I'm MOVING!

Well, my blog is anyhow. Now, when you type in www.TheEduGeek.com you'll be directed to my personal site bbagby.einsteinsmonkey.com (also known as bbagby.com). I'll be posting there from now on.

If you haven't heard Salman Khan's talk, you need to

First of all, how can you not love a guy with a name like Khan? "KHAAAAAAN!!!!" (I'm channeling my inner Shatner there). But seriously, this guy is putting out there what every great teacher already knows. He's created the Khan Academy (read: FREE tutorials) and his philosophy on education is, in my humble opinion, spot on.

http://www.khanacademy.org/video/salman-khan-talk-at-ted-2011--from-ted-com?playlist=Khan%20Academy-Related%20Talks%20and%20Interviews

Google Sites for VWCC Faculty

I've embarked on a long journey. As my "Project in leu of thesis", I've decided to create training for Virginia Western's faculty and staff. Last year it was decided that it was no longer in the best interest of anyone for VWCC staff to maintain the infrastructure for faculty and staff websites. Google Sites is available to all our faculty, staff and students and quite honestly, it's far more robust and reliable than anything we could put in place. Plus the cost of support is relatively little with the product.

So far, I've created well over thirty pages of supporting documentation for the development of the training, and this weekend I began recording video instruction for the site. With fewer than 30 days to complete the project, I'll be burning the midnight oil for a while. It should be worth it, I'm excited to get this rolled out to our faculty (not to mention putting the long awaited degree to rest).

Wish me luck!

why don't I rant more?

So, it has been pointed out to me by one of my two? readers that I haven't ranted in a while. Does that mean there's nothing to rant about? Sadly, I've had so much to rant about that I've not known where to start, so I haven't bothered. To sum up: Virginia Government, U.S. Government, lack of support for education, blah, blah, blah.

so there.

If you're reading this, you're not the ones I'm complaining about

http://www.pewinternet.org/Press-Releases/2010/Home-Broadband-2010.aspx

21% of adults do not use the internet: Many do not believe the material they could find online is very relevant to their lives and most do not view the promotion of home broadband access as a high government priority.

OR "21% of people don't know what they don't know"

The vast majority of those against the government pushing broadband, don't actually use the internet, and many admit that they probably couldn't. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not sure this should be a government priority right now but I'm not foolish enough to think Internet access isn't important.

I think about how I price shop - ultimately saving thousands of dollars a year, or how I do medical searches, reducing the number of doctor visits, or take my classes online saving the time and trouble of driving, or looking at the latest BS that the two sides of the isle are feeding me to get my vote and finding the truth somewhere in the middle.

To that 21% I say, don't judge something you don't use. Instead, look at the data of the overall impact of the technology and make a judgment from that.

Virginia being governed by mindless bigots. Let the brain drain continue

Seriously? Am I reading this correctly? The Washington Post

I know that the law is the law and all that. And yes, I do realize that "legally" Commonwealth of VA agencies are technically bound to the mindless bigotry that the law still represents, but seriously? Do we have to advertise it? My opinion is not one of a liberal (though generally I am one), but of a fiscal conservative (yes, sometimes I am one of those too).

Education is one of the most liberal areas of personnel in our state. It relies on the ability to draw the best and brightest minds in faculty, students and researchers to develop new technologies and ideas that can be monetized, and frankly, many of those minds are far more open than those of our legislature. You don't have to like it, you just have to recognize you can profit from it!

You would think that the AG would be aware of how much impact bringing in new ideas and technology would have on the Commonwealth seeing as how he's from Northern Virginia. Yet here he is pushing his decidedly right wing religious agenda, despite the potential effects on our economy - and the Right Governor is cheering him right along, with all of the legislature hiding in the wings, knowing they could fix it.

I find myself wondering, does anyone actually think taking a stand on this position, right now, is best for our Commonwealth's economy?

Email is too damn slow

Rant alert. Here it comes!

So, I've heard that email is "Too Slow" for the newest generation of users. I thought perhaps that was a bit extreme, until today. I'm blogging my gripe about this as I wait and Wait and WAIT for my coworker to read an email asking a quick, simple question. Why? Because he isn't on a chat client and doesn't want me to use SMS??? In fact, while I'm griping about how annoying it is to wait around for his response, let me take it two steps further and and #1: why are we using MS Office to collaborate on a document instead of something that can truly collaborate in real time? #2: why isn't he on some sort of video client so we can actually TALK FACE TO FACE !!! You know who you are, buddy. Get with the times!