For many years I protested that I had no clear need to attend the annual International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference. From the social media streams and vendor receptions, it has the appearance of an ostentatious event focused on selling the latest and greatest gadgets, apps, and technology solutions to educators. Many of my colleagues and educator friends have protested, "but Ben, the connections?! How can you be missing out?" Truth be told, I’ve been intentional about the individuals that I’ve networked with; I’ve prioritized developing relationships with educators that I have the opportunity to collaborate with face-to-face at state-level or regional events. Many in the ISTE crowds would likely see my actions, and choice not to attend in previous years, as shortsighted, professionally unsound, and otherwise snobbish of me. All of that may be true. Regardless, I didn’t want to attend this major event until I had something to offer to the collective whole. I’ve been to conferences with national scope before, but they’ve all been smaller gatherings focused on specific topics (games, STEM, social activism, etc.) and I’ve played a role in either presenting, volunteering, or leading a workshop. This last year, I finally found a hands-on presentation model that I felt was unique enough to bring to the bigger ISTE table without using the words "best, app, tools, or epic" in the title. On a professional level, I’m prouder than I should be about that. I’ll be writing about the presentation, and reflecting on how it was received by attendees, later in the week. For now, I wanted to have a bit of fun documenting my first ever day at the ISTE conference with a classic "Animated GIF Day" post! If you’re curious, check in on this post throughout the day for updates. 3:34 AM - I got up at what I like to call "stupid early" and took care of shaving, showering, and heading out for the airport. The last time I can remember getting up this early was for an ill fated attempt to score a Black Friday deal several years ago…looking back, the crummy free webcam I got from Best Buy really wasn’t worth the dark circles under my eyes by 10 am. I’m guessing ISTE will prove to be a much more worthwhile reason for getting up so early.   4:30 AM - I can’t remember the last time I drove down such a lonely stretch of road. Other than a few garbage trucks getting an early start on the day, the road was rather empty. I live 45 minutes away from the South Bend Airport, so I had a nice peaceful drive, caught up on a bit of This American Life listening, and fought the urge to stop at McDonald’s (fast food is not good food).   5:45 AM - 10 minutes before takeoff. I had the lovely sounds of water bubbling behind me. Still not quite ready for breakfast, and the white noise of the fountain almost put me to sleep waiting for the plane.   7:25 AM - Detroit’s airport has one of the strangest lighted tunnels I’ve ever been through at an airport. Most underground walkways connect travelers to terminals with bright cheerful lights and happy tones. In Detroit, it’s a mix between modern jazz and meloncholy tunes that often sound like a computer-composed experiment in producing sullen travelers. At times the tunnel is almost completely dark, with deep purples, blues, and streaks of red threatening anyone who dare make their way along the moving walkways.   10:00 AM - Finally landed in Philadelphia, and traveling comfortably on the commuter rail into the city. I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve always felt comfortable on mass transit. I know some don’t enjoy the cramped feel of it, but I love blending into the scene, being a part of the crowd yet separate. We’re all traveling in a thousand directions, but for a few moments, we travel together. The blur of the stone block walls alongside the commuter rail was fascinating. Much better than the typical concrete you see in "newer" cities.   11:30 AM - After making it through registration and finding my way to the cavernous vendor hall, I did what any sensible 30-something male with a mild mid life crisis would do; I went straight to the LEGO booth. I met a wonderful teacher named Amanda, who was sadly not on social media, who talked about the transformative effect that LEGOs and play have had on her school. Robots are of course the big draw, but there were plenty of other LEGO kits and I had a fun time playing learning.   1:15 PM - I had only eaten two complimentary graham crackers on the plane thus far today, and the word "hangry" was taking on new meaning. I decided to wander down to the Reading Market Terminal where I tried what I can only assume is some strange Philadelphia version of a Pastrami on Rye. Coleslaw, Russian dressing sauce, and served cold, I think I’m going to hold out until I get myself a cheesesteak before I pass judgement on the local culinary quirks. 2:30 PM - I found myself firmly anchored in the Blogger’s Cafe, working with Aaron Sams on the session we’re leading tomorrow. I know, I know, my first day of ISTE, and all I did was make it through the vendor hall and then work! It was worth it for me; and I got a small taste of why people enjoy coming to this large conference. Over the course of two hours I was able to chat with friends from New York, California, Pennsylvania, and even some from back home in Michigan. It felt good to spend so much time connecting with people after a morning of travel, rather than sit through sessions all afternoon. I may do another animated GIF day later in the week, but I fear the time I spend trying to capture good moments that are "gif fable" greatly outweighs the lose in time for sessions, exhibits, and conversations. Here’s hoping I can accomplish all of the above in the next few days. It’s time to sign off for the day, relax a bit, and maybe stem the nerves before I present tomorrow afternoon!

