While Tech is important to education, knowing how to use our technology effectively is paramount. Below is a quote from my favorite digital photography blog that speaks to the importance of what is in the visual images we use:

We take photos to communicate visually. With our photographs we aim to tell stories or to convey a mood, an atmosphere—what it was like to be at a place or with a certain person. This fact is very important to keep in mind because it helps us put everything in perspective. It helps us realize that ultimately our use of natural light is nothing more and nothing less than one of the means to communicate visually.

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/are-you-practicing-these-5-natural-lighting-tips#ixzz1tGoxBmQn

Wow!!! it has been a while since I posted.

Two big changes are in the forefront of educational transition.

1. Flipped Classrooms are a picture of the future of education. Teachers being able to find or create short "QUALITY" instructional videos, assign them to students to learn on their own, and then provide effective "schoolwork" time where students practice the learned skills in the presence of a master teacher, is a transformational model. Thanks to video, screen capture, cloud access and the like; Fantastic instruction is available to all.

2. The I-pad type of device is transforming instructional technology. We have one portable device, when linked with a large display, that can transform itself to be all the current instructional technology.

• Splashtop - I pad as a tablet http://youtu.be/4jgh4qjWIus
• I pad as a white board http://drtimtyson.com/blog/archives/2011/03/turn_your_ipad_1_or_2_into_an.html
• Use I-tv to connect a pad and student devices to a dispaly http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv?afid=p219%7CGOUS&cid=AOS-US-KWG
• Reviews of the ipad as a whiteboard: http://youtu.be/4jgh4qjWIus
• I pad as a "clicker" survey tool  http://www.eclicker.com/
• With the new camera light, the I-pad 3 can now replace classroom document cameras, movie cameras, and still cameras. All we need is an integrated "sent do" button so students may send the images they collect directly to their personal cloud storage area.
• Shared Cloud Storage & legal access for students younger than 13 would be the next big deal.