The "view" of Nelson Mandela

Talk about leaving a legacy...through trials/tribulation/triumphs Nelson Mandela has always shown his true character and the need to be free.  All the news lately has been about how close to death he is but I hope we never forget the legacy he will leave behind.

Education can change the world-and there is never a time when people stop learning.  Lifelong learning  is a powerful weapon for growth and improving ones life and the lives of those around you.

My "view" on being a part of professional organizations

I am writing this post because this past week I was going through ISTE envy:)  The annual ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Conference took place in San Antonio, Texas and I was not able to be a part of it.  I have been fortunate to go to the conference once before and it was thrilling to say the least.  The amount of resources you get and the people you are able to meet and make connections with are staggering.  This year, more than in years past (due to the fact that I am working on my Masters in tech education) I would have been able to meet and maybe even talk to people who are leaders in the field and who I follow on twitter and blogs.  These leaders did share some of the resources they got out of the conference on twitter and blogs but it is not the same as being there.  I am already planning on planting a bug in my principals ear about attending the conference next year and the benefits it would be for me and my school.
Here are some of the resources I was able to come up with for those that were not able to attend the conference:
Twitter-check out #iste2013 for info and links

Facebook page- https://www.facebook.com/LikeISTE

Conference website- program pages have email links and some website links for presentations- http://www.isteconference.org/2013/

Pinterest page-http://pinterest.com/istepinterest/iste-2013/

Missing the conference got me to thinking about professional organizations in general.  Why do people join?  Some do it because it looks good on resume...some do it because of the resources...some do it for the leadership possibilities in the organization....why do you belong to professional organizations?

The four main reason I belong to professional organizations like KySTE/ISTE are:

1: Great way to build my professional network/learning community

2. Great place to get career advice-from fellow professionals in the same field

3. Great way to get new resources/techniques to use in my own classroom

4. Provides the potential for leadership positions in the organization

Not all professional organizations have the same benefits but I can tell you that if you are in the tech ed field ISTE is a great organization that can and does offer the benefits I listed above.  Are there any other organizations that you might recommend?

Over"view"ing the potential of virtual schooling

This past week for one of my class assignments I read a chapter from the book Digital Technologies and Social Media by Scott McLeod and Chris Lehmann.  The chapter was on virtual schooling and it was very eye opening for me.  The statistic that stood out the most was that some predict that virtual schooling will make up half of all k-12 education by 2020 (Christensen, Horn & Johnson, 2008).  It is hard for me to wrap my head around that idea.  2020 is only 7 years away-both of my children will be in high school by then.  What will high school even look like then if this prediction does run true.  Will they even come to a brick and mortar classroom for any of their schooling?  To be honest the thought scares me a little even being a technology teacher.  I know technology is constantly changing education for the better but I guess some of my old school upbringing shows through in that I worry what will happen to all the teachers.  The students will still need teachers but to what capacity/roles will the teachers play in these virtual schools?  What kind of training will the virtual school teachers have?  The chapter from the book does address some of these thoughts but it still has me thinking.....the roles of teachers will definitely be changing-those that do not embrace technology will not be able to stay in the game.

Adding my re"view"-why has it taken so long?

I am one of those people that before I buy anything I always like to check the reviews-whether it be a hotel, electronic device, kids toy I always check out multiple sites to see other peoples "views" of the product.  I use websites like amazon.com, travelocity.com, and even the company websites to see what other people are saying about the product/place to see if it is worth the price/dependable/reliable/built to last.  The funny thing is I have never taken the time to complete the reviews myself for the products I have bought.  What is holding me back-if I put so much stake in what others say (they took the time to review the items) why have I not taken the time to do the same for others?  I can blame it on lack of time but to be honest I think it was just not really a priority for me.  This new blog I am writing is helping me see the things I do and don't do in a new light.  In a society where sharing info and resources is common place I should not keep taking without giving back.  With that being said I wrote my first review for trip advisor.com today on the things we did and where we stayed at Mammoth Cave this past weekend.  It felt good to let others know how the campground and cave tours were and let them make their own educated decisions if that is where they want to stay and if the tours we went on would be good for their trip.
Do you read reviews before you buy?   Do you write reviews yourself?  If not what is holding you back?

Top Rated "views" of others

As the "newbie" feeling of being a blog writer is beginning to wear off, I continually contemplate why would anyone want to follow my blog.  My daily reflections and thoughts have helped me to dive deeper into why I do what I do and what being a leader is all about but what does my blog offer to there.  I look at the top 10 blogs I follow and I think-the things these people discuss are so thought provoking and helpful.  They share resources freely with the only intent to be helping students be successful.  Since I do not have any thought provoking topics to currently discuss I will share some of my favorite resources with you.
Here are the top ten blogs I follow-hopefully these can be new resources for you if you are not already following them.

