Exams are due today. Be sure to SHOW me where your exam is (even if not done). Remember, I am grading your process more than your product. I want to see that you tried to work through a problem, even if it didn't get completely solved.
If you didn't subscribe to the podcasts go back a few posts. Add the podcast to your google reader. This is required.
Put forvo in your google bookmarks. Very helpful site when you need to pronounce something.
Here would be a great experiment for our Physics students. How does the cold air effect a soccer ball? Check here. Would it effect corner kicks? How much?
Todays test will be about applying your knowledge in a modified work setting. Can you be a valuable member of a team?
Internet Literacy:
Click on the clustrmap. Notice the red dot just East of Africa and Madagascar? Where the heck is that?
Now....here is the test. Can you tell me where it is in an interesting way that gives me the basics about the place and the "feel" of the place?
You have several choices of tools that you can use (HTML website, movie, blog post, Voki, Flash, Fireworks). What tool will be the best for you and for this task?
We will discuss this in class. You will do this in groups. I will assign.
Web 2:
Recreate any aspect of Zac The Rat using Flash. You will do this with partners. I will assign.
Web 3:
Check out this Flash example. Make your own card. Impress me.
Who is their audience (prospective students, current students, alumni??). Do they speak effectively to that audience?
What is their message? Can you summarize this college in one sentence (Oberlin is a....) ?
Do you like the new site better? Why?
You should limit your analysis to no more than five paragraphs. Make it sound like you have taken this class. Include links where needed. Post to your blog.
Yes, I am testing if you can think and write fast (and if you can use your personal learning network). I will allow you to edit this from home. But you MUST have it done before you arrive in class tomorrow.
The essence of the Web is about linking, sharing and collaboration. Productivity and value creation is driven by cooperation.Gerry McGovern
The last few days we have been playing with the Geni site for building family trees. This site has been a big hit with the students. I have been impressed with the thoughtful reviews you have provided. Continue to refine your reviews. Does it tell a story? Is it directed to an audience?
My review:
Last night I invited several family members to join Geni. At around 9:00pm there were six family members "Online now" and working on the site. This was very powerful. How does this change the nature of work? How does this change the final product?
I accept as a truism that "Isolation is the enemy of improvement". So if many hands work on the document it will almost certainly improve. Oddly, we as a family never talked on the phone about this, or sent instructions, it just happened. That is the power of the collaborative web.
Notice that this site models one of our central understandings. Modern websites are used, not read.
Think of the knowledge that has been routinely lost. Try to find out where your great-grandfather went to high school, for example. Or how tall were your grandparents? How many kids did they have? Tools such as genie can preserve this information, creating a rich tapestry of data for future generations. What information from your life would you want preserved in this "time capsule"? Now you might have some of that power.
Use this power and archive this knowledge before it is lost. It will be a great gift for your family.
If you tried out Geni what do you think? Write a blog post.
I would like everyone to work on the following in Flash:
How to alter text (such as morphing, making it shiny or glittery)
How to make a slideshow (like a "powerpoint")
How to create a button (that can play/stop movie or slideshow)
Now, here is the interesting part---you decide how to learn about these items. Work with a partner? Look at the text based tutorials? Video based? Find a new source of information? I am interested to see what process you choose after yesterday's work.
If you didn't do yesterday's blog post about learning styles do it now. Please don't get in the habit of doing something late. Its not a good habit.
Over the past year, our team has been gathering a feature wish list from you, our customers. We also asked experts in the web analytics industry and listened to customers of other analytics tools to find out what additional functionality they would like to see added to Google Analytics to make it as powerful, flexible, and useful as a web analytics tool can be.
Today at the eMetrics Summit in Washington, D.C., after months of development and testing, Avinash Kaushik, our Analytics Evangelist, unveiled the new functionalities that represent a major upgrade to Google Analytics. With these features, gradually being released in beta in all accounts, you'll gain much richer insights into your website traffic, and it'll be even easier to discover, create, and access the metrics important to you.
They are (with more details below): Advanced Segmentation, Custom Reports, a data export API (private beta), integrated reporting for AdSense publishers (private beta), multi-dimensional data visualizations called "Motion Charts," and an updated user and administrative interface.
