If you’re involved with ed tech evangelism on any level (this includes large conference keynoters) the questions that Veristasium’s Derek Muller asks in this video must be shared! This video has had a lot of "air time" in education circles this past week. It’s been described as humorous, as thought provoking, even heretical in some circles. Regardless of how accurate you perceive the video’s main thesis to be (you could argue that some technology has revolutionized how we think about education), the basic sentiment is dead on. There exists a constant stream of new gadgets, gizmos, and learning platforms that tech evangelists claim to be the "silver bullet" that will solve all of our educational problems. We make claims about technology that on face value are sound, but when held up to greater scrutiny are patently ridiculous; how often have you seen "kids today learn different than the way we learned" plastered in bold letters on a keynote slide at a conference? Learners today learn no differently then how we’ve always learned as a species; making, building, tinkering, exploring, testing, failing, reflecting, and ultimately synthesizing greater knowledge out of pre-existing knowledge and new experiences. The most exciting point in this video is the "evolutionary" nature of technology in education. Technology will continue to transform how we demonstrate and communicate our inner thought processes to others, but the learning will always be an internal, cognitive act. We still learn in small groups, with a teacher or facilitator to guide and inspire learners because thousands upon thousands of years of human development has led us to an understanding that shared experiences gives us a common reference point to build new knowledge upon; we pass down stories from antiquity and our religious and cultural ancestry. We value the connection we have with the past, and attempt to build new understanding through metaphors that link back to our previous cultural, religious, and societal touchstones. We still strive to find relevance in the Bible, the Torah, the Quran, and base theories of the universe on mathematical and philosophical texts written hundreds of years ago. Thousands of years of thought has taught us that the learning process is messy! The exact opposite of what technology is designed to do. Most technology is designed to help streamline, codify, and create more efficient paths to learning, growth, and understanding. In many small ways it helps, but when technology excels at creating linear paths to new understanding, it can ultimately diffuse and disarm the engaging and messy learning that inspires us. If you read through the comments on this video on Youtube you’ll find several fascinating conversations of individuals who were disillusioned for one reason or another with their educational experience. It doesn’t fall on technology to inspire and engage us, it falls upon the understanding and ability of the teacher to manipulate the learning environment and create opportunities that speak to the individual needs of their learners; needs that may change on a day to day, or even hourly basis, depending on the individual. Technology will never afford the same "swiss army knife" like tool that is the human mind, able to adapt to a wide variety of needs, one of which might include the need to turn off the technology for a particular learning experience. There may exist a time when technology affords us the ability to articulate and communicate our own internal thought processes in a way that is universally understood, but until that point in time, the only revolution that is needed is one of educational practice and delivery. And even that, technology cannot help, as the impetus for change must exist within the minds of those at the front of the classroom.

This is it! We tackle the most asked question by educators and students that have to suffer with restrictions, lock downs, filters, and controls on the technology provided by their school! Prepare for an amazing concise, well reasoned, and perfectly valid……oh heck, who am I kidding. Pete and I futz around with the question for a bit, and come to the stark reality that many Tech Directors face; balancing the needs of the many with the needs of the few. In other words, making sure that technology in a school district is manageable given available tech staff, yet still useful to the students and teachers using the devices for learning. We also answer some questions about upgrading software, Thanksgiving leftovers, and just how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. As always, you can listen to, download, or subscribe to the podcast using this link. Or listen below! Android users, the podcast will soon be available via Stitcher as well for easy subscribing and listening! Timestamps for this week’s questions: 0:50 How was Thanksgiving break? 1:10 What’s your favorite Thanksgiving leftover? 1:46 What has Pete been up to today? 2:07 What kind of bond financial tool requires a day to create? 4:02 When are we as a district updating to Mac OS X Yosemite? 6:06 How do we handle getting everyone upgraded to Mac OS X Yosemite? 6:54 Ian from Twitter asks, why would a school district not allow you to administer your teacher laptop? 8:36 Why do Tech Directors like to look everything down? 10:27 Ian from Twitter asks, does super strict control over technology to keep old people from breaking it, or students from using it? 13:08 Why would a school district block cameras on devices? 14:53 So some things get blocked because Tech Directors just don’t want students using them? 15:30 Paul wants to know, how do you teach older folks to use a computer? 12:37 So basically, Pete wants to teach people entire technology systems, and Ben wants to teach people the smaller pieces of technology? 12:23 Stump Pete! Scott asks, how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? Tech Director Chat - Why do Tech Directors Lock Technology Down?

