The Newbie Spirit

I haven't been around here for a while. Not because a lack of topics, ideas are floating in my head all the time. I could blame a lack of time, from the last post I still have all of those duties in my school. Actually my balancing act has been fairly good this year, lots of new lessons learned so far. For some time I just dropped my digital life due to the seriousness of real life. My mother has stage four colon cancer, this is so hard to even type. This has been so difficult, leading a semi-regular life has not been easy. This was not added to gain any sympathy, I am not the one who deserves it, but to show how this lesson was powerful enough to lead me back to blogging.

At the beginning of Winter Break, I dipped my toes back into the Social Networking waters. Of course I got a warm welcome back from my PLN. In one day, I got lots of resources that I still saved to Delicious despite the latest news and a chance to join an iPad tweetup. Lately I feel a sense of guilt of going to any social event, but I also know that I need those moments. I absolutely LOVE my iPad and was excited to meetup with a group of digital divas to discuss apps. While this event was informative, fun, and geeky, I realized something...... I might be a little bit of a tech snob.

One of the reasons I wanted to be a part of this event in the first place was the quality of the company. Donna Anderson (@digilibrarian21), Joquetta Johnson (@accordin2jo), Renee Henderson (@msreneescience), and Gwyneth Jones (@gwyenthjones) are all the amazing "advanced users" in the digital world. I knew we wouldn't waste time with all of the basics! That wasn't true as Gwyneth and Kathy just got their iPads for Christmas. It wasn't annoying going over the basics like taking screenshots, making folders, or enlarging iPhone apps. Why? Because of the true Newbie Spirit.

Being a Newbie isn't a bad term if you have the Newbie Spirit which would include:

• Not being afraid of new technology


• Not being afraid to admit that you only know a little about the topic


• Being truly excited to learn something new


• That positive attitude that says "Anything is Possible!"

As a trainer I need to remember the Newbie and build that spirit even when there is none. In the newbie spirit I will be heading over to Gwyneth's blog to learn about QR codes, something I know little about.

Keep a look out for another post on the Apps shared at our meetup.

This time will be different....

The time until I am in Denver for my third NECC/ISTE conference is fleeting and on my many to-do lists was to get some thoughts down before the main event. Besides the big conference name change, I am determined that this conference is going to different for me. I have a few goals and was thinking that recording them down will make me stick to it.

1. Going Public: The Tech Tiger was a title that made it safe to enter the unknown of social networking. For a long time it was a second, secret identity, but I am realizing how the two worlds are becoming one identity. Today marks the first time I have put a real pic of myself on Twitter and it felt good.

2. Be Brave: This goal branches in so many directions. I am going to miss a great DEN event to attend Edubloggercon. There will be courage when it comes to presenting at this level. I am DETERMINED not to be the "fly on the wall."

3. Experience as much as I can!: As I stated earlier on Twitter, this conference is becoming like a trip to Disneyland. While everything is excited, there is no way to experience it all. Just like my eight-year-old self with personalized Mickey ears strapped on my head, I going to try anyways.

4. To not plan every second of the day: While I do have some events on my Google Calendar, there are open pockets. In fact I have made a point to NOT mull over the online conference planner and not sign up for a lot of ticketed events. That way I feel free to take session suggestions and spend some time in the Blogger's Cafe and playgrounds.

Well that is about it, time will tell if I stick to my goals. If you read this and are heading Denver, I would love to meet you F2F. I will be presenting Monday at 12:30 p.m. with an amazing group of educators. Stop by the Google Booth Tuesday between 1-3 p.m. and say hi, (I'll try to hook you up). If not, be sure to catch me at the one of the social gatherings. May ISTE '10 be an amazing experience for all of us.

Capturing 2010

If you hang around Twitter, Plurk, or Facebook there seems to be a bigger resolution than shedding holiday pounds and that is to capture 2010 in 365 photos. Many have set up blogs to upload pictures and add commentary. There are many tweets that share daily pics and even more about that worry about being behind on their daily goal. Like many others I avoided making this a resolution for a variety of reasons with the main reason being is that I tried it last year and found it to be annoying. The whole process lost it's "fun factor" with the time pressure to find the perfect or even interesting shot and the uploading process. I will admit I gave up my photo blog early on in 2009.

