Leopard on the prowl

One of the frustrating things about technology is that it's always changing.

One of the coolest things about technology is that it's always changing.

I am often amazed that the thing that I both love and hate about new software and gadgets is its constant turn over.

I hate it because once you finally get confortible with something, you know where all the buttons and nobs are, you know all the glitches and hang ups, something wisenhiemer comes along and changes everything.

All the new Microsoft products are a wonderful example. I have the new office 2007 suite in the office, and I just upgraded one of my computers at home to Vista and everything is messed up. Things are hidden behind buttons, and menus completely changed. Every PC program up to this point hand a standardized menu that read: File - Edit - View - Tools - Help (or something along those lines), and BLAMO, gone.

Now have to learn everything all over again.

I hate that.

I love that.

See we are a creature of habit (not to be confused with hobbit), we fall into a rut and that's where we stay. We never grow, we never improve. If we didn't know it or need it before, why do we need it now? When things change, we are forced to relearn things. But in that relearning, we always discover new places that we've never been. We expand our knowledge and add new tools to our work flow.

It's exciting (and dreadful).

This week Apple announced that it's releasing it's new OS (operating system) on October 26th called Leopard (they new all there OS X releases after major cats) and I am bursting at the seams. I've got my copy pre-ordered and once I get back from Seattle, it'll be waiting for me.

This is my first Mac upgrade and I'm finding the experience completely different than my PC ones. I've drug my feet on Vista for nearly a year now because I am afraid that all the stuff I use is going to break. That I'm in the end going to have to back up all my files, format the computer and start all over again (I ended up doing that, but I choose a computer that I didn't use a whole lot). With my MacBook, I'm stoked to see what new features it's going to have, and all the new fun things I can do.

I don't even have a concern that any of the things I've installed aren't going to work.

That's kind of cool.

In any case, I'll let you know how it goes.

You've gotta love technology.

When your desktop needs a new coat of paint

I don’t know about you, but I get bored looking at the same boring background on my computer.

I need variety. I need change.

I need InterFaceLIFT.com.

If you’re looking for a place to get great new images sized for any possible screen you might have, from your iPhone to your super huge 16:9 formatted Mac HD Cinema display, look no further than this website.

Backgrounds, icons, themes, you name it, it’s a virtual visual candy store. Best part of all… it’s free. So give it a gander and see if you don’t find something new you can paste up on that screen of yours.

Enjoy your week free of quizzes and questions.

It could happen to you...

For me, College was an informational void. I didn't read papers, I didn't own a TV, let alone have cable. Computers were just recently invented, and the internet was actually things called bulletin boards (go Legend of the Red Dragon!) - I actually ran a BBS called, "The Shadowlands" (3 lines in baby!) and I was called, Dark Angel.

In any case, in the event that your life is devoid of information, a jury found a Minnesota woman liable for piracy, Awards $222,000 in damages for 24 songs.

Yep, you read that right. $222k. A little over $9,000 per song.

Every student with a computer denies being involved in piracy. For some that really is true, for others, they are simply ignorant of the fact that they are indeed doing it.

“Oh, snap! Is that the new Foo Fighters CD? Sweetness (sorry, that’s probably more of an 80’s phrase), do you mind if I borrow it? I’ll just dump it to my iTunes and listen to it later.”

That’s right, you just committed piracy.

Every greatest hits or mix tape you made for your gal or fella. You broke copyright law.

If the music company is serious about anything, it’s about its money, and if they think you’re keeping them from making more of it, they are going to come looking for you.

Now I have my own opinions about file sharing, and music swapping (I have quite a few friends who are indy musicians). But I think my general opinion can be summed up by this “Weird Al” Yankovic song (did I mention I am a HUGE nerd?):



In any case, be aware that file sharing and music swapping is illegal. I’m certainly not going to judge you, but before you download, know that there are people actively out there looking to nab you (think speed trap) and if you get hit it’s going to cost you a lot more than you’re saving. Too many people have worked to make music more accessible and affordable. Trust, the new Matchbox Twenty isn’t work $222,000 dollars even if Rob Thomas is hot.

