So tired, but still inspired.

Last night, at 11:00, we embarked on the wild ride to Pascha (Easter). Now, if you are looking for an Ed Tech post, hold tight -- this is one.

The point for getting into my point is that we had to stay awake for odd intervals. First, we had to remain awake long enough to get our kids to sleep. Then we stayed awake to put together their Easter Baskets. Then, we waited. Waited until it was time to wake them up to go to church. Time to stay awake for marathon worship followed by incredible joy, sharing a lot of meat and wine (not to mention cheesesteaks and ouzo) with folks that share our intense belief that God wants us to be happy. Christos Anesti!

So, you're thinking, this is an Ed Tech post? Well, yes, it is.

At 10:20 last night, when I would normally be going to bed, I was instead looking forward to a big night, and I was tooling around the Internet. I found a new blog, one that I found (and today still find) profoundly interesting. And it had nothing at all to do with Ed Tech.

So, you're thinking, this is an Ed Tech post? Well, yes it is.

You see, I spend so much time online with Ed Tech, I sometimes forget that there is this whole world out there that cares about a whole lot else.

And this is where we will hook our teachers.

And our students.

You see, I was feeling a crazy sort of guilt about my online footprint showing anything other than Ed Tech, but I realized last night that I am more than my interest in Ed Tech. Just as our teachers are more than their interest in their subject areas. And our students are more than their interest in their extracurriculars.

We can't create Ed Tech clubs. We can't let our teachers (or our students) think that we are merely half-people. If we are going to bring them to this online world, we must let them see that this world embraces complex people with diverse interests.

Perhaps, with the commonality of an interest in Ed Tech.

And maybe, they will be inspired to find their niche within their own complex and diverse existence.

What a Thrill

This is not the most amazing revelation ever, but today I had dinner with a programmer friend, and the conversation was interesting. He uses a PC, but when I asked him what he thought of Apple, his response was immediate -- "Fabulous." I was intrigued. He said that Macs are just so darn good, and that you get what you pay for. He was enthusiastic about the open source work. He asserted that if it were not for Macs, PCs would not be the machines they are today. I asked him what he thinks about the oft-heard cry about using a machine in schools that kids will not use when they "get out there in the real world." His response? He winked and said, "That might just not be the case."

Now, I love my MacBook, and since I got it, I'm convinced that I will never buy another PC as long as I live. I need to say that so anyone who reads this understands that his words were music to my already-decided ears.

He let me know what part of our conversation struck him the most. It was my explanation of why I love Macs in the classroom: Macs allow us to focus in the curriculum, not the computer. Recently, I helped a teacher and his students create brief iMovies about the Civil Rights Movement -- quick and dirty, show-me-what-you-know kind of work. The kids, who were just using Macs for the first time, fell right in after a very cursory overview of the tool. As I circulated, I heard kids talking about lunch counters, bus riders, inspiring speeches, sit-ins, and marches. I know how things went when we used PCs (oh, so very recent past!). Those conversations had a lot more to do with software and file manipulation.

These students may use PCs someday, but they'll be fine if they do. I doubt they'll be making any movies on their work PCs, anyway. For word processing, spreadsheet work, and basic online applications, they'll be just fine. If they go into creative work, chances are they'll have Macs. And I'd bet in their personal lives they have Macs. The current youth of the Read-Write Web will not tolerate anything cumbersome or complicated. And when these youth take charge of the companies, what then?

My friend might just have a pretty good prediction.

Not about technology, this one...

But I have to air the other side.

Nearly three quarters of Americans have NOT rejected the faith of their childhood. Eighty-four percent of Americans ARE part of an organized faith.

That's the untold story in those numbers that are flitting around the Web. You can read the details here:

New York Times Article (And despite recent thorns, I love the Times).

Oh, and for those who would dismiss my post as the product of a mind tainted by the conservative Christian right, it bears saying that I would describe myself as one who likes her religion straight up, no chaser. I'm Orthodox (capital O). Faith is not my high, it is not my bludgeoning tool, and it is not in conflict with my modern sense of self.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages.

Must...get....organized....