These are features that experts and enterprise-level customers demand, and they will be available and easy to use in your Google Analytics reports. Please see below for details on each new feature and the release schedule letting you know when you can expect to have access to them. Here is a screenshot showing you where in your reports you can find a few of the new features, with more screenshots, help center links, and video demos (also at this YouTube playlist) below.
Features being added to all accounts in the coming weeks:
Advanced Segmentationenables you to isolate and analyze subsets of your traffic. It is true on-the-fly segmentation of visits so that you can create powerful filters with a few mouse-clicks. Select from predefined custom segments such as "Paid Traffic" and "Visits with Conversions" or create new custom segments with a flexible, easy-to-use segment builder. Then, you can apply one or more of these segments to current or historical data, and even compare segment performance side by side in reports.
Learn how to create an advanced segment in the video below, and in this help center article:
*Also, Avinash has just posted a blog on how to use Advanced Segmentation which is a must-read to quickly learn how to take advantage of this powerful feature.
Custom Reports are reports you create, save, and edit to give you a specific view of your data. You can choose the information and metrics you want to see, organized in the way you want to see it, by using a drag and drop interface to populate an Analytics report. You can also create tabs if you want to see related data - similar to a "Goal Conversions" tab - in effect creating multiple levels of sub-reports.
Once created, each custom report is available for as long as you want it. Take a look at this quick start guide to Custom Reports and to see a demo, play this video:
Motion Charts add sophisticated multi-dimensional analysis to most Analytics reports. Select metrics for the x-axis, y-axis, bubble size, and bubble color and view how they interact over time.
By comparing metrics visually over time you can expose data relationships that would be difficult to see in traditional reports. Motion Charts will be available through a new "Visualize" button at the top of reports.
Take a look at this help center article and watch this video for more information:
(Note: if you're interesting in putting your own data in motion, you can also use a Motion Chart gadget in Google Spreadsheets or a visualization API.)
The New Account Management Dashboard makes it easier for you to manage and monitor your account by providing simpler navigation between accounts and profiles and displaying a dashboard of key performance metrics upfront upon login. Meaningful data and clear visual cues (green is good, red is bad) help alert you to areas requiring more attention. We hope the new navigation, administrators' ability to rename accounts and profiles, and account/profile locator functionality will boost your efficiency and ease of account management. Learn more in this help center article.
Features currently in private beta, scheduled for a more gradual full release to all accounts:
The Data Export APIenables you to create software programs and applications using all read-only report level data from Analytics. The data exported can be used in any number of ways, such as building custom dashboards, creating data visualizations or interfaces, performing offline analysis, and combining/mashing Analytics data with other data sources. The API will be a platform for developers to extend Analytics data in new and practical ways, as far as can be imagined and implemented.
Integrated Reporting with AdSenselets AdSense publishers see their revenue and impression data alongside their site traffic data in Analytics. Take a look at the AdSense blog for more details. This integration will give publishers even more metrics to help them measure visitor activity and the performance of ad units, as well as discover areas of revenue potential on their websites.
Learn how to link your AdSense account with a Google Analytics account, and for a glimpse at the new reports, take a look at this video:
If you don't already, you'll soon have access to these new features. Once you get a chance to use them, we invite you to discuss them and give us feedback in our user forum. We hope you'll find them useful and intuitive.
Share on your blog which are the best. Everyone writes a blog post today about what they have done in Flash (what did you learn, and how did you learn it?), links to the best tutorial (why did you like it?), and gives thoughts about how Flash can be used as a tool (how do you use Flash to tell your story better?).
Today, you may have noticed a little polish in your Google Analytics report interface . The layout is a little cleaner because we added some color consistency and contrast between sections in the interface so that it's easier to distinguish between the navigation on the upper left, the help areas below that, and the report itself. We also made the controls at the top of the report (email, export, etc.) a little easier to see and identify.
Overall, the appearance is a little less busy, the lines are a little cleaner, and the important areas hopefully stick out a little more, making Google Analytics even more appealing to use.
