Am I a Twit?

Being a parent is always interesting. I can hear the collective *sigh* as you process that nugget of wisdom. Yep, I’m master of the obvious. I know, right?

I may have mentioned before that Little Man talks almost non-stop and that listening to him can be very entertaining and enlightening.  He’s told me more than I could ever imagine about topics I never thought I’d even consider, much less talk about … and sometimes he’s right! I actually signed up for Twitter, initially, to keep a running record of the crazy stuff he says! [Which so totally ironic that I can't stand it!]

Every once in a while you get a blog-worthy gem. Something that really deserves a bit more “ink” than the typical 140 on Twitter. Something that makes you stop in your tracks and think – or laugh out loud – or both.

I am quoting here.

Mom, you should do something more with your day than Twittering.

Really. I kid you not. He said that to me at dinner last night.

I think he should have warned Husband that he was going to say it because lemonade almost spewed all over the kitchen table. Once recovered, Husband looked at me as if to say, “See, I’m not the only one who thinks so!” [Husband and I are exact opposites when it comes to social technologies. That's an odd story for another time.] Between the two of them, there was righteousness and smugness to spare.

Of course, they are right. I should do something more with my day than tweet … and I do.  Lots more. In fact, I’m doing one of those things right now!!!  [Ahh ... the rebuttal, feels so good. Don't you agree?]

I am more than aware that Little Man knows I work on computers all day. He knows that it’s part of my job and he knows that many of my hobbies are computer-based. He’s talked to me about Facebook. He’s been a guest blogger here. I had no idea he knew about Twitter! Color me surprised.

As it stands, I’m going to pack away two important pieces of information from this little discussion of ours.

1. Little Man hears and processes everything Husband and I say. And … he often gets it right.
2. Being able to laugh at yourself – and see yourself through the eyes of your kids – is a good thing.

I’ve got one more thought on this before I get back to Twitter. [LOL, just kidding.] My son will soon be of an age where technology will play a bigger role in his daily activities. I expect the tables will turn at least a little before too much longer. I can hear myself saying something like…

• Little Man, I’ve got a dirty job for you … your room! Turn off Mike Rowe and clean up.
• Little Man, put down the Wiimote and let’s go outside.
• Little Man, time to log off … let’s eat.
• Little Man, don’t tell your Facebook friends that I’m crazy! I’m in your friends list, remember?

Wanna bet that sometime, someday I actually turn the tables and say…

Little Man, you should do something more with your day than Tweeting.

Hmmm … the child’s words used by the parent. I think I like it! Makes for a good tweet … don’t you think?

I'll be hoppin' along now ...

5 Things – Kindle 2

OK … going to start this one out directly. I LOVE my Kindle 2.

I did quite a bit of research before purchasing. There are a lot of opinions out there about which eReader to buy (they are a bit spendy) and, frankly, about whether eReaders are just another flash-in-the-pan gadget in the first place.

Most of the research I read ferreted out the typical back-and-forth-nobody-wins type arguments common when reading opinions about gadgets. But, I made up my mind when I read these sentences in the last review I read.

The Kindle looks like a sexy and futuristic piece of electronics, while the Sony Readers look like artful interpretations of books. And there’s the rub: the Kindle line captivates techies while Sony Readers seem to appeal more to those who just want to read books.

Lisa Gade, Editor in Chief – MobileTechReview.com

So, I aligned myself with the techies [which feels right], entered the appropriate 16 digits, and became part of the Kindle family.

Without further ado, here are my 5 Things about the Kindle 2 – in no particular order.

1. Immediate gratification

OK, remember that I’ve aligned myself with the techies. We techies are by-and-large ready to “work through the issues” that come with new technologies. But … no challenges here! I opened the box, plugged it in, and opened my first book in less than 5 minutes. [All done in a rather hectic space between meetings at work, I might add.]

