john costilla | community blog

Costilla Speedy 2011

2011-12-30T16:25:00.003-06:00

As Twenty-Eleven comes to an end, we are thankful for all the great memories. Happy New Year to all our friends and family.

See this past year's Costilla Speedy 2011.

Merry Christmas from the Costilla Family

2011-12-22T10:42:00.008-06:00

In typical fashion, America and I are late in the process of sending out Christmas cards so here is our 21st century Christmas video card and family update...

This Christmas we are very blessed and thankful to have all our family together. The Costilla family has been very busy this year with many ups and challenges but through it all, we are grateful for all our friends, family and support.

Gabriella is home for the break and entering her last semester as a senior at the University of Texas at Dallas. She celebrated her 21st birthday this year and is officially legal... Alec, 17, is doing well at St. John's and learning all about military life and leadership. Caroline, 11, is in her last year of elementary school as a 5th grader. She has become a great artist and cartoonist. John Michael, 8, is deep into cub scouts and enjoys 2nd grade. He is also quite the WIImaster. And then there's Grace. She entered kindergarten this year and already has taken to writing everything and everywhere, including walls and chairs. It's fun to read her phonetic spelling and try to make sense of it all.

May your Christmas and New Year season be filled with all the blessings, love and support that you have shown us. We pray that your 2012 is joyous and inviting to all that is good.

God Bless,
John & America Costilla

Right Here. Right Now. Social Media is a FAD?

2011-06-10T09:08:00.006-05:00

Wow. How long has it been since my last blog post? Does anyone really blog anymore? I think blogging is so 2010... Actually, I've probably spent more time in Google Reader, StumbleUpon and Twitter reading, sharing and posting in the 6 months than blogging. One of my favorite apps, now gone, was FriendFeed. This allowed me to post once and have it automatically linked to all my other social components. Now almost every app has a Facebook connector that allows all your post to automatically shift over to Facebook status updates. I find my self checking into locations using Gowalla, an Austin based location social media service...this of course let's everyone see where I am, most often eating out...hence, the additional 20 lbs.

In any case, it turns out that social media may not be a fad as much as a way of life in today's every instance connected world we live in. The question I ask, is how do we leverage this social tool in our work and personal lives as well as in our education system. For the most part, education has stayed away from it.

This updated version of the now famous Shift Happens takes on the reality of social media is here to stay... Very cool and well produced.

DO you use social media in education? If so, how?

Speedy 2010 & Happy Holidays

2010-12-21T19:31:00.001-06:00

With 5 kids, a move, little sleep and just the fact that we're getting older, America and I didn't have time to send out Christmas cards this year... This video will have to make do.

Update: Gab is a senior in college, AC is a rowdy 16 year old, Caroline is sweet; John M is a playaaa and Grace runs the household. America looks great and my hair is falling out. That's about it.

Have a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Until we meet again...

2010-08-03T22:44:00.005-05:00

It's been one week from today that I flew to Tennessee to see my good friend Jim Elliott for the last time at his service. It was a beautiful celebration of a wonderful father and friend. I had the honor of speaking at his memorial; below is what I shared with those that gathered. Thank you friend for being the inspiration.

God is good.

I could go on and on about what a great friend, father, brother, son, etc. Jim has been to all of us… and then ask why? Why did we lose a strong, faithful, and loving friend…? Why now? He fought so hard, why him? Good guys always win?

But in Jim’s own words, he would say…

· There is some good that comes out of this bad….

· I’m not happy about this disease but thankful for many good things that have happened because of this disease.

· Actually there has been a great deal of good that has come from this bad and I truly am thankful for that.

· I am thankful for this surgery and I am thankful to have a God that has taken on my sickness. This will be a war and I have tried to prepare for this mentally and physically and again keep in touch and I will get through this very soon.

· I believe God is about process and this illness has me experiencing this process to understand His unconditional love for me and how I should love others well.

In the fall of 1997, I met this young man named Jim Elliott. I would jokingly call him “Jimmy” and he would finish by saying, “I’ll take what you gimmy.”

Little did I know this is what his friends and family called him growing up. Jimmy had joined a company called Lightspan that many of us that are here today that had worked at for so many years. We became like a family. We would go on presentations together, room together, play basketball during our company gatherings and on and on. Over the past 13-14 years, we stayed together. First at Lightspan, Plato and then here at CompassLearning. Several of the folks that are here are folks that knew him from work over the years. My guess is that for those of you that are family friends or high school friends, we could probably tell the same story about Jimmy…

He was a fierce competitor.

