It's Scary

"It's scary," was one response to the presenter's question "So what do you think [about Facebook]?"  

"What do you mean?"

"I'm from an older generation and I like the feel of a book in my hands when I read.  I like to see people's faces."

Another more academically said that she was concerned that if everything is electronic and online and if the "system" failed, all information and knowledge will be lost.

An hour before these answers, Steve Jobs introduced the iPad to the world.  The iPad appears to be a "big daddy" iPod (finally an "large print" iPod for my older eyes) or an laptop without a cover.

Reviews have been mixed and probably related to whether the reviewer was a member of the Apple fan club or not.  The future is in question.  The cost is low, compared to a laptop, making it competitive in that market but higher than the iPod or iPhone, perhaps taking it out of the high school market for awhile.  

While the laptop and Touch iPod are making their ways into the public school classrooms, as well as the colleges, the iPad will be only a small step behind.  The report is that the iPad will be available this summer and by Fall term they should be in our classrooms.

Or should they?  That may not be the question we have the privilege of answering.  The question will be: How can we use the iPad be effectively in education?

Order us 20 for a start!

Wizard of Id on blogging

Not everyone thinks that blogging is a highly sophisticated academic art.

Printed with permission from JohnHartStudios.com

It's My Turn

I've dug through the literature and tantalized you with challenges.  But I haven't designed my own personal or professional blog beyond the class, so, in all fairness, it's time for me to take on the challenge I have given.  I will start gently, expanding my Digital Inklings beyond blogging and into other forms of technology.  Tags will be useful and returning to previous posts to tag them is a early task.

Secondly, I'm planning a blog for my family to discuss their heritage.  Phase two will be to include the extended family and the final phase will be to include a general population with related and similar stories.  This I will start by including the blog URL in my routine emails to my siblings on this topic.  I will add a link in the saxowsky.com.  After some time I will contact extended family with the address of the blog with questions about their families.  About the same time I will link other blogs regarding family trees, comment on their posts and include my URL in my comments.  I'm starting a mental list (maybe I should write it down)  of what I will write about with the idea that I will add something several times a week.  I will also include routine instructions on how readers can set up a feed.

OK.  I said too much.

Marketing your Blog

Closely related to managing your blog so that it is easy, effective and efficient for you is marketing your blog. Promoting your blog and establishing a readership is key to the success of a blog, especially in developing a professional development network. Of course, if you use blogging in a class, you have a captured audience.

So here's a quick link to a site that you too can find with a simple search. These sites are juried like most blogs, through the commenters. Your wisdom developed your research and extracted from your knowledge will determine the value of these links.

Managing your Blog

These are many reasons for creating a blog, including that your instructor requires it.  A common perspective is that blogs are for journaling and the writer does it strictly for his own satisfaction. However, most blogger hope that someone will read the blog.  Managing the blog is an administrative task to maximize the readership.  Hopefully the readers will link to the blog from their blogs or setup feeds from the blog.  However, there's more.

I discovered from Chinese students the idea that if what I want to write has already been written by someone else, why not just copy and paste it.  But that's another blog!  However, I did locate several websites/blogs that discuss how to manage your blog.  This gives you an opportunity to consider these points, discuss their merits and incorporate some of these processes and tools in your blog.

One of the links is http://www.downes.ca/post/38550 - Eleven tips for managing your blog by Stephen Downes.  In short:

• ·      A blog entry is a stub for conversation
  
• ·      Think about the perspectives of your audience

  
• ·      Write tight headlines that encourage interest

  
• ·      Make points or lists and make then scan-friendly
  
• ·      Link to the context

  
• ·      Quote indirectly and link

  
• ·      Format long documents for print

  
• ·      Never delete anything
 tell you what you can't do.
  
• ·      Troll the blogosphere for secondary conversation
  
• ·      Be active in your own conversations

  
• ·      Create buzz everywhere
 people to other sites.
  