Once the juice was flowing, the books I ordered from Amazon were downloaded before I knew it. The device came registered to me [and "called" me by name - which was a tad creepy, really] … this was truly a plug-and-play deal. I love the immediate gratification of it.

[Some might liken this whole ready-to-read phenomenon to, say, buying a new "real" book and being able to read the first chapter in the parking lot before driving away - not that I would do that!]

2. Phenomenal cosmic power, ity-bity living space

OK, that billing might be a tad on the dramatic side, but really, the Kindle puts a lot into a fairly small package.

The Kindle 2 is just a tad smaller than my eee PC [which is another LOVE IT product for me]. It fits easily into my purse, my computer bags, my camera bag, and the diaper bag. So, it’s uber portable which is a HUGE plus because I can carry it anywhere. I’ve got all of my current reading with me “just in case”. Nice.

Despite this portability, the specs say that my Kindle will hold 1500 books. I think that’ll cover me, thank you. Oh, and the best part? Wait for it. NO DUSTING!

Oh, and did I mention that I’ve had this baby for over two weeks now and haven’t had to recharge yet. I’ve used it for at least 2 hours each day. Um. Yeh. fantastic!

[I did turn off the EVDO "Amazn Whispernet" connection because I live where Sprint service is spotty. I'm absolutely certain that's the reason for the long battery life. I'm OK with that! It's still pretty cool!]

3.  Reading experience – eInk

eInk is just cool. Agreed? Good, now we can move on.

The reading experience on my Kindle so far has been great. I have had little/no eye strain and I’m reading just as quickly as I would with a “real” book. In fact, I might be reading faster. The 6-inch diagonal screen only holds so much text so I’m finding that I’m doing a better job of focusing only on the single page in front of me – no catching words on the opposite pages and getting distracted. [Not that I get distracted or anything. Interesting idea from an educational perspective, I might add.]

I like that I can adjust just about everything I need to make my reading experience more comfortable … and I like that I don’t have to force the book open to catch the text near the binding. [I'm a please-don't-break-the-binding gal.]

4. Automagical everything

If I fall asleep while reading or, more likely, if one of the kids needs me right away [let's say when something crashes to the floor and breaks into millions of tiny pieces, for example], I don’t have to worry about losing my place. I like that.

If I want to take notes, highlight text, or look up something in the dictionary? It’s all right there. Easy peasy.

If I want to know how much I’ve read and how much I’ve left to go? No problem. The percentage completed is always at the bottom of the page.

If I want to buy a new book. Click. Click. Download. Done.

[OK, it won't go get me a Coke with ice. I might have to submit a feature request. ]

5. Possibilities

I think that one of my favorite things about the Kindle 2 is that, in the space of two weeks, it’s become one of my “must carry” items and I’m “just” using it to read a book. This, of course, means that everything/anything else it does is an absolute bonus!

I suppose I should mention that it’s not a perfect device. It’s not. But, my new friend Kindle and I have run into only one snag so far – and it’s not actually a “bug” or “design flaw” of the Kindle itself.

I was flying for business this week and realized that the Kindle was part of that “please turn off all electronic devices” thing. Everyone around me was reading and I was left waiting until they gave the all clear. To date, that is the only “problem” I’ve had. [This might have something to do with the fact that I bought it with realistic expectations of what it could and could not do.]

So, there they are. My 5 Things about the Kindle 2. I’m looking forward to exploring the possibilities while curling up with a good book.

Happy reading, everyone!

Wordle Schmerdle

So, I’ve been in a creative rut for a few weeks. It happens. But today I read a blog post about why teachers should use Wordle. What?

I’d not heard of Wordle, but intrigued, I trundled over and … well, just cool. So I wordled this blog post.

I must say, I just love this. So many applications … some serious, some just for fun.

Go visit! Make your own … I’d love to see what your Wordle art looks like!

‘Cause It’s Got … Personality

Earlier this week, I read a very interesting article from Vicki Davis over at the Tech & Learning blog. I found it extremely fascinating and have been looking forward to sharing it all week.

