Computers Built into Desk Tops

I wonder how long it's going to be before many classrooms across the world have computers built into their students' desks. Watch this video. Students won't have to remember to bring their pen and paper to class.

Posting Comments

I've been shocked by the reaction that my post on AlphaSmart has gotten, particularly on the AlphaSmart listserv. Since I did not publish comments immediately after they came in people have accused me of intentionally deleting the comments so that the voices of people who disagree with me would not be heard.

I'm curious as to what is the rule of etiquette regarding speed in posting comments?

By the way,just one more question for people who write provocative comments anonymously: Why not share your name?

Taking a Page from Google Earth

The Utility Belt blog has excerpted a piece of Google's announcement on the Google Earth upgrade:

* Two states known for their majestic peaks have gotten an upgrade.
* I can now see where my favorite maple syrup is made.
* Certain Florida beaches (and 1 mountain) are looking much improved.
* Try counting the warthogs in the Boneyard.
* Peek inside the home of the Brew Crew.
* You can read the Skin's logo painted on their field.
* An historic state capitol building is now in high res.
* This city was named after the Native American name of a nearby mountain,
"Tacobet."
* A "far away" city that played a key role in trans-Saharan trade can now be seen
close up.
* The town where Jane Austen spent her final years is much clearer.
* The topic of Vincent van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night is now bright as day.
* Take a look at "la ville noir," where Cointreau was invented.
* Only a third of this country's land is arable, but you can now view the entire
country in high res.
* From 1880 to 1884 this German city was home to the world's tallest building.
* Rockets may be used to disrupt rain clouds over this city next summer.
* This country received an impressive terrain update, you might call it Lord of
the Terrain.

Does anyone notice anything interesting? Google doesn't provide the answers, but it sure tries to make us look for the answers. The only way to do this is to turn to Google Earth.

As teachers, maybe we shouldn't give the students answers. But instead, incite them to try and find the answers on their own.

Alpha Smart

Has anyone ever used an AlphaSmart or asked their students to use AlphaSmart. Apparently, the AlphaSmart produced by Renaissance Learning sells for between $200 and $400, depending on whether you purchase an Internet compatible unit or not. Considering inexpensive laptops may soon be available for $150 I can only wonder why people would purchase these units? Renaissance Learning's website is currently down.

Can anyone think of a reason why educators would prefer word processing units that don't connect to the Internet? (Interestingly, I've been told that if a classroom purchases a 30 unit set the teacher gets a device that allows her to send assignments and receive completed work from students.)

Is there a conspiracy to keep students from accessing information beyond the classroom doors?

I first learned of the AlphaSmart through this Flickr discussion group.

Check this out!!

Go ahead and draw something. Let's see if this works.

21 Classes Blog

Thanks to Konrad Glogowski I just came across this wonderful blogging tool entitled 21 Classes. His post on this communal blogging mechanism is well worth the read. This blogging interface allows students to develop the look of their own personal blogs, connected to a larger classroom portal. Glogowski writes:

I want my students to be able to say “This is where I write about things that I am interested in,” not “This is my school blog.” In other words, perhaps it’s time to liberate my students from the mindset of uniformity imposed upon me by the school and, instead of telling them to come to an online place that I have chosen, ask them to give me addresses of their own electronic spaces. Instead of saying, “Bookmark this URL, this is where all our blogs are going to be,” I could say, “Give me all your URLs - flickr, facebook, myspace, blogger - wherever you are - so that I can put them into one OPML file for all of us to share.”

He recognizes the difficulties that many schools would have in allowing teachers to take this approach. But I wonder, have we reached a time when technological savvy educators should be bucking the trend even if it's through a back door? When schools tell us that our students should not be using Flickr or MySpace should we suggest our students consider doing it on their own?

Power's Out

So, as you've probably heard the lights went out in much of San Francisco today. Actually, power went off at several large dot-coms as well. Linden Labs, Technorati, and Craig's List were among those companies hit.

What can we learn about the nature of technology from power outages?
What can we learn about the nature of people from power outages?
Imagine a conversation between a bug and a person in which the bug was trying to teach the person something that can be learned from a power outage. How might the conversation go?

Web 2.0 Major Companies 2006

In June 2006, Michael Arrington interviewed thirteen CEOs to find out their take on Web 2.0. The companies included: Socialzr, Excite, Jotspot, Browster, Wink, Technorati, Rapleaf, Rojo, Bolt, Piczo, Video Egg, Simply Hired, adn Eurekester. (The conversation considered the economic stability of Web 2.0)

Obviously some of these companies included remain prominent. But, I haven't even heard of some of them.

I just spoke with Robert Scoble who regularly speaks with Michael Arrington. He's going to try and ask him what corporations he would pick for the video if he remade it today.

What companies would you nominate as the elite of Web 2.0?

