Things that make me go "Hmmmm...."

From an article on using GPS for fishing in the Detroit News comes this quote that got me to thinking...

"To a certain point GPS has taken the guesswork out of fishing, but I think of it like a puzzle," Barry said. "All the pieces of information are there, but you still have to put all the data together and implement it. That is what separates good fishermen from average fishermen."

...about the use of technology in education. Students have access to so much information, but it's what they do with the information that matters.

Testing blogTV

I gotta try this... blogTV

Ever want to have your own TV show? Now you can, with blogTV. It will stream LIVE video from your webcam, not only on the blogTV website, but the REALLY cool part is that you can embed the stream right on your blog page! How amazing is that!

I've signed up for a free account, now I just have to get up the nerve to go live in front of the webcam. Hmmmm..... the hamster on the wheel in my feeble little brain is going 100 miles an hour as I try to figure the possibilities out for this one.

Check it out for yourself: http://www.blogtv.com/

R.I.P. Palm

I want to preface my remarks by saying how much I love my Palm handheld computers, and how much students have enjoyed using them in the classrooms I've visited in the past 5 years.

But... much to my dismay, Palm's days in the world of classroom technology are over. Palm does not even have a booth at NECC in Atlanta, despite the recent announcement of their new Foleo.

They haven't introduced anything along the lines of a Tungsten E2 in awhile, and they seem to have focused their attention on the business world where the real dollars are to be made. Not that I blame them for trying to make a buck.

I'm sad. There seemed to be real potential, and a real "buzz" in the edtech world for Palm about 5 years ago. I think they've peaked, and now, have faded away like so many other hardware/software/websites.

Rest in peace Palm.

Get Human

This has nothing to do with education, but everything to do with saving one's sanity.

The gethuman.com database has a listing of 500 or so companies, businesses and government agencies with phone numbers (many of them toll free) and instructions on what combination of buttons to push (or the magic words to say) to talk to a real live human being ASAP. I am so tired of hearing how important my call is while listening to menu after menu of options, and pushing buttons like a trained lab rat. What I really need is to talk to a representative, even if they are 1000's of miles away. Gethuman really helps speed up the process.

http://gethuman.com/

Vyew-- imagine the possibilities!

Check out www.vyew.com

Could you use this song to introduce chat room safety?

Brad Paisely is an amazing musician, composer and performer, and on his recently released CD, 5th gear, is a song called Online.

Aside from a "damn" in the lyrics and a reference to having a 3-way CHAT, this is a fun song that could be used to start a serious discussion about online safety. In this instance, Brad sings about someone who is undertall and overweight and still lives with his parents, yet online he is 6 feet 5, rich, handsome, and lives in Hollywood. (I especially enjoy the marching band arrangement of the song at the very end of the track!)

A teacher could very easily play an excerpt of this song as a lesson starter.

Listen to "Online" by Brad Paisley : http://play.napster.com/track/20529550