He was a champion, a winner; a president’s club achiever

He was a good friend. He was a great friend.

He was a jokester. A charmer, A comedian, a playaaaa. He loved to say “Holla”

He liked to laugh and smile and enjoy the company of others.

He made you feel like you were his only best friend… and he did that for so many.

He was everything that everyone has written on the CaringBridge site.

He was truly a child of God.

He was a father. A great father… He loved his kids…. Rebekka and Davis.

He was his Mom; he was his Dad. He would always talk about both of them. Over the past few months, I learned so much about him through the strength and character of Mertie and Big Jerry.

He was a brother…. To Jerry and Jeff….

He was like a big brother…. To me. And to so many.

In October of 1998, one late afternoon; Jimmy called me and in a matter of fact way says to me. “ I have been diagnosed with cancer.” I paused, didn’t know how to react. As with so many of us; we thought, not you…. You all know his regiment… his strength, descipline, eating habits, etc…

I believe the first words out of my mouth were… “are you scared?” Then we both cried for a bit and of course, the comforting Jimmy, he said we’ll get through this and fight this battle….

I told him that day, that I would call him everyday whether he wanted to hear from me or not. And days that I fell short, he would call me and say; why didn’t call me. He kept to his word and mine. Until his final sigh, he fought the fight. He never let go. He not only taught us how to live; he taught us how to die with courage, dignity, strength, love and faith.

I’ve read over and over from the comments that all of you have left on the site…. “I am a better person because of Jim, I am stronger in my faith and purpose because of Jim and his journey.” I agree.

With more than 62 thousand visits to his site, 3 thousand prayers and notes to the guestbook and hundreds and hundreds of prayer groups and folks praying around the country and around the clock, Jimmy lived and breathed through every note, call, email, text and entry….

One night before he went into the “big” 19 hour surgery, he called me at 12:30 at night. How he knew I couldn’t sleep, I have no idea. It was our daily call and he wanted to make sure I was okay. I asked if we could say a prayer together and we did then he simply said, I’ll talk to you on the other side. I’m sure that so many of you could not sleep that night either. I decided for his sake, I would stay up the full 12 hours, at the time that’s how many hours he said it would take….

Restless and impatient, I decided to read all of his CaringBridge blog posts… One by one I would find small teachings; nuggets of wisdom and knowledge he was sharing with all of us…

In his own words….

· I will continue to fight!

· I believe God is building up my strength and is preparing me for something later in life that will require something more than I have been able to or willing to give in the past.

· Sometimes God uses others to glorify Him just as God has used me to speak to others during this disease.

· I will continue to pray for all of you because I know my struggle is not the only one out there.

· I can find comfort in knowing He never lets go of me. I will get through this “storm” in my life and when I do He will still not let go of me!

· Trust God and do not be afraid. Little did I know that I was the focus of that verse, so I am taking that to heart throughout this journey.

· Now is pivotal.

· I am confident our prayers are being heard and God is sovereign so lets continue to believe and fight well.

· I hope I am as good a friend to you as you have been to me and I actually mean that too.

· I take great comfort in knowing the number of prayers that are going out on my behalf. In sales I talk about being consistent and persistent and the success will come. I believe that applies in prayer as well and I am certainly receiving persistent and consistent prayers and I believe God responds to that.

· I am thankful he loves me enough to put me through this journey.

· My conflict (struggle) will continue to shape me as a person and I will continue to be thankful for everyday and I will enjoy everyday.

· You are spinach and I am not superman; I am popeye!

· There are two truisms that I seem to live everyday during this time in my life. One is that, “conflict changes us,” and secondly, “God tells us to be thankful for everything.”

· I can’t tell you enough how much your words are giving me strength, how much your comments are keeping me focused and that we will overcome this disease.

· I have prayed for courage, I have prayed for wisdom, but I have never prayed for serenity.

· Be strong and fight each day and do not let fear paralyze you to live an exciting and fulfilling life. (of course I’m actually giving myself a pep talk!)

· I’m not sure what “normal” is at this point. However, it made me think why do I want to go back to my previous “normal?” The reality is that I don’t want to go back there, I am so thankful to be experiencing this season in my life.

· I believe God was loving me well when he decided to destroy my “normal” but what I want you to know is “THAT” is a good thing!

