Live from ASSET!

Here I am, at my very first technology conference. So far it is similar to the library and research conferences I have attended, with the name tags, free bags and breakfast. However, I find the vendors and all the cool technology much more fun to look at! As I wandered around the exhibits before the keynote address, I fell in love with a SmartBoard type of technology called Mimio Interactive, which turns ANY whiteboard surface (including a piece of white foam core board!) into an interactive surface! The ramifications of this little piece of technology astounded me, as I pictured teachers being able to share the Mimio, making it much more cost effective than large SmartBoards. Every class has a board, so just clip the Mimio on and you're set to go. I will definitely remember this piece of technology when I get a job in my own library next year, because if there is no SmartBoard already, I'll budget for the more cost-effective Mimio!

Rushton Hurley was the keynote speaker. He was great, very funny, informative and inspiring. His message was a good one, that technology will enable us to learn along side of our students, creating a fun learning environment which will increase focus and confidence of our students. He demonstrated a few fun and free technology tools and connected these to the curriculum and also to testing and assessment. His use of the interactive "clickers" was a lot of fun too! Now off to my first session on technology projects in the classroom! I'm having so much fun already!

"Which Technologies Will Shape Education in 2008?" Article Response

My first reaction to reading this article was that I am so happy that I'm in this program now and I can recognize some of these technologies! I like the way this article broke down the technologies into time frames of when we will feel their impact, whether in the near term, mid-term or a bit further down the road. I was excited to see that grassroots video will have a significant impact in the next year or so. I'm amazed by the easy to use and relatively inexpensive video equipment that is now available for student use and the simple and free internet based services supporting the sharing of these videos. If a new computer geek like me can figure out how to make a video and upload it to You Tube or Google Video, then anyone can do it! The mash-ups and mobile broadband in the mid-term range I'm not as familiar with, but the idea of virtual field trips really interests me. Finally, I was a bit surprised to see the "collective intelligence" and "social operating systems" in the further down the road category, since I've seen their use quite a lot recently. The implications for education and learning when using technologies such as wikis or social networking are enormous. I've just begun to use these tools and I look forward to incorporating them into many future lessons!