1. dangerously irrelevant
2. Connected principals
3. Lisa Nielsen:Innovative Educator
4. Free technology for teachers
5. edrethink
6. Edutopia
7. Innovations in Education
8. The edublogger
9. Edudemic
10. Kathy Schrock

Do you have any recommendations for the list?  What "views" are you keeping up with?

the "view" from a child with down syndrome

As I begin this trek into writing my own blog it is amazing to me how far blogging has come in my life and the life of those around me.  The first time I was really introduced to blogging was quite a few years back when my brother was stationed overseas with the Army.  His blog was like a daily diary of what was going on with him and the events that he was allowed to share about his work. Blogging has become so much more mainstream now that even young people are doing it.  They are not just using it as a diary either-they are using it to pass on knowledge they are learning in hopes of helping others learn new things and see their point of view.
An example of this kind of blog is http://caitlynrichardson.weebly.com.  Caitlyn is the daughter of one of my close friends, Tina.  Caitlyn is going into the 6th grade and just started her own blog this past week.  One of Caitlyn's teachers suggested that she write a blog, over the summer, as a way to improve her writing and critical thinking skills.  Caitlyn came up with the idea of writing a blog about what she thought the world looks like through the eyes of her sister Bella who has Down Syndrome.  Being the sister to someone who has down syndrome can be a challenge at times, but as Caitlyn writes, it is also very rewarding.  Bella also has apraxia which means that her speech and communication skills are very delayed.  Caitlyn wants to tell her story to help others see Bella's point of view and what makes her so special.  We can learn a great deal from Caitlyn about learning and appreciating others differences.  Technology is enabling her to have a "voice" and a "view" that others can see and learn from.

Seeing others "views"
This morning as I was reading through some my regular ed tech blogs I follow and I saw a name mentioned that was very familiar.  The name was mentioned in what I would consider a very main stream blog by Scott McLeod titled "dangerously irrelevant".  The name was of an old teacher friend of mine from my early days at Beechwood High School-Chris Crouch.  The write up was about his experience with 1 to 1 implementation at his school and its lack of effectiveness in implementation.  Chris put up on facebook a few months back that he was starting a blog about his educational endeavors but I had not gotten a chance to check it out yet-now his "views" and thoughts are being noticed by others, even those that are leaders in the field of technology education.
Though I wonder at times whether my blog will serve a purpose besides just recording my thoughts and "views", seeing Chris's name out there shows me that everyone has a voice if they are just willing to share and let their voice be heard.

Seeing a new view.......
The past two days I have been part of training sessions to become an MIE (Microsoft Innovative Educator).  I will go into more detail in future posts about the training,but my thoughts today deal with my new "VIEW" of Microsoft products.  Being an artist and designer, my first choice has always been Mac products.  Mac just seems to "get it" when it come to ease of use and flow of workspace.  I have always felt like Microsoft had the bigger market on technology but they never had the cult following that Mac has.  This MIE training has helped me to see that Microsoft is really trying to get buy-in from the education sector.  They are not just talking the talk but they are beginning to walk the walk.  From the school tech leaders that I know, many have said that Apple does not have back end tech support needed to run 1 to 1 technology effectively in school without having to jump through multiple hoops.  So why do so many schools paying for tablets like that Ipad that can run almost double the cost of windows tablet? What makes the iPad worth it?  Is Apple putting as much funding into its educational resources as Microsoft is?  What will it take for educators to "view" Microsoft in a new light?

If you are wondering what in the world does technology have to do with kaleidoscopes...here are my thoughts.  As you look through the eye hole of a kaleidoscope there is so much to look at and take in. In a moment it can all change with the turn of pieces at the end-the view is totally different but just as spectacular, with the potential to be even better than the view before.  Technology is the same way.  So many things to catch your eye and in just a moment of time it continues to change and evolve.  Even though it is different it is still spectacular to take in. 

I come from an Art background and I have always had a love for kaleidoscopes.  The picture is just a few of the kaleidoscopes in my collection.  I also have a passion and love for technology.  This passion allowed me to transform my Art education background into teaching Art though the use of technology and computers.  I now teach digital graphic design and multimedia applications at the high school level.

My love for technology has also given me an avenue to help other teachers through the technology leadership roles I have at my school.  I hope this blog will show the many "views" of technology, technology integration in schools, Art education, and maybe even a little information about kaleidoscopes in the process.