Tricia Fugelstad is more than just an elementary art teacher and technology enthusiast. She’s a digital artist savant, elevating even the simplest of 6-second videos to a level I will probably never equal; I’m both impressed and slightly jealous of her work. Jealous in that I don’t possess the inherent imagination to mix digital and analog mediums the way Tricia does so easily. And impressed that while her personality and style is quick to surface with her cheerful Do Ink app work, she can just as easily shift into artwork that starts to scratch through to deeper emotions. Tricia’s playfulness and creativity is evident in her bright kid-friendly creations. Her artwork is full of playful images of robots, flowers, and warm memories of the world. And that playfulness lends itself to a more "magical" piece of 6-second video that’s more than just a seamless Vine; it’s a small vignette of art both old and new juxtaposed in a way that is intimately familiar. And just when you can’t imagine it getting any better, she does what all great artists do; she brings real life pain, courage, and hope into her work. Her husband, Dave, was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2014 that severely damaged his spinal cord. She’s documented his recovery on her blog, created a super hero in his honor, and continues to be #DaveStrong as she shares both his recovery and their relationship through Vine. Tricia isn’t just a Vine "user." She’s an artist that expresses herself beautifully through the medium, and demonstrates to all of us that the power of the tools educators like myself use isn’t in knowing where every menu option lies, and what shortcuts will best expedite our path to better efficiency. The power comes from the intimacy of our creations, and how we share our emotions with the world.

If you’re the type of geek that stays current on scientific news out of MIT, this is not new for you. For everyone else, the MIT-developed camera that can capture up to one trillion frames a second (yes, that’s a "T") is mind boggling, yet conceptually clear. In existence for a few years, the Photon Camera is not only quick enough to capture light waves as they travel through space, but it can also see around corners by capturing bouncing light. I was reminded of just how amazing technology like this is when a old 2013 Youtube video from Nova made it’s way across my Twitter feed yesterday. Again, nothing new…but for those that haven’t seen it, it’s downright amazing, and brought to mind all of the slow motion image captures that surely graced science text books in many of our formative years. You know that ones I’m talking about: Harold Edgerton’s "Bullet Through Apple" http://americanart.si.edu/collections/search/artwork/?id=32694 It’s technology like this that excites me. Yes, Augmented Reality is cool, Google Apps make life more efficient, and Apple manages to find new ways to "wow" everyone with shiny new hardware every year. But being able to capture a light wave as it propagates across empty space, see it splash across the surface of an object, and the subsequent shadow formed a few seconds later after it’s washed over the subject and finally bounced into the wall behind it; that kind of technology is revolutionary on a scale that will truly change the way we see our world. People look back with their first memories of powerful instructional technology tools with fondness, but the indelible moments of our future scientists’ memories will be marked with the first cameras that could capture the speed of light.

