It’s been a long while since I’ve written, let alone published a blog post. But I’m here today to ask something of all you loyal readers – will you vote for my SXSW 2010 presentation proposal? But I want you to first go to the SXSW PanelPicker, and check out some of the other panels. They’re really cool. Here’s a little video to give you an idea of what I’ll be talking about:

Socrates, Dude: Social Media and Philosophy

Where does the Internet come from? What about “social media”? I show how modern social technologies originate in the Ancient philosophies of Socrates, Plato, and Aristophanes. By looking at specific texts, the clouds in the sky, and the Internet, I will draw connections between the ancient and the modern. I’m dealing with the intersection of philosophy and technology, the old and the new.

Here are the 10 Questions:

What is conversation, in both digital and analog contexts and how can we use new technologies while respecting ancient technologies?
What does Socrates teach us about conversation in the modern age?
What is Socrates’ idea of “self-image” in relation to the Internet?
How can we use decentralized communication systems to enhance our own lives?
How can one use history and philosophy to understand and create new social technologies?
What does the Internet teach us about conversation?
What is a, or the cloud?
What is Social Media?
What is the Internet?
What is philosophy?

Anyways, I’d love your vote. I had an amazing time at SXSW last year, and it would be great to go back and lead a presentation of my own. And, more posts will be coming _soon_. Been busy, even this summer.

kl.

My SXSW Badge

On Tuesday, I got back from Austin, Texas. I was speaking at SXSW Interactive 2009. It was my first time at South-By, and I can say right now that I am going next year – no matter what. My presentation was great (thank you, Alex, for offering me this great opportunity!) – read on for more about my presentation. I met so many incredible people, including Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Rose, and danah boyd. Being under 21 at SXSW was tough, since so many after-parties were at 21+ venues, but it worked out. SXSW was overwhelming, especially going for the first time. Basically, it doesn’t stop. Day, night, morning, evening – you name it. There is always something going on at SXSW. Just check my Twitter stream. I reconnected with some “old” friends from the Boston Social Media scene, like Steve Garfield, Clarence Smith, and Chris Brogan. The Bigg Digg Schindigg was amazing – I finally saw a live Diggnation! Check my Flickr for pictures. I’ll be uploading many more in the coming days. The panels I saw were amazing. Gary Vaynerchuk was the most inspirational speaker I saw, up there with the “SHIFT Happens” people and the Web and Feminism panel. I made a PDF of all the tweets I tweeted during SXSW. Download it. Most recent at the top.

SHIFT Happens: Benefits of Visual Thinking

My Presentation

As you all _should_ know, I was on a panel about the future of technology in education, called Blackboards or Backchannels: The Techno-Induced Classroom of Tomorrow. Alex Leavitt Moderated, and I spoke along with Archana Ramachandran, Kelly Sutton, and Diana Kimball. Someone liveblogged our panel, check it out! I spoke of my EduTech project and my feelings about, at least in small class settings, the use of off-hours technology only. For example, in small seminar classes, I see laptops as walls and severe distractions. They might be employed to “enhance” communication, but instead, they replace human-human interaction with superficial and removed conversation. Technology cannot replace or fix bad teaching – I was surprised to see some teachers react negatively to that statement, for surely I thought that they would all be in favor of quality teaching, too. I was also surprised to find out that predominately older K-12 teachers and university professors saw my own (and the groups) views as conservative. I never thought about it that way. The educators in the room appeared to want validation from us students. They wanted us to approve the unbridled use of technology in their classrooms. Not to say that risk-taking and experimentation are bad, because they are very crucial to the learning process, but the successful use of technology in classrooms need to be thoughtfully planned out. Technology cannot be there just to be there. One needs a goal. A teacher should be able to answer the question, “Why are you using technology in your classroom?” A teacher does not, or should not, just assign an essay or exam. Just to let you know, my philosophy of technology and education only applies to small class settings. I have yet to seriously consider the implications of technology in large classrooms, simply because I haven’t been in those situations and, I don’t particularly agree with lecture based styles of education.

My Name Plate!

