Friday, March 15, 2013

I spent yesterday at two workshops.  The first was about creating android apps. I can now make a picture of a cat meow on my phone.  Yep, I am that talented.  I also made a magic 8 ball.  But who hasn't.  Really it was quite fun.  It would have been a lot more fun if the network had stayed up.  So, every year CUE comes to Palm Springs.  Every year the Internet fails.  Why is this?  In fairness I haven't been over to the actual convention center to test it--that will happen today.

I have been coming to CUE for 10 years.  I know because they gave me a ribbon that says so.  In 10 years I have no recollection of great Internet.  As a matter of fact I recollect some years when we weren't given access to Internet unless we were presenting.  Which is crazy at a technology conference.  But those days are behind us...

So, day one went well.  I am amazed at how many SV folks are down here.  Who actually goes to the Napa CUE conference? 

Well, let me know if you need a meowing cat for your phone...

Monday, March 11, 2013

The times grows closer for CUE.  I shouldn't be so excited, but I am.  This year I get to be the only woman on the team.  This grants me the luxury of a hotel room alone.  Oh yes.  Sweet blissful sleep (let's hope the people next door don't have a baby.)

No, really.  I know that I'm supposed to be excited about the professional development, and I am. I have a couple of workshops that will hopefully send me in a whole new direction and some others that will boost what I'm doing with regard to my colleagues and professional development for them.  Great. 

But what am I REALLY looking forward to?  Sleep.  I have a child.  Sleep is not always peaceful.  Three full nights alone.  I will probably get up at an obscene hour to work out.  Why?  Because a solid five is priceless.

So, I am pretty stoked about the android app workshop.  I am also hoping to get something good out of the Google Drive workshop.  Although I love Google, I am a bit tired of the workshops...that's another story.

Ready for some great sleep!  Along with a great chance to learn some new stuff.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Some Days You Get a Win

For those who work in schools and work with technology this will not come as a surprise, but teachers are not always the most eager to try new things.  Now, there are a variety of legitimate reasons for this: There is limited time, What they're already doing works well, They are not familiar with using technology, They don't feel that it incorporates well into their curriculum.

For those who work in schools and whose job it is to help teachers you know that it is your job (read here MY JOB) to change their minds and move them forward.  Today, was a win.  A win first period.  Nice.  I didn't have to wait for the payoff.

A fantastic teacher of English who has some great systems in place needed a way to share a lecture. Not one to miss a golden opportunity I moved her directly to Google hangouts.  Now I know that Google hangouts are designed for a bunch of people to go online and yap at each other about nothing special and have a great time.  Piffle! This is a great way to have a quick step to record and upload directly to YouTube.  I have a preference for what I call the lazy approach (and my sister calls the efficient approach.)  This goes back to my, still, romance with Google.  One stop shopping.  I like a product tView bloghat doesn't need me to complete it.  I bring the hardware to this relationship, and Google does the rest.  My teacher?  She does what she does best, lecture and explain and an unusually lively way.

Now, of course when the teacher came to me there were, as always, impediments to the actual project.  It might have happened while I was at a conference.  I had backups ready to work with us.  She got nervous.  Maybe she should use the microcassette recorder?  No.  No need.  It will all work out....really....trust me....really.....and if she uses the microcassette she'll have to redo it next year....and this will be great for the kids who need a review (I gather this is very difficult material that needs regular reviewing....)

So, this morning, trial run.  My biggest concern was that the technology, webcam, microphone, computer wouldn't perform up to par, wouldn't capture the image, wouldn't capture the sound.  THANK YOU Logitech and Google.  I have a successful test AND wonder of wonders, the lecture will take place prior to my leaving for my conference and I will have the joy of setting up the project and seeing it through to it's natural conclusion.  Win!  Tiger blood?  No, but still, in my book, a HUGE win.

Am I overly excited?  Yes.  So what.  Live in my world for a little while and you'll learn to take your wins where you can find them....

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Once more into the .....yeah.

So, I stopped blogging probably more than a year ago.  I had this professional blog and then I had a personal blog Book&Baking.  It came to pass that I was blogging more on my school site, which was ok, but I wasn't getting any work done. So blogging had to go.

I think it's time to return.  My CUE profile has this blog, no actually attached to my professional email which confuses me regularly.

So, I am back and will try to blog at least once a week.  I also plan to tweet from CUE.  That might even be interesting.

As I move forward with my school's initiatives in tech I hope to meet a number of interesting people at the CUE conference and share some ideas. 

I look forward to posting.

NOTE: I just looked at my old posts and I think we're closer to two years out....time flies.