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Enough said.

Red Rock

Okay... so this is kind of a cheater blog as I'm not really writing anything, and in fact its not even me in the video. But this is the last "stand up" that we did in Las Vegas (Mélaine flew out a few hours later) and I wanted to share it with you, but not burden everyone by posting a mass announcement.

Either way, enjoy!

Use Technology to Make Mélaine's Day

Here's Bob's little technology tip for you: How to make the é (e acute) for Mélaine's name.

There's nothing worse than having a super cool name, and have people butcher it because they don't know how to make fancy letters. So for a special treat for her birthday (send cards, flowers, and emails) - I'm going to teach you all the secret of how to make the fancy 'e' as I like to call it.

First type a capital 'M', so you have a little something like this:

M

Now comes the tricky part. Hold down the 'alt' key and press in order 0 2 3 3 and then let go.... you should get a little something like this: é

That's it... then type in the rest of the letters and suddenly now you are the favorite student making your professors day. :)

iLike iPhone

Technology is awesome when it works.

So I lost my cell phone (yes, the very one that I used to do your YouTube cell phone demonstrations). It was totally my fault. I was taking a cab from a session at Photoshop World to Alamo car rental and I had a pile of papers with me, so as I was paying the cab driver, I set all my stuff down on the seat, dug my cash out of my pocket, snagged my stuff and went about my merry way.

When I dropped my stuff on the seat of the Jeep, I noticed a lack of a thud. No cell phone.

I raced back to the hotel and called for 2 hours straight from my wife's cell in hopes that someone, anyone would answer. To make matters worse, I had my phone on silent because I was in the session.

To make a long painful story short, I ended up back at the Apple store and purchased a new iPhone.

Oh my goodness is it amazing.

I'm a total sucker for toys to begin with, but something this cool just blows my mind.

For the first time in my life I can now sync my Outlook calendar and my iCal together almost pain free. I can order pizza while in the car without having to store the number in my phonebook (I mean honestly, who keeps pizza joint numbers on their cell?).

The iPhone updates off of AT&T's edge network or off a connected wireless network. I can surf the web, check my email, watch a video and snap a photo all from the same device (which my wife made me promise to strap to my arm so I don't loose it).

Technology is amazing thing, we live at a wonderful time in our planet's history... and it's made a little cooler by Apple :).

iLike iLife

Contrary to popular believe, much of Mélaine's and my time in Las Vegas has been work centered.

A lot of what our focus on EDU 205 / 505 has been in experimenting with new technologies and techniques on accomplishing varying tasks. This class is as much of a learning experience for us as it for you.

As I mentioned to some of you in our in person session, I'm actually a new mac user. In November I decided that it was time for me to stop mac bashing and setup and give it a try. You'll never get better with technology unless you try.

That's the most important thing you can demonstrate to me in this class. Not your success, not your mastery, but your willingness to try and even fail if that is the case, but as we all know, if you don't try you will never learn.

Believe it or not, it's good for your brain to be faced with a situation where you don't already know the answers, a situation where you have a to click a few buttons and see what happens. Granted its nice to have someone give you a head start and at least point you in the right direction, however the things you discover for yourself are the the things that stick in your head.

So I bought a macbook, and just started playing. Anytime I would see someone do something cool, I said, "Hey, how'd you do that?" And they would open up a whole new area for me to explore. I shut off my PC and forced (yes forced) myself to do everything I did in Windows on the mac.

Quite honestly, its the best thing I've ever done technology wise. Apple is amazingly slick and easy to use and each time they roll something out it just gets better.