The article, Semantic Aware Apps Rising, introduced me to the term “semantic awareness” and started me thinking about what this “smart” technology might mean as developers start implementing it … when it becomes ubiquitous.

One of the reasons that I find this interesting is that I’ve had a fair amount of experience with personality tests and their uses. My interest goes all the way back to college, when I first took the Myers-Briggs. After seeing my results, my prof asked me how I lived with myself. Odd, yes! But the comment made me think and got me hooked.

So, I must tell you that I got a little sucked in when Ms. Davis introduced me to The Typalizer … an app that will tell you the personality type of your blog or any blog, for that matter! 

So, I took a deep breath and entered  my URL. In short order the return was back. ESTP (The Doers).

Here’s the cool thing about that . [OK ... I think it's cool.] I’m an ENTP/ENFP according to Myers-Briggs. So, it looks like my writing here pretty well matches my type. Looks like I’m going all “WYSIWYG” on you all! [If you want to read more about the MBTI ... head here!]

About 30 minutes  later I learned that the blogs I read most often have the same “bloginality” … ESFP (The Performers).  I found that very interesting because I don’t necessarily perceive their styles to be the same!

I’ve experienced the push-back when it comes to using personality profiling in hires and staffing. We can already Google folks to find information on those we work with/for. What if these analyzers begin to work on our Twitter and Facebook accounts?

The implications of all of this are far beyond the fun I’m having with it. Semantic awareness has the potential to change quite a few things.

What’s the “bloginality” of your blog?
Is it similar to your personality style or completely different?
How do you feel about the possibilities of all of this semantic awareness?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Connecting…

I’ve had a fairly heady day today in the world of social networking. I’m away from my family for a night and my time is my own. So, I decided to use the time to connect. My Twitter was a-tweetin’ and my Facebook was a-bookin’.

I added some really good friends from way back and invited others. I began following some really interesting folks. I was on a roll and feeling connected.

I found the blog of a woman who has experienced a loss I can’t even begin to imagine – even though I’ve felt that kind of loss. Reading her words made me want to squeeze the breath right out of my kids. I’m not sure that I’ve ever missed my baby that fiercely.

I met a new Twitter friend – a real connection rather than just a follow/follower. I learned from her. It was a simple exchange that showed me how important it is to be human online … about the importance of reaching out with a simple thank you. I was stunned about the acceptance I felt with her simple, human action.

I found three friends from ages ago and was so glad to get the chance to possibly get to reconnect with these folks who were once so much a part of my everyday.

It was a rush of successful connecting in the still, quiet of a winter night. Smugness set in. It was a good night!

As I typed name-after-name and clicked profile-after-profile looking for connections, it never dawned on me that I would run into a snag. I was on a roll after all!

Well, turns out, I did find all of the friends I was looking for tonight. Most of my discoveries were happy and full of “Oh my gosh, it’s been so long!” But … not all of them ended on this note.

I’ve told you about the connections I made that made me smile … that made pray for a family I don’t know as I desperately missed hugging my children … that taught me something.

Now, I need to tell you about a connection that made me stop everything, gasp, and think. This is the connection that ultimately triggered this post.

Ages ago, when I was a senior in high school, I had a funny, smart, outgoing, beautiful, confident friend. She was younger than I but we got along so well that the age difference matter. We had some great times, inside jokes, and good laughs. I still have some of the letters we wrote.

We were two silly girls going to high school in a rural town.

She went on to do some impressive things. She had 2 Master’s degrees and was almost done with her PhD. She could name-drop (legitimately) … Yale, University Schools, Committee on This, Board of That, Political Advocate. She was published and she was brilliant. She was doing important work.

And she took her own life. She was 32.

I re-connected with her tonight – almost 5 years after her death – through her obituary.

The obituary said she was

A brilliant and charismatic presence in and out of the classroom, [she] gave of herself to her family, her friends, her students, her teachers, and her colleagues–all of whom deeply mourn her loss.