This week’s topic can border a bit on the uncomfortable for some. It addresses the soft skills that Technology professionals are often stereo-typically lacking. Some are born to better understand boxes and wires more so than inter personal communication. Some are taught and strive to better their customer service skills. And some may never play well with others. I hope that I’m not in the latter category. People around me tell me otherwise, so I can only imagine that the near constant attention I give to my outward communication and relationships with others is vital to my role. I hope you enjoy this week’s episode! As an added bonus, you can watch the "Mr. Microphone" commercial that plays halfway through this week’s podcast! As always, you can listen to, download, or subscribe to the podcast with iTunes using this link. The embedded player is below. Android users, the podcast is now on Stitcher as well for easy subscribing and listening! Timestamps for this week’s questions: 0:53 What has Pete been up to today? 2:35 Jonathan asks, what skills are you having to develop to provide a quality service to your district? 4:00 Ben asks, do you think people feel "dumb" about technology, or do stereotypical attitudes of IT professionals makes them feel "dumb?" 6:05 Would you rather have a tech support staff that is highly skilled in repair skills with poor people skills, or great customer service with very little technical skills? 8:50 Rachelle wants to know, why is the answer "no," instead of "no, but….?" 11:16 Jennifer asks, do you know "Mr. Microphone?" 12:50 Nancy wants to know, when and where is your band playing this holiday break? 13:50 Is this podcast done during school hours? 16:11 Stump Pete! 16:54 There’s a machine that was built to lick Tootsie Pops? 18:20 Ben asks, what is the most valuable guitar ever created by Gibson? You can talk about the show or continue the conversations on Twitter using the hashtag #TechDirectorChat or chatting up Ben (@techsavvyed) or Pete (@ppoggione) on Twitter. Tech Director Chat - Do Tech Directors Make Us Feel Dumb?

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! This is the last Tech Director Chat podcast of 2014, and while I’m looking forward to many more this school year, Pete and I will be taking a break during the two week Winter school break. In truth, I was almost close to not even getting this episode out before Christmas (I was enjoying break a bit too much), but I’m glad I stayed up late last night to get the editing done. This week’s episode has us navel-gazing a bit, as Pete gets to share what his childhood dreams were, and what he hopes his "legacy" will be upon retirement. For my part, I share a few anti-virus resources and apps for iOS that those who are a bit more cautious might want to explore. We get far too long winded with our conversation about expensive guitars, but ultimately we have some good conversations around how Pete would love to see the world of technology work, and how it really works. You can listen to the podcast with the embedded player below, or listen and subscribe using any of the following links; listen directly on ShoutEngine, subscribe via iTunes, listen via Stitcher. Timestamps for this week’s questions: 1:06 What was today like, the last day before break? 3:00 Do you think it’s necessary to run virus protection on an iPhone or iPad? 3:13 Is it possible to run virus protection on an iPhone or iPad? Ben shares Avira Antivirus for iOS, Intego VirusBarrier for iOS, and McAfee Mobile Security. 7:10 Would it be better off if everyone knew how all of their computer devices really worked? 7:41 Ben describes what "ne’er do wells" attempt to do to hack your computer. 8:31 Does Pete really need Ben? 8:47 Will the bond allow the High School to have a laptop cart for every classroom? 10:00 Pete describes the three big areas in which money from the bond will be spent towards technology. 13:53 JW asks, what did you want to be when you were young? 14:31 What is something you would like to accomplish before you retire? 17:02 Stump Pete! 17:27 Last week Ben asked about the most expensive Gibson guitar, did Pete get it right? 20:23 Who played the intro guitar with Eric Clapton on "Layla?" 22:02 Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Tech Director Chat - Pete’s Technology Utopia

