The future of the blogging platform...

While following offshoot links from linked articles (!), I ran across a couple of interesting articles from over a year ago. One is a NY Times article cleverly titled "Blogs Falling in an Empty Forest" and the other, referencing that article, is a Guardian blog entry about the future of blogging. There is some relevant insight in those articles as well as some of the comments that follow those articles.

One comment compares the state of blogging to the Gartner 'hype cycle'. I would agree with the comment that, for various reasons, blogging as a concept may have fallen into the Trough of Disillusionment. With this blog, I certainly never sought book deals or notoriety that some bloggers seem to have been seeking. This is one premise you'll find stated in the linked articles. I do agree, though, that blogging is time-consuming if done well. In some circles, it has likely been replaced with easier and more immediate tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

To me, that comparison is somewhat of an apple-to-orange comparison. When using Twitter, it's difficult to expound on anything too meaningful in 140 characters or less. Granted, when time is of the essence and you simply want to share an article you read, a tweet makes sense (unlike a forwarded email with an entire article attached, which I get my share of). For the Facebook crowd, I'm not sure how the blog comparison works, but I will say that a Facebook status update I make will likely have more readers than this blog post may have. It's apples v. oranges, though, because the purposes are different.

Blogging, to me, is a chance to share thoughts on a given topic. My topic of choice, in this case, happens to be my job. For many, the topic of choice is a hobby of theirs. Your readers - should they happen to exist - are naturally going to be those who share a common interest. Blogs specific to an interest should naturally lead to a group of people using that mechanism to share insight on that interest. It would be difficult to share many details in 140-character bites via tweets and responses. Facebook is more general in nature and, while you could certainly create a Facebook group for a particular interest, it doesn't have the same look and feel as a blog post.

I use Twitter and Facebook on occasion and it's obvious that I haven't been blogging as much lately. However, I think my reasons are due to work and personal obligations eating into my time rather than the blog being replaced by some other medium. Also, as previously stated, it requires some time and effort. I'll turn right around and tweet a link to this and it will certainly take much less time than this post took. If you have to choose between a retweet, a comment on this post or a blog entry of your own, which would you choose and why?

To complete the hype cycle thought, I feel like the blog will remain in some form and that the 'Plateau of Productivity' will be seen as common interests are found and expounded upon by writers who choose to take the time to write about what is important to them.

Pew Report on Cell Phones and American Adults

While browsing around, I ran across one of the many interesting reports from the Pew Internet & American Life Project. This one is entitled "Cell Phones and American Adults" and, as is typically the case, there is quite a bit of interesting data that I can't analyze quickly enough (and isn't THAT what the Internet has become?) Just some random stats of interest from the report:

* 82% of American adults own a cell phone
* Adults who text send/receive about 10/day on average. Teens who text average 50/day
* African-Americans and English-speaking Hispanics are slightly more likely to own a phone than whites and they are also more frequent and intense users of the phone
* About 2/3 (65%) sleep with the phone nearby. It's over 90% for the 18-29 demographic
* (Only) 58% make voice calls on a cell phone for work-related purposes
* 86% think it's rude when someone regularly interrupts a conversation or meeting to check on their cell phone
* 31% of teens send more than 100 texts/day
* 39% of adults use the cell phone to entertain themselves when bored. 69% of teens do
* About 79% reported having a desktop or laptop computer - that's the same or slightly less than the percentage having a cell phone

I guess this is where I should add some level of in-depth analysis of this data. That's tough, because I can only really speak from my own perspective and it differs in a few areas. I can't imagine NOT using my cell phone for work-related purposes. I suppose the number could be artificially low due to the ages or work status of those surveyed. It's also hard for me to imagine that there are as many or more cell phone owners than computer owners, but that simply goes to show how quickly that market has grown and how necessary the cell phone is thought to be.

I confess that I'm quite surprised that a higher percentage of minorities own and use a cell phone (as compared to the white population). I see this as a potential wake-up call to those of us in education. Admittedly, I haven't traditionally been a big fan of cell phone use as part of the educational process. However, if this technology is helping to close the 'digital divide', how can we NOT embrace the use of this technology to help close achievement gaps?! There are some very interesting trends in minority use of technology brought up in this article that mirror these thoughts.

