reach out to our youth, are we pandering to our young people's consumeristic tendencies (in this case, consumerism in the context of church (religious consumerism) or are we making them disciples of Jesus Christ?

We really don't want the church in Singapore to be as Wang Qing Song (the Chinese avant garde photographer) suggests the church (and other religious institutions) has become in China?

"The Catcher" (Photograph, Wang Qingsong, 1998)
http://www.wangqingsong.com/html/html/catcher.htm

"The Thinker" (Photograph, Wang Qingsong, 1998)
http://www.wangqingsong.com/html/html/thinker.htm

"Requesting Buddha Series no. 1" (Photograph, Wang Qingsong, 1999)
http://www.wangqingsong.com/html/html/buddha1.htm

Or has it already become...???

The true test I think will be: Is Jesus or the religious consumer King???

Forrest Gump

Forrest Gump ran a long time and then suddenly stopped running. This site is close to reaching that stage (ok, it has not been only a month, but it has been really intense, and I'm tired), but it is able to ilustrate a basic point about blogging. The learning curve is very low and the ROI is high, visible and immediate.

Endings have a way of introducing new beginnings. What I see happening in the near future is i) reworking the presentation of this site, ii) the introduction of new blogs with a different focus.

I envision two types of new blogs which will be developed:

One will be a site which aggregates downloadable open source and/or freeware software which can be fruitfully used in Christian higher education. One example would be concept mapping software http://cmap.ihmc.us/, a tool which helps to make student thinking and learning more visible and collaborative.

The other will be an aggregation of visuals which support learning within the seminary. An example would be http://www.bibleplaces.com/, another might be http://www.pohick.org/sts/index.html, and yet another http://www.atla.com/digitalresources

They of course will be linked to this blog to enrich the resources. I trust the thoughts and resources in this blogsite has made a valuable contribution to your ministry.

Barcode generator

Need to generate a barcode label? Click on the label!


Now what would one need a barcode generator for?

Create a Paper CD case

Use this website to create a PDF file which can be printed and folded to create a paper CD case. The site allows you to type the title you want to give your CD plus the list of items inside the CD (eg your songs list, the items the CD contains, etc)

Text from the site:
"Use this website to create a PDF file which can be printed and folded to create a paper CD case. For folding directions, see the about section. To add more tracks, a mailing address, or graphics to the case, use the advanced form. Mix CD cases created with the advanced form can be optionally added to our public mix CD database. To create a case for an existing CD, use our CD search engine to find the CD and it will fill in this form for you. Jewel case inserts can also be created."

http://www.papercdcase.com/

This is great for finding out what your kids or Sunday School kids are listening to, a window into their world. You better believe that whether sublimally or otherwise, affections, values, and worldviews are shaped by music. Understand the power of narrative, metaphor, imagery, and symbol in shaping worldviews!

Create your own city

Here's a nice site which allows you to create three different types of cities. Great for creating visuals which you can capture in a .jpg file an then dumping into Powerpoint!

You'll have hours of fun creating your own pixelated cities!
http://www.citycreator.com/

Free e-Card generator

http://www.dayspring.com/ecards/

http://www.christianet.com/christianecards/

http://www.care2.com/send/categories

http://www.superlaugh.com/

http://www.regards.com/

http://www.free-e-cards-online.com/

http://www.funny-ecards.com/

http://www.123greetings.com/

Generate a Typedrawing image

This is an interesting site which is really quite artistically creative.

What are typedrawings? Basically they are pictures which are composed of words and letters.

Check out the site at: http://www.storyabout.net/typedrawing/typedrawing.php?requestedID=

What is a "Linkalist"?

I learnt a new word yesterday while reading an article on blogging by Jo Ann Oravec.

Oravec. Jo Ann. 2002. "Bookmarking the world: Weblog applications in education" Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 45, no. 7, 616-621.

The word??? A LINK-ALIST!

You know what a journalist is - one who researches on topics and write about them. Well a link-alist is one who does research on the web, aggregates links, presents them in an interesting way and provides good insights and critiques on these links.

When you do some reflection, this site has some of the features of the work of linkalism. OK, its not properly benchmarked and standards have not been prescribed nor adhered to, but it's a start.

Click here to see how long ago the term has existed and some history to the birth of the term.

Click here to read more about weblogs.

Course Assessment Generators

getFAST - The Free Assessment Summary Tool

Traditionally, teaching assessments are conducted at the end of a course - a practice precluding students from offering constructive feedback while they are still in the course. However, conducting instructor-designed and administered web-based course assessments opens a proactive dialogue with students about teaching, the course, and the entire learning process.
http://www.getfast.ca/

Creating a virtual classroom

Need a virtual classroom in which to imbed your link to your quiz site? Many of our young people who have gone through polytechnic or university education have used Blackboard or Web CT, which are commercial web based define:Learning Management System Learning Management Systems. One of thing about these LMSs is that institutions of higher education pay pots of gold to use them and when you leave you cannot take your virtual classroom with you.

With the open source movement, we have Moodle which is a really powerful LMS which can be set up at relatively no cost (that is if you have the technical expertise). Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL has used it and I have heard rumors that soon after it was implemented, the demand was overwhelming.

But for entry level users, you can use Nicenet– sometimes called "Blackboard Lite." Nicenet doesn't have all the full features of Blackboard but it is amazing what you can do by playing with links to outside tools (such as your quiz generator, or a discussion board if you find the Nicenet discussion board inadequate).