I use free software, apps, and web tools everyday; they comprise a good portion of my digital toolbox. There are also applications, services, and web apps I use on a daily basis for which I pay. The ratio of free to paid tools is lopsided, with free services comprising most of my "go to" toolset. That’s not necessarily a bad reality, but it’s a shame that more of us in the educational technology community don’t pay for software or services, and immediately seek out the "free" solution. Not only does it dictate the driving force for which apps we seek out (rather than focusing on the efficacy, security, and reliability of the tool), but it also turns users into "those being used" by software developers, and tech moguls. This is not a diatribe meant to berate those who claim "free is good." Free is good, but there are hundreds of thousands of software developers out there toiling away on their products without the nice cushy advertisement revenue of Google. No, I don’t think they’re necessarily being underpaid, or toiling away in their shared co-working spaces without a sense of making the world better from behind their keyboards. This is merely a "New Year’s" call to those power users like myself to step up and help acknowledge some of the amazing products and services that are essential to your everyday work routine. This is a small nod to the developers that still have the audacity to create, publish, and promote paid services that are increasingly looked upon with an attitude that questions "is this model still relevant?" I’ve always purchased my own software whenever possible, or made donations to "Freeware" products that I find valuable on a daily basis, as a means to say thanks to the developers. It also helps remind me of the distinction between services and software of which I am the customer, and services or software in which my data and usage are being sold to the actual customer. Again, I’m not decrying free software or services…I very much like my Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and other free services. I accept the fact that what I create, publish, and share on many platforms is going to be both a help to me and the platform developers’ bottom line when seeking an acquisition or the time to integrate an acceptable revenue generating model to their product. But I still feel the need to make small gestures of gratitude to many services and software developers in an attempt to connect with them as a user. I started just before break with my annual donation to Wikipedia. It wasn’t much, just $5, but it was a way to say "thank you" to Jimmy Wales and his staff for maintaining one of the largest social knowledge experiments on the planet, and making it freely available. I also made another donation of $10 to AdBlock, a browser extension that has made my daily tasks much more bearable without hunting for those annoying auto-play video ads in browser windows. Yes, I know that advertisements make many of the free services I use everyday free, but this post isn’t about my hypocrisy (that would require many postings), it’s about finding ways to say thanks to people that have given time to make my day a little bit better. And for those that might take slight in my post title, I don’t think of anyone as any less of a "user" if you only seek out and use free software. It’s a riff on the old Steve Jobs attributed quote that "real artists ship." It’s fine to use all the free software you want, but at some point, if you really care about the tools you use, you can find a way to pay for it; it doesn’t have to be much, but enough to let someone know you care about what they’ve made, and you hope they continue doing it.

