“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

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

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

Summer’s here! I don’t know anyone working in education as a teacher or a student who isn’t excited about the end of the school year. The countdown started weeks ago (months ago, in some cases). There’s something about that sense of completion that is so attractive. The job is done. Now, we can take some time off, relax, and recharge the batteries. It’s nice to … Continue reading Summer Renewal

Here’s some useless information. While doing some spring cleaning last weekend, I encountered a box of 5.25″ floppy disks. These disks had been tucked away in the back of a closet, and hadn’t been touched in well over a decade. I quickly thumbed through the 100 or so disks in the box. I was amazed at what a great job I did of backing up … Continue reading Obsolete Media

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

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

I received this email message yesterday from a teacher in my district. Teachers wonder why people don’t treat them like professionals. If we could set this up formally afterschool and provide either PD credit of stipends I think there would be insentive to come. Every math teacher in the building is going to be overwhelmed and need all the support they can get so that … Continue reading Readin' and Writin'

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

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

As part of our web site redesign, we’re trying to focus more on the people and the school community rather than the institution. In the past, we’ve included a lot of pictures of our school facilities on our web site. While the buildings are certainly attractive, they don’t do much to convey the message that we are all about people. As we’re prototyping the new … Continue reading Too Many Pixels

Soldiers in Iraq and Afganistan are using robots to do some of the military’s most dangerous work. The best way to remove a land mine is to step on it, but it’s hard to get people to volunteer for that duty.  That’s where robots come in. Specially designed machines go out into minefields and trigger the explosives. They lose a leg every time one goes … Continue reading Love the Machine