The TWAIN blog

This is the one year anniversary of my start date in my current job. It is a time of reflection for me as so much has changed in just one year - for me and the district.

A great experience for me during this was the support I received from the training I received from TCEA’s Technology Director’s Academy. This is a five-day workshop spread across an entire year. The two presenters were Kari Rhame (from Deer Park ISD) and Lori Gracey (from Bastrop ISD and now Executive Director of TCEA) and they provided so much rich content. I call it my “just in time” training because each session met my needs just in time. I learned about staffing, evaluations, budgeting, technology planning, and developing those Big Hair Audacious Goals (BHAGs) early on. I developed my BHAG that continues to drive my focus and plans for the next few years in my role.

In the district, I helped push them toward high-speed Internet and migrating services to the web. We are looking into wireless solutions for accessing resources online. We are evaluating curriculum, looking into research, reading books, listening to podcasts, and developing blogs for principals and librarians.

The district website was redesigned so each department and campus has a web-editor who can make changes from any computer connected to the Internet. We have an online calendar that not only allows us to see events across all campuses, but also allows visitors to subscribe to events through email, text, and RSS. We can even edit online resources from our phones if we need to.

After attending two board meetings, I put together an idea to make more room by removing some older cabinets and cleaning up some wiring. We now have a media cart for the board room that should make presentations easier without having to switch out cables, laptops, and speakers. The system saves space and allows more people in the room.

This year I was able to take 10 people to TCEA - and most of them had never been to TCEA or a conference for that matter. They were exposed not only to the conference and the magnificent exhibit hall; the conference sparked a fire in them that is continuing today. They have had conversations with teachers and administrators about what the world outside of Kerrville is doing and they want to change….everything.

We have tested our 8th graders for NCLB technology applications and that information isn’t just vital for NCLB but it is sparking conversations about how we should be teaching our students. I even tested a few teachers using the tool and that sparked a few more conversations about what is expected of them to know and use in the classroom.

This summer, I have offered some staff development opportunities to learn about all sorts of Web 2.0 technologies, Microsoft Office 2007, and even a book review of current education literature. Participants have been hesitant coming in but leaving with passion and ideas. The best compliment is that they keep returning and wanting more. I’ve had a few tell me that the 3 hour trainings have been the best trainings they have experienced in careers over 20 years long. They like that the trainings don’t dumb them down or make them feel dumb. That they are encouraged not only to use the resources but that the training website points them to finding more training on their own. They like that I tell them not to become experts, but to become resources to find learning online. This is the key to Staff Development 2.0, if you will (I like adding 2.0 or 3.0 to everything).

My job requires me to wear a lot of hats and to balance a lot of information. I have to know hardware, software, web-ware, networking infrastructure, purchasing, federal and state requirements, administrative input, community involvement, etc. I multitask while multitasking on many things all at once. It is never boring! And when I have a moment to dedicate to one project, I take it head on.

I am making change. I am working with district stakeholders to develop a vision for the district that encompasses the history of where they have been and where they want to go. My title is Chief Technology Officer and I have never been thrilled with the title. It is a little intimidating. In my interview, I asked if I could change the title to which they said I could. But I haven’t found a title suiting the job. I do like something incorporating Technology Vision. Maybe adding something from Disney - Imagineer. Ideas?

I say all this to say….this was a great move. I love this job. I love this town. I love how it changes me as it changes with me. It isn’t easy day to day and there are some frustrations here and there. But, I am challenged and I like that. I love it.

Twitter is buzzing tonight about the new James Cameron movie “Avatar” coming out in December. This is Cameron’s latest movie since the highest grossing film Titanic set sail 10 years ago. You will be hearing about Avatar more in the news because of two things: 1) it’s reported budget between $200-$400 million to make and 2) it uses 3D rendering for the entire film.

A teaser trailer for the movie has the storyline taking place on a very distant planet circling a very distant star. Images from today’s 25-minute preview to the audience shares some interesting footage that makes it look very alien (not Alien) to what we are used to in movies. One post says it was “stunning, literally jawdropping”.

