Learning through Technology

I haven’t posted in a long time for many reasons (one I was keeping another class blog going elsewhere) and two I have been engaged with lots of technology but haven’t written about my involvement (shame on me). I was convicted lately by a wonderful post from Roger Ebert  I Think I am Musing My Mind which has convinced me that I am not writing nearly enough to allow my muse a chance to speak. I have been too quiet within as well as without.

Now is the time for me to break my silence. Last night was an historic night that moved me deeply. I witnessed a man become President-elect because he chose to unify this country instead of using partisan rancor. He chose to engage young people with technology instead of alienate them from the process. I am no pundit but I think he ran a near perfect campaign. I was probably biased because he chose to engage me through technology and that is my bent but his message of hope resonated within me. This is NOT a political blog nor will I debate such issues. I think John McCain is an honorable man who loves this country and would have made a fine President but I did not hear a clear plan of where he wanted to go. He seemed to be the traditional candidate and Obama the opposite. I was ready for a change from Washington as usual. I hope I get that.

As I watched the returns come in on CNN I wasn’t sure if I was watching the election returns or Star Wars. They used hologram technology to “beam in” reporters and others or create an image of the Capitol complete with democratic or republican standings and pictures of those in contested races. Real-time graphs, the “magic wall” and analysis of exit polling complete the tech reporting. I was impressed. In class last week, we talked about beaming a holographic super model into a runway show or actors into a recent theatre production and now we are doing it with reporters. It seems there is a change in the future in what technology will be available for the classroom. Imagining beaming in a distant professor to teach class or studying the architecture of a building through a holographic rendering, playing a virtual instrument or inspecting virtual art in 3D. I think the possibilities are endless.

So I find myself on the cusp of a new political landscape, a new way of reporting the news, and a new way to engage the educational process. At the end of Obama’s first term, where will technology be? What role will it play in how he governs? How will it be used to bring us closer together? What will it mean for education? If we consider the 2008 Horizon Report, we will be getting close to Social Operating Systems and Collective Intelligence being fully adopted or well on the way to adoption. How will that change the landscape? How will it help us better understand the world around us or the politicians leading us? How will these two technologies intersect with holographic imaging? Will such technology be affordable for the rest of us?

One night. So many exciting possibilities. So many questions. So much hope for the future.

If you read Christian literature, then you are probably familiar with the book by the same title as this post by Barbara Brown Taylor. It is an incredible book that I would recommend for those struggling with their place in the world.

In particular, she focuses on the busyness of life. We hurry here and there like we are very important people with very important business to take care of, only to discover that we have missed something on our way. Why is this important for a blog on technology? For two reasons, I am an ordained minister and I love technology.

You see, Taylor is an ordained minister in the Episcopal church. In the book, she says how busy she was serving God in her ministry that she forgot to worship God. For her, the work became more important than God. She felt God couldn’t do it without her. I believe she is not alone. Too often we feel the work would not happen if we did not do it. We obtain a martyr complex and feel our service is equal to our worship.

The truth is, we need the cheers and encouragement from the crowd. We need people to tell us we are doing the right thing. We need to know that when it is all said and done that we worked hard. But for what and for whom?

The technology game makes it easy to live a fast-paced life. There is always a new something to learn about or create. The next best thing is only a few minutes from now. The opposite to a hurried life is one that takes stock. A life that chooses a particular sizeable chunk of the puzzle and says, “I’ll do this.”

Now if you are reading this and think, “He must have it figured out.” Please think again. I struggle with this every day. When I wake up, it seems the world moves into high gear and doesn’t slow down until my son says, “Dad, you aren’t listening to me.” I want more for my children. I want more for me. And, I want more for you.

We are not the saviors of this world. That is not our job. We are no more than mirrors upon which society reflects. My mirror is a little tarnished. I have given the world a blurred view. I tried to reflect too much, too quickly and too soon. That leads to burnout. Now I am in a season of reflection on who I am and what I am here to do. I am looking at career choice and lots of other items in my life.