The response to our panel was mixed. Following the Twitter hash tag (#sxswed) was interesting: one person thought she should have been on the panel and did not restrain her anger, and others were frustrated with our “non-techno induced” classroom. Questions were engaging, but somewhat strange. One woman suggested that Kelly and I had been brainwashed by the educational systems in this country. Why? Because we both go to smaller liberal arts colleges? Or because at least I (don’t know about Kelly…) had a very progressive education in high school without standards? Anyways, others were more positive. One man raised the issue of learning, in general – how do you learn of find things on the Internet? Another man, who seemed younger, perhaps a recent college graduate, seemed offended by my advocating against the use of technology in the classroom, and proceeded to give various reasons how Twitter had helped him. Just to clarify, I think Twitter is amazing, but, do you really have a need to use it in class? How about on the weekends, when the students and the professor are not in the same room together?

Check out the Twitter search for #sxswed. Again, go back a few pages. You’ll find some interesting responses.

Tote Bag

Overall

I’m gong next year. Meet me there. I will try to get myself on a panel (email me if you have ideas or are interested in having me speak on your panel), but we’ll see. Don’t forget to check out my pre-SXSW interview with SXTXState. Want to meet next year? Email me. Check out Flickr photos, too.

K.

I am only speaking for myself in this post. I cannot vouch for the other panelists. Just FYI.

Photos

@kevinrose

Who doesn’t love LEGO’s?

@alexalbrecht

Slideshow

Video

It has been a while since I finished my EduTech capstone project, and my ideas on Academic Technology have changed. I recently began thinking again about tech in the classroom, especially since I spoke about Academic Technology in Hawai’i in early January, and in March, I will be speaking at SXSW on a panel of students about the future of the classroom.

My Vision

Jeff Han demonstrating his multi-touch technology. Photo Credit: jurvetson

I have complex and radical visions for how technology will be apart of our lives. I imagine classrooms being outfitted with interactive and touch human-friendly technology that allows students to better collaborate and work in groups in and out oft he classroom. I picture libraries actually being great places for study. I picture technologically elaborate and visually appealing technology and multi-media laboratories. I see blackboards being transformed into information hubs (backchannels) that make it easy for students and teachers to share information. Unfortunately, schools do not have money to spare these days and teachers and students are no longer motivated to talk to each other or interested in going to school. Education moves slowly, while technology moves quickly. Education in general does not know how to adapt to the future. Technology budgets are slim and often misspent leaving both teachers and students behind.

Reality

During my capstone project, I mostly experimented with free social internet technologies, like Moodle, Wordpress, Twitter, Tumblr, and others. Throughout most of high school, I had a laptop in front of me. I multitasked; taking notes, looking up terms in science class, and more. However, in college, there has been only one class in which I used my computer (my first semester Media and Society class. Today, I find technology to be more destructive and distracting. Most of the applications and services I praised I now find to be useless inside the classroom. On the other hand, I find technology to be more useful outside the classroom. In college, an environment where oftentimes teachers and students do not communicate outside of the classroom (the division between academics and life are clearly defined), social technology usage outside of the classroom is more effective and really engages students with students, students with teachers, and teachers with teachers. I realize now that technology can not be a replacement for human to human classroom discussion and involvement. Besides, I again am reminded that technology is so often misused and misguided in educational environments. My number one recommendation still stands; in order to successfully use technology inside and outside of the classroom, Academic must be a top priority to students, teachers, and administrators. Technology must be just as thought out as any assigned reading or writing.

Conclusion

As you can see, I’m well on my way to developing my own Educational and Technological philosophy. I will be writing more about this topic. I may even start a blog about it. We’ll see. Please, I beg of you, email me.

Sorry for the long delay. I’ve had this written for a while, just never got to typing it up.

New Web 2.0 startups are created every day. It can be tough to discover which ones are really worth looking at and using. In this post, I will discuss the Web 2.0 tools I use and how I use them in my life.

I’ll start out with the easy ones. I use Facebook to keep up with friends, Flickr and Viemo to host my best photos and videos, digg to find “stuff”, delicious to store my bookmarks, LinkedIn to maintain an online resume, and last.fm to log my music. I use these applications the way they were meant to be used. Most Web 2.0 tools have clear intentions, while others are more complex. I will discuss in detail three services that I feel have more complex applications. I will look at Google Apps for Your Domain, Twitter, and Tumblr.

