technology

You’re not “addicted” to tech and why it’s dangerous to say you are

Last Updated on December 28, 2018 / Education, Technology / 2 minutes of reading

As a teacher from 2001-2006 and then from 2008-2012, I had the chance to work with dozens of young people and their parents at a time when so much we knew and thought about education and transmitting information was changing. There was a rapid cultural shift in that decade that was primarily driven by “technology” and the internet. One theme that remained constant going back to the first time we set up a class blog …

You’re not “addicted” to tech and why it’s dangerous to say you are Continue Reading >

“Still discovering new things”

Last Updated on August 26, 2017 / Science / 1 minute of reading

On board each Voyager is a golden record — and record player — that is built to last one billion years or more and contains key information about humanity and life on planet Earth, in case of an alien encounter. The sounds include the calls of humpback whales, the Chuck Berry song “Johnny B. Goode,” Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, a Japanese shakuhachi (a type of flute), a Pygmy girls’ initiation song, and greetings in 55 languages. …

“Still discovering new things” Continue Reading >

Dogfooding

Last Updated on March 27, 2011 / Status / 1 minute of reading

After two happy years as a WordPress self-hosted install, I’m moving our 8th grade science class site/home/hub, GriffinScience, to Blogger: GriffinScience: “Because we’ll be using Blogger as a main platform of interaction with the 8th graders next year due to our school Google accounts making that a no-brainer, I’ve gone ahead and moved GriffinScience from a self-hosted WordPress install to Blogger.” I don’t think the students will mind or notice much, and it does make …

Dogfooding Continue Reading >

Engineering Creativity

Last Updated on March 3, 2011 / Status / 1 minute of reading

So how do we as teachers cultivate and encourage creativity in a human existence that doesn’t require as many gigs of organic memory? LRB · Jim Holt · Smarter, Happier, More Productive: “It’s not that the web is making us less intelligent; if anything, the evidence suggests it sharpens more cognitive skills than it dulls. It’s not that the web is making us less happy, although there are certainly those who, like Carr, feel enslaved …

Engineering Creativity Continue Reading >

Sweet Reader

Last Updated on February 15, 2011 / Status / 1 minute of reading

One of my 8th Graders is blogging about dessert pictures she takes that remind her of books she reads (she’s an avid reader). You should follow along… Sweet Reader Yes, it is awesome.

Headed to Apple Seminar at 1 to 1 iPad School

Last Updated on January 25, 2011 / Status / 1 minute of reading

Four of us from Spartanburg Day School are headed to Savannah on Thursday/Friday to see how St. Andrew’s School is running their 1 to 1 iPad program… Apple – Education Seminars & Events – Digital Learning Environments in Action!: “St. Andrew’s School is one of the only K through 12 independent schools that is currently implementing a 1 to 1 iPad program for all students, preK through 12, as part of their new digital learning …

Headed to Apple Seminar at 1 to 1 iPad School Continue Reading >

I’m Sure @Jangro Would Appreciate notes.pinboard.in

Last Updated on January 24, 2011 / Status / 1 minute of reading

On my iPhone home-screen I now have a link to a “2 Do” file that is a Pinboard Note… Pinboard Notes Pinboard is the bookmarking service that fills the hole Delicious left in our hearts years ago by selling out and becoming too bloated. However, Pinboard now has a notes function that allows for quick note jotting and has Markdown support. Win. I had kept my years-old “2Do.txt” file in Dropbox up to this point …

I’m Sure @Jangro Would Appreciate notes.pinboard.in Continue Reading >

FlexBooks

Last Updated on January 16, 2011 / Status / 1 minute of reading

Hadn’t run across this before, but I’m pretty excited about the possibilities here… CK12.ORG – FlexBooks Already incorporating some of this into our existing textsbook over on GriffinScience.

Why I’m Sticking with AT&T (and Glad to See BUMPzee Back)

Last Updated on January 15, 2011 / Status / 2 minutes of reading

My pal Scott Jangro had an amazing site in late ’06 and early ’07 called BUMPzee that I loved. Basically, BUMPzee was an early hybrid of Delicious, Digg, and what would become the Facebook newsfeed. Scott and his team were a little ahead of the curve and the platform should have gone mainstream. So, I’m glad to see BUMPzee back up and running as it allows for great conversations along the lines of this (my …

Why I’m Sticking with AT&T (and Glad to See BUMPzee Back) Continue Reading >

Reality Shifts Aren’t Novelties

Last Updated on January 14, 2011 / Status / 1 minute of reading

Fantastic post that answers many of the “iPad is a fad and has no place in our schools” critics… TeachPaperless: Novelty, Huh?: “As for the specific case of the iPad, it’s hardly an ideal device if you are looking for a catch-all. I’m especially concerned about the closed nature of the system and the emphasis on sales at the app store and on iBooks. But it is a device that speaks to several of the …