More Blogging Hints for Educators

Journal Article Review:

Educational Blogging

Tara R. Warner

Western Oregon University

Nicky Hockly (2009) offers educators a straightforward, informative article in the English Teaching Professional entitled, “Five Things You Always Wanted to Know About Blogs (but Were Afraid to Ask).”  As the title indicates, this educational piece is full of basic, user friendly information that speaks to an audience unfamiliar with the technical and educational possibilities of the vast “blogosphere” (Hockly, 2009, p. 60).  Hockly (2009) organizes her article into five major points that work individually to address blog specific, learning centered questions.  Initially, the author introduces the blog to readers with a brief history, definition, and list of related terms.  This important background information is followed by a concise clarification of various blog styles, as well as several general recommendations regarding the practical, educational attributes of each.  In addition, Hockly’s (2009) article suggests that educational blogging serves as a useful tool for teaching writing, reading, and digital media skills to students.  Also, blog subscription is simplified for new users with the introduction of “RSS (short for Really Simple Syndication)”, and an explanation of its uses in managing multiple blog subscriptions (Hockly, 2009, p. 60).  Hockly (2009) concludes with simple instructions for creating a first time blog, and a short outline of skills that should be developed prior to attempting the creation of an “edublog” (p. 60).  As a final, lucrative point, the author supplies readers with accommodating internet resources that helpfully list current examples of teacher created blogs and tools for further reference and exploration.

The information presented in Hockly’s (2009) article is significant and valuable within the realm of education because it provides teachers with a basic structure of knowledge to reference when planning blog centered lessons or units.  Educators who lack technical training and experience will immediately find aid in the instructional information and examples that permeate Hockly’s (2009) article.  As a result, they will also gain the data and resources necessary to successfully originate blogs for both personal and educational use.  Furthermore, the introduction and description of various free blogging tools will clear up confusion for new users wondering how to effectively personalize and maximize their own “edublogs” (Hockly, 2009, p. 60).  For example, Hockly (2009) states: 

You can also integrate all sort of ‘widgets’ (or little gadgets) into your blog, such as a            Twitter feed (see ETp Issue 60), mouse-over translation tools (if you point your mouse at a word, you are supplied with a translation) and a calendar, and you could also have a class blogroll in a sidebar. (p.60)

These suggestions serve as interesting and informative tips directed at either the novice teacher or technically inept, veteran. Essentially, Hockly’s (2009) article is able to provide a basic outline for teachers lacking the technical knowledge necessary to immediately and effectively introduce a blog into classroom curriculum. 

Overall, Hockly’s (2009) article is excellent if you are searching for basic information regarding educational blogging.  Nicky Hockly (2009) tells us what a blog is, how we can use it in our classrooms, and the different ways we can introduce it to our students.  Also, she offers helpful tips that are intended to assist a new user in keeping blogs both interesting and classroom friendly.  Hockly (2009) succeeds in delivering a simple, yet clear, blogging message that is ideal for any computer wary or technically challenged educator.  Not only is the information quick and easy to review, but it is also thoroughly descriptive and easy to comprehend.  Hockly (2009) proves a useful resource for setting up your first blog, gleaning information for basic educational uses and setups, or providing a quick handout to students.  In fact, this article is a useful springboard for any curious teacher hoping to learn how to successfully implement blogging into their individual content area.  Even the computer savvy may find relevance and inspiration after skimming Hockly’s (2009) work and perusing the active teacher and student blogs that are available via the referenced website.  Likewise, these detailed blog examples may work to inspire thought and confidence in the novice blogger as well.  Additionally, an important means of communication opens up between teachers wishing to improve their blogging skills and those already comfortable with its application.  In other words, examining existing blogs gives beginning bloggers an opportunity to comment on appropriate models and ask questions about certain features that appeal to them.

Consequently, I would recommend Hockly’s article to any teacher who considers themselves uninformed on the subject of blogging.  If you struggle with computers, or find yourself confused with blogging concepts or setup, this article likely contains information you will find useful.  However, if you are fairly confident in your blogging abilities you may find that this article merely touches on information you already know.  Either way, it is a quick and easy reference that explains the details of blogging and encourages its use in teacher instruction. Inevitably, society will continue to introduce new forms of technology that intertwine with education in a variety of different forms.  As a result, it is the teacher’s responsibility to work toward a general understanding of these diverse forms of technology and determine how they each relate to the overall growth of academic literacy amongst students.  

 

References

Hockly, N. (2009, July). Five things you always wanted to know aobut blogs (but were afraid to ask). English Teaching Professional, 63, 60. Retrieved January 10, 2010, from Academic OneFile (Gale) database.

Ten Blog Assignments

Modified from the article "That's blog worthy: ten ways to integrate blogging into the health education classroom" by Sloane Burke and Jody Oomen-Early published in American Journal of Health Education.