Email

Gmail

I use Gmail for my custom domain, kabrenlevinson.com. Basically, I get to use all the Google tools (Gmail, Docs, etc) with my own email address. I do not use a local client – I have fallen in love with the Gmail interface and absolutely how Gmail manages my mail. I try to keep zero (0) items in my inbox. I either files messages away under one or more labels (I have “Action,” “Hold,” “Friends,” “Family,” “Tech,” and “Work”) or delete them. Keeping my inbox clean and organized allows me to figure out which messages I actually need to read and lets me find messages from the past more easily. Gmail’s labels are also far superior to the usual folders you would find in any ordinary email client – with Gmail, you can apply more than one label. I also have Gmail set up to send and receive email from many different accounts (kabrenlevinson.com, Nerd News Radio, school email, and others). I enjoy being able to access my email from wherever whenever I want.

Gmail Settings

Documents

Google Docs

Though there are other services that offer free online word processing and document storage, Google Documents still works best for me. I have never written an essay in Google Docs, but I’ve used it to store PDF’s, .docs, and spreadsheets. I enjoy the seamless integration with Gmail and the easy-to-use sharing feature. At the moment, I share about three of four documents used for planning events and group trips. Google Docs is also great for writing collaborative essays; instead of emailing a .doc around many times, Google Docs only requires that you manage a single document.

Communication

Twitter

While I regularly use SMS, email, AIM, and Facebook for messaging, Twitter is quickly becoming one of the most convenient communication tools in personal, group, and public domains. In addition to maintaining a network of people with whom I mostly have conversations, I also use Twitter to develop ideas and theses for essays and projects of my own. Being able to strip an idea, particularly complex notions, down to 140 characters can at times reveal the _real_ message behind the thought. Some say that Facebook is Twitter but better, but Facebook does not support a constant flow of conversation among individuals and groups. Being on Twitter is like being in a big coffee shop where people are conversing with everyone else. Twitter also shows it strengths at conferences, large meetings, and lecture-style classrooms. Oh, Twitter also has an amazing search tool.

Twitter Search

Sharing Items

My Tumblr Dashboard

Though many services make it clear and easy to share text, images, movies, quotes and conversations, nothing makes it as simple as Tumblr. Tumblr allows one to post items to their own “tumblelog” as well as view the posts of others who they are following on a dashboard page. Tumblr makes it effortless to post an idea, blog post, or photograph without doing “work.” While posting items to a Wordpress is tiresome, using Tumblr’s bookmarklet makes it hard not to share items. Sometimes I use Tumblr like delicious – I post things that I find interesting.

Conclusion

This is only a beginning for Web 2.0 Applications and how they can be used. I have detailed the services I use most and discussed the ones that I find to be the most influential in my life. In the next, and final, post in my “Life in the Cloud” series, I will talk about what is missing from Web 2.0 and offer some thoughts on the future. As always, email or Skribit me suggestions, thoughts, ideas, and more.

Now that I am in college, I have a decently-fast Internet connection around the clock. I have noticed myself moving more of my activities online – I’m not using the desktop (or laptop, in this case) as much. I’m hoping to start a four or five part series about cloud life and what it’s like to compute only in the cloud. The four sections are as follows:

1. Philosophy of cloud computing, Why Web 2.0?
2. Web 2.0 tools I use
3. Moving into the cloud, how to use all these tools
4. Criticism for life in the cloud

The series will start in the next week or so, and will last over the next month or two. I’m going to start today by offering an introduction to the cloud – I will offer a succinct definition of Web 2.0 and the Internet in general.

The Internet

A section of a map of the Internet. Original Image.

The Internet is a series of tubes. Well, not exactly, but Ted Steven’s definition isn’t that far off. The Internet is a huge network of computer. Think about your network at home; you have two, three, or maybe four computers, that all share the same connection. In your house, you are actually running a mini-Internet – all the connected computers can share resources and send information between each other. There is no “center” or main-server of the Internet; it is a highly decentralized network designed for sharing information. Email, VoIP, and the World Wide Web are parts of the Internet. Email is a way to send messages between computers connected to the Internet, VoIP is a voice-message protocol, and the Web is a file-sharing network, designed for exchanging documents.

Web 2.0

Examples of Web 2.0 Services. Image Credit: Ross Mayfield.

