June 2009 Archives

Like many of you, we're finishing up the laundry and untangling all of the cables under our desk so we can pack up our technology and head to DC for NECC 2009. While they don't fit quite as easily into the overhead storage bin, we've also decided to pack up most of our training team and bring them along as well. Ryan Eash, Chris McQueen, and Matt Pierce (the voices of many of the fantastic videos in the TechSmith Learning Center) will be on hand to do a series of presentations right in the TechSmith booth (#1746). They'll also be available to answer questions and give one-on-one demos, so please do your best to try to stump them! You can view the whole presentation schedule and find out more about what will be going on in the TechSmith booth here: www.techsmith.com/necc.

In addition to the TechSmith trainers, we'll also have a special guest in our booth - 6th Grade Math Teacher Eric Marcos. Eric teaches in Santa Monica, CA and as far as we know he does a pretty decent job. What we do know for sure is that Eric's students are fantastic teachers, and that's really why we brought him with us. Eric will be presenting on how his students are using Camtasia Studio and Jing to record math screencasts that they use to teach each (other and students all over the world though their website www.mathtrain.tv). To learn the whole story about Eric and his students, check out the case study at our new Education Community site

Arriving Early? We're having a little reception Saturday, June 27 from 7:00-9:00PM at Tortilla Coast in DC. Enjoy drinks and appetizers (on us) and learn all kinds of great tips and tricks from the TechSmith training team. You'll also get the opportunity to network and have a good time with other TechSmith users. We only have a few slots left, so please RSVP by sending me an email: d.mccollom@techsmith.com

• When: Saturday, June 27 7:00PM-9:00PM
• Where: Tortilla Coast Restaurant (Rio Room) 400 First Street SE Washington, DC \\ Map
• Food: Chips, Salsa, Chili con Queso Dip, Guacamole, Grilled Chicken Quesadillas, Chicken Flautas, Empanadas, Crudites, Chocolate Brownies
• Drinks: Beer and Margaritas

We're excited and ready to have a great time at NECC. We hope to see you there!

Hello, my name is Dave McCollom and I'll be running things around here.  This is my first go as a blogger (other than a guest post here and there) and I plan on taking a somewhat non-traditional approach.  The primary goal for this blog is to provide a home for stories and examples of how educators are using TechSmith products.  As opposed to the 'one to many' nature of most blogs, I liken my role here more to that of a DJ - but instead of music I'll be spinning classroom lectures, presentations, tutorials, etc that have been created by you.  Beyond that I also hope to provide insight into what is going on here at TechSmith, information about conferences and events, opportunities to interact with other educators, and some tips on other technologies that compliment TechSmith products.

So that's our plan at the moment, but the great thing is that the real future here is wide open.  I'd love to hear how you think this space could be used in the future.  If you have any feedback, please feel free to post your suggestions in the comments below.  

This blog launch also coincides with the launch of a whole new page of resources for educators.  The new education community page follows the same theme as this blog - to make it easier for you to find stories and examples of other educators using TechSmith products.  This page also features a section with tutorials to help you implement what you learn. These tutorials differ from our learning center tutorials in that they are not just 'not to use the software' but instead the context for how to use it to enhance your classroom.  Check out this quick screencast tour of the new site:

Thanks for stopping by to check things out.  My next post will be from the NECC conference in Washington, DC.  Please swing over and say hello if you plan on attending.  We'll be in booth #1746 - more details coming soon!