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Classcaster News

This is the news blog for the Classcaster site. It will be used for system announcements. To keep track of what is going on with Classcaster, subscribe to this site's feed.

Classcaster Gets a New Server

elmer | August 25, 2006 - 14:46

Classcaster is getting a new server. The new server will give Classcaster a more responsive website and a lot more storage space. I will be bringing the new server online Saturday, August 26, 2006. To accomplish this the Classcaster service will be unavailable from 10:00 AM until 11:00 AM on Saturday August 26, 2006 while the hardware switch is made. The switch to the new server will not have any effect on how you or your readers access Classcaster.


General, Announcements :: Comment (1) :: Permalink :: Trackbacks (0)

Classcaster FAQs added to Classcaster website

elmer | August 11, 2006 - 15:39

As I work on tuning up Classcaster for the fall semester, I've added the FAQs that were living on the CALI website to the Classcaster site. This should give everyone better access to the information right from the site and help reduce confusion. The FAQs are now here. Please note that the FAQs are being drawn directly from the CALI system, so you can still find them ther eas partof the CALI Support area.

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New Feature: Edit Your Template, Customize Your Blog

elmer | July 18, 2006 - 09:56

You can now create custom templates sets based on existing Classcaster templates. This allows you to customize the look and feel of your blog. You can use this feature to do things like change the header graphic, add your school's logo, or change colors. Listen to the podcast for an overview of this feature.

I am writing HowTos that will cover specific editing tasks. These will be included in the Classcaster FAQ. Here are a couple of links to general information about templating in LifeType (Classcaster's blogging engine):

Click here to download the ClassCaster audio.

Play It Now!


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Classcaster Podcasting Project Gets Underway

elmer | January 10, 2006 - 10:04

On Monday January 9th, 2006, Prof. Jennifer Martin at Western New England College of Law recorded her Business Organizations class and posted the lecture to her Classcaster blog becoming the first law professor to podcast her course using the Classcaster system. This first podcast launches an ambitious CALI project that will see over 50 faculty members from CALI member law schools create blogs and podcasts for their courses during the spring 2006 semester. The project is intended to examine the usefulness of podcasting and blogging in legal education. CALI is providing digital voice recorders and extra support to the faculty members chosen to participate in the project.

Classcaster is a course blogging system that provides faculty, librarians, and staff of CALI member schools with a new way to interact with students and communities. A Classcaster blog provides authors with tools for posting not only traditional blog articles but also tools for podcasting and sharing any documents and/or files with students and communities. For more information about Classcaster, please read the Classcaster FAQ or the Classcaster whitepaper. A forum for discussing Classcaster is available here.


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Asterisk PBX Upgraded to 1.2

elmer | November 17, 2005 - 15:16

A quick post to let Classcasters know that I've upgraded the Asterisk PBX that powers the telephone recording part of Classcaster.

Click here to download the ClassCaster audio.

Play It Now!


Announcements :: Comment (6) :: Permalink :: Trackbacks (0)

Neef Law Library Demos Classcaster

elmer | October 25, 2005 - 11:47

Michael Samson is doing a demonstration of Classcaster for the Wayne State University law faculty today at noon (which would be right about now).  The Neef Law Library blog is here.  I'm hoping that Michael posts an MP3 of the talk.


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New Classcaster Features: Password Protected Blogs and Anti-Spam Protection for Comments

elmer | October 24, 2005 - 14:55

We are excited to announce 2 new features that are available right now on Classcaster.

First, to address issues arising when faculty want to limit access to their blog to only their students, I have installed the 'Secret Blog' plugin. By using this plugin, Classcaster blog owners can restrict public access to their blog, allowing only those with the password to read the blog and download podcasts and other documents. This feature is activated from your blog's 'Control Center', by clicking on the 'Secret Blog' link under the 'Security Plugins' heading. Please note that setting a password for a blog causes the blog's RSS feeds to stop functioning properly.

The second new feature is a basic tool for helping eliminate comment spam from your blog called AuthImage. Comment spam is typically some annoying message left by an automated program that tries to direct you to a some website. AuthImage requires that the poster of a comment on your blog actually be a human being by requiring that the author of the comment copy a random number shown in a graphic into a box on the comment form. Automated attempts to post comments to posts on your blog will fail. Like 'Secret Blog', 'AuthImage' is managed from the 'Control Center' page of your blog's admin area by clicking on 'AuthImage' under the 'Anti-Spam Management' heading.

If you have an questions or concerns or suggestions, please send an email to emastersATcali.org.

Click here to download the ClassCaster audio.

Play It Now!


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Classcaster Goes Live!

elmer | September 15, 2005 - 20:01

Here is an official announcement of the availability of Classcaster! I've spent some time today getting the word out, and realized I hadn't added anything to Classcaster News, so this is it.

In a nutshell, Classcaster is a blogging system with podcasting built-in. The Classcaster system is designed to be provide course-related blogs with integrated podcasting to law faculty at CALI member schools. Bloggers on the Classcaster system can create podcasts using any telephone. Faculty just dial in to Classcaster, enter a phone number and pin and record a call of any length. When they hangup I use the Metaweblog API to transfer the MP3 to the blog and create a draft post that includes links for downloads and an embedded Flash MP3 player for students to d/l or listen to the file. The blog generates valid RSS2 with enclosures so you can subscribe to the feed and get the podcasts with your favorite aggregator.

For more information read the whitepaper and to try a little public demo visit Hotdiggityblog. Classcaster is built out of open source parts and we intend on making the assemblage available to the educational world. Do feel free to drop Elmer and email at emastersATcali.org with any questions, comments, etc.

Click here to download the ClassCaster audio.

Play It Now!


podcast, Announcements :: Comment (3) :: Permalink :: Trackbacks (1)

Hotdiggityblog - a public Classcaster blog

elmer | September 15, 2005 - 11:53

I've set up a public blog named Hotdiggityblog where you can try out the podcasting features of Classcaster using any old phone. Listen below for more details.

Click here to download the ClassCaster audio.

Play It Now!


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