At the schools!

I must say that I am feeling a bit deflated today. I am at one of the Middle Schools this morning, and I am working with a teacher and his 8th grade class. I spent countless hours last night setting up a ning account, because of it's ease of use and it's ability to relate to the middle school population-- however, guess what?

My ning is blocked! I feel sad...when are things going to change in our system? When are we going to make their world -- (The world of social networking, booking etc)-- ours?

Just thinking out loud? Is anyone reading this? And do you have an opinon about social networking sites in education-- I would love to hear from you!

Apple's I-movie 8

Well, we had training today on the new I-movie 8. At first, as usual I complained about it, but after the training, I guess I can see where Apple was thinking, and where they were going. The "new" I-movie is sure to be liked by the windows user. It is quite user friendly and renders much more quickly than 6. However, if you are a seasoned Apple user and have plug ins from gee three, you may not be that happy with the new version. It is limiting in what it can do, and may be confusing to the advanced user-- Bottom line, this product caters to the novice user, who will probably love love love it. The advanced user has to ask why!

Leadership and Technology

I am writing this blog entry for several reasons, some personal, and some just because I am committed to making a post a week. It is my hope that I become a technology resource.

In our team meeting yesterday we received a book title: "You don't need a title to be a Leader." by Mark Sanborn. Unfortunately, I had way to much time on the R train, but fortunately I had this book. At first I didn't know what to expect. However, as it turns out the book has really taught me some valuable lessons about leadership. I have been personally struggling with the idea of "having a title", and after reading this book, I now understand that it's the little things we do and the lives that we touch daily--and I can say, as an instructional technologist I think I have made that difference, but I was never aware of it.

So, this entry serves as my personal refection and commitment. I am committed to having a good year, I am committed to helping others learn about how to infuse technology into the curriculum. I am committed to working passionately because I believe I can continue to make a difference in the lives of both students and teachers!

I just want to thank Troy for providing us with this book, and allowing me to have this personal insight. If any other Instructional Technology Specialists are reading this blog, and have read the book-- tell me-- are you inspired too?

Where in the world is Maria?

Another awesome tool!! With this interactive map you can mark everywhere you have been, lived and where you want to go-- imagine the possibilities!

Get Your Own Map

View Larger Map

Video editing!

Wow! As an educational technologist, I am very excited about yet another web 2.0 tool, called Vidipedia http://www.vidipedia.org.

With Vidipedia you can upload your own video and anyone can edit it-- what a cool awesome tool!!

It's collaboration at its best!