When I see the number of texts that our teens send, I'm reminder of something that David Couch brings up on occasion. I've heard him compare the depth of text conversations to the phenomenon of CB radios when they were first introduced. Many people wanted to talk on the CB but, if you read a transcript of the conversations taking place, most were fairly useless in nature. The cell phone data reveals that many text simply to say hello or chat - particularly with teens - so I can only assume that the nature of a printout of the texting conversations between many teens wouldn't necessarily be groundbreaking thought.

The data shows that most of us have a cell phone. Is there a way to use this device educationally? Should it change the way we teach? If virtually every teacher has a cell phone, is THAT how he/she should communicate with parents (rather than a phone in the school or classroom?)

"The Cloud" and 21st Century Learning

I probably have too many thoughts going on at once to make a sensible blog entry, but I've got to get with the program and keep the cobwebs dusted off of this site. An article was brought to my attention by a teammate. The article concerned student learning and cloud computing and the potential that's out there. Some of that article talks about advantages of students in a university setting creating their own 'cloud' of learning tools rather than relying on school-provided resources. It made me think of the possibilities we have in the K-12 space and, honestly, I took a detour and began to think more broadly about "21st Century Skills" and spent some time looking at the framework established by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.

As I look through the details of those framework definitions, I see mention of core content subject knowledge accompanied by a huge number of necessary 'other' skills lumped into "Learning and Innovation", "Life and Career" and "Information, Media and Technology". These are the desired student outcomes and I'll rattle off several of these:

Think Creatively and Work Creatively with Others
Implement Innovations
Reason Effectively
Use Systems Thinking
Make Judgments and Decisions
Solve Problems
Communicate Clearly
Collaborate with Others
Access, Evaluate, Use and Manage Information
Analyze Media and Create Media Products
Apply Technology Effectively
Adapt to Change
Manage Goals and Time
Work Independently and Be Self-Directed Learners
Interact Effectively with Others
Manage Projects
Guide and Lead Others

I tired out and skipped a few here and there, but you get the idea. The design mentions several necessary support systems such as properly integrated standards and assessments, PD, learning environment and curriculum and instruction. Keep in mind that we're just now adopting common core standards for English and math. If we've struggled for years to adopt common standards in a few of the core subjects, how will we ever be able to properly assess how well a student applies technology effectively or reasons effectively. These skills are necessary but are also very subjective and, I think, would be difficult at best to properly assess.

Touching on the cloud-based computing article, I believe there are many readily available tools to help with some of the 21st century tasks noted above. I manage goals and time with a calendar application within my email client which, with any luck, I use to communicate clearly and collaborate with others. I can also collaborate with others using web-based productivity software from any number of providers. I can at least try to guide and lead others with blog posts such as this. And so on...

I could develop a lengthy list of conundrums we find ourselves in, only one of which being "how can teachers allow students to be self-directed learners when they are so hard-pressed to cover a list of content standards within the specified number of days/hours of instruction?" Technology alone isn't the answer, but it is a tool that can help get us there if properly leveraged. Some students are honing their 21st century skills on their own, using modern tools such as smartphones and any number of collaborative web resources. Some are undoubtedly using it for the wrong purposes, but I look forward to the day when we collectively allow more of this collaboration to take place as part of the classroom experience. With any luck, the benefits gained will far outweigh the issues that might arise.

Freeware feature: OldCMP

I recently ran across a freeware tool called OldCMP that's been around for quite some time. OldCMP is a command-line tool that helps you find old user or computer accounts in your Active Directory environment.

To those outside of technology, it doesn't make sense that you could "lose" user or computer objects. However, if you regularly use scripts and imaging software to create, replace update or delete massive numbers of users and computers, then the concept of "lost" objects makes a great deal of sense. In addition, in Kentucky's environment, we leverage ePolicy Orchestrator to keep antivirus software updated and, as you might imagine, it's difficult to gather useful reports on antivirus coverage if your machine counts aren't accurate.

