Why I am Nervous about Twitter

People have complained that IM and other technology- even email- has reduced the English language to a bunch of short phrases and acronyms.  There has been a bit of backlash to these technologies, but not much.  In fact, the popularity of Twitter, Facebook and others have advanced the use of the “quick” phrase to the ultimate.  There is an impression that using these tools (even in the business world) can advance productivity and collaboration.

I don’t deny that.  I saw a great series of “Tweets” done by astronauts on the last Space Shuttle Mission.  There is a time and a place for all of these technologies.  My fear is that they may be overused.  They could be used when more detailed, in-depth descriptions are really needed.

It has already been determined that these tools can limit the writing capabilities of Students. I have seen it myself with my own students in my college class.  Some students are losing the ability to write detailed prose, fiction or non-fiction.  It even effects reading capability.

We cannot forget about real prose and writing for business and pleasure.  The information economy of the present and future is based on analyzing complicated passages and writing clearly for detail.

We must use these new tools wisely and for the right purposes.

Portable TVs- What the FCC forgot

Did you notice that your old portable TV no longer works?  Well, the FCC forgot about that.  There is no way they will ever work again.. they are kaput, fini!

Yes, you can maybe figure out a way to hook up a digital converter to it, but then you have to walk around with the converter box and another antenna.

The new over-the-air digital system is not designed for portable TVs at all.  First of all, it is highly directional and you need to be near the TV transmitter.  The old analog portable TVs had a simple telescoping rod antenna.  To receive the new digital signals, you need a highly directional antenna that should be pointed toward the transmitter.

To their credit, a few companies have manufactured portable digital tvs. But if you are not close to a transmission site, you will still need a specialized digital antenna that would attach to the tv- making it not very portable.

Why does this matter?  Well, portable battery TVs are often used during emergencies,  brownouts, disasters and just for pleasure at a picnic or at the beach.  Not to mention tail-gating parties at big games.

The emergency use is the biggest and most important factor.

It’s amazing that the FCC simply ignored this situation.

Something about Minnesota

I’ve been to Minnesota only once.  I visited Minneapolis and St. Paul when NECC (National Educational Computing Conference) was being hosted there.  Two events made me think about Minnesota this past week.

The first was an “American Masters” show on PBS about Garrison Keillor and “Prairie Home Companion”.  The show takes place on the radio (National Public Radio) but has become a major attraction as a live event in Minnesota.

The second was the election of Al Franken to the US Senate from Minnesota.

Minnesota is a strange place.  Remember that its citizens elected a World Wresting Federation wrestler (Jesse Ventura) as a governor.  When I visited Minneapolis,  I visited the locks on the Mississippi River, the museums, the incredible architecture (manhole covers in the city are works of art).  The city has an enclosed, elevated walkway throughout the city so that, in the winter, workers can walk from one building to another without venturing into the cold.

The people there are warm and welcoming.  Not far from Minneapolis is The Mall of America, which I believe is still the largest mall in the country.

Luis von Ahn- The Next Tesla?

He grew up in the digital age and is now defining it.  He was one of the inventors of CAPTCHA.  There was a great segment on PBS’s Nova Science NOW talking about von Ahn.  His web site is here.  He is an amazing genius on the order of Nikola Tesla but a genius of the information age rather than the industrial age.

Von Ahn not only helped develop CAPTCHA, he is using the method for an ingenious process to digitize ancient books and manuscripts called reCAPTCHA.  If you have registered for something using this method, you could have been instrumental in digitizing one of 20,000 books, ONE WORD AT A TIME.

XO Laptop and the G1G1 Project

I was inititially disappointed when I first received my XO laptop as part of the “first wave” of the Give One, Get One Program (G1G1) of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) initiative.  It felt great knowing that a child in a developing country would be getting one of these laptops as well.  When I received it, I thought, “What is this thing?”.  The keyboard was small, the touchpad was also small and hard to use and it took a while to boot up.
However, after exploring it for a few days, I started to understand.  This was not designed for an adult.  Most the applications were cleverly designed as games, but were really educational applications that kids could get excited about.  In addition, it has a built in camera, a scientific oscilloscope and can be used as a digital reader. I started to be amazed by all these applications and I was able to add many other applications by easily downloading them from the OLPC Wiki. There are literally hundreds of them- all education-related.
I started to use the XO at work and got some funny looks and comments, but that is what I wanted.  I wanted others to get involved in this program.  I took notes at meetings and transferred them to my Windows laptop. I added another browser (Opera) that made it easier to get to my web email and calendar.  The only thing I couldn’t do is present with it, but I could download a VNC server for it so I could connect to it with my Windows laptop and present with the Windows laptop.
I now love this computer because it is different and it embodies education.  But more that, the concept can change the world, one needy child at a time.

Web 3.0 is Coming!

Three important articles heralding the emergence of the next generation of Web tools appeared in both local and national press this past week.

If you ever heard of Mashups, you know that the most common of these might be the connection between Google maps and houses for sale. But there have been many different types of mashups, some ridiculous, some very useful. In the past, you had to be a programmer to do this but new tools like popfly.com from Microsoft allow just about anyone on the web to create his or her own Mashups. It is very intriguing stuff. This article talks about how students will learn how to “interact with digital data in new ways” and be able to combine data from different sources in new ways.