I remember the girl described in that statement – she was my friend. I would  have loved to see her teach. I would have loved to talk to her about her work. I would have loved to have re-connected with her – in any other way than this.

There are so many questions that will never have answers. I’m sure her family agonizes over these every day – I can’t imagine and I’ll pray for them.

What could life have been like to turn that smile off? To make the laughter quiet and the dancing stop? What could make going on so overwhelming that trying was no longer worth the effort?

I don’t understand and I’m angry … and I’m desperately sad that this beautiful woman is no longer here for us all to connect with.

Fellowship

I’ve been thinking a lot about fellowship lately. Specifically the fellowship that comes with belonging to, and participating in, a community.

For most of my life, fellowship has had a very church-specific meaning. First, it was a plac – Fellowship Hall – that was synonymous with cookies and punch and lots of kids running everywhere. Then, it became part of the religion itself. It was something important to do … to gather in Christian fellowship (meaning gather with those who believe to learn and share).

I knew the word. I knew what it meant in my sphere of experience. I thought I had it down. Maybe I did, and maybe I didn’t. I never really had cause to think to much about it until recently.

I have a colleague who has an amazing way of putting things into perspective at just the right time and with just the right words. And, while we typically discuss and try to solve work-related issues, I’ve found that the majority of the time the conversations are applicable in other parts of my life as well. These kinds of unintended consequences are most welcome!

Recently, the topic of fellowship came up and, after the conversation, what I’d ” known” seemed to fall short of the mark. [This is, frankly, the coolest part about learning - and perhaps about fellowship itself.]

In a nutshell, my concept of fellowship was about getting together in a sort of friendship – sort of a social event with purpose. Folks coming together to enjoy each other’s company … a generally warm and fuzzy existence with like-minded people.

That type of fellowship is fine and, I suppose, even important. But, I’m wondering how purposeful it is in the world in which we currently find ourselves.

I’ve been reading a lot lately about the state of the world. And, as I’ve written before, it seems to be a mess. [Scary. Ack.]

I’ve also been digging into how folks are using social-networking sites and the so-called Web 2.0 technologies to create the idea of community on the web. There are a lot of really cool things going on – and the cool typically will bring out the scary for a time!

I’m seeing, in my old definition and experience of fellowship, that there’s not a whole lot of room for growth. Warm and fuzzy doesn’t necessarily breed opportunities for learning and innovation. This growth usually comes out of comparatively harsh environments – places where almost everything is questioned. [It strikes me as I write this that mold grows in warm, undisturbed places ... I don't want to get moldy! I don't think that's conducive with the point of fellowship!!]

So, I’ve begun to look fellowship a bit differently. The rethink started with a single conversation and continued as I continue with my almost constant and insatiable need to discover of the possibilities of community in the world online (which started around 1995 and has only increased).

My new understanding about what fellowship is (and can be) included a look at literature. [Frankly, I think most things could begin with a look at literature and I'm not sure why I'm always so surprised when a good book teaches me something long after I've read it.]

In The Fellowship of the Ring, JRR Tolkien places 9 folks on a mission – a majorly intense quest filled with urgency and danger. Quests of this nature are certainly not uncommon in literature.

But …

In the journey of  this chosen 9, Tolkien gave readers an unforgettable definition and description of the power of fellowship. He gave this particular set of 9 characters a mutually valued, common goal. [OK. still not necessarily mind-bending with regard to fellowship.]

But …

The 9 were remarkably different. They had vastly different lives, experiences, belief structures, and loads of differing opinions. In fact, some in the group were sworn enemies. Far from being warm and fuzzy, this group was fairly hostile toward each other. Not an easy road to travel but together, for the good of the goal, they did some great things.

In the midst the synthetic process, [er, uh, synthesizing all of this information into something that I can wrap my head around and use in more global situations] I decided that fellowship, Lord of the Rings-style, is probably a key to the success of a great many things.