I do not particularly like the term Web 2.0, because it creates a certain type of hierarchy in a system that is supposedly order-less. But, that’s what people are using these days. Web 2.0 is not actually a second version of the World Wide Web or the Internet – there is no major software or hardware difference between Web 2.0 and 1.0, or whatever was before these terms emerged. Instead, Web 2.0 is a shift in the way people use the Internet and the services offered by it. According to Tim O’Reilly, the supposed father of Web 2.0, “Web 2.0 is the business revolution in the computer industry caused by the move to the Internet as platform, and an attempt to understand the rules for success on that new platform.” For more on the shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0, the metamorphosis from the expert-driven Internet to a user-generated Internet, read a paper I wrote during high school called “Tubes.” Download it as a PDF, but please don’t steal my writing. Also, check Wikipedia, it does have lots of good information.

In short, Web 2.0 aims at connection more people and encourages collaboration. Examples of Web 2.0 websites or services are Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Blogger (or any blog or podcast), and Wikipedia – basically, any social networking site falls into the genre of Web 2.0. It is a shift in the way programmers write soft ware and how we, the general public, Interact with those programs.

Cloud Computing

Clouds. Image Credit: kevindooley.

The cloud is a way of talking about the Internet – when viewing at a map of the Internet or considering how the Internet works, it looks and to some extent, acts, like a cloud. Cloud computing is the development and use of Internet based technologies. It is a genre of computing that allows people to access services on the Internet, or the cloud, “without knowledge of, expertise with, or control over the technology infrastructure that supports them” (Wikipedia). Google, Amazon, and Yahoo! all are driving forces in the development of cloud computing. Cloud computing includes many, if not all, Web 2.0 services and is an example of the idea of “software as a service.”

Up Next…

I hope this gives you a better idea and greater understanding of the Internet, Web 2.0, and cloud computing. I hope these definitions will lay a groundwork for the rest of the series. Be sure to check out my paper about the Internet, “Tubes,” which I wrote during my junior year of high school. It is about the fundamental shift in the way people use the Internet. I’ve had fun writing this post, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it! In the coming weeks, I will publish “Part 1: Why Web 2.0?” detailing some of the philosophy behind Web 2.0 and cloud computing. I also made a video, watch it below. Be sure to comment and email me your feedback!

Video

Life in the Cloud: Introduction from Kabren Levinson on Vimeo.

Email Me!

The MacBook Pro on a Griffin Elevator.

On Wednesday, I received my new Apple MacBook Pro 15″. I upgraded from a 2006 Black MacBook – a huge step up. If you did not already know, my MacBook had lots of problems – first, during the summer of 2006, I had to send my laptop into Apple for the Random Shutdown problem, then, only weeks after my one-year warranty ran out, two chips came off of the computer. I now have a brand new Apple MacBook Pro 15″ laptop computer in my hands. I’ve posted a lot of photos on Flickr, so please check them out! Here are the specs:

• 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
• 4 GB RAM
• 250 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and 9600M GT

Apple Welcome screen on the MacBook Pro.

The Good

Once again, the design and construction of this machine is unbelievable. On taking the laptop out of the box, it felt much sturdier than my rather-flimsy MacBook, and it even felt sturdier than previous MacBook Pro’s. It is engineered out of a solid-brick of aluminum – it is laser-cut with uttermost precision. The computer feels good to use, it is comfortable, it works. The edges are rounded more, to give the machine a more “unified” look. All the ports are on one side, including the new Display Port. Though I was initially skeptical about the no-button trackpad, after a little getting used to, it is amazing, though it is a bit loud. All multi-touch actions work, even when one’s thumb is placed on the trackpad. Now, you do not have to worry about where your thumb is located, all you need to do is click. I like the black keyboard – when lit up in dark conditions, it is more dazzling, and, after using a MacBook for two years, I’m used to the Chicklet-style keys – though I can understand how some people will not enjoy it. The screen is bright and the colors are more than impressive. It is fast – I can now bearable edit photos in Aperture, all the while browsing the web and listening to music. Sound quality has also been greatly improved.

Ports on the left side of the MacBook Pro.

The Bad

No Firewire 400. While this is certainly not a deal breaker for me, I can understand how serious video and audio editors might be upset. You can buy adapters, but that becomes cumbersome. I understand that Apple is pushing the envelope – someone has to, and who better than Apple to change the standards of computing. The mouse button is noisy, though I suspect it will quiet down after extensive use. It only felt “loud” while in the library, again, not a deal breaker. The glossy screen attracts finger prints, almost like a magnet. You can clean it, but it is a pain.

