Amazon Kindle Promised to Change Reading

Yes, we've heard this before, especially when Sony came out with a digital ready a couple of years ago, but Amazon has a little more at stake, and, so they say, have taken 3 years to develop the Kindle. More importantly, what caught my attention was the Kindle sold out the day of release, and they reportedly had more units than Sony released.

Could this be the start of a true, digital media presentation? A week ago, I would have said 'no', but after the hype, the reviews (significantly), and the sell out, it might be finally turning this way.

In education, what rammifications are there for us? The option to have texts in digital format may greatly help schools save money, keep inventory for students (how many $80 science texts come back bashed up each year) and save student's backs as they pack up for home each night. Post secondary institutions will have to offer digital versions of texts to their students at a discounted cost; it's only a matter of time.

What was needed was a good, efficient, usable, user-friendly digital reader on the market to kick-start this movement. No, I do not think the hard copy textbook or novel will ever go away, at least in my lifetime, but this does open up an interesting option.

You can read more about the Kindle from Amazon, a review on Cnet, a review from PCWorld, a comparison of the Kindle and Sony's reader, and a lengthy article from Newsweek. Popular Mechanics also has a review with video.

"The Death of Email"

While this is not the only article I've read recently about the idea that the next generation uses IM and Texting as their primary digital communication tool, it's one of the more well-written pieces.

I'm looking at the idea that the digital age is isolating us more, making us less social than previous generations, and this further leads me towards this discussion. Watch for that someday soon.

You can read the article "The Death of Email" here.

20 to Watch

"20 to Watch" Lead the Change in Educational Technology.

The National School Boards Association (US) released this list of 20 influential people to watch in the education system.

Find the list here.

"Why Wireless?" One School Steps Out

Arapahoe High School is a school one step ahead of most.

In a day when most schools are locked down and worried about security and network integrity, Arapahoe HS has opened up their network to personal used devices. My personal opinion has been that students will soon be more and more tied to one computer, rather than the current model in our system of computer labs accessed by students. In order for this to work effectively, personal devices will need to have access to school-based networks.

Karl Fisch, Directory of Technology at the school, offers this explanation/rationale to the parents of the school in the school newsletter. Click here to read his open letter.

Opening up the wireless networks of our schools is a significant step we as an educational community need to look at. If we are to move our students forward to the world they will live and work in, access to technologies in all aspects of their education will be key.

"Our students will spend the rest of their lives in a multi-tasking, technology-driven world and will need information and communication technology literacy in order to be successful – in both their professional and personal lives. They will need to be continually learning throughout their lives. “Lifelong Learner” will not be an educational buzzword for them; it will be an economic and personal necessity."

As always, comments and discussion is welcome.

Presentation at St. Anne's / Calgary Catholic

A copy of the presentations titled "Team Teaching - ADLC & Calgary Catholic Partnership" can be found here.

"Did You Know?" Updated

Here is an updated version of "Did You Know".

Credits go to Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and Xplane.





There are a lot of stories around about how/where this presentation originated. To the best of my knowledge, the origins are explained here.

Becoming Dylan

Although I'm not a huge fan of his music, I can not disagree that Bob Dylan was/is one of the most influential people in music and pop-culture. His revolutionary music is still a widely referenced.

You can view the original video of reference "Subterranean Homesick Blues".

Here's where my interest comes:

Chris Lehmann, Principal of The Science Learning Academy, showed how this video inspired a student assignment in Language Arts. What message can you create, with limited space, but still inspires action?

Students were able to utilize this website to manipulate the Dylan video. True, the site is promotional of a CD for purchase, but this still provided an interesting opportunity of what Web 2.0 can do for today's student. This type of creative assignment that can be used in many different areas. Yet another sign of innovative teaching using Web 2.0.

I found this through Fischbowl, the blog of Karl Fisch, around the Arapahoe School.

You can view Chris Lehmann's sample here.

You can view Karl Fisch's sample called "What will you learn today?"

The "One Laptop Per Child" initiative (sometimes referred to as the $100 laptop project) is a fascinating idea, one that I've followed quite closely for the last couple of years.

The brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte, the OLPC initiative focussed on creating an affordable, accessible computer for students in the third world. Obviously, the implications for throughout the world can and will change how education happens.

Now, finally in mass production, the OLPC program is in full swing. You can learn more about it here.

The project has run into many challenges, and currently, the biggest challenge to the project is cost. As a result, they have proposed a very interesting solution: buy one, give one. You can learn more about this limited time offer here.

This project is the leading edge of an innovation I've been touting for quite some time. Currently, technology in the education system in Canada is oriented around the computer lab, or the idea of a computer common to many students. I beleive in the near future students will utilize individual computers, ones they carry with them from class to class, home and school alike. The swift progress of wireless access only helps push this idea forward.

If that projection comes true, what implications are there for schools and students alike? I'm happy to say I've been involved in several interesting discussion about the pros-cons and possible stumbling blocks of this idea.

The CBS news show "60 Minutes" aired a story on OLPC in August, 2007. You can view this story here. Well worth the 12 minutes.

As always, your comments are welcome.