Forbidden Zone Geocaches is a hobby Web site I created many moons ago for a geocaching series I still maintain in the San Diego area. The theme of the series is based loosely on the X-Files and Planet of the Apes and there are 7 missions "operatives" need to complete (places to visit) in order to read the final spooky location out in the desert east of the city. Each geocache contains a story, codeword, and prop from the Planet of the Apes movie directed by Tim Burtin.

The site uses Flash so I will need to update it to HTML 5 soon, but it should still be viewable in some browsers (e.g. Safari). The underlying architecture of the site is PHP Nuke and I interjected gamification into the experience so users can acquire points and achieve a rank as they visit the caches in the series and work towards the final.

If you'd like to see the final GPS coordinates and the "big reveal", input the following codewords into their corresponding fields on the page linked above:

Mission 1: TARDIS
Mission 2: VIKING
Mission 3: ICARUS
Mission 4: CALIMA
Mission 5: DIVINE
Mission 6: 6EQUJ5 (The "Wow" Signal)

P.S. Don't tell any geocachers these codewords are published here! ;)

The following multimedia presentation was created as a proof of concept for a class I taught on Apple Keynote when I was the Educational Technology Specialist at Grossmont Union High School District. In my opinion, Keynote is more fun to use than PowerPoint! The subject matter surrounds a journey I took to Taiwan in 2007 and the included images are photographs I captured during my trip!

Feel free to download the following zip file and have a look at what can be created with this cool program (Mac Only):

Taiwan Adventures (zip ~ 53 MB)

I've also developed and taught a wide variety of technology workshops for teachers in the Grossmont Union High School District.

Click here to see some sample course materials including links to resource files and my step-by-step training guides.

While at Grossmont, I've designed and led professional development workshops for our district teachers on topics such as...

• Online Course Management (Moodle)
• Using WebQuests in the Classroom
• Concept Mapping with Inspiration
• Data Driven Decision Making
• Gradebook Programs (Grades on the Web)
• Information Literacy

I was responsible for the architecture of our Educational Technology department's Web site which included a document help database and dynamic class enrollment page.

Publishing Web Pages was an online job aid created for an educational technology class I taught at San Diego State University entitled, EDTEC 470~ Technologies For Teaching (Summer 2002- Spring 2004).

This little tutorial walked my students through the processing of publishing Web pages to our educational department's remote Web server using file transfer protocol tools. I created both a Windows PC version (WS_FTP LE) and a Mac version (Fetch) which detailed the file uploading process step-by-step on both platforms. I used a combination of Flash animation, animated gifs, and enhanced screen shots throughout— this aid is a good example of how I approach the creation of online learning materials.

All the original pages and media files are still available for viewing through the waybackmachine on archive.org:

Jim Epler's Web Publishing Job Aid

NetFrog was a concept project I worked on during an Advanced Interactive Technologies class at the Curry School of Education (Spring 1999). Our objective was to build a prototype web site to augment the widely-used and highly recognized Netfrog- The Interactive Frog Dissection online tutorial created at the University of Virginia.

View sample user interfaces I designed for Netfrog.
View a practice module I built using Flash.

In addition to the builds aboves, I encoded all source video used in the original tutorial for enhanced delivery using Quicktime Pro and Media Cleaner Pro technologies.

Saga of the Volsungs was a concept assignment I created in Technology Tools (Fall 1997). It was the first multimedia product I developed at the University of Virginia.

Clicking on the link will display sample screen shots from the stack.

The objective was to choose a mythological fable that could be taught in an educational environment, then create a simulated piece of interactive software a teacher could use in conjunction with a classroom activity surrounding the selected story.

I developed a short piece using the now defunct "card and stack" authoring product Oracle Media Objects. I created most of the interface and graphics using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, and mixed the music and narration using Macromedia SoundEdit 16.

Although this is far from a polished or finished product, I believe the concepts and skills I used in this first design assignment fueled my interest in multimedia development.

