Sam Harrelson

Sent from my iPhone Permalink | Leave a comment  » - Sam Harrelson

It was a public-friendly showcase of the rapid shift toward more digital learning opportunities in schools, an area where many adult educators are starting to accept what their students have known for years: Technology can't be suppressed, and it has the capability to change the learning experience in ways that haven't even been imagined yet. On Wednesday, a state-level Digital Learning Advisory Council released recommendations that encouraged more online collaboration and technology in Wisconsin's public schools. That's a different tone from even just a few years ago, when administrators at many districts were still confiscating cellphones from students who surreptitiously tried to use them in class. via m.jsonline.com Rather than top-down deployments of devices every few years en masse, I'd love to see schools like ours take more of a hybrid model. Of course, this means relying on differing standards of production (not everyone will have Pages or Word or Open Office depending on... - Sam Harrelson

"I'm not so sure the split is as Apple/Oranges as you think. No one is saying anything is dead, as print books will always have a place on our shelves and in our hearts (some more than others). However, my main takeaway is that we've prepared and are preparing and will continue to prepare young people to operate in a treeware world when the reality of information consumption and production is that digital is more prevalent (and just as authoritative) as print.  So, as a teacher, I think we need to be very conscious of how the notions of what makes a "book" are evolving along with society's needs (both good and bad)." - Sam Harrelson

Twitter chats are such a great way to stay connected and informed in your professional circle, and education is no exception. Through education chats, you can find out about new methods for teaching, tech resources, even jobs for teachers. Most chats are held weekly, and offer an opportunity to have a regularly scheduled conversation with like-minded educators. via edudemic.com Love the times and schedule listings for these... better than cable! Permalink | Leave a comment  » - Sam Harrelson

"Decided to switch back to Wordpress since we're experimenting with some things at school. Shareist is a mighty awesome platform that I'll certainly be using though." - Sam Harrelson

"Every artist has an audience in their head. I think you're mistaking "crowd" or "gathering" for "audience" (at least in my interpretation of those words). An audience can be one person (be it the writer's love, the writer's mother or the writer herself) or 6 billion people. What I write here (and how this site is designed and curated) is mainly written with just myself as the audience in mind, actually. I unendingly tweak because I want to impress myself. I count myself as this site's main audience. What I've noticed with my 7th grade students is that recognizing themselves as an audience is a very abstract and quite difficult hurdle to leap, especially since they are still "becoming" who they are/will be (aren't we all, I guess?). However, writing for an audience as a k-12 student, or even a university student, helps builds the types of fundamentals that translate into better mechanics, delivery, pace and artistry in my observations of youth over the last 7 years of teaching. To tip..." - Sam Harrelson

"Excellent! Will set you up tomorrow so you can post." - Sam Harrelson

"ha! Other way around, actually." - Sam Harrelson

"But you're a nerd and shouldn't make generalizations about most business owners or folks who need computing devices based on your own anecdotal experiences :)" - Sam Harrelson

"Confident that they will... http://www.apple.com/ipad/busi..." - Sam Harrelson

"Similar things were said about computers that used mice instead of keyboards for primary interactions two decades ago. The functions aren't changing as much as the inputs. You need to come see my 7th grade class operate with our iPads. The future is here :)" - Sam Harrelson

"Ha! But seriously, iTV (or whatever Apple calls it) is going to usher in the long-dreamed of age where devices and the central "entertainment unit" of most homes converge and start doing interesting things with web traffic, interactions, brands and performance reactions. We'd be well advised to pay attention to whatever happens with the current muddy water that exists between AppleTV or GoogleTV or a Roku and mobile devices.  Performance marketing is in for a major overhaul as it revamps the once brand-centric experience of TV watching in the same way that performance marketing re-did web advertising albeit in a much more accelerated manner. At least I think so!" - Sam Harrelson

"Tablets (iPads) will replace computing devices as we know them. They'll move from that mobile category into a "computer" category that we normally associate with laptops and desktops in the next 3-4 years. The big question is what to do with "Smart TV's" and "Smart Books" that are rapidly heading our way..." - Sam Harrelson

"Exactly!" - Sam Harrelson