Exposing My Inner Tech Minimalist

First off, a sincere thank you to Tony Baldasaro (@baldy7) for helping to explain so eloquently the important educational contrast of "tools and gadgets". As a school Technology Coordinator, the assumption is that I should be swimming neck-deep in instructional gadgets. But allow me a few minutes to expose my inner technology minimalist to you. I have learned through my PLN, when speaking in terms of learning, the size and health of your digital footprint is significantly more important than the size and health of your carbon footprint. Although I contend that both should be measured and monitored. Here comes the elaboration.

The Minimalist Office - In my office at school, I have an office phone and a district issued HP 3115 Netbook. There are no printers, scanners, or additional peripherals of any sort, and frankly, my life would improve without the office phone! I also have my personal iPhone and iPad with me at all times. Oh yea, I have to point out this tiny bit of detail, I have rock-solid, fast as lightning, wireless Internet connectivity in my office. I also have the ability to access the Internet in, wait for it... an unrestricted & unfiltered mode. (oohs and aahs, please) If you saw Adam Bellow's closing keynote at ISTE 2013, then you have already heard a very compelling message about the importance of "access" and "connections". Why are connections so critical to learning and creating positive change in our world? If you haven't seen this message, it is certainly worth 40 minutes of your time. You can keep your expensive, outdated textbooks, and keep your computer RAIDs too, just give me a fat pipe and a redundancy ring (street talk for lots of bandwidth and ubiquitous Internet access). With the ability to connect, I feel our drive and ability to learn practically anything will be completely supported.
The Minimalist Summer - Our district is going 1:1 with iPads. The merits of this device as the "ultimate learning tool" can be discussed and debated until the cows come home (usually late afternoon). Putting that aside for now, all of our teachers and administrators recently received iPads, and all 14,000 of our students will be getting iPads within the next thirteen months. My inner tech minimalist wants to know - Is this the only device we will need for our learning? My action research project is based along the BYOD premise that my iPad, along with my iPhone, are the only pieces of connected technology that I will need and use this entire summer break. Impossible, you say?!? When you consider that 90% of my iDevice usage consists of GoogleApps (Search, Gmail, Drive, G+, Blogger, YouTube, Sites, etc.), Twitter, iBooks, and Schoology, and the remaining 10% is gaming, digital photography / video, it's plain to see that we are not talking about a dramatic shift in practice. Is the iPad a computer? Heck no, but it is a slick, sexy, connecting tool that creates seemingly endless opportunities for anytime / anywhere learning. The magic is in the ability for learners to connect. Minimize the tech, maximize the connecting. Also, a bit more truth here, I am using a bluetooth keyboard and a bluetooth headset to add functionality to my tablet. My battered, old fingers on a touch screen - seriously?!?

Half way through summer, and I am pleased to report that the experiment is going fairly well. My iPad is the only device that I took to the ISTE-2013 conference, and it will be the only device that I will bring on our family vacations. It is the only device I am using at home. Other than district specific programs, it is the only device I am using at work. Sure, there are occasional challenges, like when Google stuff does not play well in iOS, or when I need to save or move an unrecognized media file, but I find "work-arounds", and I find apps to help plug the gaps (Notability, Explain Everything, Prezi, Ever Note). On the rare occasions that I don't have a wi-fi signal, I turn things over to my provider's 4G network. Yes, I am connected 24-7-365, and it feels great! And a bonus, I have also been able to eliminate my use of paper almost entirely.

Can a single device, such as a tablet, support productivity, creativity, and learning? Yes, it can. With some planning, patience, and perseverance. Oh yes (forehead slap), and a bullet-proof wireless network!

What Teachers Can Learn From Effective Coaches

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"Play is the highest form of research." - Albert Einstein “Play is the work of the child.” – Maria Montessori In our recently remodeled school media center, we have a space dedicated to active engagement in fun learning activities. Part maker space, part literacy lounge, board games are being incorporated to promote a culture of joyful learning. Whether it's a game of Rummy , Yahtzee , or Scrabble , family game night serves as a communication elixir and solidifies our domestic climate of togetherness. Shouldn't similar opportunities for interaction, challenge, and fun exist somewhere in our schools? Broken families, cultural fragmentation, and poverty are impacting opportunities for children to play. As we unpacked and tagged our new media center games, I was more disappointed than shocked by the number of students who had never played Monopoly , Boggle , or Sorry . One skeptical teacher commented, "Oh great, now we're letting students pl

Self-Directed vs. Self-Determined Learning; What's the Difference?

"We need to move beyond the idea that an education is something that is provided for us, and toward the idea that an education is something that we create for ourselves." - Stephen Downes In this age of abundance of information, shifting classroom pedagogy isn't nearly enough to make learning in school more relevant and authentic for the learner. Self-directed learning ( andragogy ), and self-determined learning ( heutagogy ) are the ideals necessary in making students " future ready " to live and learn in a web-connected world. While original research applied these concepts to mature learners, it has become apparent that even young children have an abundant capacity for recognizing and directing their learning. Anyone who has observed toddlers learning how to walk and talk understand the motivation and skill development that quickly develops during these processes. Considered by some to be on a learning continuum, self-directed learning, and self-determined

Nocking the Arrow

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