Chicklet-style keyboard of the MacBook Pro.

Overall

I highly recommend the new MacBook Pro. It is a huge upgrade from my previous machine, so I am speaking with some, if not great, bias. There are a few minor issues, but nothing to make me want to return the computer or not want it at all. Apple wowed me again with their seamless, aesthetic, and attractive design – it is not just about looks, this computer actually feels sturdy, too. I will keep you posted. What do you think of the new MacBook’s and MacBook Pro’s? What else would you like to know. I will be posting an unboxing video at some point in the near future.

The MacBook Pro keyboard lit up.

PodCamp Boston 3 was amazing. The venue this year was unbelievable, thank you, Harvard! It was easier to run into people this year, which was fun. PodCamp Boston 2 was nice and big, but this year the event was very close knit. I was more social at PCB3, and this year overall – last year I was very reserved. I also knew more people in general, those I had met on Twitter and at various Social Media Breakfasts. (For those interested in the Academic Technology session I led at PodCamp, check the end of the post.)

My junior achievement award. Photo Credit: Gradon Tripp

I won a Junior achievement award this year! Thank you, Adam Zand (I think, at least.) Unfortunately, I was the only teenager (I knew of) at PodCamp Boston 3. Last year, I was 1 of 2, this year, I was 1 of 1. I had hoped more teens would show up. I did know a few who wanted to come, but couldn’t. Next year!

Jamming at PodCamp.

Being social and having fun makes a huge difference. Don’t be afraid, introduce yourself to everyone. We have so much virtual, or digital, contact with each other, it makes such a huge difference to get together and have fun in person. Twitter went down for maintenance on Saturday July 19th, during PodCamp, and I think it actually was for the better – it helped people actually connect with each other. Not to say that Twitter is bad; sometimes, the best part of the session was the conversation taking place on Twitter. Check out the PCB3 tag on Twitter Search.

Steven Sherlock.

My Session

I led a session at PodCamp Boston about Academic Technology, mostly outlining the work I did at the Cambridge School of Weston, for my Capstone Project. If you’re interested in the presentation, you can see it on Slideshare, download it as a PDF, and download the audio recording.

Here is the video from my capstone presentation. It’s about 35 minutes, and the audio isn’t great (I was only using the built-in microphone of the video camera). Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Here are the materials associated with my capstone:

• Presentation in PDF Format
• Reflection in PDF Format
• Recommended Technologies Wiki

The Video

Capstone Presentation from Kabren Levinson on Vimeo.

On Friday May 2nd, I had the privilege to attend a Digital Natives Forum at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. The event was labeled as an “interdisciplinary roundtable discussion: Investigating young people’s use of digital and networked technologies.” When I arrived, I was surprised to discover that I was the only teenager, or “young person”, at the meeting. I already felt out of place.

Background

The event was amazing – I found out how adults observe and understand teenagers’ use of technology and the Internet. At the beginning of the meeting, there was a short presentation by Andrea Flores and John Francis citing research conducted about kids using technology. They talked about identity, privacy, skills and tools for teenagers and adults, and the importance of design. For more about the content of the forum, check out this blog post and my Twitter, I live-blogged most of the meeting.

Silence

I didn’t speak during the entire meeting, only to some people individually during lunch. I wish I had spoken up. I learned, but didn’t teach. It felt like people in the room didn’t understand what kids were about. With the exception of a few, it seemed that people were only beginning to formulate their opinions; it was too early to introduce the young-person’s point of view. Being a teen in the room, it felt like we were being addressed as the problem that needed fixing. Per usual, adults were assigning issues to kids. As the group discussed how some kids feel safer sharing their thoughts online versus offline, I only felt comfortable sharing my thoughts on Twitter. I let the group silence me.

For next time…

The only problem, I can think of, was the lack of primary sources, or “young people,” in the room. Yes, case studies and reports were cited throughout, but as my history teachers tell me, you need primary sources to support your argument. I was the only teen in the room, and I wasn’t even previously involved with the project. It is difficult to discuss teens, or any other group of people, without them present. Not only that, it is undiplomatic to discuss and refer to teens as if they’re not in the room, when in fact, I was sitting right there. My presence was never acknowledged – the adults failed to exploit me as a resource. It felt weird having adults tell me how I used technology.

