Happy Thanksgiving from Dr. Walker...

     So what an I thankful for?  I finally defended my doctoral dissertation this month!!  When the next person yells out in a restaurant, "Is there a doctor in the house?" I can reply, "Sort of?"  A number of "real doctors" have told me my kind of doctorate i recently earned is harder to get than their degree which is quite a compliment, but honestly, I think I'd rather have their salary than the compliment.
     At any rate, in keeping with the open source mentality that inspired the development of this blog almost three years ago, I will be posting my doctoral dissertation in the coming week for anyone who might be interested in learning from my research in order to take this whole mobile technology thing to the next level.  I hope my research continues to encourage people around the world to conduct action research and full blown empirical studies to identify best practices in the use of technology in education settings.  The conversation and collaboration have been rich.  I hope they will continue.  Stay tuned for a posting letting you know where you can find my dissertation.
     So now that I have my doctorate, what an I going to do when I grow up?  That's a good question. Still trying to figure out if I even want to grow up...

IPads Do Not Discriminate on the Basis of Race, Creed or Religion

Check out this article in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette about Catholic schools in Pittsburgh getting their feet wet in latest technology wave- mobile computing with IPads.  Their goal? IPads in the hands of every student by next year.  Where do I sign up?  Check out the article below:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12030/1206938-455.stm

The State of the APP Market

There's nothing like a professional conference to get you re-energized.  I just returned to the East Coast after presenting at the NAEYC Conference in Chicago.  What a great organization they have out there in the Chicago Metro Area. Hats off to Gail Conway and Brian Puerling for their roles in organizing the event.  I would highly recommend attending anything they put together in the future.  As part of my presentation in Chicago, I included a recently published article (January 2012) from the Sesame Street Cooney Center which examined the content of the education category of the ITunes Store.  It makes for a most interesting read. The thing that struck me the most was how many app developers are targeting preschoolers and toddlers.  There is so much work that needs to be done in order to identify the most effective ways to use mobile technology with our youngest students.  I'll be sharing my thinking about technology and early childhood education in upcoming posts.  For now, check out the article below:

http://www.joanganzcooneycenter.org/upload_kits/ilearnii.pdf

Greetings from Chicago!

I'm presenting a session on Leadership Issues related to Mobile Technology at the Chicago Metro Area NAEYC Conference this morning.  Over 5,000 folks are here sharing their passion for early childhood education.  I'll post my presentation on their conference website in the coming weeks and I'll share a link if you are interested in reviewing the presentation.  Once I get back East I'll have some cool posts of new learning this week.  Stay tuned.....

BYOD with a Bullitt (As in Kentucky that is)

Bullitt Kentucky Schools- another school system jumps on the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) train.  Recognizing the need for students to have cutting edge technology while trying to work within increasingly tight budgets for schools, Superintendent Keith Davis is encouraging parents to send their kids to school with their own computing devices.  You can check out the story in the Courier Journal below:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120111/ZONE10/301110011/bullitt-schools-device-computer?odyssey=mod|newswell|text||s

The One-To-One Institute - Who Knew?

I recently stumbled across the website, "One-To-One Institute."  In their own words:

"One-to-One Institute grew out of Michigan’s successful, statewide one-to-one initiative, Freedom to Learn.  One-to-One Institute is a national non-profit committed to igniting 21st century education through the implementation of one-to-one technology in K-12 settings.  Our mission is to transform education. We believe that by personalizing learning through universal, uninterrupted access to technology students will take ownership of their learning and maximize their potential."

That's what I want to be when I grow up....

Check them out at:


http://www.one-to-oneinstitute.org/index.php?/who-we-are/

Engage Me!

Who can we count on to make the best case for increasing the use of technology in our classrooms?  The students of course!  Check out this video with messages from the kids at The Robin Hood School in Birmingham, England.  Share this video with anyone who has any decision making powers in your school, district, state, or country.  If we don't listen to them, they won't be listening to us very much longer....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=ZokqjjIy77Y