Case in point, this past week I bought a copy of iLife '08 (which probably means very little to the rest of you), but is a collection of tools for macs that make your life easier: iPhoto, iMovie, iWeb, iDVD and GarageBand. It allows you store and edit your photos with little effort, share them online through a .mac account (which I finally broke down and bought), make and edit movies and post them directly to YouTube. It also always you to make web pages, DVDs and even your own music & podcasts.

Some of it is pretty scary, but look at Mélaine and I now, we're totally doing vodcasts all the time (I'll post the stand up at Red Rock Canyon here shortly) and it's not just that we're amazingly brilliant (I mean because we are), but that the right technologies can make life easy.

But you'll never know until you try.

So try.

Fail.

And try again. It's the only way you will learn.

Education in the airport

I guess one of the things that amazes me most about technology is its accessibility.

There I sat in the Fort Wayne International (yes, I am still amazed we can call it that) Airport and read and commented on all of your blogs.

A few hours later I am sitting at Dallas Fort Worth, and I am able to review your introductions in Blackboard.

Now as I sit in 107 degree weather in a Las Vegas hotel, I am able to still reach out to each and everyone of you.

If I can reach you, I can teach you.

Education is about making that personal connection to the student to open up a channel to impart knowledge. To allow for opportunities to experience the world around us together and commit those findings to heart and mind. Technology enables us to accomplish those goals regardless of where we are in the world.

It brings us sights, sounds, and people that we'd never have access to. In the grand scheme of things we are young (some of us more young that others). Most of you don't know a world where you don't have a cell phone in your pocket at all times. Some device that you can reach out for and flow an instant message to anyone at any time. Most of you don't know what its like to sit down and write a letter by hand, take an envelope and put a stamp on it. Most of you don't know what its like to not be able to walk up to ATM (that stands for Automated Teller Machine, so there's no need to add the word machine to the end again) and get cash out.

Not all TVs were color. (Wow, I am really dating myself).

Yet some how without all of these technologies, the world went on. People lived, loved and learned. Everything we have today was invented by folks who were educated without these technologies.

This course is all about using technologies to educate more effectively. NEVER forget that technology is not the import thing, you are, the educator. Never allow yourself to become lazy in your craft because some gizmo makes it easier. Never forget that even though I can IM, blog, email and video conference, that the single physical pat on the back can accomplish more than any of those things.

Technology is awesome; but people are better.

Just my two cents worth for the day.

My Introduction

If you will recall from class, I challenged you to use your first blog entry to give us some insight into why you want to be a teacher. I think with that in mind, it's only fair that I do the same.

See my position is slightly unique from yours in that I'm not currently a teacher by vocation, but rather one by happenstance. However I’m a firm believer that your job should never define you; simply put I am a teacher because I teach.

I began my career actually as a youth minister. That’s right, I spent my days hanging out with young folks like yourself, eating pizza, playing video games, and watching a movie now and then. In reality however I was teaching the entire time. Every moment spent together with someone else is a teaching moment. It’s one of the great things about education – it doesn’t have to happen in a classroom to be.

Our lives present a daily lesson to those around us; our conversations convey truths that we hold to and prompt us to wonder and grow if we will merely listen to beats between the words that we speak.

I am a teacher.

I am an educator.

I am all of these things because I choose to be. I choose to make the world a better place around me. I choose to set myself aside and to think of others around me. I refuse to let ignorance stand and I want to lift others up to my level and give them the things that I have because I am not concerned with making “me” better than “you”.

It is true that knowledge is power. I have a passion to give that power to every man and woman so that their world can be different. Their paths can be brighter.

I realize that all of this can sound like altruistic tripe, but I assure you that it comes from the heart.

One of the things that had a great impact on me growing up was the story of Don Quixote; and further the musical “The Man of La Mancha”. I saw something in Don Quixote that reached to the core of my person and verbalized the feelings that I had inside. Everything that I wanted to be was summed up by these lines:

"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams –this may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Too much sanity may be madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is and not as it should be.” – Man of La Mancha

Why am I a teacher? Because I long to make the wold the place that it should be, and not as it is.