NECC09 – My Experience

I recently went to Washington D. C. to attend the International Society for Techonology in Education’s big annual conference call NECC09. I was lucky because my friend Dean had an extra bed in D. C.’s Chinatown and my wife had lots of points on her credit card so I could get a free plane ticket.  My employer is even going to pay for meals and luggage fees (LUGGAGE FEES???Delta sucks).  I had never been to our nation’s capitol so the trip was a total blast.  I even made an animoto and embedded it below.

more about “animoto – My experience at NECC09“, posted with vodpod

Three of my friends, Bron Stuckey, Dean Groom, and Fil Santiago were crazy enough to attend a baseball game with me in Baltimore, forty miles to the North.  I don’t think we would have made it were it not for Fil Santiago’s train catching ability.  It started out to be what seemed like was going to be a very sucky trip.  I had never been on a subway and now I understand what it means to be packed in like sardines.  Our train ride was during the rush hour and we were very uncertain about how we would make the return trip to D. C.  We made it to the game about three innings in and the Red Sox were whooping arse.  It was 10 – 1 in the seventh inning when the rain started.  We had to wait about an hour for the rain to stop…luckily…We did not leave as many very unlucky Baltimore fans did!

Dean, Jeff, Bron, and Fil at Camden Field

The Orioles commenced to put a shellacking on the Red Sox in the final three innings making the largest comeback in their franchises history.  We had to catch a cab back to Washington D. C. which only cost about 20 dollars for each of us.  I sat in the front with a Nigerian driver named Sandy.  I enjoyed our conversation as I think my three friends enjoyed theirs in the back seat.  A New Yorker and Two Australians conversing and laughing from the back seat is what I heard as I discussed what brought a Nigerian all the way to Baltimore with the cab driver.  I think the two Aussies really enjoyed what was their first Major League Baseball game.  We finished the evening joking and laughing over a few drinks and a snack back in Washington D. C.  My friends made what could have been a complete disaster into a very memorable event for me…So thanks to Fil, Bron, and Dean…oh yeah…and Sandy.

On a personal note, I published my first six word memoir at Smith’s Magazine.  That sounds pretty important unless you considered anyone and their dog can publish a six word memoir there.  You can see my six word memoir below…My son is relieving himself after a long hike up to a glacier…My six words…”No toilets glacier will naturally flush”.

No toilets glacier will naturally flush

PING.fm, Plurk, and My PLN

I have been using an application called Ping.fm for about a year but just began to realize some great ways to utilize it a little more effectively to improve communication with my PLN.  Last summer I became very involved with a microblogging tool called Plurk.  I developed what I consider a fine network of teachers in that application but it seemed to be competing with my twitter network.  When school started last fall, I quit plurking as often and relied more on my twitter network to communicate with my PLN.  Plurk is like twitter but runs a little differently in that each conversation has its own box so you don’t have to sift through several conversations to understand what is being said.  I believe the same thing can be done with tweetdeck but then I would be missing out on the tremendous information possessed by the teachers I have come to know on Plurk.

I found ping last fall but only recently realized that I could utilize my phone to send a message to a variety of different networking applications including among others: Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, Posterous, WordPress, Tumblr, and Flickr.  I love to be able to document the things I am doing and share them with people.  I am still uncertain about how many of these applications are going to make me a better teacher (anyone have any suggestions…please comment), but I think twenty-first century learning skills are mostly about communication…and Ping.fm allows me to communicate with pictures, video, images, and words across whichever of my networks I choose.  I have begun using these tools to communicate with students, parents, and other teachers in my practice and I believe they will use similar tools to communicate with me…hopefully…fingers crossed.  They are already using web2.0 tools in their personal lives…Why not in school too?

On a personal note, I believe I am reaching a milestone as a parent.  One of my two children is starting middle school in the Fall.  I am thankful for my experience in dealing with 12 – 15 year olds but sometimes trying to understand their thought process can be a bit difficult.  I recently began reading a book called “Yes, Your Teen is Crazy”.  The author, Dr. Mike Bradley, recommends viewing your teen as an infant when having conversations with him.  It may improve your patience.  I have tried that with some success…and also…giving him a kiss on his cheek whenever possible seems to work.

Edin gettin a kiss on the cheek by Dad

A letter to delta/nwa

I sent the following note to the delta web site to get some answers to questions that no person I have talked with who works for delta seems to be able to answer…

Dear Sir or Madam,

I missed a connection from Minneapolis, MN to Great Falls, MT.  My flight #nw1823 was late from Washington DC.  I ran across the airport to make the connection.  I ran up to the gate at exactly 9:45pm which was that flight’s scheduled departure time and the plane was just pulling away from the door.