The other day, I blogged about Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple computers. At the age of 50, he took stock of his life. Was he where he wanted to be? If he could have done something else with his life, what would it have been? Maybe we need to vision more earlier on and then we will end up in a more positive place. You and I can’t make this ball spin any slower or faster. In fact, when we die it will continue on without us. People will say nice things but what will that be? “He worked hard.” “She really knew a lot about…”, “The company will never be the same again.” How much is our mark worth? Our families? Our pleasure? Our humanity? Once you sell your prized possessions, it takes a lot more to get them back and some never can be purchased again.

Take stock. Reflect. Sit by the stream of life and breathe it in. Once it is over, there is no coming back. I write this for me as I am not widely read but I offer it as a gift to you. Don’t get so involved in the now and in saving the world that you lose what you value the most.

Check out Taylor’s book at Amazon.

Being a student allows one to read books and articles not normally on the radar or at least not high on the priority scale. Such is the case for this semester. I am taking a leadership course in education and part of the syllabus is to read the autobiography of any leader. Now keep in mind that I have not started the course yet but that is really secondary to this post.

I started browsing around at Barnes and Noble (a real store not on line) to see what books were available and to see what caught my attention. in the middle of a table in the middle of the section was a book titled “iWoz” by Stephen Wozniak and Gina Smith. I quickly read the back cover and thought this would make a good study.

I highly recommend the book! The great Woz is down-to-Earth in his style of writing and what he has to say. Not being familiar with history books on Apple, he says he is trying to say some things for the record that have been incorrect in the histories. What comes across is someone who made and makes a great leader. He is not as sure as I am since he feels he makes a great engineer but a lousy manager. Woz knows how to treat people with respect and how to be an ethical business person when others around him are not.

Coupled with reading this book was Herman Hesse “Journey to the East” and “The Leadership Challenge“. I also have tried to keep up with my blog reading and was intrigued by a post from Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach about an interview she did on her work in K-12. In my opinion, Sheryl is an incredible leader when it comes to technology in education. She has desire, know-how and a solid educational philosophy from which to work.

What does all this reading have in common?

1. A passion about their subject area
2. Whatever you do, do your BEST!
3. When something doesn’t work, learn from it!
4. There is always room for improvement
5. It can always be done a different way
6. The leader is never better than anyone else (they are simply steering the process)
7. They share their story with others

This is a simple list. Nothing great or earth shattering but it reminds us how we can all lead. For those who have the pleasure of knowing Sheryl, she is a very humble person. She doesn’t toot her own horn and tell you how great she is in her field. She also would tell you that anyone can lead. I will be thinking a lot about leadership this semester. I will have the opportunity to re-read iWoz and several other resources so I have not said my final thing about leadership. Just starting the dialogue.

If you were to write a list about what makes a leader great, what would it look like?

technorati tags:Leadership, Wozniak, K12

Blogged with Flock

Today is a powerful day. The stillness brings on thoughts of an eerie silence in the skies on a cloudless September day. No airplanes could be seen. The sidewalks were quieted as people sat motionless in front of their television waiting and watching as two stalwart towers were erupting in flames. What can you say in a moment like that? What words can capture the feelings of helplessness and fear that overtake a person’s being? Nothing.

Like the silence of that horrible September day, we remember the images of our world crumbling around us. Technology could not save us then and it cannot save us now. We now know it could have empowered us more if we had used it to its fullest potential but isn’t that true of everything?

Today is a somber day. A day to remember. A day to commit so that such a day will not easily revisit us. In your moment of silence, feel the pain of over 2500 souls crying in the depth of despair and commit to make a difference. In your moment of silence, remember those who were left to pick up the pieces and commit to make a difference. Today is a new day that has been defined by one brief moment in time. We will never be the same. We will never see airplanes and towers the same way again. Today, our commitment is to the future. Not to technology, not to change but to the promise that we have learned something from our tragedy. That we will respect each other more. That we will embrace life with more enthusiasm. That we will use our talents for the betterment of humanity and not for mere self-improvement.

Today is a new day. Today is a challenge from our past to define a better future. Have we learned our lesson?