Monday, July 4, 2011

Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 07/04/2011

Posted by ultralitemp3

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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Sunday, July 3, 2011

Does Everyone Need to Understand Technology? You be the Judge

Posted by ultralitemp3
Wi-Fi Alliance logoImage via WikipediaWe don't just need tech geeks who understand technology we need doctors, lawyers, lawmakers, teachers, workers, and my goodness we need judges.

Update on July 5: I have a backchannel conversation going on with a lawyer who is helping me understand the nuances of what this judge has written. I still admit that I don't understand how radio is not radio, but what I'm learning is that the original law is written in such a way that it did not even consider that wi-fi could emerge and now we're stuck with archaic laws and trying to make modern technology work through. My intent was not to demean this particular judge or this profession. My favorite uncle is a lawyer.

A judge has just segmented radio communications in a way that has many in technology circles scratching their heads. According to the Technology & Law marketing Blog:

  This case is a fairly typical "technological convergence" case where we try to interpret technological terms in a statute in light of unanticipated technological evolution. Congress couldn't conceive of private WiFi back in 1986, so the statute doesn't fit the technology very well. Personally, in light of modern sensibilities, I think "radio" most naturally means the entire wireless spectrum. Judge Ware saw it differently and found reasons to separate out pieces of the spectrum for differential statutory application. I could see other judges reading the term more broadly on appeal.

This reminds me of when someone spoofed my email and sent over 100,000 email messages to people in my state saying "come see me here nude" (trying to defame me) back in 1996 and no one would do anything because no one understood what I was talking about. We need people of all professions to understand and work with technology.

The bottom line is that we now have laws written some time a go and judges who have to struggle with the technology to interpret those laws and we're coming up with pretty convoluted, hard to understand things that go against common sense.

How do we update? I think it starts with us as educators.We have to make sure our students understand technology so that they can go on to be lawmakers, lawyers, judges, teachers, and all professions who can help us upgrade our world (including the laws that govern us.)

Do your students understand?

The question for you as an educator is: if a student graduated from your high school would they understand what wi-fi is and how it works?

If they graduated from your college would they know this?

One who does not understand technology increasingly looks uneducated no matter their field. This includes education, my friends.

This is increasingly important if for nothing else, the nature of the blogerati who by-nature are techno-literate,  cover non technology fields like law or politics and a person makes an obvious technology bumble, they are all over it like flies on yesterday's watermelon rind.

Those who have labeled such things "geek" and put them in a box that shall only be opened by those social misfits who dare not show their face at Friday night's football game- are doing their schools, families, and friends a disservice. It is time to stop talking "geek" and just talk about things we need to know. We didn't call a person who liked to fix cars a geek when that revolution happened. They were welcomed as people who brought benefit to us all.

We also need to have people who don't think they know everything and can look for more information when they are lacking. While talking to my husband about this in the car, he said,
"A truly educated person is one who recognizes his limitations and knows when to go find answers."
Exactly.

Time to stop labeling and start learning. Technology is here to stay and just going faster. It isn't that hard to understand if you take the time to look past the jargon and know that this is understandable even though it is invisible.

Update: I rarely edit posts, however, when I do I let you know. I have been talking to someone who feels that I disrespected the judge in this case in a way that was demeaning and that I did not have a full grasp on the issue. First of all, I admit that this case is a bit more confusing that it seemed to be initially from my reading. However, I also want to point out that others are much more harsh than I was on this case.

That being said, it is important that all people are treated with respect. I do think this judge spent hours and is trying to do a good job. He is working with an antiquated law. Does it mean that the law is to blame or the judge or anyone? I was once in a wreck where a lady hit me because she was playing with her poodle. My car was damaged even though it wasn't my fault. I do think that this could be one of those lose-lose circumstances. Judge Ware may be right as rain but the original law stinks and thus his interpretation which may be truer to justice still smacks of a misunderstanding of radio.

The most important thing is that I choose to be respectful here. I'm not perfect nor will I ever be. If I make a mistake, I'll work hard to correct it. I cannot guarantee that I'll agree with you nor you with me but we can disagree in a way that brings honor to the human race.

