Summer Renewal 3: Read the Feed

“Check back frequently for updates,” the web site implores. “I don’t have anything important to say right at the moment. But I’m glad you stopped by, and I expect you to come back again tomorrow just in case I want to tell you something then.” I never check back for updates. If a web site isn’t changing, there’s no reason to keep going back to … Continue reading Summer Renewal 3: Read the Feed

Summer Renewal 2: Drink From the Fire Hose

The development of the read/write web has made it much easier for people to post content online. We’ve moved away from a few people posting relatively static “reference” materials online to a LOT of people expressing opinions, reflecting on experiences, and holding conversations. Because of The Long Tail, some of these people are a lot like you. Maybe you’re the only music teacher in your … Continue reading Summer Renewal 2: Drink From the Fire Hose

Summer Renewal 1: Podcasts

In the last two years, there have been two technologies that have had a transformational effect on my personal professional development. The first of these was podcasting. A podcast is a digital media file that is distributed through an RSS feed. I know, that’s a complicated, technical definition. Let me try again. A podcast is a an audio program that you can subscribe to. When … Continue reading Summer Renewal 1: Podcasts

Digg Toys

We all know that it’s frequently easier to understand data if it is presented in visual form. We draw diagrams, graph data, and make maps to show how information is related in various ways. A few day ago, I was commenting about the WordPress development timeline, and wanted to show how the updates are getting closer and closer together. The best way to show this … Continue reading Digg Toys

Sorenson

We have a hearing-impaired sixth grader coming to our middle school next fall. One of the many challenges this student faces is the inability to use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate with other students and with adults. While he certainly knows ASL, his teachers and fellow students don’t. So it’s difficult for him to work on those skills at school. His parents suggested that … Continue reading Sorenson

WordPress Excitement Wanes

A school district technology coordinator expressed frustration today after learning about yet another WordPress update. Version 2.2 of the software was released last week. This is the seventh update of the software since the beginning of 2007. In this district, every staff member is eligible to have a blog hosted on the district web server. Because the district uses plugins and other features not compatible … Continue reading WordPress Excitement Wanes

Unplugged

Remember when phones were tied to locations instead of people? We had home telephones. When I called your number, a telephone in your house would ring. If you were there, you could answer it. If you weren’t, a machine would answer and let me record a message for you. Then, when you came home, you could listen to the message. When you call my home … Continue reading Unplugged