greetings from CUE

I just walked through an exhibit hall with all these super-duper tech exhibitors: an app to prevent students from contacting anyone outside school, an app to teach the periodic table, several different smart board vendors... it seems that most of the emphasis here is on tools, without much attention to what people are building with those tools. I wonder what would happen at a conference about education technology where the conversation focused on "why" instead of "how."

Your participation in the Q&A made a big difference. Usually these events don't include direct input from students, and it's important for educators to get the message right from the horse's mouth (no offense intended-- to you or your horses). It's hard to overstate how surprised the audience was when I told them they could ask you questions directly, or how impressed they were with the quality and thoughtfulness of your answers, especially when you talked about the reasons for doing what you're doing and what you're learning in the process. Special thanks to Ian, Jon, Savannah, Isaac and those of you who lurked on camera in the background (Hunter, you're too tall to miss, and John, there was one guy who worried so much about security that I was tempted to ask you something directly just to see if you could actually make a fearful educator's head explode).

Students aren't the only people learning about learning, and today you helped teach a powerful lesson. Thanks again. See you Monday.

P.S. Gotta love Shakespeare. I worked in the idea that the people not empowering students with modern technology will think themselves accurs'd and hold their educator-hood cheap while any speaks that fought with us for learning in the Information Age...

P.P.S. I absolutely NAILED "To be or not to be" (and officially redeemed myself, p.4!)