Evolution in active learning

Coming from a technology education background, I think it's a shame that many schools are cutting back on technology education classes. Especially when most kids are truly interested in those classes. I can see how some people can view them as unnecessary and a distraction for kids when they have to meet an ever increasing number of education benchmarks. But there are great opportunities to make connections with key concepts in other subject areas. And if the kids are interested in the tech ed class and connections are made to other concepts they are more likely to retain the information. The article below shows how the idea of tech ed is changing and making a comeback. I truly hope that this continues across the country. http://www.edutopia.org//blog/maker-movement-moving-into-classrooms-vicki-davis

Apps that help increase your control over private conversations.

In our current society, the news stories of celebrities or other high profile people getting caught in various scandals over electronic communications going public are never ending. But digital security goes beyond just making sure those embarrassing pictures remain a secret. People are using technology to do more and more things on the go. So there can be a lot of sensitive information that needs to be protected. To help safeguard your information the article listed below details a few apps with different functions. http://readwrite.com/2014/07/14/text-self-destruct-list

The future of home delivery?

I was reading an article discussing Amazon's appeal to the FAA to allow them to pursue their drone delivery program. Although the use of drones for package delivery is currently banned by the FAA; it's only a question of when will we start to see them hovering overhead with our packages. I think it's a good option to pursue. Just consider the reduction a fossil fuel use we could see with programs like this. If companies used electric drones to deliver their small packages we would see a large drop in the use of delivery trucks, which in turn would reduce the amount of fossil fuel by-products that would be put into the atmosphere. For more details the article is included below. http://readwrite.com/2014/07/11/amazon-prime-air-drones-faa-exemption-request

Technology in the Classroom

I read an interesting article from a teacher who had just finished her first year in a school that had instituted a 1:1 student to iPad ratio. She discussed 5 points throughout the year where she was amazed at the effectiveness of using the new technology in the classroom. Being that this program is about incorporating technology into an educational setting I think it carries a lot of weight. One of the main reasons I think instituting new technologies into the classroom is so effective today is that the vast majority of society uses it everyday. On an increasing basis younger generations are using their cell phones as their sole means of communication. The days of every household having at least one active phone line are quickly going away. And with cell phones getting ever more powerful and functional, we all rely on that technology. So allowing the students to learn using tools that they are intimately familiar with should improve their learning experience. For more information about the specific results the article is available at: http://www.edutopia.org//blog/epiphanies-learning-ipad-classroom-alyssa-tormala

Teaching Tech Savvy Kids

I read an interesting article that talked about the disparity between teachers and students with respect to new technology. As teachers we know that learning is a life-long process. As such we are always attending professional development seminars. But with lack of funding it can be very hard for teachers to stay current with technology. But the article shares some great ways to allow students help teachers stay more up to date. See the article below for more details. http://www.edutopia.org//blog/digital-teens-have-a-plan-matt-levinson

George Takei on America

The TED Talk featuring George Takei discussed his views on America. What I found very interesting we're his views on American democracy and how we need passionate people to actively participated in order for the system to work. His discussion on World War II was very interesting. The points he discussed painted a very good picture how how resilient America can be. What I found most important from his talk, is how we shouldn't take any thing for granted and continue to push to make America better for future generations. http://www.ted.com/talks/george_takei_why_i_love_a_country_that_once_betrayed_me