Last year I spent time working on my family tree. I found this website today. The usability of it is very, very high. I haven't completely tested it but it seems very fun and easy.
Something to work on in your own time. Might make a great present for a relative. Too often we give "stuff" that is easily forgotten. Working on this site could be a lasting gift.
I would like you to "Subscribe" to this podcast channel. This will bring the any new podcasts into your Google Reader.
Click "Subscribe Free for future posts". A new screen will open up. Click Option 3--Google. Another screen will open. Choose the second option--Add to Google Reader. Some of you may have to set up your google reader page.
I've been sick all weekend and then my car wouldn't start this morning (battery failure--first frost??) so I had to switch all the things from my wife's car.....rough start to the week.
So, today's assignment isn't totally typed up. All classes will be working in Flash. I hope to finish typing it out during second period. Link for Web 3.
For many of you the fourth quarter is the busiest and biggest season, and in this economy analytics are more important than ever. With holiday traffic starting in November and peaking in early-December, now is the time to make sure your site is in the best shape to maximize holiday traffic and revenue.
To help you better analyze your campaign performance, optimize your web pages, and drive even more traffic to your e-commerce site during this crucial time, we'd like to share some tip and tools you can use in Analytics and other Google products.
Use the Analytics Funnel Visualization report to improve conversions
Learn how many shoppers drop out during each step of your shopping cart conversion process.
Then, work on the steps that lose the most customers.
Website Optimizer, our free testing tool, is a great way to improve those key pages.
Geo-target your AdWords campaigns through Analytics
Find out where your most profitable customers are coming from, and direct your advertising dollars to target customers in those areas.
Get data for region-specific keyword performance in your Analytics account.
Create more targeted AdWords campaigns by region. Watchthis video for a step-by-step demo.
Submit your products to Google Product Search
Google Product Search enables shoppers to search for and find products to buy online, and enables you to submit your products for free and target users shopping on Google. Google Product Search is currently available to merchants in the U.S., U.K., and Germany.
If you've never used Google Product Search, you can start submitting your products using feeds you've already prepared for other shopping engines.
Visit our Google page on holiday success to see a full list of tips. We hope these tips and tools help you make the most of your holiday season!
Today I will give you time to solve some movie issues and view everyone's movie.
If you are done here is some interesting reading from David Pogue. Anything surprise you? Anything you would add? Check out the comments (1278 of them as of Thursday night!!). Have one to add? Use the "permalink" (click share) to link to this article from your blog.
Don't be afraid to comment directly on the article! You have a voice. Use it.
This is a quick highlight on, and reminder to register for, Justin Cutroni's upcoming seminar at Emetrics DC this Monday, October 20 -- Google Conversion University . The seminar is a good idea for anyone who wants to get some hands-on exposure and training on efficient and practical data-driven marketing using free tools from Google, especially Google Analytics, but also Website Optimizer, Ad Planner, Insights for Search, and Webmaster Tools. The training will be geared towards the intermediate user, but both experts and beginners will profit from attending. And it will be led by one of the most knowledgeable, fun and engaging practitioners around - Justin Cutroni.
Justin is a Google Analytics Authorized Consultant from Epikone, and also the author of Google Analytics Shortcut. Also, he's a staunch Boston Red Sox fan who is probably biting his nails as I post this (the Red Sox are a baseball team in the playoffs, but are having a tough time against the Tampa Bay Rays). We're pulling for you Justin. Whatever happens to his favorite team, you can expect a fun and enriching day full of real world marketing concepts and techniques, including an examination of tracking and optimizing a site like www.redsox.com, with a look at site branding and keyword campaigns and the tracking needed to improve both.
The class will be small with a lot of hands-on training, and is relatively inexpensive at $295 for the day. Justin will be able to discuss and troubleshoot your own site and campaigns, as well as web analytics implementation and goals. To attend, simply register or modify your existing registration.
Well, it seems like I'm getting sick once per week. I'm home today and will follow you from the web.
Please do the following today:
1. Finish your movie. Save it as a project and save it as a movie file. Ask your partner if you aren't sure.
2. Copy your movie file to the UDrive class folder for the movies. Name it using our normal protocal of first initial-last name-assignment (bschneidergoldi).
