A Newfound Enthusiasm

Technology and Education:
It's not often that I don't get reinvigorated to do my job. With how fast technology grows and different ways of implementing are thought up, I am constantly getting some new energy to pour into my work. It's a wonderful feeling.

Tonight, we had a class meeting for our practicum course for grad program. I am currently in the process of obtaining my Master's and IST certification through Philadelphia University, and I am at the two courses that end my study. I'm not worried about putting things together for my portfolios, etc. I know I'll do fine with them. What got me going were some of the interactions I had during class.

First, one of my classmates had an ASUS EeePC with her, and I got to play around with it. We discussed the pros and cons of it (it has Skype; but not the same version we were used to on our regular computers; the small keyboard takes some getting used to; very durable; Flash-based memory -- which of these are pros, and which are cons?), and how it could be beneficial to education. I see this as being something that could be used in elementary level classrooms, and it would be a great way to open up our younger students to varying technologies. No offense to all of you Windows users out there, but why must we continue to let Microsoft dominate our computers? Start these kids out with Linux (and an option to run XP), as well as a boatload of open source software. Not to mention the relatively low price!

It was amazing how, when I could have left after the 36 minutes it took for us discuss the issues for our practicum, that there were many of us who stayed around and discussed various issues, such as Classrooms for the Future and professional development. I am excited to complete my Master's, but I am also excited to see how the use of technology in education continues to advance.

Comics:
On an more fun note, I noticed that Joe Quesada, Marvel Comics EIC will be on The Colbert Report tomorrow. It will be interesting to see where the discussion goes, and how much Colbert knows probably the two biggest issues facing Marvel right now: The new Captain America (the last one died) and Spider-Man's deal with the devil, and what that deal did with continuity.

Hockey:
Also, Teemu Selanne has returned! This is big news for the Anaheim Ducks, as this helps to complete the team that won the Stanley Cup last year. True, the Ducks have lost Dustin Penner, Ilya Bryzgalov, and Andy McDonald, but have gained Mathieu Schneider, Doug Weight, and Todd Bertuzzi. With the addition of Selanne to the line-up, I can see the Ducks of course, moving one of the younger guys back down to Portland and also trading one of their defensemen (Huskins, DiPenta, or O'Donnell), though at the same time, you never know what Burke is going to do.

The one thing that gets me about this move is that there is some talk out there about this being a bad move. The Ducks are messing with chemistry (Selanne doesn't have McDonald as a center and there are only 29 games left). Selanne now risks not going out on top. With the Ducks, it has been interesting to see how they dealt with their two stars that almost retired: there was no pressure to make a decision, which allowed them to fully assess whether they could live without hockey yet or not. A big question now is what happens if Selanne wants to return again next year? Can the Ducks make the cap room? I'm excited to be able to see them play this Saturday in Philly.