Isn’t there a way for the customer service representatives to let someone know that there is a guy coming to make a connection, possibly a quick phone call from one gate to the other. Also, I am not sure why you did not pay for my hotel room because the weather in Washington seemed fine.  Are there other reasons that you do pay for people’s hotel rooms?  If so, what are they?  And finally,why don’t you have staff meetings?  Your customer service representatives are having a hard time with the things you are making them do  they feel like their opinions have no impact on day to day operations, whatsoever, every one of them I asked anyway.

Sincerely,

Henny Zimer

Days 10,11,12 – Meetin the Jokaydians

I envy people who can spit out quality blog posts in a matter of minutes like a guy I met at NECC09 named teachpaperless.  Anyhow, our final days in Australia were spent in Sydney with several people who I have come to regard as very close friends even though this was the first time I met them face to face.

Jokaydians on a boat to Manly

I wanted to put some thought into this post so that is the reason I have waited this long to write it.  Second Life has changed numerous things about my life both professionally and personally.  When I tell people I have met a variety of friends and colleagues on an island called Jokaydia in Second Life they usually cringe unless I add that I met them while working on my masters degree (which is somewhat of a half truth).  I really met them (My Jokaydian Friends) when I was exploring, playing, and discovering a new way to learn and trying to avoid doing my masters work.  I learned far more from discussions with these people than I learned from all the professional development I have completed in my 15 years as an educator, including my masters work.  Personal Learning Networks are the most powerful learning tool in the world and I am very lucky to be able to call Jokaydia a very large part of mine.  My experience in Sydney, similar to my experience at NECC09, was affirmation that the friends and colleagues I have met, collaborated with, and learned from in on-line environments are as real and meaningful as, or perhaps even more real and meaningful than many I have made in F2F environments.  Thank you ALL for teaching me SO MUCH! Click the thank you for a Jokaydian slideshow!

On a personal note, my ears have finally nearly completed healed from a young man successfully proving to me that my ears are no where near as tough and strong as I had once believed.

Ashton yankin on my ears while jokaydians look on

Days 7, 8, 9 – The Long Drive Down the Coast

Darren's Big rig

After Fraser Island we began our long journey down the eastern coast of Australia.  We had several excursions along the way including a terrific trip inland into the green mountains via driver Darren Wallace, a retired executive turned entreprenuer who really knew how to spread jam and cream onto a scone.  If you ever go to Surfer’s Paradise, I would highly recommend his services as we were able to see parts of Australia that most don’t get to see.  He drove us through some switchbacks that made me really miss my bicycle and were reminexcent of roads of ridden on in Southern Montana.

My kids and friends Mariohn and Krista, Dancing on the top of the Green Mountains

Also along the way we held a koala, pet a kangaroo, looked for whales, visited a lighthouse, walked under a shark, and ate a very large hamburger.  The whole while, I was eager with anticipation to meet several of my new on-line Australian friends whom I have come to know as Jokaydians on the drive down the coast.  I was curious if we would hit it off as well as Dean’s family and mine did on Fraser Island.  I will write more about that in my next post…So if this stuff is interesting to you…Stay Tuned!

Day 6 – Finally getta meet Dean and his Family

Henny Zimer

It was just over a year ago that Slammed Aabye (Dean Groom) friended Henny Zimer (me) immediately upon their introduction by Jokay Wollongong on the great island of Jokaydia.  I believe our relationship has come full circle in what seems to have been a very short year.  In that year, we have had some of the most terrific conversations in a variety of places…including skype, twitter, second life, our blogs, gtalk, and even playing world of warcraft.  Our conversations have included everything you could imagine two teachers/fathers/geeks/gamers could talk about who are 1000s of miles from one another.

Sue and Joanie

The value I have for our friendship has greatly increased over the past couple of days as places we have had terrific conversation now include Lake Mckenzie, Eli Creek,  some shipwreck I cannot remember the name of, and Kingfisher Bay Resort.  I have also had the privilege of meeting Dean’s wonderful family and watch our kids build sand castles, chase fish, and collect shells with each other.  Our wives also had the opportunity to compare notes about a variety of character defects Dean and I seem to share.

dean's pocket stuff

I was not exactly sure what I would find when I met Dean.  Because the amount of knowledge he possessed was so great, in my own mind, I built him into something he is not.  I thought he would be some kind of a guru or something.  Thank God that is not the case.  He is just a man, like me, working his hardest to be a good father, husband, friend and teacher.  I am happy for technology…more than anything…because it has allowed me to meet Dean and his family.

On a personal note, I celebrated my eighteenth wedding anniversary on this day as well…I am the luckiest man in the world to be married to my wife, Joanie…She is my best friend.