3. Watch other movies in UDrive folders (all classes).
Answer the following questions on your blog:
1. Did you find the 28 second aspect a challenge? Or did it help you focus on the story? Why?
2. Was MovieMaker easy or hard to use? Be specific.
3. Who has the best movie on the UDrive? Why? Answer this part Friday after all movies are in there.
4. Spend any remaining time leaving comments on people's blogs about their movies. Follow the comment protocal and be positive.
I'm appointing the following people in each class as "Lords of the UDrive" while I am gone. Your job is to make sure everyone knows how to save their project and answer any other questions. Of course, anyone who wants to join the Lords can do so. Its not an exclusive club.
Period 1: Jeff
Period 4: Caitlin/Chris
Period 5: Amber
Period 6: Tom
Period 7: Tyler
Good luck and I will see you tomorrow (hopefully). If you are the first person in class to read this make sure everybody else does. Thanks!
We're attending Emetrics DC again this year, where we've made a lot of announcements in the past, including the launch of Website Optimizer two years ago. We love this conference because it's aimed at people interested in web analytics and testing, and it brings together the power users and thought leaders in the industry including many members of the Web Analytics Association.
This year promises to be just as exciting - make sure not to miss our presentation on Wednesday October 22, What's New With Google Analytics. We're also sponsoring a few enriching events, such as:
Justin will cover all the basics, including the reporting interface, and will get in-depth on campaign tracking, goal, funnel and filter set up, and e-commerce tracking. He'll also discuss using Google Analytics data to take action and optimize your online marketing efforts and your website. Then he'll touch on other Google tools you should try using, such as Website Optimizer, Ad Planner, Insights for Search, and Webmaster Tools.
Landing page testing is becoming an increasingly popular part of website refinement, helping business owners stop the guesswork over what design elements, copy and calls to action work best. Instead, test two or more versions and see which one works best based on your traffic and conversions. We'll be promoting two excellent books on A/B and multivariate web-page testing:
Bryan will be signing and giving away copies of his book after his 11am session on testing at the Google Analytics/Website Optimizer booth on Wednesday, October 22. Later in the day both Tim and Bryan will be signing and giving away their books after the 3pm panel on multivariate testing also at our booth, Then on Friday, October 24th, Tim Ash will be signing and giving away his book after his Landing Page Testing workshop.
Hope to see you at Emetrics. It's not too late to register!
Today you will produce a 28 second news broadcast about a famous childrens story. This segment must tell the viewer the "who, what, where, why, how" about the event. This will be challenging to do in 28 seconds. This is an opportunity to be creative and innovative.
Of course, news can be biased. What headline will you choose? "Bears house vandalized!" "Blond girl seen fleeing through the woods!" Each headline tells a different story about the same event. This choice will drive your script and the choice of images that you include.
Steps for process: 1. Look at previous examples that students made. 2. Choose your headline. Write your script. Time the script, remembering that you will need a second or two on each end as a buffer. Make sure you have answered viewers questions (who, what, etc..). Finish your script with something like "This is John for Seymour High School news". 3. Choose your images (free and non-copyrighted) using clip-art, flickr or make your own. Some of you might think "out of the box" for a second and realize we dont need only pictures of Goldilocks or Humpty to tell this story but you could use more abstract pictures. Choose images that match your headline. Import images to moviemaker. Arrange images. Test movie with script. 4. Record script directly to moviemaker or use Audacity. You must use your own voice as the reporter. 5. Edit movie. Save movie file to your UDrive class folder by the end of class on Thursday. 6. Don't waste time searching for pictures. Seriously. Move fast.
Google Analytics is full of insights that can benefit your AdWords account, and your business. To help you make the most of this information, we've started an introductory video series called “Google Analytics in 60 Seconds.” The first two videos explain two easy ways to refine your targeting. You can find them below and as part of the Google Analytics Conversion University playlist.
