Posts Tagged "relationships"
The Best App Of All Time? “Hey Mom” Mobile Service
Amongst all the amazing apps and mobile services available, there’s one that’s irreplaceable. We all have access to it at some level. Many consistently use it; for some (myself included), we sometimes forget we have it.
It’s beyond Android, Apple, and Microsoft. This app can’t be downloaded; rather, you personally develop it. It can be hidden, but it can’t be deleted. Furthermore, its effectiveness evolves with your consistent implementation.
Other key features of this app:
- True 1:1
- No updates ever required
- 24/7 Access
- Always has your best interest in mind
- Cross platform capabilities
- Highly personalized and customized to meet individual needs
- Has implications beyond its use
- Multiple options: “Dad,” “Mentor,” “Minister,” “Spouse,” “Sibling,” “Friend” selections available
- No extra purchases required
How to access:
- It’s simple. Call someone you care about.
My dad’s recent diagnosis of cancer was a wake-up call that our time here together is limited. Person-to-person contact is ideal, but at times isn’t feasible. Mobile devices provide us with the ability to keep regular contact with those closest to us. I don’t want to interject my personal values on anyone, but I think most would agree that life is ultimately all about relationships.
If some time has passed since you’ve used this service, consider giving it another go. You may have to redevelop it, but you’re the programmer that carries those unique capabilities.
Here are some great references that might help retrain you on how to effectively use this service:
- Relationships 101 by John Maxwell
- Winning with People by John Maxwell
- Enthusiasm Makes the Difference by Norman Vincent Peale
TCEA 2011: Lasting Impressions
I recently traveled to Austin, and while I was there I was able to attend and present at the TCEA conference for a couple of days. Amongst all the passionate educators, innovative technology, great presentations, and outstanding Austin food was a powerful message delivered by Leigh Anne Tuohy, played by Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”. Since I had to depart from Austin early, I wasn’t able to see her in person – but thanks to good friends and modern tech, I was still able to hear her message.
Effectively, Leigh Anne Tuohy’s message reminded me that the reason we value “one-to-one learning” is that it’s personalized and individually relevant based on need. “1:1” is a popular coin phrase in the edtech world today, but it should never be forgotten that before 1:1 technology devices were 1:1 relationships. As Mrs. Tuohy said, “Lots of kids are falling through the cracks because they are valued incorrectly,” and technology in itself really has little impact on changing a life.
Technology may help create, sustain, and enhance relationships, but the real impact in changing lives comes from developing 1:1 relationships. Technology may be a chosen tool to develop relationships, but it’s merely a means to an end. Correct me if I’m wrong, but we should ultimately value Skype, iPads, cloud computing, and the like because of their ability to enhance teaching, learning, and relationships – not just because it’s awesome tech.
Read More5 Family-Friendly Guidelines for Mobile Technology Use
While there are certainly many reasons that could justify using mobile devices, the supreme justifier for me is that consistent use of my mobile phone frees up my time to focus on the most important things in my life – my family, friends, and other relationships. The struggle I run into sometimes is knowing when it’s time to put the device down. As we’re all likely aware, they can be quite addictive.
For me, it’s easy to become intoxicated with productivity. I love looking at anything that promises increased production; however, the free time earned is then allocated to producing more. Honestly, I’m completely fine with this cycle. I’m passionate about what I do, and if I can do more in less time, why not? The problem is that these gains in productivity are gradually creeping into time I spend with family and friends.
So, I’ve set 5 guidelines for my use of mobile technology. If I had more than 5, I don’t think I could hold myself accountable. If I had any less, it wouldn’t have the impact I want. Keep in mind that my personal convictions drove me to creating these guidelines, so they may not be for you. Some people are simply better at managing access to their mobile devices. But if you’re running into the same issues I have, these guidelines may be a good starting point for you.
My Guidelines for Mobile Technology:
Read MoreFinancial Benefits of Cloud Computing in K-12 Schools
What are the financial benefits of cloud computing in K-12 schools? Here are four key areas I think K-12 schools have to benefit from by integrating cloud computing:
This is part two of my series, “Cloud Computing in K-12 Schools.”
Developing Relationships Instead of Managing Technology
This may not be aligned with a purist’s definition of what constitutes a financial benefit, but it has definite financial implications. Many curriculum technologists would agree that they’d like to focus more on implementing technology in the classroom and developing innovative ideas, but they’re forced to spend much of their time ensuring that teachers’ technology is properly functioning and up-and-running. Rather than trialing new software and hardware, school technologists are playing trial-and-error with the removal of viruses, spyware, and error messages.
One critical element of technology integration in our classrooms is the development of successful relationships between teachers and the technology department. Innovative technology will stick at just being a novel idea and never find its way into the classroom if a healthy relationship between the teacher and technologist is nonexistent.
Most of us would agree that it’s necessary to take the time to develop healthy relationships; unfortunately, that time often comes at the expense of the time needed to manage our schools’ technology. We all-to-often believe that forcing more production will yield better results; however, this mentality often results in the decay of relationships, and remember – relationships are a prerequisite for infusing technology in any classroom. Is this additional production worth the expense of innovation? I don’t think so – a dedicated provider offering cloud computing solutions will help alleviate many of those issues. This provider tackles the responsibility of making sure everything is functioning properly, leaving curriculum technologists with the time they want to infuse technology in the classroom.
Decreased personnel costs
This is really a shift in costs, but schools’ balance sheets retain more money after the shift. Rather than having salaried employees take care of the IT’s infrastructure, this support can be provided by the cloud service provider at a fraction of the price. Don’t get me wrong – schools will always need their own personnel to take care of on-site issues, but it just seems logical that some funds will be salvaged if similar support is being provided elsewhere for marginal costs. 
Opportunities for grant money
Grant money finds the innovators, and the sooner you jump on the cloud bandwagon, the more grant money opportunities you’ll be providing for your district. One such example is the new E-Rate Deployed Ubiquitously pilot program. This program is distributing $10,000,000 to help schools fund technology that promotes mobile learning. I can’t say that I’m a specialist on their program’s guidelines, but by all definitions and interpretations I’ve seen, cloud computing falls under the umbrella of mobile learning.
Reduced computer maintenance and server costs
Cloud computing provides cost-efficient centralization of schools’ IT infrastructure. Here’s how it works: using the server intelligence it was programmed with, cloud computing adjusts resources based on need at that exact given moment. Google’s Gmail works the same way – users are advertised to have over 7 gigabytes of storage, and while this is true, we really only have however much we need at that given moment. Storage we’re not using at that time is allocated to other users. So, along with reduced personnel costs, centralizing the computing resources of a school district provides an energy-efficient way to reduce overall server costs.
The ability to centrally manage resources also allows school IT departments to locally deploy new software, which eliminates the time and costs associated with the current model of deploying software on a computer-by-computer basis.
For further reading on the benefits, risks, and costs of cloud computing in K-12 schools, check out the rest of my posts in this series, Cloud Computing in K-12 Schools.
Other articles:
I invite you to check out the following links to other articles related to the financial benefits of cloud computing. Although the focus of these articles is not developed around education, they do provide further insight:
- The Financial Benefits of Cloud Computing
- How to Explain Cloud Computing to Your CFO
- What Does Cloud Computing Actually Cost
Read More