Then some technology came along that brought the fun back.



Shuttercal.com is a simple web site that lets you upload your daily photos into a calendar and add some short comments. As you can see there are widgets available so you can add your calendar to your blog or website. Do I upload everyday? Nope, and that is okay, because I have kept taking daily pics throughout the week to upload on the weekend. There is even an option where you can have the company print your photo calendar with comment.




Dailyshoot.com is a simple site that gives you a daily photography challenge. You can also get the challenge on Twitter by following @dailyshoot. What I like about this site is that it relieves photographers' block.



Of course my new camera is also driving back to my love of photography.








Whether or not you choose to join a 365 challenge (it is never too late), there are a few tips to keep in mind.....

1. It not a competition, so every photo doesn't have to be perfect.
2. It is not the end of the world if you miss a day.
3. Find a method of posting that is easy on you.
4. Don't worry about what camera you have. I have seen some amazing shots from a camera phone and a disposable camera.
5. Most of all,keep it fun!

The Maryland Leadership Council is Official!

I am happy to announce that Maryland has a leadership council within the Discovery Educator Network! This is great news because now there will be local events for educators to connect and learn.

There is also a blog to keep you updated of all events and technology tips to help you along the way. Just log into discoveryeducation.com, go to the DEN, blogs is at the top, and Maryland is in the list. We have lots of great bloggers on the team including Aaron Smith aka The Art Guy. If you use Twitter, follow the MD_DEN and you will get blog updates.

While our big kick-off is not just yet, we our having our first event. Staples is having their Teacher Appreciation day in Maryland stores on Saturday, August 15th from 9 a.m.-noon. Staples is giving bags of goodies and discounts on products just for teachers. A few of members of the LC will be at stores greeting teachers, giving out freebies, and raffling off a prize. The Tech Tiger will be at the Bowie Staples and would love to see members of my PLN in person. Here is more information on the event.

NECC Final Thoughts

I know this is a little late, but there are some reasons behind it. One, I needed time to clear my head after NECC. It was such a whirlwind that I felt like I had a NECC hangover where I knew I had a great time though the details were a little fuzzy. Two, I didn't feel like I had anything to say that wasn't already said better by other bloggers. Over the past days I have read some amazing reflections on the power of a PLN to experiences in the exhibit hall. Third, I couldn't quite put my finger on that one culminating idea that I took away from the conference. Then in the middle of a crowded Panera planning a technology PD day it hit me. NECC 2009 for me was all about the teacher.

NECC 2008 was my first time at the big show and everything I was exposed to was the possibilities of what students could do with access and the right tool. That conference along with the DEN National Institute was my driving force for the entire school year. I was absolutely amazed at the power of Web 2.o and how it gave my students a voice that most of us don't see in textbook assignments, homework, and tests. There was a new excitement in the computer lab and students wanted to produce the best work possible. For me it was a lot of work to keep up with them and to provide the tools they needed to fulfill their visions. It was a rough, but satisfying year as a teacher.

NECC 2009 seemed to be built on this idea that teachers need to take steps to reform, refine, and renew. Starting off with Gladwell's keynote address centered around Fleetwood Mac taking 16 albums to develop a sound and a band that was a success. The debate ending in the idea that students need a place to come together to learn, but that the current brick & mortar schools are going to have to change to meet students' needs. This push for teachers to develop a PLN to really learn from others and stretch their own possibilities. While Web 2.0 was still a big topic, the focus shifted to what types of materials could teachers create with the same tools. Other sessions showed the need to develop projects that were more challenging and that could be on a larger scale through collaboration with other classrooms, schools, or countries. Those teachers that couldn't find what they needed in the sessions took the time to find others to discuss their dilemmas and build solutions.

As I sat in that Panera cafe with my colleague planning out the day's activities, I realized how much NECC 2009 had an influence on me. Instead of jamming in as many tools as possible, the focus is about teachers having the time to play and build. I was able to step away from my methods of learning and really reflect on what my building needs to grow. My hope is that this PD opportunity will be a day that will lead teachers on a path to want to learn more. I am already at work to build a support system to where the teachers will not fill overwhelmed and give up. With any luck, this will bring about as much change to the teachers in this coming year as it did for students last year. Of course you will know the results right here.