Location, Location, Location Now, you no longer are flying blind when you target your campaign by location in AdWords. Use the Map Overlay report and location data within Analytics to see, geographically, where your visitors are coming from – or where they aren’t coming from. You can then use this information to refine your AdWords marketing with location-targeted campaigns to build your business.
Note: You can also use the recently launched Geographic Performance report within AdWords to see similar information, but it currently does not have a visual component nor includes some of the metrics available in Analytics, such as time on site and bounce rate.
Improve Your Placement Targeting The Google content network is the largest contextual advertising network in the world, comprised of high-quality websites, news pages, and blogs that partner with Google to display targeted AdWords ads. And within AdWords, you can hand-pick which sites you'd like your ads to run on by creating a placement-targeted campaign. But how do you know which sites to pick? If you knew which sites were already sending you high value traffic, why not run your ads on these sites? This video will show you how to use Google Analytics to identify the best sites by using the Referring Sites report.
More to come! There are a number of easy and effective ways to use Google Analytics with AdWords – whether you want to identify the best keywords, save money on bidding, expand your business or refine your campaigns – and we’ll post more of these videos soon!
The stock market has lost 40% of its value this year. In October (and its only October 10!!) it has lost 20% alone. Credit markets have frozen. Most analysts called it a crash yesterday.
How does this effect you? Probably pretty seriously. It may be much harder to get a loan for college, car, house. Jobs will be scarce. The costs of goods will increase.
This is the headline from this morning. Will it change by this afternoon? Follow the news here. As of 7:00am stock futures were plunging. This story will be changing by the minute.
Today we will read and write about this situation. I feel we must. If we believe knowledge is power this is certainly a time to have more knowledge.
Choose one (or both) of these questions to answer in your blog. Be thoughtful, include links, and write clearly:
1. Will you be ready? Will you acquire the skills needed to operate in a global community? What skills will you need?
2. What are the web design concepts in play today? How is this information transmitted instantly and effectively? How does bias effect the news today? There is a huge need for information about news, companies, stocks. What systems would a web designer need to handle this type of pressure?
I believe this will be a challenging time. But it may also be a great opportunity for you to reshape America. Thomas Friedman believes that it is time for a Green Revolution. That we must as a country embrace green energy as the new industrial revolution. We must eliminate our reliance on foreign oil, drastically reduce our energy consumption, and change how we generate electricity. Most importantly we must rev up America's innovation engine and become the world leader in energy technology.
I think its time for us all to learn as fast as we can.
I am going to spend today (and probably tomorrow) grading exams. A few notes about the exam:
Overall, everyone did pretty well with the technical aspects of the exam. You can all make a page, add a picture, create a table, and include links. I am happy with this.
I think we can all do a better job of choosing tools that are available. I was surprised (shocked?) that nobody used a Voki. Do kids not like "cartoons" or sound?
Many of you are developing personal learning networks. Work on extending this network to students in other classes.
Most of you had the hardest time with focusing on a main idea. We will have to work on this more. I think we will move into video next as we tackle main ideas.
As you prepare your evaluation today please do the following:
Be specific and include evidence that you paid attention. Use web design words (audience, bias, usability, etc...).
Include links and 3D writing. Don't say "Danielle had the best site". Say "Danielle had the best site". (some of my favorites so far.....Dnickle, kbogen, tmorrow, zchristopher)
If you like someone's site leave a comment on their blog. Everyone likes a compliment.
If you are completely and totally done with looking at student work, revising your evaluations, or reflecting on your progress then please look back into the other blog posts for this week. There are some reading and viewing options for you to tackle.
Put on your headphones, then click this link for a laugh break. This one for math class is pretty funny too.
And finally this clip. Watch the expressions of the audience. I hope you will all go to a college where the library is full, but people still know how to have a good time.
If you find any links to good, clean fun put it on your blog.
Take your pick from New York, Phoenix, Columbus, Los Angeles, Seattle, Las Vegas and San Jose! These are full day seminars chock full of information on "how it works" and "how to make it work" for your website. This course is ideal for marketers, web designers, web analysts and anyone who wants to improve their business online.
Analytics Seminars for Success are brought to you by Google authorized Seminar Leaders. These guys eat, live & breath Google Analytics! Hundreds of satisfied people have attended so far. You can attend the Intro day or the Advanced day... or both!