· Now is critical, I look forward to experiencing a long life of that kind of normal.

Over the years, as with so many, Jimmy shared so much of his time with his friends and family. I recall our skiing trip to Steamboat, Colorada. I told him I had never been skiing, ever… When I got there, I didn’t see anyone that looked like me; that was not a good sign. Jimmy, Steven Hoy and myself along with our kids endured and I learned how to ski alongside all the little 5-6 year olds while Davis, Rebekka and the other kids learned to snowboard. It was the most expensive, I mean, the best time I shared with my son. When I was going through issues with my teenage boy, jimmy was there. Last spring break my son and I took a trip to visit Jimmy. I don’t know why I chose to do that. I thought maybe I could be there for Jim, but it turns out he was there for me. AC never forgot the drills Jimmy taught him about basketball. During our summer vacation, I re routed our trip to Ohio to make sure we drove through Nashville, Jimmy was there to great my family. And this fall, he was adamant on seeing America’s team… so we spent some time at the Cowboys game and observed the new stadium. These were some of my best times. Jimmy was about adventure and doing stuff. These were special moments for me and I’m sure all of you have these special moments that he shared with you.

I’ve had the privilege of working with Jimmy all these years. And throughout his career he always performed at such high levels and achieved all his targets. Under the circumstances, this year was no different. We know that he is already rewarded with his greatest achievement of his life – being with his Father in heaven. But I do want to take a moment to acknowledge his achievement at work which I know he would be so proud and deserves our recognition and celebration. As you know, he was not able to attend our summer meeting and gala this past week, and as Mertie and her family can attest, he tried every effort to get there. We were able to live feed the awards ceremony to his home and with his family, and he was able to see and participate in the event virtually. It was amazing, and in Jimmy fashion, he showed up to work ready to receive his award. At this time, I would like to present to his family this award on his behalf. This was in fact Jimmy’s greatest year of his career reaching more than 209% of quota and 3.139M in sales, On behalf of the company, our CEO and VP of Sales and all members of CompassLearning family – Congratulations to our 2010 president’s club achiever – Jim Elliott.

When I received the call after his final surgery that there was nothing they could do anymore, I wanted to give up, I wanted to end the fight… I sent Jim a text stating he needed to focus on his family and not to worry about texting, calling me…

He immediately texted me and said… “you are family.” I didn’t respond. He replied… “do you understand…. You are my family.”

I made a commitment to him and to God that I would not give up I would not let go or give up the fight if he was not willing to give up the fight.

He fought well to the very end. And he will continue to fight for each one of us in heaven. We truly have an advocate, a warrior and champion in heaven that is watching over all of us and his children.

A month ago today, June 27, Jim wrote his last and final blog post to the CaringBridge site. It was mostly an update to the beginning of the final treatment…

The week prior, June 20^th, he writes…

I am so blessed and fortunate to be a father and my children have been amazing during this journey. I cannot imagine how they have processed what has happened to me. At times I want to apologize to them for having to experience this journey I am going through and then God reminds me that he loves them more than I do and he is teaching them to cling to Him and not to things of this world. Still it is difficult to watch them having to be grown up before their time. If you read this kids I want you to know how proud I am of you, how much I love you and how much you truly are a gift from God.

Jim has taught us the true meaning of life… our values and our goal.

That being to put God first in all you do, To fight well, to live al life that ensure your place in the kingdom of heaven. Faith and family were his foundation; everything else followed…

To close with a quote from Jimmy’s blog post….

· I could go on and on of the people that have and continue to be instrumental in my recovery and one day we will have a hell of a party to celebrate what God has done.

· As always thank you for your unconditional love toward me.

Jim, Friend and brother, till we meet again…

Below is a tribute video from his friends:

Jim Elliott Tribute from Traylor Lovvorn on Vimeo.

WebMetricsGuru » Buzz from SXSWi using Sysomos and Social Radar (without going there)

2010-03-15T08:57:00.001-05:00

http://www.webmetricsguru.com/archives/2010/03/buzz-from-sxswi-using-sysomos-...

John Costilla
CompassLearning
940.312.3867 [mobile]
jcostilla [Twitter/Skype]

Posted via email from jcostilla's posterous

Posterous autoload

2010-03-14T10:39:00.003-05:00

Testing autoload from posterous to blogger / flickr. Cool.