Lastly, I wanted to say THANKS to those that made my NECC experience worthwhile. To my growing PLN, thanks for all of the ideas and getting me through the school year where sometimes it seems lonely when there is no one to collaborate with on technology use in the classroom. Thanks to Bernie Dodge for developing the place puzzle concept, my AHA moment of the conference. I will definitely be working on building one soon! Thanks to my district, there are some great people working behind the scenes that provide the access and freedom needed for teachers to grow. Thanks to those who developed Tweetdeck, because it allowed me to get a bigger view of the entire conference no matter where I was located. Final thanks goes to Twitter for not crashing like it did during NECC '08.

When one Yes isn't enough

It worked! It worked quickly! It really put me in a state of shock. So what is the "it"? A couple of posts back I mentioned this session by Jason Levy that I saw on Ustream about how to change the Principal's "no" to a "yes" when it comes to technology and I finally put his ideas to the test. My thought was to start with a small idea just to see if it would work. The idea was to create a Twitter account for the school so administration could push out alerts, links, info, etc. My old strategy would have been to pop in my Principal's office (she has a great open door policy) and spout out my idea in a couple of minutes. In retrospect, this was a stupid strategy for a number of reasons and was the main reasons why so many ideas died. This time I would bite my impulsive tongue and develop a plan to get the "Yes" I was looking for.

To get the right answer, I had to make sure of a couple of things:

1. I had to make sure my Principal understood the concept of Twitter. 
2. I had to make sure she understood the educational value of Twitter. While I have been on it for awhile and understand this concept, this step was harder than I thought. Especially when you are battling the media and how they are portraying Twitter as a tool to say what is going in your personal like to a bunch of nobodies.
3. I needed to make this process as easy as possible on administration. That meant researching possible account names, how would they have access, and how all parents would have access to the information even if they aren't on Twitter.
4. All of this information needed to be in a format that was easy to follow.

Google Docs and the Common Craft Video series helped me a lot in this project! Even after I was done with the presentation, I resisted sending it off to administration and sent it to a tech-savvy colleague for feedback. This is a big step for me, but I as I have gotten older I understand the importance of peer editing/revision.  Not much to change, which was good but I still didn't share it with the administration. 

Why you ask? I wanted to wait until a Sunday to send. I know that on Sunday my Principal is less stressed, but is still connected to her email account. So I sent it and figured I might not hear back for a couple of days. I got an answer back in MINUTES! She was excited! She took the idea further by asking if this tool could be used with the staff.  It was amazing like a magic trick! 

I can't wait to use this method again! It is a method that really allows me to lead from below when it comes to technology. The whole experience made me appreciate what administrators deal with on a regular basis and the million decisions they have to make every school year.

Is there a downside? Unfortunately yes. When my prinicpal said yes, she also asked it was approved by the district. Twitter is not blocked, so I didn't think it would be an issue. I figured I would use my tech connections to get a quick okay, but it would not be quick. Turns out we are the first school in the district to make the request and that is a problem. A month later it is making it up the ladder to the superintendent for approval. No wonder schools are decades behind. I guess we all have to break down the barriers one "yes" at a time.

It is so Hard to Say Goodbye

Web 2.0 can be a sad place. Why you may ask? It evolves so quickly that one may have to say goodbye to tools that they love and grow accustomed too. This is my plight with Twitter.

I love Twitter, don't get me wrong. I remember the excitement of seeing my first post and actually making friends. I don't even know how many valuable resources I have bookmarked from other postings. It broke my heart to ever see that whale held up by all of the little twitter birds and was overjoyed that it worked throughout NECC. I don't want the the Twitter bird to find out that I have been cheating on him with the Plurk elephant.

At first I didn't want to like Plurk. There were the obvious flaws like the weird timeline and the difficulty of building friendships again. I didn't even use my account until after NECC and began to notice the drop in tweets. Now I have to say in a soft voice so the bird can't hear: I think I found a new love in Plurk.