1. List resources (this is consistent the fast paced scan information attitude of today's students and society).

2. Initiate an advocacy blog (promoting social change).

3. Conduct community interviews and posted for class discussions.

4. Analyze commercial products or social attitudes.

5. Discuss current issues by listing issues and discussing.

6. Swap stories or information such as recipes.

7. Debate controversial topics.

8. Chronicle an event that represents change over a period of time.

9. Create a newsletter.

10. Create a campaign to improve a facet of personal or societal life.

Add to this list; allow it to be an inspiration and a basis for other ideas.

Really Blogging in Education! Really!!

It's hard to anticipate how many eyebrows literally and virtually go up when you tell them you are teaching a course on blogging in education. Changing the perception from one of "blogging is either a fun fad or a venue for activists to blow off steam" to "effective and functional tools for teaching and learning." So our task of redirecting attitudes is not a small one.

I'm reading assignments in the Computers in Education and finding no big surprises. Sometimes there are confirmations of past impressions, sometimes modifications or skepticism of other vague notions. Education is moving slowly even as it changes.

In this class we should have established our basis for blogging so now we should be at the stage os digging into new uses that encourage learning and critical thinking. This will lead us into adventures with the experiences of others.

Here is a link to an article reviewed by a student in the other class. I think it adds to our collection of resources for forming our own ideas and theories.

Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000161 EndHTML:0000002977 StartFragment:0000002285 EndFragment:0000002941 SourceURL:file:///Users/denvygail/Downloads/review.doc

Burke, S., & Oomen-Early, J. (Nov-Dec 2008). That's blog worthy: ten ways to integrate blogging into the health education classroom. American Journal of Health Education, 39, 6. p.362(3). Retrieved January 16, 2010, from Academic OneFile via Gale:
http://ezproxy.wou.edu:2092/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=oregon_western

Certifying our Blogability

Somewhere below me about 30 thousand feet is Kansas, or Oklahoma, or maybe Texas.  I'll be touching Mother Earth when I post this.  This little jaunt to my brother-in-law's wedding is quite different from the journey we are taking through the blogosphere.

The journey started safely by connecting with a provider (we're using blogger.com by Google), and creating our own little world for self-publication.  Our mileposts, correlated with our writings or blog entries are something like this:

• Introducing ourselves
  
• Searching the web for information about providers, their features and setting up a blog
  
• Exploring the Internet to discover what others think about the blogosphere and what it is doing to our social network
  
• Digging through the dusty piles of professional journals to get a sense of what professionals think about how blogging is effecting education and how it may effect teaching and learning in the future, or right now
  
• Connecting with each other through RSS or subscriptions or following
  
• Reading each other's blogs to benefit from their findings, opinions and reflections
  
• Adding widgets or gadgets as tools to enrich the blogging experience
  
• Returning to the web, or other sources, to see how other teachers are using blogs
  
• Tapping the great minds of writers, publishers and salespersons to design a plan for marketing our blog, or future blogs that are not merely the result of an instructor's demand
  
• Synthesizing all this information (Having already analyzed it), nurturing it into knowledge and identifying the characteristics of your next ideal blog to be used with your peers or you students

Having done all that, you have reached a point in your journey where a blog can be a useful vehicle as opposed to an intimidating mystery.

While I am not getting off the ship or abandoning the journey, I want you to know how enlightening this experience has been for me.  I will be a better traveler next time and I know you will be also.

May the force be with you this last week or so.

Talk about another world. Far from the goats and horse in the foothills. It's the airport. PDX to be exact. This is by far not a first trip here; I fly frequently and usually find a corner to plug in my laptop. Now there are counters and rooms for computer usage, with outlets everywhere instead just dark corners. Among the rows of chairs in the waiting area are easy chairs with end tables with outlets and USB ports. That's the airport.

As I sit eating my homemade sandwich, I'm listening to a monologue of a fellow in front of me who has a wire hanging from his ear and another clipped to his shirt collar. I think it's some business conversation. Another fellow with a earphone in his left ear is reading his cell phone or blackberry. The couple has a laptop open as he keys into the iPhone. To my right another fellow is tuning his traditional iPod while emailing. Another asks his son to say Hi to mom as they head for the airplane. Another several are "just" on their laptops. No one in this area is not attached electronically except for Gail and me who are eating our lunch. Of course, now I too am online.

This is the world into which our youth are moving and it is this world for which we need to prepare them. A scary part is that we don't have any idea what this new world for our children will be. For that reason, we need to generalize in our teaching of electronic technology.