Nicenet is a password protected site and anyone can set up a class there. So you could be a student in a class and be a teacher in another class at the same time.

Best of all, it's free which means after you graduate, you don't have to leave your virtual classroom in the institution. Well you do, if the class belongs to your teacher. But the point is you can create your own VC!

Quiz Generators

OK, now we're getting to some serious classroom type generators. Here are several quiz/test generators for you to use for creating quizes.

1. QUIZSTAR
QuizStar is a FREE Web-based program! NEW QuizStar is based on teacher comments and suggestions from the past four years. They are committed to developing resources that help educators use the power of the Internet in teaching and learning.

This is an online resource to create and manage online quizzes. Your students, who are organized by your classes, will be able to take quizzes on any computer connected to the Internet.

Allows for feedback for incorrect responses, which is a useful interactive way to learn. Those of you who have taken Dr Rick's class in NT Survey and has taken the quiz in Moody's Blackboard Learning Management System, does it feel similar?

http://quizstar.4teachers.org/

2. EASY TEST MAKER
Easy Test Maker is a FREE online test generator to help you create your tests. With Easy Test Maker you can create multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, matching, short answer and true and false questions all on the same test. You can also insert instructions and divide your test into multiple sections.

http://www.easytestmaker.com/

3. QUIZ CENTER
Quiz Center is a powerful tool you can use to create, administer, and grade quizzes online. Without any Web development background whatsoever, you'll be able to make online quizzes that provide instant feedback to you and your students.

Quiz Center is the most flexible and comprehensive quiz-making application on the Web-and it's free! All you have to do is join My Discovery and set up a Custom Classroom.

http://school.discovery.com/quizcenter/quizcenter.html

4. QUIZ BOX
http://www.quizbox.com/builder/

5. QUIZ YOUR FRIENDS
www.quizyourfriends.com

Crossword puzzle generator

Need a site to create a cross word puzzle? Here is a nice one for you.

http://www.crosswordpuzzlegames.com/create.html

If you like the above site, you'll love the next site. Why? It lets you do Word Search puzzles, Word Search with a hidden message puzzles, Criss-cross puzzles, Number blocks, Math Squares, Double Puzzles, Cryptograms, Letter Tiles, Fallen Phrases and Computer generated mazes.

http://www.puzzlemaker.com/chooseapuzzle.html

Rubrics generators

What are rubrics? A good place to find your answer is to read the web article Understanding Rubrics by Heidi Goodrich Andrade.

A rubric is a scoring tool that lists the criteria for a piece of work, or "what counts" (for example, purpose, organization, details, voice, and mechanics are often what count in a piece of writing); it also articulates gradations of quality for each criterion, from excellent to poor. The term defies a dictionary definition, but it seems to have established itself, so I continue to use it.

Otherwise, here are some online articles from Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation: A peer-reviewed electronic journal which explain and discuss issues surrounding the use of rubrics in education:

Moskal, Barbara M. (2000). Scoring rubrics: what, when and how?. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 7(3). Retrieved April 8, 2005 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=3

Mertler, Craig A. (2001). Designing scoring rubrics for your classroom. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 7(25). Retrieved April 8, 2005 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=7&n=25

Moskal, Barbara M. (2003). Recommendations for developing classroom performance assessments and scoring rubrics. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 8(14). Retrieved April 8, 2005 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=8&n=14

Tierney, Robin & Marielle Simon (2004). What's still wrong with rubrics: focusing on the consistency of performance criteria across scale levels. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 9(2). Retrieved April 8, 2005 from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=9&n=2

The urls below are links to rubrics generators:
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/general/

http://intranet.cps.k12.il.us/Assessments/Ideas_and_Rubrics/Rubric_Bank/rubric_bank.html


http://landmark-project.com/classweb/tools/rubric_builder.php3

http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/DIS/OHSICS/forlang/PALS/rubrics/

Rubrics for online discussions
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring51/edelstein51.html

http://scied.fullerton.edu/biol500c/discussionrubric.htm

http://www.albany.edu/faculty/rd1872/epsy440/db_rubric.html

http://learn.sfccnm.edu/training/discussionrubric.htm

http://www.bucks.edu/distance/info/faculty/docs/discussion_rubric.htm

http://www.unco.edu/assessment/Plan/Online/542rubrics.html

http://www.ion.illinois.edu/resources/pointersclickers/2004_03/rubrics.asp

Rubrics for web design
http://www.roundworldmedia.com/cvc/module8/desingrubric.html

Anagram generator

Here is a site which allows you to generate anagrams. Try your name for a start.
http://www.anagramsite.com/cgi-bin/getanagram.cgi

Here's a second site which allows you to generate anagrams. Try your spouse's/sibling's name this time.
http://www.anagramgenius.com/server.html

Here's a third site for generating anagrams.
http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/

Here's a fourth site for generating anagrams.
http://www.mi.uib.no/~ingeke/anagram/index_eng.html

And here is a site which reverses the process (ie an anagram solver!)
http://www.ssynth.co.uk/~gay/anagram.html

What is an anagram? Get your definition of what an anagram is. Click Here

Newspaper, Brochure, Flyer, Booklet generator

Here's one site that is really useful for creating newspapers, brochures, flyers and booklets.

http://interactives.mped.org/view_interactive.aspx?id=110&title=