I don’t typically ask for direct help via digital or social media avenues; I’m a traditionalist, and prefer face to face conversations. However, I’ve found that when I’ve asked for help, I’ve been blessed with an over abundance of support from my #michED friends and colleagues. So rather than beat around the bush, I’ll be direct. I need your help! I’m crafting a short video presentation for the 2015 K12 Online Conference, and it’s missing something….your voices! I’ve spent the last few years collecting stories of connection, openness, and sharing from around Michigan, and while I have many compelling stories and examples of connection, including some of my own, it just doesn’t sound right coming from a single voice. I want the thousands of educators from around the globe that partake in the annual K12 Online Conference to experience your voices, your realities, and your amazing stories of how education here in Michigan is stronger because of the connections you’ve made with other educators, classrooms, or among your students. There are many ways to help out! Text Simply leave a comment on this blog post sharing your story of connections with links to any special websites or resources that help illustrate your story. Audio Use the SpeakPipe voicemail box below to record up to 90 seconds of your story of connections. You can preview it before submitting in case your nervous about how it turns out. Video If you’re eager and able to share video, I would LOVE to include it with my presentation, as it would be the ultimate visual experience for K12 Online Conference attendees. You can upload the video below using by Drop it To Me link. Please include a brief introduction with your name, your job, and the school/institution you work for in the video. Any type of video is welcome, including a "webcam" style interview, a piece produced for another project, or perhaps just a simple montage or images and/or video as you describe your story. https://dropitto.me/michedconnections Brad Wilson’s "Voice of #michED" Series on Youtube would be a GREAT model to follow! I need your help to make this presentation powerful! I can do it on my own, but it will lack the luster, the character, and the power of your voices! Please share this post with any #michED educator you know!

Wow, what a break! Pete and I have been recording new episodes of Tech Director Chat since early September, but I’ve used excuse after excuse for not publishing them; "I’m too busy" comes up most often, followed closely by "is this really that valuable to those I’m serving and supporting at work?" taking a large mind share of the excuses. I really do try to work hard at being responsive and responsible to my school district and staff, which is why this blog bounces around between my own personal thoughts and more tech-heavy "how to" elements. Regardless of the wait, here it is, a brand new season of the podcast begins! I’m in a new role that has put a lot more on his plate, and Pete is still recovering from one of our busiest starts to the school yet ever! This marks the start of our weekly conversation, and it was filled with plenty of good questions! Managing Spotlight on your Macs, Speck coming through after a defective bunch of cases, Ben geeks out over an Avery label maker addon for Google Docs, and Pete gets philosophical about whether we even need to teach students how to use technology. Click here to listen to this week’s Tech Director Chat (or listen below) Click here to subscribe via iTunes (Mac and iOS) Click here to subscribe via Stitcher (Android and iOS) Timestamps for this week’s questions: 1:12 What has Pete been up to? 3:50 How many help tickets do we have at the moment? 4:26 Speck cases are failing? Get your help tickets in! 6:40 How did one of the students change their school picture to a Minion? 8:30 Do we even need to teach students how to use computers? - Hole in the Wall 9:25 What’s up with the new Spotlight on the Macs? 10:55 What’s a Google add-on that we should all be using? 14:50 Stump Pete! 15:42 What is the most successful musical group of all time? Tech Director Chat - We’re Back!

