What's Your Spark?

Convergence of Technology

When I talk to my 13 year old niece about what it was like when I was her age she stares at me with a puzzling look on her face. The mere mention of a typewriter, pager or "boom box" produces a look of disbelief.  Her eyes say, "Boy, you're old."  I'm speaking a language foreign to her.  She knows a world filled with mp4's, iPads, Blackberry, Twitter, Facetime, Instagram and the list goes on.  She is a millenial, I a Gen Xer.  She has never know a world without the internet and at the ripe old age of 11 she had her first cellphone.  

The moral to this story: 

Technology is changing and if we want to connect with our youth we need to speak their language.  

(Lucky for me I grew up in the age of "Acadia Advantage" and if it taught me one thing it was not to be afraid to jump in and get my feet wet.  I started my first blog back in 2003 as I set out on my journey to teach in Shanghai, China.  It was out of mere necessity to keep in touch with my family that I started the process.)

Universal Design for Learning:  Meeting the needs of learners

Helping to ignite the hidden strengths within each student is a daily challenge.  It brings me back to William Butler Yeats quote, 

"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."

Infusing technology can help to assist in "lighting the fire" within a student.

When I left the AT course on Saturday, my own "inner fire" was burning and I was roaring to go.  The first day of this course was exactly what I hoped it would be: an opportunity to "play" or learn by doing as well as an opportunity to find some great resources to be able to use and share with my colleagues.  It didn't take me long to figure out that Airserver was going to allow teachers in our school to really reach out and connect with students.  

One of the teachers in my school embraces technology whole heartedly. With the support of airserver she will be able to move seamlessly around the classroom instead of being fixed to one location using a selfmade device and a document camera to project her iPad screen.

While "playing" on the iPad I came across the Doceri app which may be of interest to some of you.  Here is a video on youtube that gives a little explanation.  It is a whiteboard app for the iPad.

Can't wait for our next class and hearing more about the iPad for every child movement.

Here is a link to an online article I found about 7 New Steve Jobs Schools in the Netherlands.

There is also another interesting movement called One Laptop per Child that is helping to support learning around the world by empowering the world's poorest children through education.

If you haven't yet been introduced to "Kid President", take a moment to watch this video "Pep Talk".  He is an inspiration to us all. 

Let's give the world a reason to dance!