Updated February 4, 2010 to include the presentation, update the conference tag, and change some of the wording. A few weeks ago, a colleague asked me if I still think about Africa a lot. “Every day,” I replied. “Every day for the past year — six months before I went, and six months after coming home.” The experience certainly had a profound effect on me. … Continue reading Beyond Borders: Lessons Learned from African Schools
The problem started because a little bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. It was 1999. I had a new job. My predecessor had ordered a new server, which arrived after I did. I didn’t know the first thing about setting up or running a server. But I had web access, and I had some help, and before I knew it, the students and … Continue reading In Search of Egg Baskets
It’s been a year since I got into the future-prediction business. And while I don’t want to make this a habit, I did say I’d return to the list at the end of the year to see how I did. If you’re going to make predictions about the future, it’s only fair that you review your predictions and admit how bad you are at this. … Continue reading Another Year Over
There’s a standard litmus test for technology use in education. What does the technology give us that can’t be done in other ways? If I’m going to spend all of the time and money needed to implement a technology initiative, there should be some reason for it. Let’s face it: technology is expensive. The hardware is expensive. The software is expensive. Maintenance, wiring, utilities, support, … Continue reading The Crisis of Gadget-itis
Several years ago, I was in the market for a new car. I did a lot of research into vehicle dependability, safety, customer satisfaction, and warranty. I wasn’t surprised with the results. I was looking at mid-size sedans, and the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry were high on the list. Then, I looked at fuel economy. Almost all of the cars were around 30 miles … Continue reading Metered Conservation
I was sitting in the movie theater when my cell phone rang. It was on vibrate, and it didn’t disturb anyone near me. I pulled it out, silenced it, and glanced at the caller ID. It was our school district’s emergency notification system. That’s bad. Something’s wrong. When I listened to the message, I learned that one of our high school students had died unexpectedly … Continue reading Emergency Fund Raisers
Note: Some people have said that they won’t vote for school levies if the schools let students watch the President. If you’re one of those people, please don’t read this. It’ll probably only make you more upset than you already are. And so, after a week-long firestorm in the political world, President Obama will address the nation’s schoolchildren Tuesday. Or, at least, he’ll address some … Continue reading Talking to Students
“I have said it before and will say it again….not every one in every district has a cell phone… All these ideas are cool, but technology is not 100% pervasive, despite what we as tech people want to think.” — A Technology Coordinator on the Ohio Techcoords Listserv Not everyone has a cell phone. Not everyone has Internet access. Not everyone can afford a graphing … Continue reading Not Everyone
We knew it would be difficult long before we got there. We were told that Mfangano Island, near Mbita, Kenya, was “the furthest you can go and still be on Earth.” Even in Mbita, a comparative metropolis, conditions were pretty rough in the schools. The Teachers Without Borders – Canada team visited ten schools the first week we were there. None of them had electricity. … Continue reading Why Integrate?
Here’s a quiz. Look at these five pictures. Which one was not taken at a school? The first time we visited a school in South Africa, we couldn’t help but notice the security in place. The school was surrounded by an eight-foot fence topped by razor wire. We drove through the gate and pulled up to the school and parked. When we got out, we … Continue reading Security
Admittedly, this post has little (if anything) to do with education or technology. But many people have asked to see some (not all, please!) of my photos from the trip to Africa this summer. My darling bride has collected these as her favorites. They make up about 5% of the total, most of which will eventually end up on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649 Apologies for not telling … Continue reading The Best Photos
What did you learn this summer? I’m going to be reflecting on this for quite a while. But here’s my first attempt at documenting the things I’ve learned (or re-learned) in my Teachers Without Borders – Canada experience this summer. We’re working on common problems. When asked what the major challenges are facing effective technology integration and use in schools, teachers in both South Africa … Continue reading First Five Lessons
Taste of Tech 