Quite possibly yes is the answer to that question! The ability to access information and collaborative tools made possible through tablets, laptops, and mobile devices is certainly no gimmick. The better question revolves around what teachers can do to leverage the 1:1 access of a fully "connected" learning environment; and perhaps more importantly, what they don’t do, despite having access to so much. Every year I see more teachers finding creative ways to utilize a small group of computers and devices with their classes in much deeper and innovative ways than merely putting a laptop in front of each student and asking them to all type/research/present on the same topic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there’s anything bad with the standard five paragraph essay, or ensuring that students have the stamina to conduct regular research or write day in and day out. The new media landscape of the internet is surviving on the regular churn of "branded content" from the likes of Buzzfeed, HuffPo, and other websites. That type of content can only exist with the help of writers, designers, and other "creatives" that have the stamina to put out an impressive amount of work day in and day out. However, preparing students for life after high school means that we often need to give them a diverse range of opportunities, and in the case of at least one extremely successful software development company, that could mean having them work in a shared computing environment. But enough of me blathering on; I hope you enjoy this episode of "Tech Director Chat" with special guest, Ben Tomlinson of the Van Buren County ISD. Click here to listen to this week’s Tech Director Chat (or listen below) Click here to subscribe via iTunes (Mac and iOS) Click here to subscribe via Stitcher (Android and iOS) Timestamps for this week’s questions: 0:41 Pete isn’t here! 3:05 Someone asks Ben Tomlinson about creative ways to manage laptop carts at the high school. 6:55 It sounds like a party going on in the Tech Department 7:30 What happens if we guarantee every high school teacher a specific number of computers, rather than a full cart? 9:30 Is the model of 1:1 technology use in education a gimmick? 13:07 Does Ben Tomlinson have an example of getting students started down the collaborative path of technology use? 17:00 Stump Not Pete! 18:00 Will Ben Tomlinson be getting a Smart Watch? Tech Director Chat - Is 1 to 1 Computing a Gimmick?

No, this is not a curmudgeonly post deriding a social media platform that many in the tech world claim is dead (news flash, educators and You-tubers love their free social networks). But sadly, like many in the ed tech world, for every Google Apps for Education account you have, you’ve likely unwittingly established a Google+ Profile. Which means for someone like me, I have half a dozen "ghost" accounts on the social media platform, taunting people into following them, pretending to be the "real me." It becomes extra frustrating when I see Google+ recommend that I follow myself as someone of interest. So rather than live the lives of multiple personalities running around Google+, I’ve decided to dispatch my social media horcruxes until I’ve restored my digital soul to just one Google+ account that I can confidently manage without confusion. It wasn’t that difficult to do, and if you’re in the same boat, I would highly recommend doing the same…for your sanity’s sake. You can watch the video below, or on Youtube here to see just how easy it is to delete your Google+ account.  

Pete is back! And he’s ready to tackle the hard questions about policy review, what makes him tick as a tech administrator, and cell phones in the classroom! Well, maybe only one of this is truly a difficult question to grapple with, but I enjoy the banter none the less. We finish up our list of questions from our high school that were compiled at the start of the school year, and talk about the advantages…and disadvantages of the use of cell phones in the classroom for learning. In fact, I highly recommend checking out an interesting piece from NPR about the rampant use, or rather misuse, of cell phones in college courses. We finish up the episode with Pete’s philosophy on being a tech admin, and a question from JW that proves Pete truly has no regrets in life. Click here to listen to this week’s Tech Director Chat (or listen below) Click here to subscribe via iTunes (Mac and iOS) Click here to subscribe via Stitcher (Android and iOS) Timestamps for this week’s questions: 2:25 What has Pete been up to? 3:17 Ben is curious how much time a Tech Director spends reviewing policy. 4:46 JW asks, has the final decision been made on the "teacher tech control stations"? 10:04 What are the best methods of handling cell phone use in the classroom? 15:15 Chris from Twitter wants to know, what’s important to you as an admin? 16:34 Stump Pete! 17:00 JW wants to know, what do you wish you had learned when you were younger? 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 - Cells Phones in the Classroom?