It's to to return one of my favorite pastimes: watching people.

Teaching Using Blogs #3

Hurrah, this makes me feel like I'm not the only one struggling with making online classes and blogging effective. My goals are still so far ahead of me. Thanks to your patience and participation we'll all get there together.

http://scienceblogs.com/twominds/2009/04/more_thoughts_on_student_blogg.php

PS. I'm feeling a little alone out here as I keep watching other CSE694 blogs for more wild ideas. Help!

Teaching Using Blogs #2

I think I'm missing something. Maybe because I'm never taught elementary school. Maybe it's like when we were in China and asked to be on a panel of judges, who were mostly Chinese, in a cooking contest. What we typically considered anything but "winning" won. Who knows.

Mr. C.'s Class Blog used many features and for youngsters, quite intriguing but, help me, what am I missing that makes this a nominee for "Best Blog?" http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/

It certainly opens the door for doing whatever you want.

Teaching Using Blogs

This has become more challenging than I expected. Millions of blogs, thousands using blogging in teaching and I'm not finding many specifics. Maybe my heads in the wrong sandpile.

But here's a link that seem a bit interesting. Some additional thoughts about how the use of blogs on the web and print on the pages are different. This will affect how we use them in teaching.

I may need to rethink my title and long-winded stories.

Enjoying What You Do

That's my New Year's resolution this year.  I don't often do New Year's resolutions because they're often broken and why wait until January first to improve one's life.  Indeed, I hope that this year's resolution is merely a reinforcement of a lifelong attitude.

Enjoy what I'm doing rather than only doing what I enjoy.

Definitely I enjoy teaching, or more realistically, facilitating teaching and being there to observe learning.  I've come to realize that I can't split wood as easily as 30 years ago, or run as quickly and as long, or live on just brief hours of sleep, but I can share the experiences of a rich and full life.

Blogging should be enjoyable.  Writing about what one observes and feels through life.  Reading a blog should also be enjoyable: pictures coming to the mind either through words or images, or both.

Some argue that blogging in education should include analysis and synthesis of in-depth conversation over an extended time creating new knowledge.  This certainly doesn't imply a direct link to enjoyment, nor does it imply exclusivity.  One of our goals in blogging in education, is to blend enjoyment with the acquisition of knowledge or the facilitation of learning.

I so remember a couple of families in Alaska, who at a crossroads in their lives, sat down and discussed their future and how to find a way to generate enough income to sustain themselves and enjoy themselves at the same time.  One developed an alternative "green" business of designing and setting up off-the-grid home electrical systems.  The other engineered earth friendly sewage and water systems.

We too can engage in conversations developing blogs that people simply enjoying writing, reading, and that facilitate learning and new knowledge at the same time.  Although we might to think we are the first to think of this grand idea, there research among professionals that can guide us.  That, as in any good thesis, is our next step; investigate the literature and make that a part of our blogging.

Here are several articles that simply come up by searching Hamersley under the keyword "blogging" in ERIC:

•Duke, S. Educating Public Relations Students to Enter the Blogosphere: Results of a Delphi Study.Journalism and Mass Communication Educator v. 63 no. 4 (Winter 2009) p. 317-32 

•Bird, E. This Blog's for You. School Library Journal v. 55 no. 11 (November 2009) p. 26-9

•Huang, S. L., et. al., Designing a semantic bliki system to support different types of knowledge and adaptive learning. Computers & Education v. 53 no. 3 (November 2009) p. 701-12

Collectively we can read several articles and by blogging about them we can all benefit from each other.

"May the Force be with you."

The Printing Press of 2000

Every step further into the use of blogs opens a new door to their use and the effect of blogs on our lives.  Researching blogs online or in hard copy, whether in blogs, professional research or through news media, will certainly reveal what blogs are technically,  Just finding millions of blogs and hundreds of providers and dozens of features certainly tells us a lot about blogs. But what about it's big and long term effect on people.

For example, if you were to research what was the Gutenburg's printing press, the first reaction was a device for printing, but a more in-depth answer would include the transformation in the church (people could access the Bible and read it themselves and establish their own ideas about God), and it might include stories about the opposition to the press because it would ruin the skill of storytelling as people read more and didn't have to rely on oral stories.

So what have blogs done to our civilization?

Affects of Blogs

I did a little search in Google on "the effects of blogging in America." I will try "...in the world" later. I don't want to overwhelm us in the beginning so I'm citing only two websites, actually blogs, at this time. There were some 27 million hits.