Cameron informed the audience that each frame of footage takes 30-50 hours to render and then double that time for 3D. I have read articles about how when James Cameron was shooting this film, many directors dropped in to see what he was doing.

Cameron is known for engineering his own resources for making the shots he wants. He developed the technology for the effects in The Abyss, Terminator 2, and filming underwater for Titanic. For his latest movie, he developed the Reality Camera System by basically putting two HD cameras side-by-side and blowing the images up to Imax. He took the “green-screen” film making to the next level as well by creating a way to view the usual post-production animation sequences live in the filming process. So, no more tennis balls on a stick for the actors to run dialogue with.

In the June issue of Empire Magazine (which was guest-edited by Steven Spielberg), directors who visited Cameron on the set of Avatar were declaring their love of the new format and noting they would be making films using the new technology. Many posted comments that they were really excited about the possibilities and could not wait to try it out. Steven Spielberg hasn’t even moved to digital film but he has already committed to the 3D revolution in his next film with Peter Jackson called Tintin.

A quote from George Lucas says, “Within the next ten years, every movie will be a visual effects movie because it will be an essential part of the cinematic tool kit” and you know he isn’t balking from this 3D revolution.

Cameron is the innovative filmmaker in a time when people aren’t going to movies. If his film is successful in getting audiences committed to going to see it in 3D rather than download it illegally at home, then I think this type of movie making will continue to rise. Cameron has already touted that the 2D film experience is dead and binocular 3D will replace conventional theater experiences. Only a few more than 2100 theaters are equipped to be 3D-ready in the United States so I don’t think this movie will be a candidate for wide-release.

I know this isn’t a media blog. I’m a simple technology director for a school system. But, it does make me think about the future of the technology we are putting in our schools. If we go by the old models of technology rollout from film we see movies in color to TVs in color; movies to digital then TVs and cable to digital; movies in HD then TVs and cable to HD. If movies go 3D then what happens in the home? and in the school?

I don’t know of schools that are putting BluRay into their computers right now. But if the format for making a film changes to 3D, won’t Television follow? (Television?!? What is this…1982?) Computers and projectors - will they be up to the format for streaming 3D media? What kind of RAM do we need? What kind of video card will we require? Are we watching the world unfold around us and preparing for these changes?

I for one think the next generation of operating system needs to have 3D capability. Flat images and folders pressed up against a monitor are so….old when we have touchpads and ways to interact on all of our devices. Check out BumpTop and Microsoft Surface to see how interaction is taking place with software.

I don’t think it is so futuristic to start looking into adapting our schools for the migration to 3D learning environments. I think it is something we could start researching now so we aren’t shocked later at how quick these tools develop. And no, this isn’t about Second Life though with improvements it could be. Second Life is a start but it is too rocky right now.

I’m talking about full 3D integration that doesn’t rely on an alternate world or characters. If Web 2.0 is read/write and Web 3.0 is personalized web experience, maybe this is Web 4.0. 3D web immersion with OS/Internet/Media? Maybe Web 3.0 is the Windows ME of the web development - shortlived, a little buggy, but transitions to something of greater quality and production value.

I don’t know. I can’t predict. But I can buy a ticket and get on the 3D revolution!

I have been an avid user of Facebook since it went public in 2006. Originally it was designed only for college use to link students together at Harvard. Back in 2004, the social network was linking only Harvard, Stanford, and Yale in a way to create a “living yearbook”. I remember reading about it in an article when it was originally title The Facebook and its address was thefacebook.com. From 2004 to 2006, it was only open to college students and accounts were generated based on students having an email address recognized in the system. It was impossible to get in on it unless you had that @edu address.

In 2006, the site opened up to allow non-university users and the floodgates opened. I joined up when I read it allowed us all to have access and I have been keeping up with friends, family, colleagues, old church youth group pals, former students, and so on ever since. My network consists of over 400 “friends” and I post videos, links, blogs, notes, games, etc. in what I consider a living blog.

It is different in many ways to this blog because of the instant response it generates. I get more response to a funny video post there than any post I generate here. Instant-gratification! I don’t have to Twitter that I posted a new blog post either. I don’t have to publicize my new posts there because it auto-feeds my note to the entire network.