The beauty of this kind of fellowship is that we can do great things together in spite of the fact that some of the group don’t like each other all that much. It means that we need to act civilly, but can be honest about what we believe. We can celebrate strengths and lift up weaknesses. It means that fellowship, while a vitally important part of religion, also transcends it.

It means that positive can come from conflict. We’ve got a lot of conflict and disagreement these days. There is a lot to gain from overcoming it – regardless of how difficult the journey may be.

I’m finding hope in that.

Hmmm … fellowship of the hopeful? No, fellowship of the positive. Hmmm … no, not quite right.

Yeh, I think there’s a story waiting to be written there!

Following up My Privacy

OK … I literally had back-to-back meetings today from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM and my brain is cooked. However I did want to post a few things that I’ve run into the the days since I posted Privacy.

I think this video is just cool. Plain and simple!

It was done by the folks at the Digital Ethnography site. They have some really interesting stories to tell! This post is one of the more interesting ones for me (as I’ve seen/been sent the video referred to in it multiple times). I’m looking forward to getting time to watch more of the videos from their YouTube project.

In other news (pun completely intended), this article popped up in a news feed I subscribe to. I thought it was very interesting!

I hope you find this stuff interesting. If not, well there’s always tomorrow!

Privacy

I am the mother of two small children and one fairly needy feline. I understand what life without privacy is like.

I no longer use the potty without at least one visitor (and, yes, “using the potty” is the current and correct terminology). Phone calls are NEVER uninterrupted. I do not shower or get dressed without someone loitering in the master bathroom and dressing area. Husband and I must email each other to talk about issues that affect Little Man because he hears and understands way too much otherwise. I don’t even blog alone most nights.

We are simply always together. We like it that way – most of the time.

At work, my office has two walls that are made of glass. Everyone can see me and I can see everyone. The space my team works in is separated from another part of the building by a glass wall. It’s a bit like a fishbowl.

But again, we’ve gotten used to it and we like it that way – most of the time.

Online, I’m less willing to relinquish my privacy. OK, I can see how you might think that an odd statement given that you are reading a blog about my life and it’s pretty much out there for everyone to see, read, make judgements about, etc.

The concept of being anonymous online is very appealing – even seductive. There are not many places anymore – online or off - where folks can ”disappear” and be completely uninhibited … free with their words and actions.  You know, sort of like Lord of the Flies without a lot of the mess.

For a period of time, I think the Internet offered that sort of underground anonymity that was a great diversion from everyday life where someone is always in your kitchen. Thing is, somewhere along the line, the Internet went a little more mainstream. When that happened a lot of the denizens of this early online underground found themselves back on the surface.

OK, this is a really simplistic view and the real denizens are still very much underground. But there really are a whole bunch of folks who really haven’t come to grips that there is ultimately no such thing as anonymity.

Don’t believe me? Check this article out … from The Charlotte Observer.

There are elements of this situation in Charlotte that stun me and elements that I have no trouble believing. I understand the action taken by the district – there’s a sort of unwritten teachers-as-role-model rule that you just can’t break and have any credibility remain. 

Truth be told? I’m actually more concerned about what this says about the common sense of those involved! I want my kids to have good role models, but surrounding them with competent adults who have and use good old fashioned common sense is equally important to me! (There’s a argument brewing about teachers having the right to live their lives … I can just feel it!) 

But again, I digress.

Even in Lord of the Flies (which, by the way, I HATED in high school), things eventually started to level out. The boys created their own hierarchy and began to restore some order to the chaos. It’s happening online as I type … and the whole thing is taking a normal path! 

For a long time, one of the cons of kids (and adults) being online is that they were being antisocial. There was this huge outpouring of concern that somehow online communities would somehow reduce our humanity. Well … looks like, once again, human nature is just too strong.

Turns out the “ambient awareness” created by our online chatter and community building is actually humanizing the whole experience. (You can check a blog about this article here.) We are – as a community – learning how to be human online! Yay for us!