In a previous post, we mentioned that students today, to be successful in their future roles, need to become familiar with collecting and analyzing data. Is there a better way to make data analysis interesting than to make the connections themselves? Students creating useful Mashups will give them key critical thinking and data skills for the future.

Another local article reinforces this thinking. People previously thought that computer games were for kids or adults with kid-like impulses. However, many games provide true-to-life simulations of real-world situations. Games such as SimCity, World of Warcraft and Civilization III are both simulations and can be multi-player team games. How often in the real world do you work in teams, lead others or are lead by others? Now, educators are realizing that these games can truly educate.

We have also mentioned “Second Life” in this blog. Although not a “game”, it is a 3-D multi-user environment that can be used just like a “Mashup.” It allows students to think of ways to represent data and information in new, innovative ways. Can students create ways for their peers to learn faster and more clearly in an environment like this? Possibly. But they themselves will learn on the way! There probably are Mashups involving Second Life and other applications out there on the Web right now. In fact, as soon as I finish writing this, I am going to look for one!

Finally, the last article, from the Wall Street Journal, refers to the fact that Random House Publishing Group now has an experiment under way that will sell books online by the chapter. The first book they are selling is “Made to Stick”. The web site for this is here.

There have been attempts for many years to see if books will go the same direction as music in this digital world. Will we go from the physical reading material to a reader such as the Amazon Kindle? Maybe not any time soon, but it would make sense for textbooks. My students pay incredible money for books that are out of date the moment they are printed. Some textbook publishers are starting to place textbooks on line under “instant publishing” arrangements with the authors. The authors can then “instantly” change the textbook as necessary. This is sorely needed.

So, Web 3.0 as I call it, is slowly but clearly emerging. It is an exciting world of building, thinking, teamwork and continued learning.  I can’t wait!

Satisfaction

I teach a second year class in MIS (Management Information Systems) one evening a week to about 20 community college business students.  I have been doing this now for four years.  I am doing it because I taught K-12 for eleven years and I was missing the interaction with students.  Teaching this class of both younger and older individuals who want to better their lives is extremely rewarding.  I admire their drive to show up every week at 6:00 PM, often after a long days work.

This time of year, I feel very grateful that I have this opportunity to help these folks learn and to learn with them.  When I receive emails of thanks, saying how much they enjoyed the class,  it makes me feel that I have something to contribute.  Every class, every semester is different, with different folks and different interactions.  I feel grateful because every student has helped me be a better teacher, to listen and to learn.

The Most Important Subjects: Art, Music and Physical Education?

There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a societal transformation. To be successful citizens who can contribute to this world, students must be well-rounded. Knowing the material is not enough. Getting involved- interacting in groups, working in teams and gaining experience in a variety of human endeavors should be mandatory.

There is no question that knowledge of reading, writing, science, history, mathematics is necessary. But to limit a student’s exposure to art, music and physical education removes the most human aspects of a global education. They connect the mind and the body in ways that prime the intellect and at the same time make significant relationships with others that help students become citizens of the world.

Every student should be exposed to these three areas consistently throughout their educational life. They enhance the learning experience of other subjects, but even more significantly, they enable a student’s wider view of the world in general.

Administrators, instead of limiting these subjects, should be enhancing them with greater connections to real world problems and to the other core subject areas. The most successful schools have done this. Let us transform our students so that they can feel at home in the new global society that is already here.

21st Century Students of Data

The correct combination of quantitative and narrative (qualitative) information will allow any one of us to make good decisions. More and more, we are able to crunch numbers via computer analytical applications. Also we are now easily able to “mine” narrative text as long as it is in digital form, whether recorded or live. Making sense of this data is becoming more and more a part of business.
It now needs to become part of the business and activity of education. Administrators, teachers, parents and students need to be aware of how to collect, analyze, interpret and use data. Administrators need to do it to help their teachers instruct better. Teachers need to do it to understand how their children learn and to apply it directly to their teaching. Parents need to do it to help their children and their teachers work together to improve the learning. And students need to do it because they will be entering a work force that will be constantly using data analysis methods throughout their careers.

Learning how to use the data for action, to help people, is a major piece of this picture. You can have the best data, the best methods of collection and the best analytic tools, but if you cannot affect change with that data, what is the use? So it is extremely important that all this ability to analyze and manage knowledge has to come with the ability to translate it to action. We need everyone to be part of the movement to action– even if it is part of a process to have others complete the circle. All must believe in themselves and believe that they can start the movement to change and inspire others to do the same.

Blue Tooth Blues

I was at a conference the other day and during a break, I saw a gentleman I knew walking directly toward me and looking at me smiling. As he come close I heard him say “Hi honey, what’s going on?”
Well, I was a bit taken aback and didn’t really know how to react until he passed me and I saw he had one of those blue tooth ear pieces and that he was talking to his wife on the phone.
I just want to register my feeling of weirdness when I see or hear folks with these devices talking as they walk around various public venues. To me, it is even more disconcerting than walking around talking with a cell phone up to the ear. At least, in that case, you know they are on the phone. With an earpiece, you are never sure. Are they talking to you or some else out there in the ether. How can you tell if someone is crazy or just a Bluetooth fanatic?

I haven’t seen too many kids with these things yet, but I am sure it is just around the corner. Teacher’s beware! Or do you incorporate it into the lesson plan as another Web 2.0 activity?!