I see colleagues in my profession with profiles on the site but they don’t seem to take full advantage of what Facebook offers. Some have it set to receive and feed their Twitters and/or Plurks. But to me that seems like it isn’t proactive enough. It seems like it is just another feeder for the same information. There isn’t interaction in the same way as a blog itself. There doesn’t seem to be the two-way or even 30-way communication when something is shared with commentary on the timeline.

I wonder if people are still adjusting to Facebook and take it way too seriously?

I don’t see it as a professional tool though I do see how it can be used that way. I see it as a way to share the things I find in my daily web travels. From the interesting to the sublime, there are some really interesting things to share on the web. I keep my commentary to a minimum and let the conversation build from the social circles I have developed over the years.

It is blogging-lite! It’s crass and baudy at times but I think it keeps it interesting. I get comments asking me where I find such odd items to post and I share how I harness the web with so many tools. I still get to teach my former students and co-workers but it isn’t planned. It’s live conversation taking place on the timeline.

My hope is that more people take advantage of the possibilities to use Facebook in a way that reaches out beyond streaming what they post on other timeline tools like Twitter and Plurk. Integrate some fun into your timeline! Share a funny YouTube video you found and start a discussion on why it made you laugh. Talk about the social activities you engage in outside your professional world. Take pictures of what is in your yard or something interesting you found in your town. Yes, be concerned about social media professionalism but don’t be stodgy!

It’s okay to have fun every now and then. Anyone else enjoying Facebook?

My profile is http://www.facebook.com/mrjadkins. Stop by for some fun!

Today I watched the news unfold on Twitter and not on any US or UK News agency. I watched people post about an election in Iran and the civil unrest that followed shortly after the results were announced.

In the process of watching the timeline of Twitter, I moved to Twittervision to watch a global messaging start focusing from one country - Iran. Twittervision took too long.

I went to #IranElection and to #IranElection09 on Twitter but those timelines refreshed with over 60 new messages every 10 seconds. I needed more information in a timely manner.

I went to Monittor where I was able to monitor 3 hash-topics at the same time. I watched #IranElection, #IranElection09, and the folding of #TehranBureau. I learned that domestic news agencies were forcibly shut down by the military and TehranBureau’s reports became a trickle.

But the news kept coming from several individuals at ground-zero in Tehran and other cities where public civil disobedience was taking place.

I moved over to Twazzup to monitor the latest news.

The interesting thing during all this tragedy is how little the “news” regime has been covering what is going on. I learned on MSNBC that there are some Republican rappers who are a bit conservative. I also learned that the transition to digital cable went really well this weekend from CNN.

I didn’t learn that students in the University of Tehran were barricaded in their dorms while the police randomly brutalized a few of them. I didn’t see any mention of the tanks that moved into Tehran to help keep the peace. I didn’t see any reports about YouTube removing videos from Tehran that were showing the brutality. And I didn’t hear reports from the news agencies about the Iranian government shutting down Internet access and cell phone service to keep what was happening controlled.

I learned how people are fighting to get information out of their country about what is happening. I am seeing live feeds of people posting how to get around government filters to post to Twitter and other sites. I am reading posts listing who to follow that is typing in English for us to get the real news.

I watched as people sent messages to @andersoncooper and other news related media resources. They were pleading for help but more pleading for recognition about what was going on. What is going on, still.

This weekend marked a victory for digital television but it may be the death date of network news. I like how one post on Twitter says it best: “US News Agencies fiddle while Iran burns”. Is anyone watching? Is anyone chatting about it? My Twitter timeline is full of people posting about what they are eating, watching on television, demonstrating at a conference, and my heart is breaking.

I wonder if tomorrow’s news will cover how they failed? Or will this be a quick story before we get the celebrity birthdays and weather?

Is this not news? I guess the 20 year anniversary of the events in Tiananmen Square where the world’s media captured the protests and civil unrest was huge ratings. The events taking place now must seem like a repeat. Why cover this again? The whole world is not watching because Dateline is profiling something else tonight.

This image rocks me.