I've edited, but the point still stands: we all need to understand technology. We are living in a society that is having a struggle transitioning to a digital world and we all need to know not only how technology works but how to treat people in a respectful manner.  
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Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 07/03/2011

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Saturday, July 2, 2011

How to be a LIghthearted Teacher

Posted by ultralitemp3
One day after I've written about money, today, I'm linking to another great post on 10 Ways to be a Lighthearted teacher. This is another find from Tumblr.

I think that some of the best content for teachers is on Tumblr. See my Beginners Guide for Tumblr. It must work, because now I am following 103 and have a little over 200 followers. I'm learning a lot over there.

I also like how I can queue my posts and it sends it into Twitter. It is just a different kind of blogging there - random snippets and reblogging. I do think Tumblr is onto something. Don't expect this blog to go away. But now, my big four are Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. Yes, my Tumblr blog has an RSS feed too if you want that one. I post about 6 times a day over there.

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Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 07/02/2011

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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

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Friday, July 1, 2011

Money Talk for Teachers

Posted by ultralitemp3


An example of street markets accepting credit ...Image via WikipediaThere are times I don't know what to say to you. Not that you're that intimidating. In many ways, I think of you as my friends. People who I enjoy talking to over a warm cup of coffee with a floating remnant of the fat free Redi whip that I sip and chat with over breakfast.

But sometimes I'm working so hard or am so spent. To me, I write when I know I have something to say. When I read or think of something and think,
"Yes, that will improve a teacher's life" 
That is when I write.

So,  why am I writing today?

Well, I've really been wanting to write a blog post about something that I think every teacher should be working on this summer: creating a realistic spending plan for this next school year. Now is the time to do it, when you're fresh, less likely to be defensive, and more able to look at this past year from a distance.

A losing formula
The fact is that we all have to spend less than we make and the likelihood is that most of us are spending more than we make. This is a losing formula.
Protest March By Teachers and Students
Why do people not like to talk about money?
The reason that money is in the room with educators like the big old elephant no one talks about is because there is never enough. Never enough money.

That is because money can't make you happy and the more you make the more you spend.

Sure, teachers are underpaid, but this is more than that.

If you read about money for long, one pattern emerges: more money does not make you happier. (A recent psychology article says if you want to be happy look at how you spend your time NOT your money.)

After you have basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter met, you typically aren't going to be made happier by money.

Technology Can Separate Us From Our Money
This is the problem with technology. Technology tends to separate us from our money. Automatic everything, automatic balancing and we don't know where it goes.

I've gone back to index cards, a pen, and a calculator. (Should I share this?) But then again, I'm not sure if I want to write a full post on how Kip and I are working to balance things and prepare for the year ahead. Part of me thinks that all of you read this blog about technology and teaching and to invade the money space is too much.

The Journey of Progress is Useful
And yet, there are many blessings that have happened in my life that I've shared here. Five years a go, I set forward to improve my home organization skills. I read over 30 books and saw similar patterns and started applying what I learned. I know where everything is.My house isn't perfect but I can clean it up in a snap. I use those same productivity techniques in my classroom and to blog and Tweet. They might just be helpful to someone.

Then, two years a go, I began to get my physical house in order. I started running. Last year, I joined weight watchers. Now, 40 pounds later, I'm felling great and those habits are part of my life. I know for a fact some of you have gotten healthier because of it like Heidi Chavez and her family pictured below. If Heidi taught me one thing it is to never underestimate the power of telling your own story.

Heidi Chavez's Family 5K run from some inspiration from this blog see 8 Principles for Being Thank-full for their story.


With home organization and fitness habits now in place, the year 2011 for me I christened "the year of the habit."  Putting the habits in place to help me be more excellent in what I do in all areas of my life.

So, now, I've been turning to the area of money management.

I've talked about before how Kip and I pretty much lost all our life savings and went mega in the hole (as did some of our family) with a pecan grove that went under water in the flood of 1994. We lived on credit cards for nine months as we were both transitioning jobs. Well, we've applied many principles and savings to slash down debt over the past 10 years to a mere fraction of where it once was,but it is still there and more than it should be. Mary Hunt's Debt Proof Living has helped us a lot.

