apple juice

just attended my first session at necc2008, 1:1 Laptops and Seamless Integration: Peek into the Frontier presented by Howard Levin of Urban School in SF.  I visited his school two years ago, as we were preparing to roll out laptops for all of our students. the key message that we learned at the time was (in the words of mary) “it’s not about the technology“. it became our mantra, spoken with gusto and an undetermined east coast accent.

now, two years later, i was quite interested to hear about Urban’s thinking, now in their seventh year of integrated laptops. many of the messages are the same, “making the laptops disappear”, “enhancing writing is enhancing thinking”. i think the mantra holds true, it is really not about the technology.

i watched as questions were flying at Howard afterwards about this specific technology and that specific technology, and i remember how we must have sounded when we visited. probably asking many of the same questions.

there were a number of ideas presented, many were the same ideas as before, still as strong as ever for enhancing learning. using audio+email to enhance language learning and music. using video and still cameras as inspiration for art. using inspiration to brainstorm and outline. good ideas never get old. the challenge is simply doing it. getting teachers to shift their model. as i reflect on how far we’ve progressed in just the past two years, i am very excited about the next couple years. we’re not doing all of this yet, but we’re on the road.

two things that howard presented that were shifts for me. first was his statement that they were going 100% on their smartboards. he said that this represented a shift for them as a school, that he was a previous critic, and he has changed his mind. he showed a quick video of a math teacher using great use of her smartboard.

second was the voice recognition software. i wonder what the reaction would be if we outfitted some students with this technology? would the teachers or other students think differently about the work that was produced? personally, i don’t think that it should be viewed any differently, but i just wonder. I will have to discuss this with the others in my group and see what they think.

wall•e is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

the day before josh and jane’s wedding, matt and I walked around the property for a while taking pictures of the farm.

here’s one of my favorites:

more over at my flickr page.

went to the twins game with matt and madeline, jason and nathan today. first one of the year, it’s hard to believe. i’m so excited about that new stadium, i think it’s just especially hard to head to the dome on such a beautiful night.

the real reason for our attendance though was to celebrate madeline’s visit to mpls and her first twins game. in honor of the occasion, a message was purchased by some stranger friends

great to finally get to a game and enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of the game. (off my health diet again — it was dollar dog night)

just so everyone doesn’t worry too much about an imminent heart attack

monday lunch: bulgur, wheatberry, and apple salad

monday dinner: mixed green greek salad with chicken

only 47 more days of vegetables to cleanse my body

friday dinner – hamburger with bacon

saturday breakfast – nothing

saturday lunch – hamburger with bacon

saturday afternoon – beef jerky

saturday early evening – beef jerky

saturday dinner – steak, bratwurst patty

saturday after dinner snack – beef jerky

saturday pre-storm snack – bratwurst patty

sunday breakfast – chorizo (and eggs)

sunday brunch – ham

sunday afternoon snack – hamburger

sunday dinner – hamburger

it’s safe to say that i don’t need any meat in my diet for the next 2-3 months

if you’ve read my site, you probably have a fairly good read on my politics. i consider myself to be a fairly open-minded person though, and if a good idea comes along, regardless of party or platform, i’m willing to support it.

and so, after watching this inspiring video, i would hearby like to announce:

i’m voting republican