Posted via email from jcostilla's posterous

Who want an Easy Button?

2010-02-08T21:45:00.003-06:00

I find this post by Will Richardson very interesting... not sure why... Just very interesting and thought provoking....

After watching this video and it's core marketing message on ease of use, it just seemed to dumb down the teaching and learning process in the classroom. I don't think I want a one size fits all or easy button in the classroom. Learning should be challenging and engaging and not confined to a central location in the classroom. Teaching and learning happen everyday and everywhere beyond the four walls of the classroom. As a former classroom teacher, all we had were computer labs, today teachers and students have iTouch, iPhone, netbooks, social media tools and many other innovative resources. It's a shame the message comes down to just making it easy. I don't think this is the right message either.

Thanks for posting this and seeking a deeper vision of teaching and learning.

Transformative Technology? Really?

So I ran across this Smart Ease of Use video in the course of one of our threads in a PLP cohort and I have to say, I can’t seem to shake it. I mean, maybe I’m missing something here, but if this is a vision of “transformative” technology, we’re in some serious trouble. Worse, if this marketing piece actually does the job and creates sales of Smart boards, we’re in even bigger trouble.

Is this really a vision of classrooms and learning that we aspire to? Is it all about being “easy”? And what does it say when the manufacturer of one of the most popular pieces of technologies in schools presents this picture for what teachers and students should be doing in schools?

Help me…what am I missing?

The New CompassLearning

2010-02-02T16:23:00.005-06:00

So this week we celebrated our new beginning; a rebirth of an exciting mission - to deliver the best digital content for K-12 students, teachers and families. Don't know if I've shared this with you all before, but I use to work at CompassLearning back in the day - the Jostens Learning day. Sixteen years later, I'm back. I've never been more excited to be a part of something so truly amazing. The people that work here are absolutely the best at what they do, the development of new content is exactly what educators and students need for instruction and intervention. And now, the move to becoming a truly independent company with the leadership and alignment to key initiatives including college readiness, RtI, credit and grade recovery, adolescent literacy, this is truly a time where the "stars have aligned."

We just completed our two-day company wide meeting here in Austin where we got to meet our new owners and learn about their business and their mission. Look for great things in the coming months and road ahead. Arrrrr Mate.

CompassLearning sets a new course.
View Press Release.

A Speedy 2009

2010-01-01T15:55:00.005-06:00

With a new year comes new resolutions and new beginnings. Among the many of my New Year's resolutions is to start blogging again. I took somewhat of a break after the transition to a new job, new school for the kids and a new city all together. 2009 proved to be a year of many challenges. Gab graduated and is off in college, AC entered the 10th grade, Caroline and John started public school and Grace got mom all to herself. Me, I seem to go where the wind takes me. My hope for 2010 is to get a better focus on my priorities.

So here is a quick (very quick) update on our 2009.

America and I wish you all a joyful New Year and one that is filled with many blessings. How fitting it was that today's reading at mass was one of new beginnings and new blessing of peace. This we wish for you.

Numbers 6: 22-27
The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

Live stream with Ustream now available.

2009-12-09T11:01:00.001-06:00

Yea! No more jailbroken iPhone with last weeks updater...

Yes, it happened: Live video streaming has come to the iPhone courtesy of Ustream.

In a move that many suspected would never happen — surely the carriers would loathe the increased data usage resulting from such apps — Apple has approved the Ustream Live Broadcaster application, bringing live streaming video straight from the iPhone to the uStream Web site and any embedded players posted around the Web.

The app works on 3G and Wi-Fi connections, supports yes/no polling of viewers, displays chatroom messages, serves up a viewer count, can transmit your location via GPS and allows you to adjust the resolution.

VSS09 Podcasts

2009-12-07T08:17:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Miguel for posting and sharing!

Assorted Podcasts from VSS 2009

Sunday, December 06, 2009 Posted by Miguel
Labels: Education, OnlineLearning, Podcast, VSS2009

Access presentations/slideshows for Virtual School Symposium 2009

Here are a few podcasts--in no particular order and in OGG format--from the Virtual School Symposium 2009 Conference...sorry to take so long to share them. These were actually recorded by a colleague to whom I gave a digital audio recorder. Unfortunately, I didn't get much identifying information from her so I will count on you to listen carefully!