Video about the event

Digital Navies Forum from Kabren Levinson on Vimeo.

Or on Viddler.

Kabren Levinson
kabren@kabrenlevinson.com
www.kabrenlevinson.com

I will be streaming my capstone presentation tomorrow, Wednesday May 21st at 12:00 PM EST. My capstone was all the Academic/Educational Technology work I’ve been doing over the past many months. Check it out. Join in in the discussion remotely! I hope the stream will work, school Internet is slow.

Click here to watch the stream, or look below. Here’s the Facebook event.

Stream:
Broadcast powered by Ustream.TV

Chat:

Read this blog post to understand what I’m talking about. Also, those videos I’ve talked about will be put up on Sunday – I got a little busy.

A Tech Fellow

Working with Martha was a job for a “tech fellow,” a crucial part of my educational technology program. Over the past few days, with the help of the assistant head of the school, I’ve been rethinking the roles of the “tech fellow.” Much of our conversation had to do with the marketing and branding of the “Tech Fellows” program. We used the Geek Squad as an example; they have uniforms, they’re easy to identify; they have phone numbers, they’re easy to contact; they have cars, they come to YOU. A “tech fellow” just doesn’t sound right – if I were a teacher, and was deciding between contactacting a “tech fellow” or the “tech squad,” for example, I’d probably call the “tech squad.” We need to make it known who we are, make sure it’s easy to contact us, and make it clear that we (the student) will come to YOU (the teacher). Of course, since this is high school, we won’t actually have the uniforms and cars (I wish), but metaphorically, we will.

Customer Service

Another aspect of being a “tech fellow” or on a “tech squad” is customer service. Instead of walking into the job with an agenda, we need to make an “ego-less swoop.” A tech fellow neds to make sure the teacher is in control; we ask what the teacher wants to accomplish with technology, before jumping into what we think they should be doing. Even though my school is a progressive school, for teachers, suddenly having students be the “smart ones” will be tough, and perhaps, frightening.

It’s a Brand

A lot of the issues I’m facing right now have to do with marketing and branding – how can I get teachers to use and enjoy an educational implementation of the Geek Squad. As the assistant head of my school said, you’d be more likely to call upon “Mr. Fix-It” than “Boston Electric” because “Mr. Fix-It” contains the word fix – Mr. Fix-It will fix my problem.

Video

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been focusing primarily on the Tech Fellows aspect of my EduTech project. A few weeks ago, I began working with Martha, a History teacher at my school, to figure out how she could use technology more in her classroom. We talked a lot about her use of the school’s discussion forum – she’s an early adopter. I figured she should start a blog that would allow her to post items for the class and would require students to post, comment, and respond to other students’ work. You can see her blog here: http://marthasclass.edublogs.org.

Conversation

One of the problems with her use of the forum, was that it wasn’t being used to start a conversation – basically, it was an alternative way for the students to turn in the homework. Even though a discussion forum is a fantastic way to have a group conversation, conversation and response weren’t identified as requirements. On her new blog, students are being graded on their ability to comment and respond on other students’ work.

This mod, each of you will be responsible for writing 1 starter post (about 250 - 500 words) and commenting on other people’s posts 3 times a week.

Right now, a students posted homework assignment has 22 comments! To me, that’s a successful conversation.

Confidence

When Martha first asked students to post their homework assignments to the forum, students started complaining about the use of the forum, on the forum. I saw two major complaints: they didn’t understand why they were posting to the forum and they were uncomfortable with their work being available to other students (they were nervous). First of all, I was amazed that this conversation hating on the forum was happening on the forum – without the forum, the technology, the students would never have shared their ideas in such a way. Martha and I decided that one of the goals for her new blog needed to be about helping them become more confident in themselves and more comfortable sharing their ideas with classmates. I have gotten a lot from blogging; these days, I’m not afraid to write to the world, and my writing skill has improved (practice makes perfect).

Is it working?

So far, I haven’t heard, or seen, any public outcry about the blog on the blog – seems this is working out. There’s one other teacher at the school I know of using a blog to post homework assignments, and hopefully, I will be able to use these two teachers as evidence that installing Wordpress MU (Multi-User) would be a good thing for the school.