Our goal was to use the site as a vehicle to design, evaluate, and promote discussions about online learning environments. We wanted our classmates to discover online education as both learners and designers, all while having fun in the process!

Using a product like WebCT limits your graphical layout and navigational options, so this site focuses more on instructional content and objectives. Both Philip and I were heavily involved in every aspect of the creation of this site, which included the planning, strategy, writing, and evaluation.

The single module you see linked above was extracted from the original integrated WebCT online course and reformatted into static HTML pages.

Chivelli International Showjumpers, Inc.was a project I worked on during a practicum at Educational Technologies (Fall 1998 through Spring 1999).

My clients, Bill Lacy and Laura Casati, needed to create a promotional video to attract new sponsors to their professional showjumping organization. They wanted to highlight their team's potential and show how they were using their success to benefit at-risk youth through their nonprofit organization, I Can We Can.

As the producer and director for the project, I scripted and storyboarded the content. We shot just about everything in the field and studio using the Canon XL1 camera, and edited using the Media 100 system.

A thirty second Quicktime clip from the video is shown when you click on the logo above. An appropriate version of the movie will download into a pop-up window depending on your Internet connection; you will need the free Quicktime Plug-In (if you don't have it already) installed in your browser to see it. To play, click the right arrow button on the left of the control bar.

WebSPIRS was created in the Fall of 1998-- Philip Molebash and I developed this website for an Information Technologies course at the Curry School of Education (Fall 1998).

Our goal was to design an introductory tutorial for U.Va. Undergraduate students who have never used the WebSPIRS database search program.  

I designed and wrote the first three units of the tutorial. This project included several different facets of development including graphic design, research of content, writing, HTML markup, and site flowcharting.

Our task was to design an ISD unit for a large, multinational bicycle company. We were asked to prepare a staffing plan, facility design, and budget. We were given a written mission statement outlining the company's goals and responsibilities, and were to align our unit's goals to the goals of the company.  

Besides creating the logo, I didn't have much to do with the design of the website. This project really called for me to be "behind the scenes"-- I handled a majority of the research for our personnel budget, product needs, and training methodologies.

1998 ITC Orientation Video was a project I worked on for Information, Technology, and Communication (Summer of 1998).

The video actually consists of three, ten minute segments that were broadcast in the Fall of 1998 on the University of Virginia closed-circuit cable system, including Welcome to ITC, Ethernet Kit Installation, and Introduction to Simeon. The videos were used to introduce incoming first-year students to U.Va. e-mail, networking, and informational policy.

I was the leader (team of six) of the project, and was responsible for the concept, design, budget, and timeline for the videos. I also storyboarded, edited, and created many of the graphics you see in the programs.

Leadership, Foundations, and Policy- 1998 was an interactive CD-ROM I helped develop at the Curry School of Education (Summer 1998). Our production team (including Lisa Heaton, Judy Jordan, Kevin McClain, and Lisa Washington) worked feverishly for four months from concept to delivery on the project, which was used last Fall by Dr. Hal Burbach in a Curry School Orientation presentation.

Our objective was to provide a general introduction for new graduate students in four areas of the EDLF department at Curry. The CD-ROM includes a Department Overview, Student Perspectives, Program Areas, and a Student Life section.

I was responsible for many aspects of the project, including the interface design, the navigational design, most of the graphic design, music selection, scripting of the Student Life section, some narration, and the overall authoring of the product using Macromedia Authorware.

Currently this product is only available for viewing on CD-ROM. 

Project New Delhi was a multimedia teaching case I helped Clare Kilbane and Noah Merritt create for CaseNET at the Curry School of Education (Spring 1998).

Our goal was to create an arena where international teachers could collaborate and explore complex issues prevalent in multicultural education. Issues introduced in the case are framed via digital video created from footage shot in New Delhi, India.

My main responsibilities on this project included digital video editing on an Avid MCXpress editing suite, and the scripting of the professional practice questions used in the case.

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