Listen to Podcast #1 - This podcast discusses the use of mobile phones in the classroom. Shares the use of PollEverywhere. How to get out of the site-based model, lack of alignment to course design or quality assurance, no common learning experience for students because teachers innovated and went their own way, the importance of a cheerleader at the District level....
Listen to Podcast #2 - Differentiating instruction in online learning by Jackie Mangieri. Resources online at http://delicious.com/docjmm
Listen to Podcast #3 - Elements of course design and tools you can use to customize.....

K12 Online Conference is up and running!

2009-12-07T08:12:00.003-06:00

The K-12 Online Conference invites participation from educators around the world interested in innovative ways Web 2.0 tools and technologies can be used to improve learning. This FREE conference is run by volunteers and open to everyone. The 2009 conference theme is “Bridging the Divide.” This year’s conference begins with a pre-conference keynote by classroom teacher and international educator Kim Cofino the week of November 30, 2009. The following two weeks, December 7-11 and December 14-17, over fifty presentations will be posted online to our conference blog and our conference Ning for participants to view, download, and discuss. Live Events in the form of three “Fireside Chats” are listed on the events page of our conference Ning and Facebook fan page, and live events will continue in 2010 through twice-monthly “K-12 Online Echo” webcasts on EdTechTalk. Everyone is encouraged to participate in both live events during and after the conference as well as asynchronous conversations. Over 122 presentations from 2008, 2007, and 2006 are available, along with archived live events. Follow the K12 Online Conference on Twitter and Facebook!

Little Kids, Big Possibilities

By Wesley Fryer ⋅ December 7, 2009 ⋅ Email this post ⋅ Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

Presenter: Kelly Hines
Location: Washington, North Carolina, USA
Link to presenter’s K12Online Ning Profile page

Presentation Title: Little Kids, Big Possibilities

Presentation Description: Learn about the what’s, how’s and why’s of using web 2.0 tools and social networking with elementary age students to enhance learning and student engagement.

DotSub Video Presentation Link

Blip m4v direct link (video file)
Blip mp3 direct link (audio file)

Link to presentation’s supporting documents:
http://littlekidsbigpossibilities.pbworks.com

Additional Information:
Blog: http://keepingkidsfirst.wordpress.com

Twitter: kellyhines

You Never Let Go

2009-12-03T03:55:00.006-06:00

(Change from my traditional blog posting… then again this is life and then some.)

Well, we have come to “the night before.” This is a time I have thought about, prayed about, prayed against and researched for well over a year.

I could not sleep tonight... All day yesterday, I have known that one of my closest friends is coming upon the biggest battle of his life this day. Today Jim will undergo a 12 hour surgery to try and rid his body of this deadly disease. And through it all, he has remained steadfast to his faith and commitment to fight the fight. At 7AM today, he will begin his next step in his journey that he has been leading. Through it all, he has remained a rock; a man on a mission guided by his trust and faith in God. Me on the other hand, I’ve been a nervous wreck. He called me last night at 11:30pm from his prep room to let me know that he was good. It was amazing to me, that through all that he will face today, he called me to see if I was up and not to worry. We said a short prayer together, laughed a bit and I shared with him that so many of you were out there sending your prayers out for him. Of course, he was thankful and gracious as always.

I have known Jim Elliott for close to 10 years. We have worked together in the past at a previous company and recently joined forces again at our current company. He is truly an inspiration to me and so many.

This Saturday is October 31st , a year ago my physician called me and told me I have appendecial adeno carcinoma and it at a stage 4.

A little more than a year ago, I received a call from Jim giving me the news of his acknowledgment of his stage 4 cancer. This was overwhelming for me and I can only imagine how he and his family were taking it all in. Obviously the worst came to mind. I vowed to call him everyday to keep his spirits in check and quite frankly, to keep my own spirits in check. Jim did a much better job of checking on me to see if I was okay. Shortly after, he began a CaringBridge blog site to keep those of us up to speed on his progress and his journey.

Learn more: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jimelliott

So tonight, not being able to sleep, I decided to go through all of Jim’s blog posts from day one, Oct. 2008 to December 2nd, 2009. As I read through each of his posts throughout the past year, a common theme became very clear to me – Courage, Faith and Love. Much of Jim’s writings seldom focused on the negative or sadness that such a disease brings. Rather, much of what he shares has to do with the strength he gains from all of the support and prayers of those around him. Also much of what he shares is the gain in closeness to God. Throughout many of the posts, he writes of how ‘thankful’ he is for the journey. It is truly amazing to me that in a time of despair and uncertainty, his outlook on life and the journey are filled with courage, faith and love.