Day 5 – Sunshine Coast…Nigel nearly starts on fire…

Adam Dancing on the Sunshine Coast

We arrived late yesterday so we could not really see where we were until we awoke on this day.  We were staying at a resort called the twin waters novotel and man was it ever fancy.  I think the only reason our tour could afford staying there was because it is currently the off season.  Our room was on a beautiful lake with a variety of noisemaking birds acting as our alarm clocks.  I was able to enjoy my morning coffee watching the sun come up on the sunshine coast of Australia.  I then was able to go for a very slow run up the beach from our resort.  It may have been one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.  There was no nasty sea weed and I a small town called called Mooloolaba decorated this beaches South end.

Edin with babes on a boat

When I arrived back at the hotel I let my family know how beautiful the beach was and we had to rush over there to get a little over an hour of beach time in before we took the bus ride up to Hervey Bay.  My kids enjoy playing in the surf and we had our first experience with an Australian lifeguard named chris who used his large microphone to call my two boys out of rip current and place them properly in front of the flags where people are supposed to swim.  the ocean and beaches are the coolest places to my kids as we do no have them in Montana.   We spent most of the afternoon on a bus (Thank God Nigel didn’t start on fire) to Hervey bay where we caught a catamaran to Fraser Island where we would first meet my friend Dean and his family…Face to Face for the very first time.

Day 4 – Jas

I met a man named Jas in Auckland.  He was extraordinarily friendly and we had some great conversation. He has his masters in Information Technologies and works the grave yard shift at the Esquire Coffee Shop in down town Auckland.  I found him when I was seeking out a cafe that possessed free wifi service.  We had the most interesting discussion with regards to education.  It is so satisfying to me to find others who possess the same types of beliefs I do with regards to education.  He has traveled extensively and has experiences that I could only imagine having and seem to have molded him into the kind person he seemed to me to be.  He talked about how much he loves to learn new things and meet new people and that very often people were not as friendly to him as I was being.  He spoke four different languages and hopes to someday help New Zealand with their country’s wireless infrastructure.  He seemed like just the man to do it as his expertise was in Networking.

He was educated and raised in the United Kingdom and he earned his masters degree from Preston.  I truly wish that some of the students I have had this man’s passion for learning.  He believed that the best teachers are also learners who write about their experiences often.  I tend to agree with him as it seems that my blog has had the effect of improving my experiences and their meaningfulness to my life.  He told me he loves to do random acts of kindness to people who are kind to him, so stop in and say hello to him.  I hope to meet him again someday in real life, but in the mean time…Facebook will have to be enough.

Day 3 – Aussie/NZ Adventure

On day 3 of our adventure, we went to Agropark and Agroventures, where we learned about skydiving and sheepshagging.  My kids ate up the skydiving activity where a very big fan kept them airborne for about three minutes a piece…It also made their ears flap as you can see from the pictures.  A sheepshagger sprayed milk on me from a big ugly cow and showed us how to get wool off of a sheep.  He also showed us his incredibly well-trained dogs.  It made me miss Buster (our dog).  I think if Buster had someone to train him he could do the same types as things as the sheep dogs we saw.  He is a very smart dog.

Still, the things that are leaving the biggest impressions I am having with members of a different culture and place than me. This includes the time I spent in Tewhakare warewatanga oteopetaua awahio discussing spirituality, friendship, and family with a couple of Maori natives.  Powhiri and Jacob…AND the time I spent in an Auckland Coffee shop discussing education with an Indian man raised in Britain who has a masters in IT…

Powhiri – Day 2

Powhiri is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. She lives in a Maori village in the middle of “Yellowstone like” geothermal activity. She was our guide through her village where they utilize that geothermal activity to complete a variety of every day tasks. In front of her church, she said one of the sweetest things I have ever heard…that her people believed in one supreme God that does not live inside a church, but inside each and every one of us. A laid back attitude about religion and spirituality is something that I truly appreciate.

In her village, there is a tattoo parlor, where she explained that it is customary for the Maori to tattoo symbols representing their family tree on their bodies. Her husband is the tattoo artist in te whakarewarewatangaoteopetauaawahio, the village we toured. After the tour concluded, I asked her if she had any tattoos and she showed me all of them (I think:))…Each of them had very special meaning which she explained in great detail. She has given birth to seven children, her last two, she explained, were gifted to two of her siblings who have been unable to bear children, a custom common among her people. Talk about a gift…WOW!!!

I wish I could have stayed and talked with Powhiri forever. She is one of those people that kindness, generosity, and serenity overflow from (a little bit like my wife). She even made me want to tattoo something on my body that represented my family…but there were 37 pissed off Floridian/Montanan tourists waiting for me on the bus…and a beautiful wife who had to explain to several people that she was not her husband’s keeper…