** A quick 'cover yourself' type of note that this is a freeware tool and it is what it is, you get what you pay for, etc. Also, it's a command-line tool that is interfacing with Active Directory, so note that you can really do some damage to your directory if you don't use this tool properly. **

With that out of the way, let's cover a few details. You can download the tool at the link provided above. You can review many of the command-line switches available here. Switches that you'd use in our particular environment would likely be:

-b basedn (to specify the directory location to begin - in our case, you'd use several "DC=" settings to establish a district domain in our forest)

-age x (to specify the minimum age for a password change - we might use 90 days or even longer to increase the likelihood that results are machines/user that are really not being used)

-llts (This allows us to use LastLogonTimeStamp for some of the age stats. Some trust this more than the password change statistic in AD and, between the two, you will likely be able to verify that machines/users are really as dated as they appear)

- format dhtml (For IE, this would allow the report to generate in dynamic HTML format, which would allow you to sort the resorts by clicking on column headings, etc. This is very useful.)

-report (simply to write a report of the objects found)

So, if I run OldCMP from a command prompt with this format:

oldcmp.exe -b DC=adams,DC=kentucky,DC=org -age 90 -llts -format dhtml -report

If I were in the adams.kentucky.org AD domain, I should generate a dynamic HTML file that shows the computers in my domain that have a LastLogonTimeStamp setting of older than 90 days. It could be that some machines haven't logged on in years and you could find that by sorting on the proper column.

Perhaps some of you have used this tool in the past or, for others, perhaps you can use this to some benefit. In our environment, this could be a very useful tool for districts to clean up their AD domain and more easily identify machines that need to be removed.

Energy Savings and Magic Packets

Kentucky schools have embarked on an energy management program. This was required by law and every district is participating at some level. This energy saving initiative deals with all aspects of the school, from lighting to HVAC, food service, transportation, etc.

Technology can and should be involved at some level. As a successful CIO, it's always good to demonstrate leadership by participating and cooperating with high-level district initiatives such as these. Along those lines, I thought I'd take a moment to mention the capability of remotely shutting down and starting computers. This may seem minor but, to a lab manager that touches 30 machines in a lab to power off or power on a lab, this will save time and buy you some goodwill. These remote capabilities also could open the door to scheduled shutdowns and power-ons, which definitely falls in line with the energy management initiatives.

Shutting down computers is easy enough and can be done via command line. As most of you well know, if it can be done via command line, then it can be done via script or GUI-based tool. There are countless tools that allow for remote shutdown and I won't bother to feature one here. The point is simply that it can be done and, if you're not doing it now, you should consider implementing this and doing so as part of an energy-saving initiative.

Most are also aware that computers can be powered on remotely as well. The technology involved concerns Wake-on-LAN and the use of a "magic packet". Wake-on-LAN is available on every machine that's even relatively current. To enable this capability, a BIOS setting may need to be changed.

In addition to getting the machine ready, your switches would need to support the use of the "magic packet". As an aside, the magic packet is a special broadcast that is sent to the LAN or specific machines via the network. You'll want to test this to ensure that your switches and your particular network configuration supports proper transfer of this packet, but that packet is what triggers the machine to power on (and, not coincidentally, this is one reason that a slight amount of power still passes through a networked computer that is powered off).

Assuming your switches and computers are capable of supporting Wake-on-LAN and magic packet transfer, you should be ready to implement remote power-on. As with remote shutdown, there are many tools available to send those packets and automate the process. This post wasn't meant to highlight those tools and a few simple searches will lead you to multiple options. However, I thought it was worth a few minutes to highlight the concept of remote power-on and shutdown and ask you to consider implementing it as part of an overall energy management solution for your district.