Baking Technology

Just consider the meaning of this picture for educational purposes? If Martha can bake a cake of a Wii why couldn't we have students who aren't otherwise interested in technology bake something that prompts them to learn about technology in the process? Why couldn't a geography teacher ask students to bake a cake of a map? Just because we have advanced computer technology does not mean that we have to use it.

On a different note, I'm a little confused: Engadget posted the picture with a reference to Joystiq. But nowhere could I find the referenced story on Wired's site. Maybe I just lack web literacy skills?

What's Up With Google, If Anything?

Yesterday Google's stock price dropped more than seven percent after the close of the market. Today TechCrunch is running an article explaining that the German government is funding a competitor of Google, Theseus, that seeks to develop a search capacity for the future.

What's up with Google? Is Google going anywhere?

Are technology companies here for the long haul or will they be replaced by new upstarts at the new upstarts develop the most advanced widgets?

I've got some faith in Google but I'm not sure.

The Internet Crashes

Vicki Davis has posted a very interesting video about the Internet crash of 2007. You've heard about it, right?

Discussion-Starters:
1. If the Internet was to disappear tomorrow and another one could not be rebuilt what would governments do to keep the economy moving?
2. What would have to happen to actually bring the Internet down?
3. If the World Wide Web all of the sudden disappeared what would happen to the value of Google? (Think Google Cache)
4. What value has the Internet added to the world?
5. What are some of the negative consequences of the Internet?


Just some thoughts. I'd love to see more!!

Changes Afoot in Gaming

As you might have heard, XBox chief Peter Moore resigned.

A few questions about gaming:
1. What are the characteristics of an ideal game?
2. What's more important being able to physically move as you control the game, as in the Wii, or graphics, as in nearly everything else?
3. In a decade, after virtual reality, or augmented reality games become popular will anybody still want to play the games that are popular today? Why/why not?
4. What will video games look like in 100 years?

What is the Future of Distance Learning?

I've been working on an article that I'm writing for T.H.E. Journal. The article's theme is the future of distance learning. There seems to be some tension between synchronous learning and asynchronous learning. I'm wondering how you think about the relationship between these two types of learning? What is the best example of blended learning that you can think of?

Consider asking students how they think that people will learn in the future. Will they read books? What will books look like? Will they write papers? Why might somebody write a paper even when so much can be voice recorded?

Tailgate

This is very cool. Tailgate Advertising, owned by Fhlame, LLC. has developed an online advertisement that allows consumers to make purchases directly from the ad, instead of clicking through to another site. When I saw it, I said, "Wow! This is awesome." My prediction is it could be owned by Google shortly.

Questions to Consider:
1. Why might a banner ad that allows somebody to purchase a product from the banner itself be more profitable than an ad that requires a consumer to click through?
2. Is this style advertisement the wave of the near future? Why/why not? If it is the wave of the near future what will online advertising look like in twenty years?
3. Why might Tailgate have chosen to work through existing advertising networks instead of developing its own network?

My Mom Lied to Me

When I was a child, growing up outside of Chicago, my mother told me that if I dug through the center of the Earth I'd end up in China. Only today did I discover that she was wrong. In reality, according to Google Maps, I'd end up in the Indian Ocean. Google Maps has officially launced Mapplets today. (Thank you Michael Arrington.) Take a look at the Mapplets Content Directory. I should probably still thank my mother, because I'm not my childhood fantasies would have been as easy to develop or as innovative if I had thought I would come out in an empty ocean.

Questions to Discuss:
1. What's the point of a map?
2. If you could put any information on a map what would you put on it? (Actually, using Google's Developer Tools people can put just about any information they want, on a map.)
3. Does this new Mapplets tool actually make it easier to learn about the geography of the world? Why/why not? What would most help people learn about geography?

What's a Venture Capitalist

Most people who read technology news are well aware of the role that venture capitalists play. But how many of our students have even heard the term? Imagine asking students to play the role of VCs.

What characteristics would they look for in a company?
What characteristics would immediately turn them off of a company?
Why would somebody choose to invest as a VC instead of through more structured routes?

Consider asking students to play the role of entrepreneurs with start up companies.

What would they do to try and convince VCs to invest with their company?

How Come It's Free?

This morning I excitedly told my mother that I would soon be getting Live TV that's interactive on my computer. I said, "It's free." She asked, "how come it's free?" (Before I get to the questions consider taking a look at LiveStation for yourself. If you sign up for Beta mention my name.)

Questions for Discussion:
1. What's the business plan of companies like Live Station? (Would anybody pay for these services if they charged?
2. Can advertising alone make enough profit for Live Station? (Can advertising alone make enough profit for companies like Flickr?) What's the difference between advertising on LiveStation and advertising on Flickr?
3. What will people pay for in the future? What will be free in the future?

Can the Good Times Continue for Nintendo?