Course materials will be provided to all that attend and you even get a $50 AdWords credit for each session.
So, if you want to improve how you are using Google Analytics, come to one of the upcoming trainings:
Take your pick from New York, Phoenix, Columbus, Los Angeles, Seattle, Las Vegas and San Jose! These are full day seminars chock full of information on "how it works" and "how to make it work" for your website. This course is ideal for marketers, web designers, web analysts and anyone who wants to improve their business online.Analytics Seminars for Success are brought to you by Google authorized Seminar Leaders. These guys eat, live & breath Google Analytics! Hundreds of satisfied people have attended so far. You can attend the Intro day or the Advanced day... or both!Course materials will be provided to all that attend and you even get a $50 AdWords credit for each session.So,if you want to improve how you are using Google Analytics, come to one of the upcoming trainings:
Spurred by arguments that video games also may teach a kind of digital literacy that is becoming as important as proficiency in print, libraries are hosting gaming tournaments, while schools are exploring how to incorporate video games in the classroom. In New York, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is supporting efforts to create a proposed public school that will use principles of game design like instant feedback and graphic imagery to promote learning.
I've written about this before. In elementary school you would read "on level". When you finished the books at level 1.5 you would move to 1.6. If it took you a week, fine. If it took you a month, fine.
In higher grades students are all treated the same. If you are the best chemistry student ever you spend 184 days in class. If you are the worst chemistry student ever you spend 184 days in class. There is little incentive to excel beyond getting a good grade.
He averaged 4:43 per mile for 26 miles. If you ran from here in Seymour to Danbury High School that would be 26 miles.
Thats 70 seconds for every 400m (104 times in a row without stopping).
Or 17 seconds for every 100m.
That is moving.
I would like you to develop a website about this accomplishment. Click here for the assignment.
Your audience is 5th graders. What should your focus be? Where he is from, how fast he ran, how the marathon has changed, how hard he must train? Choose one focus.
I hope that I have given you something of value over these last few weeks and that we can only add to the fun over the next months. I wanted to take a moment and review my expectations.
1. Make connections every day. The power to make connections in this global, digital, networked world is essential. Instead of having one teacher, have many. For example, on blogmeister there are thousands of teachers and students from around the world. Write to them, read their stories, and then write about the experience on your blog. There is a saying that "isolation is the enemy of improvement". Make connections, collaborate, and improve.
2. Always do your best. You never know who is watching your work or reading your blog. Often people do not realize the power they have until it is lost. You are in a time unique to human history. You can read everything ever written at anytime. You can contact almost anyone at anytime. You can publish your ideas and thoughts instantly. That translates to huge gains in productivity. If the world is moving faster then you must as well. There is no substitute for hard work.
3. Add something to the conversation. Have a story to tell. This could be about how to make a ball bounce, issues you have in learning math, or how you are trying to work together with your classmates. Learn how to get your point across. Spend some time today looking at the read counts on your blog. How can you increase them? If you have a story to tell people from all over the world will read what you have to say. If we all add some thing of value to the conversation everyday (remember R1-R4?) there will be an incredible amount of learning going on in this classroom.
OK. Enough reading. Notice that you read (and I wrote) the above in 3D (links, etc...). Start writing that way!
Here are some blogs to start making connections. be sure to leave positive comments and to follow the correct protocal (first name, last initial and blog URL---no email). Try to use the front page of blogmeister to make more connections. Remember, this might be their first (or only!) contact with someone from Connecticut or America. Make it positive.
Exams are due today. Be sure to SHOW me where your exam is (even if not done). Remember, I am grading your process more than your product. I want to see that you tried to work through a problem, even if it didn't get completely solved.
By comparing metrics visually over time you can expose data relationships that would be difficult to see in traditional reports. Motion Charts will be available through a new "Visualize" button at the top of reports.
(click to enlarge)
Today we will all do the same Fireworks assignment.
I hope that I have given you something of value over these last few weeks and that we can only add to the fun over the next months. I wanted to take a moment and review my expectations.