A New Journey
But, we've done and are doing some things that are helping us cut our expenses down some more. (Buy prepaid credit cards to use on those pesky Amazon and iTunes accounts that get out of control.)I'm not sure I'm going to share more about that, though.

A New Blog?
If you stray too far from the mission of your blog then you can lose readers. And, although I definitely write for teachers and to inspire teachers, is giving tips for how to handle this appropriate here? I've also wanted to write about some of the productivity/ organization things that have zipped my house from disaster to pleasure. But, I don't really want to start another blog. I want people to know what they are getting when they read here.

Intentionally, I've NOT done the guest blogger thing here. Everyone, I mean everyone, says that bloggers should have tons of guest posts on their blog. It builds traffic., Well, for me, I'd rather write really good blog posts that help my readers so that when I write it is helpful. Do I really want to dilute the message for the sake of traffic?


Say, Say, Say
So, sometimes I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say because I've got other things to say that are different from what I typically talk about on this blog. Do I put these on Tumblr? Do I make a different blog? But I don't really want to start a blog unless I'm going to do it well. These are the things that I think and consider as I turn to write this blog.

I think it is helpful to hear your thoughts.

The purpose of my blog is to inspire and encourage teachers, administrators and parents of an amazing generation of students.

The Lessons we Teach our Children
But part of me says that the lessons we are teaching with our lives are so loud that our kids are learning the wrong things.

  • If Mom and Dad are hiding from bill collectors and screening phone calls.(Been there.) 
  • If credit card companies are taking so much money that you have to run through the house finding quarters to buy milk (been there too) then what does that say to the children? 
  • If you work and work to get more money only to spend it by getting the new cable HD package or getting a new cell phone with a data plan - what have you done? 

You don't have to live this way.

What are Schools Teaching?
One of the most valuable lessons we can teach our children is how to handle their money well. And those money lessons begin at home. They also extend to schools.

  • Kids see that you bought twenty computers and hid them in the closet until they could be used just so you could spend that money. (True story.) 
  • They see when you throw away all those textbooks on being environmentally friendly.
  • When teachers take class time getting students to protest budget cuts because the teacher can't be happy with less money. 
 What are we saying?

The need to spend less than we make is a key challenge of today's society. It is OK to talk about it. It is time to talk about it.  

We spend more time teaching kids how to have sex safely and how to drive than how to manage their money. 

That is a shame.

Wasting money is a waste of a valuable lesson that we all need to learn.

We can have pretty much anything we want but it means to give up the vain notion that we can have everything. Spending less than we make is where it all begins.

OK, so I'm giving you a challenge anyway
So, my challenge to you today is to sit down and total by category your spending for the last four months. (I use index cards.) Do it by hand so you can feel and inhale every expense and know what you're doing. Then, total it and take a hard look with your family. Then, get ready.


Piggy Bank and Calculator
Used with permission from http://beingselfemployed.org/



I don't know what to write. I've written a lot for someone who wasn't sure. I guess I have a lot to write.

It is just that sometimes that the things I have to tell you aren't pleasant. They might be invasive. They probably make you uncomfortable and may even make some people unsubscribe. I hope that is not the case, but if it is, then, if this can nudge some of you to know that there is hope then that is a price I'm willing to pay. Some of you are great at managing money and the fact that we lost our life savings in a farming operation fills you with distaste. It must be because Vicki's an idiot, you say.


Lots of good people are in bad financial situations. It is OK. But it is time to make progress. (Come to think of it, lots of good countries are in bad financial situations.)

You CAN start moving ahead to managing your money. You don't have to live in fear. You can move ahead and get things straight but it takes time, work, and wisdom.

Here are some books that I've read that have helped me the most:
I find it funny that in sharing my reticence about talking about money that it also says that most of us are unwilling to talk about money. See the hypocrisy? We talk about sex. We talk about just about everything. But spending less than we make is not one of those.

It is time to talk money in schools and society in ways that are rational, planned, and realistic. It is definitely time for all of us teachers to take stock and make  money plan this summer. Start today.

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    Daily Education & Technology News for Schools 07/01/2011

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