The Crystal Ball

As I look ahead to the next school year for our districts, I thought I'd take a moment to mention a few trends that we'll all likely face in the next year or two. We're already seeing some of these topics coming up in some districts, but I feel like these trends will continue and accelerate:

* $$$ and doing more with less (or withOUT) - I mentioned Title IID concerns a year ago and they have come to pass, so there will be less federal money for education technology. Kentucky's budget for 7/1/10 through 6/30/12 called for technology funding cuts and that will have a large impact from the state perspective. And then - THEN - it seems that our state may have a $200-$300M shortfall (after these passed budget cuts, mind you) if we don't receive a federal Medicaid funding match. That could mean that we face further budget cuts during this budget cycle. I don't enjoy hearing about and talking about budget cuts any more than you do, but I emphasize these to point out that the cuts are real and we're going to feel them. I have school districts that are cutting staff and hard decisions will also have to be made regarding replacement of aging technology. As one example, a district is considering replacement of some devices with the NComputing 'virtual' computers. As stated in the title for this section, there's no doubt that districts will be trying to do more with less and, with all of the fat trimmed from budgets, I feel like some will be forced to make the tougher decisions to do without resources, whether those be personnel, new hardware or new software.

* Even MORE controversy as boundaries are crossed - I could link hundreds of articles to make my point, but I'll limit myself to a single link and humbly ask that you make the time to read this New York Times article on school districts being pulled into difficult issues related to technology use and abuse. I have several districts who have noted that they're getting called weekly on Facebook-related issues. I know of staff members who have been questioned about their curious choice of Facebook profile picture and/or status, particularly when some of their 'friends' are students. I know of districts who have had to deal with their users posting very inappropriate content to sites like these. The instinct for district leadership is to call the CIO when something occurs, because it's on the Internet and a computer was used. As the article points out, what do you do when the issue didn't occur on school grounds or with school property? Some parents will demand the district to intervene while others would claim their rights have been violated if the district were to intervene in a personal situation. The lines are blurring and it's making the K-12 CIO's job more difficult.

* More personal devices in the classroom - If you think about it, the first two bullets make this one almost inevitable. In most cases, the money isn't there to buy district-owned devices for everyone. More and more high-schoolers (and younger) are carrying personally-owned devices that have tons of functionality. While we will certainly wrestle with boundaries, inappropriate use, Internet filtering and other issues, I feel like some districts will also look to take advantage of these devices. They are resources that many kids are carrying, that CAN be used in positive ways and that the kids really want to use.

I'm sure there are other things on the horizon (eBooks, for example), but these have been on my mind as of late. Agree, disagree or add topics of your own. Take care!

E-Rate: Funding Year 2011

There's quite a bit going on with the federal E-Rate program this summer. There are a few critical Notices of Proposed Rule-Making (NPRM) out there and there is also a draft of the Eligible Services List for FY2011. This is the earliest I can remember seeing a draft ESL posted. Many of the NPRM suggestions are embedded in this draft ESL, so I'll take a moment and highlight a few of these:

* "Dark Fiber" would become eligible - Applicants and providers have sort of worked around this over the years by proposing that that provider 'light' the fiber by supplying the electronics on each end. In some cases, this has simply led to an additional switch for the district to power and house in their wiring closets. This could be a good development, as schools and districts seeking to connect might often find a vendor with fiber optics available for lease. It would also take away some guesswork with network proposals. Do you need 10Gb between all sites? Well, if you have the electronics to support that, go for it.

* "Web hosting" would become ineligible - This could be a big deal for a few of my districts. Some applicants have taken advantage of third-party hosting sites for the district web presence. It keeps the district from having to maintain a server and web services on that server. We've had districts who have had their web site hacked. At times, this has been due to security updates and patches not being applied. There's some level of security in having this housed by a provider specializing in web hosting.

I do see the other side of the equation, though. The program itself is about connectivity and a web site is not directly related to connectivity (or, perhaps, not as much so as in years past). Also, all parties have sought to take full advantage of what is or isn't eligible and have walked a thin line to gain every advantage possible. Any service that's eligible "to a point" lends itself to applicants or providers seeking to push the proverbial envelope. Removing this certainly prevents that, but it would put districts in a tough spot as they would be forced to consider whether to continue hosting services if forced to pay the full price themselves.

* "Web servers" would become ineligible - See above, as the logic is similar. The program has grown increasingly strict over the years as it pertains to servers eligible for purchase under Internal Connections. If web hosting is deemed ineligible, logic would dictate that web servers would be deemed ineligible as well.

There are other removals for services that were not being purchased by many (if any) applicants. T-2's, Global Service Provider fees and a Network Access Registers (related to Centrex phone service) were all crossed out of the draft ESL.