Since Apple came out with the Safari 3 Beta in August 2007, I was sure I would never need to use Firefox again. Previous versions of Safari had many features missing (dragging tabs, for example), and was slow in general. So was Firefox. All previous versions of Firefox have also had problems on the mac – it too was slow, and it just didn’t look as smooth as Safari. A few weeks ago I downloaded Firefox 3 Beta 3, and I am now using Beta 4. I am impressed. Mozilla really got their team together to create an amazing browser.

Design

The browser looks a lot better – it actually looks good in OS X. In previous versions, as soon as the browser was opened, it just didn’t feel right.

The Mozilla team also made the “back” button significantly larger than the “forward” button. This doesn’t affect me so much since I either use a button on my mouse or keyboard, but for the average user, it’s easier use and understand – the back button is used much more than the forward button in my experience.

Bookmarks

Mozilla has also changed the way we use bookmarks. Firefox 3 now supports SQLite for offline storage. To my knowledge, bookmarks are no longer stored in an .html file – they now have their own little directory system, called “Places.” This will make bookmarks a lot faster, and hopefully allow us to do more with our bookmarks, I mean places. Also, you can now add tags to

Conclusion

Overall, I’m impressed with Firefox 3 Beta. I’ve always supported Firefox, but especially on the mac, Firefox has historically been clunky, ugly, and not as good as Safari 3. FF 3 Beta still has some minor bugs, but for me, it has been stable. You can download the beta here.

It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post – and that doesn’t mean that nothing has been happening. In fact, a lot has been happening, in life, in technology, in everything. I’ve been accepted to two colleges in the past week! It’s reassuring, you know, to get into a school or two.

To start this off, spring is right around the corner. I love spring, it’s my favorite season, fall comes next, and summer and winter can fight it out. Everything just feels fresh in spring, metaphorically and literally. But spring isn’t all new beginnings, because, as a student, you’ve still got about a quarter of the year to finish up. So, spring is the earth refreshing itself, but it doesn’t forget what went on. Damn.

My technology program has been going well. I successfully deployed my technology survey around the school – now I am beginning the process of evaluation, going through each one and extracting the data we want right now. What we’re most interested in is laptop ownership around the school, and whether students thought computers were a vital educational resource. The main aspect of my project I’m focusing on now, is a Student Tech Fellows program, which would allow for students to work one-on-one with faculty and staff members on technology, whether it be designing course curricula that employs technology successfully, or simply learning how to set up a projector. Students would be able to get School Service credit for participating in the program, and they’d also have an official title, “Technology Fellow,” they could put on resumes and college applications. I’m designing the “rigorous” selection process for the program, because if it’s too easy to get in, or become a member, it won’t be as successful – we need to make sure people feel like they need to work to accomplish the title of “Technology Fellow.” Things have been going well, I think.

I got accepted to the beta of Aviary, “a suite of web-based applications (RIAs) for people who create. From image editing to typography to music to 3D to video, we have a tool for artists of all genres.” So far I’m impressed that this is all happening on the web. A few weeks ago, when I applied for the beta, I thought that this was like Adobe Creative Suite. So far, these seem to be amazing web applications that are taking the web in another direction. Expect a full review soon. The one bad thing: it seems to be based off M$ .NET ASP architecture junk. Eek.

I’ve missed blogging. I’ll do more.

Photo Credits:
Kabren Levinson
Aviary
visbeek

Earlier this morning, Microsoft proposed a bid of $44 Million to Yahoo. In otherwords, Microsoft may buy Yahoo. This brings up a number of concerns for myself and others. What will happen to those Yahoo! services we love, like Flickr and del.icio.us? What kinds of “cultural” changes would Microsoft push (for more about culture, head over to Whitney Hoffman’s blog)?

Microsoft has historically had success based on engineering innovation, not usability for the user or the design of the product. I don’t enjoy the way engineers think – they only seem to care about the machine, not the person. Their products are clunky (for evidence, just look at the 1st Gen Zune). For years now, Microsoft has been trying to create a vibrant online community, dubbed “Live.” They’ve failed – it’s costing them more money than they’re getting from it. Their “Live” service can’t compete with Google. I’m happy to report I don’t use any Microsoft products!