I’m an avid podcast listener. So much so that I took up running a couple of years ago in part to increase the amount of time I have each week to listen guilt free (my wife appreciates that the extra time away from family has helped me shed some pounds too). I’m not alone in my listening. The Verge produced a nice video (embedded below) about the rise of the podcast era. Many media consumers believe we’re approaching a new podcast renaissance. If you missed the first great podcasting wave, don’t worry, it wasn’t too long ago, and it was mostly a bunch of talk-radio format audio. The current wave of podcasting is lyrical, narrative-driven, and addicting in a way that scratches the same itch that binge watching a series on Netflix does. The shows come to you, live comfortably on your devices ready to listen when you are, and often go deeply into a niche subject that other forms of media don’t have the luxury to do; radio, television, and even popular YouTubers are all trying to reach wide audience of millions. Podcasters are comfortable with audiences of thousands, or even hundreds; that means they focus carefully on the content and presenting it in a way that’s engaging. Enter Planet Money, one of National Public Radio’s popular podcasts, regularly ranks among top podcasts on iTunes, and has capitalized on narrative-driven storytelling to break complicated economic topics and theories down into easy to understand concepts through metaphor and real world example. I’ve written about Planet Money before, but in the interest in making it easy to understand just how effective Planet Money is at spinning a yarn, while still educating listeners on economic stories of global importance, below are a few selected episodes that I’ve kept on my phone after listening so I can share with others should the situation arise. Seriously, they’re that good, and I have no compunction with breaking out my phone for a quick listen to share with groups as situations arise. If you’re even tacitly interested in helping students be more engaged with typically dull economic, political, and global issues, you should consider either subscribing to Planet Money, or encouraging your students to do so!   Four of my favorite recent Planet Money Podcasts: Planet Money Episode #573 - Why Textbook Prices Keep Climbing A fascinatingly simple explanation of supply and demand and why textbooks continue to rise in price (seemingly exponentially). An exploration of niche market players dedicated to capitalizing on used textbooks, and gaming the system to "buy low" and "sell high" based on yearly price cycles will make you and your students both envious and upset. Planet Money Episode #381 - Why It’s Illegal to Braid Hair Without a License Think the only powerful political lobbies are energy companies and big business? Think again! Even trade groups representing beauticians and barbers play the lobbying game, effectively freezing out many entrepreneurs from starting their own business. This is a great episode revolving around a refugee’s story in Utah trying to make a living, but meeting political red tape from a powerful health and beauty lobby. Planet Money Episode #578 - Is The NCAA An Illegal Cartel How would you define an industry in which every "business" is controlled by a single governing board, including television broadcast rights, endorsement deals, and ensuring that players aren’t paid? The NCAA might fit that definition in many individual’s eyes. This episode explores both sides of the issue. Planet Money Episode #436 - If Economists Controlled the Border Reforming the immigration system in the United States is a hot button issue. Cultural, racial, and economic realities all add to the headache of trying to enact reform that will have positive impact on the U.S. while still appeasing a diverse set of interest groups. What if the border issues were left to economists, and handled strictly as a financial decision? Three different ideas are explored, including opening up the borders for everyone!   How to Listen to Planet Money Subscribe via iTunes (automagically syncs your subscription across desktop iTunes and your iOS devices) Subscribe via Stitcher (free app that can be installed on iOS or Android devices) Follow their Blog (bonus points for allowing all podcasts to be downloaded directly as audio files from their website)

Last night I was fortunate to host the weekly #michED Twitter Chat. It’s a weekly chat that pulls together educators from around the state (and beyond) to share, discuss, and collaborate on a host of issues facing educators. I happen to think it’s the best darn state-level Twitter chat out there, but I’m a bit biased The topic last night was "Student Video Projects," and I used the Vine above to get things started. There are many issues surrounding video projects; the obstacles we face getting started with video, how to assess videos from both a technical and pedagogical standpoint, and providing rationale for including video as a part of what we do in our instructional settings. There were plenty of questions swirling around those central topics, and given the nature of the topic I thought I’d have some fun with them. So I created Vines for each question to give them a bit of depth beyond the digital text; that and I can’t pass up an opportunity to give my kids time in front of the camera; they’re hams….a bit like me. Below are six essential questions that I feel every educator should ask before starting a video project with students; the answers will help you provide a better experience for you and your students, rooted in both standards and content, while still providing an engaging hook for students, and identifying potential roadblocks early. Are there more than just these 6 questions that need to be answered? YES! This is just a jumping off point, to get ideas percolating. Digging through the archive of last night’s #michED Twitter Chat might be a good starting point as well, since a lot of educators shared some interesting tips last night!  Question #1: Video can be fun! But that’s not always enough. What rationale do you use for video projects? Question #2: What’s the single biggest obstacle you’ve experienced in doing video projects with students? Question #3: What limitations and/or guidelines should students have while working on a video project? Question #4: Where do you get inspiration for video projects with students?  Question #5: What strategies or resources can be used for assessing student created video? Question #6: Visual literacy is becoming as important as traditional literacy. How do elements of reading and writing transfer to video?