Probably what I like about Plurk is the conversations. It was always difficult to have a detailed conversation in Twitter and more than once I saw tweets that said to meet up on Skype. Right now I am in a conversation about using a ning as PD and I couldn't see that happening in Twitter. While I still am checking for tweets, I see myself pulling away day by day.

If you join Plurk add thetechtiger as a friend and let the conversation begin. Warning: Don't let Karma control you!

The Week in Review

Since I waited all week to post, here is a week's worth of thoughts in one post. Sorry if this seems confusing, but it is an insight into how the brain works.




Steve Dembo has an interesting blog that I try to keep up with, but there was a recent entry about the pathway to becoming an expert that stuck with me. I have always struggled with this term and think that it is too loosely used (that might be the overly critical side of me). In the masses of NECC I will be labeled a newbie, maybe intermediate user. (BTW, don't you hate those technology user surveys you get at your school? On those I have to pick expert level based on the questions, which makes me feel bad like I am bragging. ) At my school, I am almost past expert and onto guru status. I am the one who is in charge of the school's website, newspaper, anything that needs to look nice to go out to parents, and emergency tech support. Of course I have to go to all technology trainings, not because I need them, but to train the staff in a user-friendly way. While most would probably feel proud of this level, it makes me sad for a couple of reasons. One reason is that I am the best in technology the school's got, that is a shame since I am no where near a expert. The second reason is that nobody else steps up, there are a few others that understand technology, but don't help others. Probably the worst part, which is selfish, is that don't have the collaborative environment that will help me grow. I guess that is why so many have turned to cyberspace for their personal learning environments.

Now onto the NECC controversy......

If you don't already know (which I can't imagine if have used the Internet in the past 5 days) NECC posted a set of regulations that required anybody recording sessions to get permission from the presenter and ISTE. Blogs, twits, and the NECC Ning set afire with postings about how unfair this policy was considering ISTE is suppose to encourage global collaboration. It was amazing to see the power of this community. Through a vigorous campaign, ISTE actually changed this policy to only require the permission of the presenter to record.

If anyone reads this, please don't hate me for what I am about to blog.... While I agree that ISTE was wrong for changing the rules at this late date, I kind of understand their position. To me it was brought forward when plans were underway to ustream as many sessions as possible and that is already on top of numerous podcasts. I think the organization was afraid of all of the endless possibilities, which is a topic we are struggling with as the ways to communicate expands. Many excused them of worrying about the profits, but on my hopeful side I think that they were worried about their presenters. These people work hard to prepare and maybe ISTE was worried that hard work would end up on YouTube or re-created for a local presentation. Even though I don't mind the conference being open, I imagine some do considering the costs of attending. Plus, ISTE deserves some credit for being as open as they are with posting all resources from sessions, supporting the lounges, the ning, and even the unplugged conference. I have never seen that at any other conference I have attended.

Lastly, my progress into 2.0---

I have been trying to reply more in Twitter. Not that I am sure if anyone cares about my 1 cents worth. I really enjoy the NECC ning because I get great advice and all of the interesting discussions. I think that I want to join more nings because of the format and collaboration.





So excited!!!!! NECC is almost here!!!!!

My progress into Web 2.0

Well, I thought I would give an update into my adventure to become an active member of Web 2.0. Some days I have to admit, I read more than I respond to. I am going to try to overcome that.

When it comes to Twitter, Riptide Furse and so many others post really great urls and I drift away from one site to the next for a half an hour or more. It has been fun responding to others to help in a lesson or demonstration they are working on. I replied to a comment earlier this week made by Will Richardson, but wondered if I should have deleted it. Does someone so well known in this arena really care what I have to say?

I did join the NECC 2008 ning, and I will admit that I didn't know what a ning was until I saw it. That new step has really been helpful in knowing how to prepare for the conference. It made me happy to accept a new friend request and hopefully some of my own requests will be accepted. I have seen some other nings that look interesting so my goal is join those in the coming weeks.

I think what is holding me back is my fragile web ego, which is kind of strange considering my face-to-face ego is healthly. It feels like the first day of kindergarten, you want to run right in but it is such a strange, new place. You know you learn a lot and make new friends, but you don't want to be rejected. You feel like the others know more than you and that is scary too. It will all be okay though, it just takes time.