Technology Underutilized?

    So I'm sitting in an airport on my third weather delay (one delay was because we had to wait to swap out our airplane for a different one because the windshield wiper was broken -seriously) and I am sitting across from four elderly ladies (yes much older than even me), each of which have their own iPhones in their respective zebra, mirror, bejeweled, and one understated plain case, and I'm thinking to myself, how cool is that?  Are they surfing the internet for up to the minute weather reports to calculate when we might be able to take off, checking the markets to see how their annuities are faring after a third day of world-wide declines, getting the latest from CNN to see if those pings might really be from the lost Malaysian flight? Uh, no.  They are sharing YouTube files as Facebook friends of a dog dancing to Pharrell William's Cause I'm Happy.  At first I was aghast.  What a glaring under utilization of technology! How could the amazing power of this innovative technology wind up in the hands of old folks content that would use it solely for promoting a good belly laugh while watching a dancing dog?  
     I asked myself, "Would Steve Jobs be rolling over in his grave if he were to view this spectacle?"  I'm going to go out on a limb here, not personally knowing the man, but I think he would be smiling.  Shouldn't the value of technology be determined by the user?  Who am I to sit in judgement of what is a worthy use of technology?  Technology is a tool to be used to support the needs of the user.  For me, it's about accessing information and collaborating with like-minded people across the world.  So what?  Technology is transforming so many aspects of our lives.  From how we access our favorite shows and movies, to how we bank, to how we do our shopping.  In addition to shaping how we communicate with family and friends, social media has sparked and supported uprisings and revolutions around the world.  Maybe instead of poo-pooing these ladies watching dog videos, I should be celebrating they (1) have way cool devices, (2) know how to use them, and (3) are social networkers, which I might add appears to be working quite well for them.   You go Grandma and your Facebook friends!

Apple - Seducing Folks Since the Days of Adam and Eve

Why is it any Apple store you pass by anywhere in this country is always crowded with people playing with the latest and "sexiest" technology?  Read the post from Forbes.com and find out.  Everything about the experience is designed to make you buy and then remain loyal to the Apple brand.  There is even a app to calibrate the ideal viewing angle of monitors for customers.  Was Steve Jobs a genius or what?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/06/14/why-the-new-macbook-pro-is-tilted-70-degrees-in-an-apple-store/

Happy New Year!

     ....and what a year it has been!  I continue to be amazed at the pace of change in respect to technological innovations.  What the future holds without Steve Jobs remains to be seen.  Sure there will be continue to be breakthroughs, faster processors, and smaller devices, but what about the cool factor?   As the owner of an IPod, IPhone 4S, IPad and MacBook Air, I can't imagine anything being developed in the near future that will be cooler than each in these devices in terms of the "jobs" they are designed to do.
     On this New Year's Eve, I felt compelled to post the Think Different commercial produced by Apple that captured Steve's vision.  I could watch it over and over.  Enjoy it and as you consider your New Year's Resolutions, remember to resolve to increase the technology experiences being provided to students in our schools.  Our kids deserve to have access to the same stuff we got this year for Christmas, no?
      Thanks to everyone for following my blog this year.  Since its launch in April, it has had over 9,600 page views, well over a 1,000 a month.  We should go over 10,000 page views in the next few weeks.   Please continue to pass along our link to folks interested in our work. Happy New Year to all and to all a good night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oAB83Z1ydE

Steve Jobs Is In The House!

Okay, it's not really Steve Jobs, but you have to check out this sixth grader, Tom Suarez, from Los Angeles, who might just be Steve's clone.  What a remarkable kid. You absolutely have to check out this short video of a Ted presentation he recently did.  Tell me it doesn't give you the shivers.  Enjoy.

http://whatworks.wholechildeducation.org/blog/sixth-grader-builds-iphone-apps-and-sparks-learning-in-school/