Huzzah, it’s 2015 and we have the first Tech Director Chat of the year ready for your listening enjoyment…..or derision, whatever the case may be. With so much time off thanks to the holiday break and plenty of snow days, Pete and I are ready to get back into our regular rhythm of weekly conversations. This week was an interesting one, as Pete (my school district’s Tech Director) has embarked on an ambitious project; he’s trying to have a conversation with every teacher in the district about the direction of technology in our schools. Every….single….teacher. He’s chatting with them in small groups to make things easier, but it’s still going to be a long process. I’m not sitting in on them as another voice would only slow the conversations down, and get in the way of the teachers sharing as much as they can in the short amount of time Pete has with each one (about 30-40 minutes per group). However, I’m curious if there are any teachers out there that might want to have parts of those conversations recorded and shared on the podcast as I’d love to have teacher perspective shared more widely. Yes, yes, I was a teacher, but someone in the classroom currently would be much more valuable to weigh in on some of the questions we wrestle with about technology on a regular basis. If you’re in the district….or outside of it, and want to offer your two cents, let me know! You can listen to the podcast with the embedded player below, or listen and subscribe using any of the following links; listen directly on ShoutEngine, subscribe via iTunes, listen via Stitcher. Timestamps for this week’s questions: 0:49 What has Pete been up to today? 1:15 What sort of things does Pete "catch up" on? 1:30 What sort of meetings does Pete miss? 2:37 Pete is having conversations about technology past, present, and future with teachers across the district. How does he narrow that down to just 40 minutes? 4:20 Question for the audience! Would you like to be a part of one of our conversations? 4:50 Phu asks, what is the difference in cost between a MacBook cart and iPad cart? 7:32 Nancy asks, for the non-tech oriented staff members, what can we do to keep our computers running well? 9:00 So what are simple things to do on a regular basis to keep your computer running well? 11:15 JW asks, what has been the most interesting thing you’ve learned from having small conversations with teachers around the district? 14:31 Todd from Twitter wants to know why a Tech Director might decline donations or just settle on one platform? 18:40 Stump Pete! 20:00 Which Mattawan teacher was in Baltimore the night Al Kaline got his 3000th hit? Tech Director Chat - Let’s Talk with Teachers

Google Chrome is the current browser "hotness." Besides being THE operating system for Google’s Chromebooks, as of December 2014 W3Schools reports that it currently enjoys almost a 62% market share of the web browser market. It’s here, in a big way. There’s just one small issue with that market share; the platforms it’s designed to run on don’t always play nicely with it, or rather it doesn’t play nicely with Windows and Mac OSX as often as I would like. Chrome likes to cache everything! Like a good web browser it saves images, files, and creates local caches of all the favorite places you like to browse on your hard drive. That’s a good thing! In fact, a web cache can dramatically increase your browsing speed. However, when a web cache becomes too large, it can slow down any browser, cause issues with crashing, and introduce other issues to the "user experience" (that’s a thing marketing people say, yes?). Normally you’d want to keep your browser cache intact, but there are times when you need to just be rid of it, and let it start anew. Sure, you can also perform a number of others techie/geeky tasks, but clearing your browser’s cache is usually the easiest of them. Some might suggest that you NEVER clear your browser’s cache, but I’ve found that Chrome is a unique beast, encouraging users to login to multiple Google Accounts, have 3 or more windows running with different local user accounts creating caches from possibly dozens of open websites. You can check out my simple screencast for clearing your Google Chrome browser cache on YouTube or embedded below.

Disclaimer: If you’re a science teacher, you won’t want to read this post, or watch the video…..honestly, you’ll cringe. In the following video, I directly imply that ice has no friction. There, I’ve said it, and I’m not happy about it, but it’s done. Now, for everyone else; I had an ice day! Huzzah! I took to my driveway this morning to enjoy the sheet of ice that had covered the entire drive, and road, and most of the town. It was a "low friction" wonderland, and I captured my antics on camera to share with others. As I was sliding, waving like an idiot to my neighbors who surely thought I was attempting to injure myself, I thought about creating a video story problem; I hemmed and hawed about the incredibly low coefficient of friction that allowed me to glide shuffle down the driveway, and how someone might calculate it, but that didn’t seem exciting enough. I wanted to ask questions about the angle of the driveway, and my acceleration, but again, it felt a bit forced. So I created a simple video writing prompt instead; imagine a world in which there is no friction. Create a short story, video, or perhaps even challenge your students on a class blog, where students can publish their thoughts and share with others. Jason Osborn got me thinking about video story prompts as he’s been exploring the Write About site with his students, and I’ve always looked for a way to turn the video story problem concept into something a bit more universal. Video writing prompts aren’t anything new, as a quick Google search proves, and I’m more than willing to be "late to the party," because it’s a heck of a fun party to be at! P.S. Apparently, the video writing prompt party is one I’ve already visited at least once….I completely forgot!