In Search of the Free Wifi...Part Two

My last entry focused on my inability to get on line from home. My daughter had orders to place on line and I do tech support for a "Cloud-based" software program. If my teachers call even after hours, I need to be online in order to help. So now we are on stop number two in our search for wifi. Welcome to McDonnald's and the Big Mac wifi connection. I really need to get a life but then again, the internet is my life. I guess after 3 large iced teas, two Big Macs, and more frys then I care to eat, I think I have decided that unless my cable system comes through, this is really not the life for me. The realization is this; why is the internet and connecting so important to me. Well for one thing, I get all my current events on line. I live for social networking, and e-mail is the only way to communicate. Because I also do online tech support, I can't get away from it. Don't get me wrong, I love McDonalds but I think I have dropped to a new low in staying two hours sponging off the wifi. I just noticed that they close at 11:00pm. Well that gives me only about an hour and a half to connect with the world. Well let me rethink that, I do have my iphone. All I hope is that this time tomorrow evening I am laying in my bed, connecting at home with my peeps and using my own wifi...if not...its back to my Free Wi-Fi finder on my iphone attempting to locate that one place that will give me the connections that I desire. It might the an all night laundry or maybe I will book a room somewhere. Well this ends Part Two

What do you do when your Home Wifi goes out?

I am setting at the the local Panera Bread attempting to get this blog entry out before they close for the evening. I won't mention my home internet provider here (email me for the details) but because of some "difficulty" my home wireless is not working. Ok, so it might not be that important for me to get this blog post done tonight but you see I live and die by the internet. I really didn't seem to understand how much I would miss the internet experience. Right now I have my ipad and my netbook on line working on two projects. As long as Panera Bread remains open I can get some work conpleted. I know this is crazy but then again this is America. Don't call me cheap but desperate times call for desperate messures. Did I mention that I also am texting my daughter who is also here working on some order that "just has to be in tonight" If we run out of time here, we will just jump in the car and seek out free wifi. I guess you can say I am a total geek when it comes to being connected. As I look around the store, several people have their laptops open and either downloading e-mail, working on a school assighment or maybe on Facebook. Either way, I am connected. That is until my batterys run out. Technology is wonderful when it works and it sucks when it doesn't. I don't really understand why I am this way but if I really could face the truth, I am addicted. Hum, do they have programs out there for people like me? And would I attend the sessions in the first place. Well I only have 15 more minutes until they asked me to leave so I better end this short entry. OK let me see, where do we head next. Wifi...here we come.

Blogging at the Mall

Ok so I know that it is not really a big deal to be blogging at the mall but I think I hear the best and worse tech advice while sitting in the bookstore using their free wifi. It seems as if everyone is an expert when it comes to technology. I hear what is the "best" smart phone to buy, what notebook computer is currently being used and finally why you should stay away from certain technology. I know that most advice is not based upon knowledge but instead on usage. This information is good because you either hear the passion or pitfalls of each device in real time. The guy sitting next to me is using an iphone and across the room is a windows phone being used. The android phones must be in big demand due to the fact that several folks are using them while drinking coffee or reading books at the bookstore. If I were to guess, it seems as if just about everybody is holding some type of device, either a smart phone, notebook, ipad, or tablet in the bookstore now. I guess the quality of bandwidth must be good. While this blog entry doesn't really focus on a certain type of technology, it does underline the total take over of "Handheld or mobile devices". This really makes me wonder what is next. Of course we can expect technology to out grow what the public demands but as long as there is a need to know and gather informantion, keep in touch, Facebook, Twitter, and just interact, technology is the ticket.

Technology in the Hospital

While I a setting in the hospital waiting for my grandson to be born, I have noticed how many people have cell phones. I know that this really is not anything new but what I have noticed is how dependent we have become on them. Just try finding a place to charge them. You know that in most hospitals you really can not find a plug in. Cell phones are a necessary part of our lives and without them, we would be lost. But if you are of the age that I am, you remember well the time before cell phones. Not it seems as if life will stop if our cell phones die. I know this sounds funny coming from a "techie" but I miss those days.

Technology and Babies

Usually I discuss some new and improved piece of technology that will make life easy. There are some many apps and devices out there that will make your life easy but at this stage in my life the most important thing right not is waiting on the birth of our second Grand Child. How does this relate to technology you might ask. Well when our first child was born, the only piece of technology I owned was a small camera that used "Real" film. When the second child came along, we had moved to a much better camera and we then had a PC. 10 years later between the first child and the third, we had advanced to a movie camera and two point and shoot cameras. Fast forward to today and right now I am using three digital cameras, a flip video, three laptops and my ipad. This birth will be also be "live streamed" to the folks back home. Don't get me wrong, I long for the more simple days when you had to wait for the film to be developed to see what turned out. I guess life has to change but in the next few days, waiting for life to be born, I will reflect on him and what joy birth brings

Finding Time To Use Technology

I keep hearing the complaint from teachers that they do not have time to utilize technology in the daily classroom rutine.  I have found that unless they have a reason and practical application for using the technology, it will not happen.  From time to time I observe in classrooms across the district and what I see is technology just sitting on the shelf not being used.  Training is important and must take place before you can expect the teacher to us it but it appears that application is the key.  The key is to start simple.  Use what is free and easily accessible to the teacher.  Google Earth, Power Point Templates, and assorted web sites for web quests are already available for use "right out of the box".  Once they find an application that works, the question of time to use it goes out the window.  Here are some great teacher websites for power point templates:
Brainy Betty
http://www.brainybetty.com/K_to_12_powerpoint_templates.htm

 Pete's Power Point Station
http://www.pppst.com/

PowerPoint Templates
http://www.free-power-point-templates.com/teachers-powerpoint/

Google Earth provides a resource for teachers and students to explore the world.  Here are a few links that will get you started:
http://sitescontent.google.com/google-earth-for-educators/

http://www.geographypages.co.uk/googleearth.htm

And finally, the site I feel you will get more good information is Thinkfinity
http://www.thinkfinity.org/

Technology Empowerment

Who makes the decisions about what technology to buy in your District?  Is it a committee or is it the teachers who are expected to use the technology?  I use to think that it really didn't matter who made the decisions as long as I was able to use the latest toys in my classroom.  When I was a classroom teacher I always felt that I knew more about my needs than anyone else.  After all, it was my classroom.  Now that I am in a position that assesses the technology needs of the entire special education department, I have changed some of my attitudes.

Unless you have a Plan and "Inspect what you Expect", the whole process will fall short.  "The Big Picture" makes any decision much easier to make once you understand how all the pieces fit together.  Teachers are all not on the same technology levels and some need that extra push to embrace it.  My experience has shown me that once a teacher learns how to use technology, it opens up a wonderful world for their students to explore.  The empowerment stage comes once the Plan becomes a reality.  It takes both the teacher and the system to make the choices together.