I’m not going to argue that there is a lot of work left to do. Common sense is seemingly less common than it once was (although I’m not sure that’s a completely fair statement). Kids are the early adopters and have experienced some really messy social situations. They’ve worked out ways to be – much like they do in real life (which is a sort of ridiculous descriptor because the Internet and online friends are very much part of REAL life). Adults are catching up and now wondering about how to best guide students and children (hmm, sound like a familiar historical pattern?).

Terry Freedman disccussed this very thing in a recent blog post (techLEARNING). I think my absolute favorite paragraph is this one…

Is it possible to be a public person and still retain one’s privacy? Of course it is, but it takes thought and effort. I think that what we really ought to be helping youngsters understand is not how to be totally private, which we hypocritically cannot manage to do ourselves, but to work out the right (for them) balance of privacy and openness, taking into account common sense and circumstances.

This is clearly not a “kids only” issue. We all need to learn together!

Most days, I think I’ve found my balance, but I’ll always have to check my equilibrium or I’ll fall on my bum. That’s part of the beauty of the whole thing. It’s dynamic and exciting. It’s full of friends, collaboration, learning, and possibilities.

It’s just not completely private! Hmmm … kind of like real life.

Second Life

For the past week or so I’ve been muddling around in Second Life. I’m traveling “in-world” for some work research, but I’m finding that this little project is raising quite a few questions … about technology and how we use it.

A quick look at my birth certificate will tell you that I’m nowhere close to a Digital Native (not one of my more favorite terms, btw). However, I’m oodles more tech saavy than the vast majority of Digital Immigrants. So, I get that I may have a bit of a “stuffy” opinion here. The digital version of “if it’s too loud, you’re too old” … but this is my blog, so here’s my general take:

• Second Life is a lot like The Palace (circa 1995ish). It’s a giant chat room. It’s 3D (not very good 3D, imho) whereas Palace was not. But, it’s still basically a chat room.
• The innovation here is really that LIndon Labs has figured out how to monetize this … you can actually spend fake money in Second Life and exchange it for “real” money. Rather than simply opening a a server location, you pay for land. That’s pretty spiffy … and, frankly, creepy.
• I’m told 35% of the people who are in Second Life go there for sex – and that the #1 money-maker is prostitution. OK … who are these people? Seriously. That’s one I just can’t wrap my head around … that’s a lot of people.

Now … that general description leads me to this next bit.

There are a lot of folks – prominent folks in education – who are touting the possibilities of using Second LIfe. I get what they are saying. I do. It has the potential to be a very cool tool; something that grabs attention and offers up all kinds of possibilities.

However I’ve not yet heard, in any of the presenations or readings I’ve done, of anything being done in Second Life that is different than what is happening in schools. The assignment examples are essentially moving “brick and mortar” assignments in to the virtual world. That’s necessary in the virtual schools situation, but in a traditional school it’s supplemental.

Forgive me for this but, in many ways, I’m as confused by the proposed uses as I am by the people who are going into Second life for seedier pursuits. I mean … it’s fairly similar … aren’t you just takng the “real” out in exchange for the “virtual”? Same act, just virtual? Yeh, I know, creepy and a bit startling.

I think that I’d like to see “different” come to life in Second Life. If we are going to risk putting students into this worldly environment, then we’d better get a huge bang for the buck. This can’t be a situation where we allow avitars to do online presentations just because we can.

Educators need to think about life situations where an environment like Second LIfe is necessary … what tasks now in play in the global economy require understanding of and use of virtual environments? We need to design real tasks for that environment rather than migrated tasks designed so that we can use the environment. It needs to be about more than just engagement … sex sells but that doesn’t mean we should take the easy route!

I have some ideas, but I don’t have answers. I have opinions about what should not be done. Not sure what to advocate for, but fairly sure what to advocate against. It’s a tricky scene and I’m, all at once, intensely interested in and skeptical about where this path will lead!