Brought to you from TechTitans:

TechiTitans is running an article entitled, "Wii and Nintendo are Hot Buys, But Can the Good Times Continue?" The article states:
“I don’t think [Nintendo] is going to double from here, at least for the time being, but this year is going to be quite good,” said Hiroshi Kamide, an industry analyst with KBC Securities. Mr. Kamide has a “buy” rating on the company, which means he expects it to outperform the stock market over the next year. He recently raised his 12-month price target to 52,500 yen. KBC Securities doesn’t have any investment-banking relationship with Nintendo.

Questions for Discussion:
1. What is stock?
2. If you could own a part of a toy company, what company would you want to own? Why?
3. Do you think that the Wii is going to continue to be a popular game system through the end of the summer? Why/why not? What about through the end of 2007? Why/why not? What about through the end of 2011? Why/why not?
4. If you could predict the type of video game that will be popular in 2011 what kind of game will it be? Why do you think this?
5. How does the Wii's popularity contribute to the value of Nintendo?

MyLifeBrand

So yesterday I had the opportunity to chat with Danny Scalisi, Executive Vice President of MyLifeBrand.com. At the beginning of the conversation he told me that he liked thinking about Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. I asked him what he meant by Web 3.0 and he said he wasn’t sure. What will the future of the Internet look like?

Well, towards the end of our conversation, I had an idea of what the future web might look like. It might look like a MyLifeBrand.com on steroids. MyLifeBrand allows users to aggregate each of the social networking communities to which they belong into a single personal profile page. This network also allows users to post vodcasts and podcasts. But wait, rather than keeping all of the money earned from advertising, as YouTube does, MyLifeBrand’s business plan calls for revenue sharing with the creators of videos. If this catches on why wouldn’t everybody want to generate advertising revenue from the work that they produce? Users can also generate revenue by referring others to join.

MyLifeBrand hopes to serve as a web portal for people of all ages. It does this by allowing individuals to belong to the social network sites of their choice. A mid-life executive would likely belong to different social network sites than college students, but as the college students grow and mature they can change their affiliations.

MyLifeBrand is in its infancy. I’d never even heard of an alpha stage before. But this social network site is not yet at Beta. They are working on developing their Beta team . After raising a half million dollars, they are also working on a VC round. Through my conversation with Danny, I recognized that the company is not only looking to obtain financing. They are also looking to obtain ideas. When I asked Danny if there was any way for me to participate in the company’s growth, he said, “Sure.” “Find a void that we currently have and tell us about it.”

Though it might be there, I could not find a web-wide search function on MyLifeBrand. My thought is that if MyLifeBrand could provide users with everything that they need/want at one site they might become the first Web 3.0 company. I’m not saying that they need to provide everything themselves. Instead, the first web 3.0 company might provide users with a single screen interface through which they can conduct all of their Internet communication.

Questions to Consider:
1.What do you think, would a single interface be valuable? Why/why not?
2.When I asked Danny what question he would ask, he responded, “What is your life brand?”
3.What do you think Web 3.0 will look like?

Apple vs. Universal

According to the New York Times,"The Universal Music Group of Vivendi, the world's biggest music corporation, last week notified Apple that it will not renew its annual contract to sell music through iTunes..." Universal is unhappy about selling popular songs at the itunes' rate of $.99. But, as one commentator wrote (source unknown) isn't it better to sell a song for $.99. than to simply allow hackers to copy the song for free?

Questions for Discussion:
1. How much is a song worth? Explain how/why different songs might be worth different amounts of money.
2. What's the definition of a monopoly? Is it possible that Apple is developing a monopoly as it sells both the ipod and music from itunes? I believe that itunes is incompatible with other MP3 players.
3. In what ways could an understanding of the online business industry help promote financial wealth?

VideoCounter.com

VideoCounter.com allows producers of videos to track the number of times that there video is watched. The site tracks YouTube, ClipFish, MySpace and more. Since I just registered for the site, I guess it's open to everybody.

Questions for Discussion:
1. Why might somebody want to know how many times their video is previewed?
2. How might this knowledge contribute to a producer's financial income?
3. What's the difference between previewing a video online and downloading a video?
4. Why would somebody want to download a video instead of simply previewing it online?
5. Would advertisers prefer to have one person view a video about it's product after it's been downloaded or one person preview the same video on line? What's worth more? Why?

Thanks to TechCrunch for pointing me to this site.

LinkedIn

Last week I received an invitation to join Linkedin. Though I'd heard of this networking site, I was not at all familiar with it. The site's function is to enable people to meet one another through mutually known connections. If it's true that everybody is separated by only six degrees, than here's a way to get to know everybody.

Questions to Discuss:
1. Why would people want to meet other people? (Students might develop different categories to explain why people might want to meet others.)
2. What's the difference between LinkedIn and other sites like FaceBook or MySpace?
3. If you were the developers of LinkedIn what one or two Web 2.0 widgets would you want to add to LinkedIn? Why would you want to add these specific widgets?