Yahoo! has been in a touch place, also competing with Google. They too seem to be based on engineering. Their designs are also cumbersome, search pages blast the viewer with information and too many options. Yahoo! has had success with their Mail and their search, but they’ve yet to develop a suite of original web services. The only two Yahoo! services I use are Flickr and del.icio.us, neither of which are designed by Yahoo!. I love both of these services.

The Two United

Together, I don’t think Microsoft and Yahoo will be able to “hit it big” – their philosophies are fundamentally flawed.

Microsoft and Yahoo may do things differently, but the cultural DNA, as seen from the outside, leads me to suspect everything will be more of the same, middle of the road, “good enough” products, but nothing that will surprise and delight. And that’s really too bad for both companies in the end. (Whitney Hoffman)

All I care about right now, what I’ll be watching closely, is the development/demise of Flickr and del.icio.us.

Tell me what you think.

Frozen from Kabren Levinson on Vimeo.

Thought I’d post another video. Here’s an update on my technology project.

Let me know what you think.

tech@csw from Kabren Levinson on Vimeo.

Yesterday morning, I found out about Educon 2.0 from Whitney Hoffman on Twitter. I really wish I could attend the conference. Yesterday, I was watching a session about “Learning to Teach: First Year Teaching in a Progressive School,” and today I’m watching two sessions, one on Student Voice, and one on Student Led Technical Support. It’s right up my alley. These educators have radical ideas about the future of education.

Sometime in the next two weeks, I will be leading a 1.5 hour faculty seminar at my school, the Cambridge School of Weston, about podcasting. I spoke for about 5 minutes at the faculty meeting on Thursday about my project, they seemed impressed. My hope is to get some of the faculty/staff to sign up for my course which will be offered in Mod 5 (starting February 11th and lasts approximately 5 weeks). The course title is “New Social Media: Podcasting, Blogging, and Internet Journalism”. I can only fit 10 people in the class, so far, I have three or four faculty/staff members interested (I have 10 interested in my seminar so far). This is really exciting for me. Right now, I’m designing what the seminar will look like and creating a Keynote presentation.

(photo credit: taylorkoa22)

I realize now that my program is less about technology and learning/teaching technical skills and more about radically shifting the power paradigm in education. I need some help. I need resources on education, teaching, and technology. What do you think of the course? Would you take it, as a student or a teacher?

Feel free to email me.

At my high school, The Cambridge School of Weston, I am creating a technology program for my senior project. Quite a project, eh? At school, I see this initiative more than necessary. The school has been left behind technologically; for example, the main line for Internet is a T1 (1MB up, 1MB down), servicing over 300 people, including 80 boarding students.

Late last month, Dan Coleman, the assistant head of the school, approached me asking if we wanted to talk about technology in the school. Before Dan and I spoke, a teacher had said “Hey, has Dan talked to you yet?,” and a good friend said that Dan would be talking to me to create a technology committee. Well, we started talking. I spoke about how the school is falling behind – it’s so progressive in its academics and the arts, but what happened to technology? I came to the idea that there should be a student-led/created curriculum and a student technology committee. And that’s where it started.

So, this mod, I started working with him in “School Service” on these courses and the committee. But I realized, this should be a whole program, not just a few courses, but an entire program. Since I started working with him, I’ve turned this venture into my Capstone senior project. I am now creating a technology program at my school.

The program is called “tech@csw” . This program will have four components; a Student Information Technology Strategy Team (the ITST), a student-led and created curriculum on technology, partnerships, and special student technology initiatives. Right now I am writing a main proposal (vision, mission, and description) for the project, and several “mini proposals” for the components. The ITST has already met twice and has a Facebook group. Right now I’m designing a website for the program and the team.

Since I began writing this post about a week ago, new things have happened. Instead of overplanning the program, I want to jump into action and get things moving. One of the teachers at the last ITST meeting (yesterday), gave me the idea of leading a faculty seminar on something about technology (probably recording a podcast or setting up a blog, or both). That will (hopefully) happen within the next few weeks. After that, starting sometime in February, I will (hopefully) be teaching my first course, giving the program more credibility and momentum.

I want to hear what you all think. I want your input. This is huge for me. I never thought I’d be doing something like this… Here’s my email address: kabren@kabrenlevinson.com. Please don’t hesitate.