They are

Blog for America and Civic Involvement by Matthew Kerbel at http://hij.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/4/3, and

The blog swarm Chris Matthews never saw coming by Eric Boehlert

http://mediamatters.org/columns/200801220003.

"Liberal blogosphere" and "liberal bloggers do not have access to the same levers of power their conservative counterparts do;" in the same article? (Boehlert, cited above) Does the blog lean politically one way or the other? Do the big moneys in computers like Google and Microsoft and Apple influence politics, or society, one way or the other?

I will dig into this a bit deep later but here's a start for "how are blogs effecting society?" You, too, can search the web and comment. Together we can create some new knowledge for our class and our university. And for ourselves. I'm eager to see what you find relevant and something to share.

(I'm back from my errand.)

With a chance to clear my head (a little - in a sense) I've started to wonder beyond journaling and publishing with reviews, like the affect of blogging on the church or religion in general. Do we know more, understand more, ask more questions, get more confused, rely more on our selves than a god, discuss more openly? Will religion grow or decline or not be affected by blogs? How does religion influence society through blogs, and if you don't think religion affects society, take a trip to the Deep South of America?

I suspect we can make some connections between more blogs needing more websites meaning businesses like Google can grow bigger and hire more people giving them opportunities for employment? Is there a connection there?

Or we could consider how more people who want to be writers or have strong options can get their material out there, published if you will. Do blogs influence the way society thinks or acts? Apparently Kerbel (cited above) thinks that elections are affected by blogging.

Features and Focus

You may have noticed some changes on my blog, in the left column. I added a gadget so I could add links and I adding each of your blogs as a link. So it's becoming more link one-stop shopping. Of course, while all these gadgets are intriguing, and useful in their proper place, a blogger should never let the gadgets dominate the energy.

I hold before us again, that blogging can offer us an opportunity for deep discussions, and for advancing knowledge of an extended period of time. (Spelling is certainly an issue in blogging that not required in talking.) Actually in this case, that is one reason for adding the linking, that I can focus on the discussion and not wonder randomly around the web looking for you. You may consider this gadget too as you become more cofortable in this new world.

What is Blogging

Everybody knows that blogging is keeping a journal online so that everyone can read it. Wrong! Why wrong? It's so much more. Certainly we can journal about our day, post assignments, link to other sites. That's all rather static, somewhat of a one way communication.

Better blogging will include now only the links to other sites and other blogs, but it will start to include comments about the sites and blogs, an analysis in a sense. An analysis of the content of the blog and the links can grow to reflective writing which may be the comments.

Blogging potential is maximized when analysis includes synthesis with deep understanding and produces a long term conversation. Now we getting close to the strength of blogging: discussions over time that add to the knowledge base of ourselves and others.

Of course, when we start using other blogs as our references and resources, our credibility will depend on the credibility of the other blogs. Knowing the author and the author's credentials is the best: profession, peer references, public recognition, institutional connections to list a few. Does the writing itself seem credible, or is the logic flawed and stretched beyond the limits of reasonability. That does not make moderates more truthful.

As you develop your blog, or your second or third blog, learning and improving with each step, never forget to advance the art of using blogs to affect others, to engage in meaningful discussion, to advance knowledge, and to affect learning.

The Second Blog Entry

OK, we've been brave and maybe a bit gutsy. Or maybe we just casually walked through the first steps of setting up a blog in blogger.com. This naturally led us right into writing a couple timid words in our first entry. You also discovered that your blog can be seen on the Internet at a location with an URL address something like "something.blogspot.com." Email your friends and tell them to check it out.

But now that we're taken a deep breath and are ready for the second blog entry or a modification to the earlier one, there are no directions or instructions. So if you have a "...blogspot.com" blog, there are a couple possible ways: one - go to blogger.com, login and click on New Post; two - go to your blog and click on New Post in the upper right corner.

Now we're getting very excited. How do we let others know that you just made an entry? I suggest that you have a couple options. You can suggest that your friends click on Post (Atom), typically at least one location is at the bottom of all entries on your blog, and then click on Subscribe in Mail in the right column. I'll discuss this more advanced feature as we get more experience in blogging. That's how I follow other blogs, particularly blogs of my students.

Master Blogger

While reading and pondering, I wonder, since anyone can and millions have written a blog, what is there to consider to improve blogging, both as a writer and as an effective influence in an audience. What sets a common blogger apart from the extraordinary blogger? What makes a Master Blogger? What is a Master Blogger?