So after reading all of his posts tonight, I pulled out a few of his comments and quotes and thought I would share a years worth of reflection from Jim Elliott.
(This is a song he referenced in his blog post Wednesday, February 4, 2009
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jimelliott/journal/15)

Although many of us have said a few prayers for his support and healing, I believe his prayers and strength have touched each on of us even more. I know I am a stronger person because of the example and courage he has exemplified in his current journey.

So today, I ask that you take some time to pray or pause for the healing and successful surgery that he is undergoing today. I hope to hear from his family later tonight with word on his big day. As he so often says… “your prayers are what keep me going… God is good.”

What if schools could...

2009-11-18T07:24:00.002-06:00

I thought this was interesting and worth reposting. What if schools really had access to innovative tools that students and teachers are using outside the school day and not just on their laptops...?

Tools - Banned and Mobile

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 Posted by Miguel
Labels: Education, TechTips, Web2.0

Thanks to Jane Hart coming up with a list of tools. There is a lot to like in the list but I can't help but ask, "How many of these tools are banned in public schools?" For example, here's the list of top 50 that includes tools that are banned in Texas school districts I'm familiar with...of course, not ALL school districts ban all products at the same time, although some districts sure try to! (smile)

Aside from how many of the tools are banned, what does the selection of these by voters mean? If many of these tools are banned, how many are accessible by mobile phone? How many are used after-hours?

Ah well, just playing with the list. What other questions would you ask?

Current ranking in 2009	2008	2007	TOOL			# Votes
Current ranking in 2009	2008	2007	Name	Platform	Cost	# Votes
1	11	43=	Twitter BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Microblogging tool	O	F	159
2	1	2	Delicious MOBILE PHONE Social bookmarking tool	O	F	95.5
3	18	22=	YouTube BANNED in K-12 Video sharing site	O	F	79.5
4	3	7=	Google Reader MOBILE PHONE RSS / Feed reader	O	F	79
5	7	14	Google Docs BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Office suite	O	F	78.5
6	5	6	Wordpress Blogging tool	O	F	69
7	20	31=	Slideshare BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Hosting presentations	O	F	64
8	6	3=	Google Search BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Web search tool	O	F	56
9=	12	11	Audacity Sound editor and recorder	W M	F	54
	2	1	Firefox Web browser and extensions	W M	F	54
11=	16	31=	Ning BANNED in K-12 Social networking platforms	O	F/C	49
	4	3=	Skype BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Instant messaging/VoIP	W M	F/C	49
13	8	5	PowerPoint Presentation software	W M	C	47
14=	10	9	Blogger BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Blogging tool	O	F	45
	9	12=	Moodle Course mgt system	S	F	45
16	17	17=	iGoogle Personalised start page	O	F	37.5
17	13	26=	Wikipedia Collaborative encyclopedia	O	F	36
18	15	16	flickr BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Photo storage/sharing site	O	F	35
19	23	101=	VoiceThread Collaborative slideshows	O	F	33
20	26=	-	Jing Screen captures/ casting tool	W M	F/C	30.5
21	14	7=	Gmail BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Web-based email	O	F	30
22=	27	17=	Adobe Captivate Demo and scenario tool	W	C	29
	35=	72=	diigo Social annotation site	O	F/C	29
24	25	22=	Articulate Presenter/Engage/ Quizmaker	W	C	27
25	21	26=	SnagIt Screen capture tool	W	C	26.5
26	26=	50=	Camtasia Studio Screencasting tool	W	C	25.5
27	-	-	Evernote Note taking tool	O	F	25
28	-	-	Prezi Presentation software	O	F	24
29	19	15	Wikispaces Wiki tool	O	F/C	23
30	-	-	Wordle Word cloud generator	O	F	22
31=	-	-	animoto Create videos from your images	O	F	21
	24	17=	Facebook BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Social networking site	O	F	21
	50=	43=	iPhone/iPod/ Touch and apps	-	-	21
34	35=	43=	PBworks (prev PBwiki) Wiki tool	O	F/C	19
35	59=	50=	Adobe Photoshop Photo/Image editing tools	W	C	17
36=			Blogs	-	-	16
	22	10	Word Word processing software	W M	C	16
38=	38=	43=	Flash Animation authoring tool	W M	C	15
	66=	101=	Google Apps BANNED in K-12 Google application suite	O	F/C	15
	30=	31=	LinkedIn Professional social network	O	F	15
41=	66=	72=	Adobe Connect Web meeting/ conferencing	O	C	14.5
	28	26=	iTunes/iTunes U Music/podcast player and site	W M	F	14.5
43=	-	-	Dimdim Web conferencing	O	F/C	14
	50=	50=	Elluminate Web conferencing	O	F/C	14
	40=	40=	Google Earth Satellite and aerial imagery	W M	F	14
	-	-	Tweetdeck BANNED in K-12 MOBILE PHONE Desktop social software client	W M	F	14
			Wikis and wiki tools	-	-	14
48	65=	72=	Keynote Presentation software	M	C	12
49	59=	72=	Edublogs Educational blogging tool	O	F	11.5
50=	29	36=	Google Calendar Web-based calendar	O	F	10