Reality Shifts Aren’t Novelties Continue Reading >

83 Lines

Last Updated on January 13, 2011 / Status / 1 minute of reading

Trevor Turk put together a WordPress theme using only 83 lines of PHP and 75 lines of CSS. That’s pretty amazing. And pretty. I’m using it here as my theme for a very long time to come. Yes, I love it.

iPads and Classroom Essentials

Last Updated on January 11, 2011 / Status / 3 minutes of reading

This is a wonderful walkthrough by Fraser Speirs on how his school (Cedars School of Excellence in the UK)implemented an “iPad for Every Student” initiative and some of the resulting reflections the school has made. I’m prodding my beloved Spartanburg Day School to do the same (at an annoyingly daily rate, I’m sure). However, I was arrested for a moment when I came to this passage in the post… An iPad for every child | …

iPads and Classroom Essentials Continue Reading >

Search is the Card Catalogue of the Web

Last Updated on January 10, 2011 / Status / 2 minutes of reading

I wrote this piece on April 25, 2007. I’m fishing through some old posts and had to revisit/repot this as I think we’re on the verge of a major shift in attention literacy and finding information on the web. Enjoy… — Search is king. We have conferences and we have an entire industry built around the idea that “search marketing” is the end all / be all of online marketing. If you want to reach …

Search is the Card Catalogue of the Web Continue Reading >

Flickr Says Thanks for All the Fish

Last Updated on June 1, 2010 / Technology / 1 minute of reading

It’s really not that big of a deal, but I’ve been a Pro member for the last three years… words like this lead me to think that maybe Yahoo isn’t putting that much long term investment in the Flickr service. Thanks, Flickr… Why only until June 1?We promised you access to your all time data, and we’re disappointed we’ve not been able to deliver on that. We’ve been trying for over a year to get …

Flickr Says Thanks for All the Fish Continue Reading >

Great Review of @Posterous

Last Updated on July 30, 2009 / Technology / 1 minute of reading

Years of building and maintaining my WordPress blog have resulted in my learning a lot about WordPress and getting a lot of grease under my fingernails. Weeks of using Posterous has resulted in a media-rich blog with several posts per week. Tell me which service is more powerful. via suntimes.com I started using Posterous primarily as a photo-blog back in September of ’08. However, it’s transitioned into my full time personal blog as I’ve changed …

Great Review of @Posterous Continue Reading >

From Evernote Back to Backpack

Last Updated on July 27, 2009 / Technology / 2 minutes of reading

I’ve been a longtime Evernote member going back to March ’08 (and then a paying Premium member since June ’08 shortly after they opened that functionality), but I just can’t figure out the best way to integrate the service into my workflow.  I’ve certainly tried because I do see so much potential in the product. However, since I’ve been trying to do most everything using only web apps and my iPhone, I’ve had a tougher …

From Evernote Back to Backpack Continue Reading >

FriendFeed Catchup in GMail

Last Updated on July 26, 2009 / Technology / 1 minute of reading

I absolutely love FriendFeed's GMail IM integration. It's how I consume most of my FriendFeed content as well as lots from my favorite folks on Twitter that I have piped into FF via the Imaginary Friends (now Rooms) feature. So, if I miss a few hours and want to catch up on what is going on in the Valley or from the folks I follow (and left GMail open on my Macbook), I can just …

FriendFeed Catchup in GMail Continue Reading >

My Laptop’s Operating System

Last Updated on July 25, 2009 / Technology / 1 minute of reading

I have a school issued (white) MacBook 13′ that I’ve been using the last few weeks when I need a computer (besides my iPhone). It’s great that we have MacBooks for teachers and students. However, since we are also transitioning to Google Apps (thankfully) and everything I do is mostly cloud-based, I don’t see much of the shiny Mac OSX operating system. Instead, this is what I see and use as my main operating system …

My Laptop’s Operating System Continue Reading >

Using MindMeister for Mind Mapping in the Classroom

Last Updated on July 24, 2009 / Technology / 1 minute of reading

MindMeister Academic Edition The Academic Edition of MindMeister is a complete collaborative mind mapping solution for educational institutions such as schools, universities and learning centers. It helps teachers and instructors to apply essential thought mapping elements in the classroom and ensure that learning is an effective and memorable experience. via mindmeister.com After doing some researching and testing, I’m going to be using MindMeister for our “mind mapping” classroom (and out-of-classroom) sessions in my 8th grade …

Using MindMeister for Mind Mapping in the Classroom Continue Reading >

Scroll to Top