I was asked last week by one of my teachers to provide an online, possibly collaborative, video editing tool. It was an easy question for me, as I’ve been using WeVideo with students and teachers throughout the district for years. At one point, we had so many users that one of the co-founders of the service contacted me to talk about the high volume of students we had working with WeVideo, and setting up a possible school-wide account. While that partnership never came to fruition (we have Macs, and iMovie does far more than WeVideo does currently), the appeal of video editing in an online environment has continued to lure the interest of teachers; students could start a project at home, and finish online, or vice versa, without the need to take devices home or work on the same device for the duration of a project. That lure still pulls at me as well, but I’ve started to wonder about the structure of a "collaborative video project" and the very nature of technology-driven collaboration. The idea of students working collaboratively on large video projects in the cloud is tempting, but in practice it leaves me with more questions than answers. It’s easy to understand the defacto collaborative work process that many schools have adopted with Google Docs; students can all write on the same document synchronously, editing various portions of the text, revising selected passages, or making changes based on shared annotations and comments. These are all digital writing practices that fundamentally changed the way we think about collaborative writing. But when it comes to group video production, the process is already heavily collaborative through traditional means; students have clear roles (script writing, camera work, directing, "on screen talent", etc.), the editing process is typically a collaborative conversation around editing choices. And the fundamental shift that made online writing tools so powerful has yet to truly transform video editing; synchronous video editing is currently not a viable method of working on a group video project. Without being able to "walk back" to previous edits or revisions (unless you’ve saved at each step along the way, and let’s be honest how many of our students do that), it’s a pretty linear process, with video editing marching in one direction typically. But that doesn’t stop people from asking me for collaborative video editing options, nor does it stop them from asking about other collaborative creative tools; audio editing tools for collaborative podcasts, and communal social streams where individuals shared a group social media account are two of the most requested items for assistance with. And I get it; we want students to be able to work at any time, collaboratively within a group, in the same exact way many tech-savvy and connected educators now operate. We certainly need to honor the call to have students working and publishing collaboratively with technology, spelled out by the Common Core State Standards, but does the technology itself need to drive the collaboration, or serve as the linch pin for the collaborative efforts? Should we work on establishing effective collaborative group norms and routines before we try to shoe-horn a piece of technology into a project in the name of efficiency? Are there projects that could have been more successful, had we focused first on what the collaboration looks like, and then on the technology that will serve as the work or publishing environment? Do we sometimes allow ourselves to be caught up with the allure of "students must work collaboratively" to the point where every aspect of a project must be done in an "all hands on deck" manner? If we were to focus on just the collaborative process first, what would that look like sans technology?

Holy cow, we made it to 30 episodes! That’s the biggest milestone I can celebrate for the podcast at the moment. The listenership is hovering somewhere around 195 average listeners, and a number of Technology Directors and administrators in Michigan have either commented, emailed, or mentioned at a conference that they listen, and I’m flattered. We certainly aren’t doing anything earth shatteringly amazing in our school district with technology (although the teachers constantly amaze us with with their big projects), and we have plenty of flaws when it comes to providing appropriate staffing, support, and resources. So it’s nice to hear that others are interested in what Pete and I are saying, and listen in on our weekly conversation, and I hope that it can serve as a catalyst for others to create more open dialogues in their school districts about the intersection of technology and curriculum. In this week’s episode we share a few grant sources for starting some small projects with technology, and we talk about how we’re focusing our bond dollars towards technology work stations for teachers. Click here to listen to this week’s Tech Director Chat (or listen below) Click here to subscribe via iTunes (Mac and iOS) Click here to subscribe via Stitcher (Android and iOS) Grant resources mentioned in the podcast: MPEF Brainstrong - For Mattawan Teachers only Meemic Grants - For Educators in Michigan Best Buy Community Grants State Farm Good Neighboor Grants Timestamps for this week’s questions: 1:18 What if education success was like baseball batting averages? 2:03 What has Pete been up to? 2:53 We have 3D printers at the Later Elementary? 4:22 JW asks, how are the plans for new technology in the bond going? 6:08 Why did the High School and Middle School lose internet before Thanksgiving? 6:55 So we’re ready to send out all of the RFPs for the technology work? 7:45 What new technology will be available to teachers in the bond? 10:13 What is the quickest and easiest way to get iPads into your classroom? 12:10 Pete totally tricks Ben into reading his own question! 13:58 Stump Pete! 14:22 What is the most successful band to come out of Kalamazoo? 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 - Providing $$$ for Technology