Trick or Tweet...

2009-10-30T08:29:00.002-05:00

So what will you dress up as this Halloween?

Create your joke with The Dark Knight iPhone App
The Dark Knight iPhone app takes your picture and allows you to add your own Joker elements to it.

That got me thinking about the thought of a Web 2.0 Halloween. Not just with technology website, activities or tools for use with the kids, but simply dressing up. So here are a few that I found online as possible costumes for this year's Web 2.0 Halloween.

Image credit: CMD+Shift blog

Have a great Web 2.0 Halloween!

Project Pic In Review...

2009-10-14T09:31:00.005-05:00

On September 25th I began my Project Pic 365 with the notion of taking one picture a day for 365 days and posting it to my blog.

This proved to be more difficult that it seemed... There were days I'd forget; days that were so last minute and days that my iPhone battery died before I could get my project pic in for the day. My goal was to take all of the images and compile them into a quick preview to see what it had to say...?

I think what this says is that I like shoes, family, blue skies, technology, my faith. Oh, and did I say my critters? Curious to know what you think?

This was my very first pic.

Project Pic365 - day1

Social Media site falling...

2009-10-14T08:41:00.006-05:00

I've never actually joined MySpace, but I do recall when it was big for music fans and mostly the younger generation. Recent posts, including a tweet I shared yesterday point to the fact that folks migrate to certain social networks. While the article points to the fact that age, class and other demographics point folks to MySpace or Facebook, the reality is that MySpace is falling off a cliff. I don't believe it has anything to do with class or age as much as Facebook is just more direct and relevant. Folks gravitate to where their friends are. Initially, Facebook was for the college crowd, then us "older" folks jumped on board and now the MySpace gen is quickly joining on board. The other day, my 10 year old nephew joined... Is it quickly becoming a fad only to become the next Walmart we all despise? As will all fads, will this to pass and a far superior online community come about? Let's see what the wave of Google brings about...

MySpace’s U.S. Traffic Falls Off a Cliff (Mashable)

Here are some major takeaways from the data:

- MySpace’s downfall is accelerating. It lost a little over a million U.S. visitors between June and July, but more than 4 million between July and August and over 5 million between last month and this month. I don’t think I have to tell you what will happen if this trend continues.

- MySpace is quickly shedding value. In fact, it’s losing hundreds of millions for its parent company, News Corp.

- Its change in leadership has not yet produced results. In fact, MySpace now has less visitors than it did in April, when it kicked out Chris DeWolfe and hired former Facebook () executive Owen Van Natta to save MySpace.

Social Media Change Agent

2009-10-14T08:23:00.003-05:00

2009-10-02T07:19:00.001-05:00

21st Century Schools

Post from Cliff's Notes

Dr. Stephen Heppell’s video about 21st century schools provokes you to consider what lies ahead. Wes Fryer states that this video “makes a strong case for blended learning where the learning connection between home and school is seamless.”

Digital Text

2009-09-08T07:00:00.002-05:00

I could not have said this any better... Here is a repost:
I totally agree with David Warlick. If we look at the mobile technology available today, there is absolutely no reason students cannot have all their books and content on a laptop, Kindle-like device or iPhone/Touch... Textbook publishers have a great opportunity to truly impact education...

September 2, 2009

The Answer for Textbook Publishers

Filed under: education, textbooks, warlick
Tags: cell phones, satire, technology, textbooks, warlick — David Warlick @ 9:35 am with (6) Comments

Flickr Photo by Judy Baxter

We all know how much our students love technology. They spend so much time on their mobile phones reading and typing, conversing, Googling, playing, working, and living — it’s a given that our students live in their pockets.