I really need to get organized. In recent trainings, I find myself exploring tool after tool and feeling excitement upon excitement. I make an account, create a quick sample, dump it in my blog for safe keeping, and move on to the next hurdle. The result? My blog is a mess -- no focus! Hey, I teach (taught, will teach again someday?) ENGLISH, and I wrote "lack of focus" on many, many terrible papers. Oh, the shame.

Today is a perfect example. I followed my network into a demo of diigo. This is a cool resource and I can see where teachers could make excellent use of it in asking students to annotate web pages. Here comes the confession: when I went to type that website in this blog post, I couldn't remember the name of the site. Thank God for del.icio.us. Sure, I racked my brains (giitmo? giigo? I know it had two i's...), then caved and went on a little search. Either I'm overloaded or suffering from premature dementia.

I think the lesson here is simple. Focus more fully on fewer resources.

Tapping In

Two Degrees Beyond Comfort

I just completed a test session of Yugma with Kristen Hokanson, David Jakes, and several others. As I said to Kristen at the end of the call, this took me just a little outside of my comfort zone, which is a very good thing. A new tool always does this to me. I ask endless questions -- What is it? When would I use it? How is it different from and better than what I already know and use?

In the case of Yugma, I see immediate application. Obviously, there is its functionality as a remote tool. Just this week, I had several folks who asked for help with wikispaces. If I could have called them together for a meeting, fine, but that was not physically possible. Enter Yugma. If they could all join in a conference call using Skype plus Yugma, they would be able to watch my screen and hear my voice as I lead them through the ropes. The could take turns controlling the screen and showing their desktop, and benefit from the group's support and commentary. My friend, an engineer, sits back and watches someone in Denmark control his screen and fix his IT problems. Is Yugma the everyman's version of this?

I need to think more deeply about Yugma in the classroom. One major goal of technology in the classroom is to connect students from around the world. I'm a huge believer in that for two reasons. First, it increases student interest. Let's face it, by high school, students know everyone in their four-wall worlds, and preconceived notions can be powerful. "That's the smart kid; that's the screwball; that's the stoner." How much do they really listen to each other? They exchange papers for a peer conference, and they've already decided whether or not their partner deserves "real" feedback. Connection with the outside world is a thrilling chance to start anew with someone who doesn't have you all "figured out." This brings me to the second huge value: outside connection increases student concern. If this new audience is truly going to give a full, unadulterated chance, you really don't want to look like an idiot. Teachers know this in their bones. What teacher hasn't unleashed the in-class version of this by saying, "After everyone has had a chance to record their responses on their papers, I will call one of you to share what you wrote." Pens move faster because someone MIGHT hear this. Now, add a global audience made up of folks willing to give you a fair shake. Interest and concern shoot WAY up. Marry this scenario to a spicy digital tool and we're speaking in a language that kids understand and are excited about.

This brings me back to Yugma. I'm kicking a few educational applications around in my head, but I'm willing to wait. For what? For the kids. When I started using wikispaces in my classroom, I thought I understood what we could "do" with it in the educational setting. My students quickly found applications that I had not considered. The group mind is always stronger than the individual. This means that together we discovered the REAL value in the tool. I can sit here and consider how teachers and students might use Yugma, but the real sizzle starts when I put just one good Yugma idea to use in the classroom. The tool then takes on its own life. Early adoptors of paper would be surprised to see the many uses for it now (the most surprising of which might be that paper gave birth to modern written language which has taken on its own life in a medium that involves...no paper!). Predictions are fun, but I want to see this in action.

So I welcome Yugma to the digital tool bag and look forward to being surprised.

My New Year's Resolution

A new year and a new career. I am so excited to begin my job with CFF at York Suburban, and so far I have been very busy. I helped two teachers set up wikispaces and begin focused instruction using that tool, scheduled moodle training for our building, connected two teachers to VoiceThread, met with several teachers about their interest in various Web 2.0 resources, previewed resources in faculty meetings, attended several trainings and workshops, read endless blogs, checked endless listserv messages, and generally went nuts with email. My to-do list is enormous. As I watch my google reader rise and fall like a tsunami, I wonder how these other folks keep themselves on top of the wave. Do they sleep?

Well, that brings me to my resolution (other than those 30 pounds). I will update my blog each morning. I'm not sure what direction I will go -- will I share resources like jim Gates? Will I muse about the nature of integration like Kristen Hokanson? I know I will find my niche.

Stay tuned.