I did a quick one-page Kindle handout, which is linked here – Kindle Handout Week 1 Blank.  I only quickly proofread it, so if you see things that should be changed, let me know and I’ll credit you!  I’ll be going over the basics of the device today with the teachers, including signing in (we’re using generic email accounts for them to buy classroom books (and let them keep their own accounts separate), and will end the training with a couple of activities (browsing the store and buying the free Alice in Wonderland book.  We’ll look at the built-in dictionary and note functions as well.

Anyone else using Kindles in their schools, or personally?  Any suggestions on implementation?

1. HP was just screwed back by all the people it screwed by overcharging for ink all these years, to the tune of $100 million (estimated losses on the TouchPad).  People are buying these things because they’re cheap, but somewhere deep in the back of their minds, they hated paying so much for their printer ink, and are getting back at HP by “cheating” them out of $200 to $400.  That thought certainly went through my mind as I bought 2, and traveled to 5 stores looking for them locally.

2. Amazon is in trouble with their supposedly-upcoming Android tablet.  After seeing the success of a $99 tablet (admittedly not an Android tablet, but less functional and with hundreds instead of tens of thousands of apps), when Apple does try to sell their tablet, a group of people will remember the $99 TouchPad and wonder why Amazon can’t sell their device for that same price.  I bought 2 TouchPads through Amazon, but they came from OnSale, not Amazon.  Some folks won’t make that connection and think they bought them directly from Amazon.  Semantics, yes, but will the consumer care when they see a ~$250 Amazon tablet on their home page?

Did you buy one?  Did you think “ink” as you bought it?

In my new job, I get to do a great deal of what I like to do: work with teachers.  In the semester I’ve already been in York, I’ve already gotten into classrooms with teachers to work side-by-side and model technology integration.  I’ve lead training on Promethean software/hardware, wikis, and Web 2.0 skills.  I get to meet with the district’s executive staff weekly and get to help advocate for teachers as well as best practices in instructional technology.  In short, since it’s a brand-new position, I get to do a lot of what I think needs to be done.

There are, of course, downsides.  The position is grant-funded, so my position is only guaranteed until the end of the 2010-11 school year.  I have to administer two state technology proficiency programs within the district, neither of which I think are as strong (or easy to figure out) as they should be.

Just like I did when I created long-term goals for my classroom, I decided to write up my goals for this next school year.  Some should be fairly simple, some depend on the help of other folks.  I’ll update the status of these goals near the Christmas break, as well as at the end of the school year.

• Setup Moodle server (version 2) for district Professional Development use.
• Create 2 self-paced or moderated PD classes for Moodle.
• Recruit and provide support to at least 2 teachers to use Moodle in their classroom.
• Continue expansion of Wikispaces Private Label service within the district.  Expand use to 25 teachers with at least one class of students each.
• Implement self-hosted WordPress blogging solution for teachers and staff
• Work side-by-side with at least 8 teachers, from lesson development to implementation to review.
• Drive district to implement use of Twitter for parent and staff communication.

These are the big goals.  Not included are fairly typical things like providing traditional professional development in small groups and class settings, research best practices in technology integration, and more.

What do you think?  What am I leaving off?  Have you done any of the above items and have advice or resources?  Let me know in the comments.

Ran into one issue while upgrading here, though.  Apparently when I first setup the blog here, I used SQL4 and not SQL5, which the updated version of WordPress requires.  There was no way for me to “switch” the version of the SQL database I was using “on the fly,” so I ended up creating a new database with SQL5, importing my SQL database from the old to the new database, then editing my wp-config.php file to change the database information for WordPress.  After doing that, I went to the Upgrade page and it saw the new database file, imported it properly, and my WordPress install was upgraded!

Thanks to “Mark” and this page, which gave me directions on importing my database file: http://www.tamba2.org.uk/wordpress/restore/

Eventually I’ll do some work on the template…change that default picture above, get some new colors.  Eventually…

give it a shot.

The FREETalk Everyman headset is Skype Certified, meaning it meets Skype’s criteria for quality sound.  It connects via USB to the computer, but can also detach a standard headphone jack to connect to an MP3 player if you just want to listen to music.  I’m interested in seeing how well is works, and will report back.

I’m also presenting on one of my favorite software application that is on every classroom computer and home computer, Windows Movie Maker.  The session, “Windows Movie Maker, Flip Video Cameras, and You!” is even better than it was a couple years ago thanks to the ultra-inexpensive and very good quality Flip video cameras, which plug in via USB and act as a flash drive.  The wiki with the resources for that session is http://timcooper.wikispaces.com/moviemakerflip