Essentially everyone can bounce a basketball but there's only one Michael Jordan. We all have something we can teach or a story to tell, but it is a treat to learn from the master teacher or listen to the master storyteller. These masters have taken the basic skills and refined them into an art, telling not of the story, but telling it with inflection, with timing, with animation, with colorful forms of speech that draws the listener in; or handled the ball as if it were a part of the body and handled the body as if it were magic.

This is the goal of a Master Blogger. To take the basic skills of using the blog, to take the understanding of human behavior, especially as related to learning and teaching, to take the societal and cultural patterns of the day; these are parts of the Master Blogger's resume.

While I am not that blogger, I can applaud one who is. I can encourage one who may be. This then is our goal: to discover the basic technology, to incorporate the use of the English language effectively, to write to affect change and hence learning, and to promote that the audience is appropriate.

Who Cares

Whoopee! I have a blog. Who cares? And if no one cares, or reads it, why am I doing this?

I think someone will care. I think that this may be a great venue for bringing together people and their ideas. I think it's a great way to have a forum for questions about how to use technology, like how to set up a blog, or link a RSS, or configure the clickers in a classroom, and how to use a blog for teaching, or to use a SmartBoard effectively, or to use iPods for learning.

I'm going to start close to home, or at least on this blog page, with the items on the left of the page, or the right of the page, depending on your blog template. (After having said that I guess I had better not change my template.)

Followers: there seem to be both the possibilites of me following someone else or someone else following me. At this point no one is following me, but I will deal with that soon by writing to my students and peers in education, and suggest that they follow this. Once I have followers, or an audience, I will be more comfortable knowing to whom I am writing.

Nor have I chosen anyone to follow. Now that's an issue. I could follow my students because I ask them to blog regularly and this way I can find all their blogs from one location, without having to retype their blog address every time. I could follow my family friends which I definitely want to do but maybe they're not into academics and technology. I could follow peers, especially if a network around technology in education evolves. But I really want to follow blogs that lead me, blogs from around the world of people who are forerunners in this field.

I suspect the technological steps to follow others may offer some challenges that will take time to resolve, but I think distilling the many blogs on the Internet down to those that will serve me best is where I need to spend most of the time and critical thinking energy.

Here I go. Join me.

Grounding Digital Inklings

Here we go! Until blogging has been a distant friend about whom I knew very little. Our informal contacts were casual and somewhat shallow. But now it's time to get to know this friend better and develop a mutually beneficial support system.

I considered naming this Digital Ink, something I'd heard or seen somewhere in the past, but if I'd heard or seen it in the past, someone else had coined the phrase and I didn't want to claim it as mine. While inklings has nothing to do with ink, it did foster the idea, and inklings, as vague notions, may be perfect for this setting. While digital ink may be writing with computers, Digital Inklings will be open to all thoughts connected to compters and electronic gadgetry.

Despite the man-made or artificial implications of computers, they certainly do not conger up thoughts of trees and flowers, or living off the land, many entries may start with an observation of the day weather. First of all, we are all immersed in our environment which affects our activities, our moods and who we want to see at that time. This morning the skies were clear with a slight breeze at sunrise, this the first day of 2010. About mid morning clouds moving and within minutes, the rain gutters were over flowing. Cleaning them was on my list of things to do today. Now, several hours later, the sun is glaring off my laptop screen. I guess the gutter cleaning is back on the list.

Mark Twain, I think it was, who said something to the affect that if I find myself marching in step with everyone else, it's time to reconsider what I'm doing. Hence I typically don't use templates and perhaps that's why I never jumped onto the blogging bandwagon. But now it's time to study and understand this blogging and social networking phenomena that is changing the society of the world in just a profound way.

I grew up with computers, oh, not from birth or childhood, they only existed in think tanks and behind military gates, but as they evolved in public, I was there. I punched cards in the 60's, established remote connections in the 70's, bought my first personal computers before Bill Gates started his adventures, but I don't own or use a cell phone. They intrigue me but so does the texture and smell of fresh sawn wood.

Now we're started with the basic blog. Now we will test the waters of technology, the use of technology by society and we will try to keep a critical eye on how this affects education, both learning and teaching, and how education can use this technology to affect learning and teaching.

My new year's resolution: to enjoy what I doing rather than do only what I enjoy.