So, if we want to continue to be relevant to our students lives and their future, and the textbook industry wants to be a part of this reinvention of teaching and learning,

Then they must make their textbooks smaller.

It is obvious that for our children, the optimum size for instructional delivery is about 2 x 3 inches, the size of my iPhone display. Think of the trees that could be saved. Think of the reduced load on the vertebra of our little darlings. You can even fit the little books with Velcro so that they could be attached to our students phones. They could hold their tech-of-choice while engaging in the night’s reading.

Not to fear. For those of us older than 39, the teachers edition would have to remain the standard 9×12 inches and 12.23 pounds — and textbook companies could continue charge their just fees.

If we are going to truly address the needs of today’s children, we must be able to do it where they are — from their pockets.

ProjectPic365 - day228

2009-08-17T05:26:00.001-05:00

Relish

ProjectPic227 - day227

2009-08-14T02:01:00.001-05:00

Amazing

ProjectPic365 - day226

2009-08-12T23:24:00.001-05:00

Peanut

ProjectPic365 - day225

2009-08-11T20:37:00.001-05:00

3 Reasons Facebook Bought FriendFeed

2009-08-10T23:21:00.002-05:00

According to The Wall Street Journal, Facebook paid nearly $50 million to acquire FriendFeed: $15 million in cash and $32.5 million in Facebook stock.

1. The FriendFeed Team
2. Product Direction and Alignment
3. A Better Buy than Twitter?

Read more.

ProjectPic365 - day223

2009-08-08T23:36:00.001-05:00

Boxes

ProjectPic365 - day222

2009-08-08T00:35:00.001-05:00

Heck yelp

ProjectPic365 - day221

2009-08-08T00:34:00.001-05:00

Move in

ProjectPic365 - day220

2009-08-08T00:33:00.001-05:00

Bad day for Austin

ProjectPic365 - day219

2009-08-08T00:32:00.001-05:00

Ray of light

ProjectPic365 - day218

2009-08-08T00:30:00.001-05:00

Pink moth

ProjectPic365 - day217

2009-08-08T00:29:00.001-05:00

Moonlight

ProjectPic365 - day216

2009-08-08T00:28:00.001-05:00

Mary & son

ProjectPic365 - day215

2009-08-08T00:27:00.001-05:00

Snore fire please

ProjectPic365 - day214

2009-08-08T00:25:00.001-05:00

Dipping dots

ProjectPic365 - day213

2009-08-08T00:23:00.001-05:00

Road less traveled

ProjectPic365 - day212

2009-08-08T00:22:00.001-05:00

wkrp?

ProjectPic365 - day211

2009-08-08T00:21:00.001-05:00

Lotus note to self

ProjectPic365 - day210

2009-08-08T00:19:00.001-05:00

Weird summer

ProjectPic365 - day209

2009-08-08T00:18:00.001-05:00

Adore

ProjectPic365 - day208

2009-08-08T00:16:00.001-05:00

Balterra

ProjectPic365 - day207

2009-08-08T00:14:00.001-05:00

Remember

ProjectPic365 - day206

2009-08-08T00:09:00.001-05:00

Roots

ProjectPic365 - day205

2009-08-08T00:07:00.001-05:00

ProjectPic365 - day204

2009-08-08T00:05:00.001-05:00

Applebees toxic cheese

ProjectPic365 - day203

2009-08-08T00:02:00.001-05:00

Weight a minute

ProjectPic365-day202

2009-08-08T00:00:00.001-05:00

Austin sounds

ProjectPic365

2009-08-07T23:56:00.001-05:00

With so many changes and stuff happening, I've fallen behind on my daily pic upload to by blog. The idea was to post one pic a day for the entire year and at the end, look back and see what story these pictures tell. I'm getting back to it, just a little off. Enjoy.

ProjectPic365 -day201

2009-08-07T23:53:00.001-05:00

America's Birthday

Project Pic365 - day200

2009-08-07T23:50:00.001-05:00

07.04.2009

Project Pic365 - day199

2009-07-01T06:52:00.001-05:00

Innovation

Project Pic365 - day198

2009-07-01T06:29:00.001-05:00

Wheels

Project Pic365 - day197

2009-07-01T06:26:00.001-05:00

Go figure.

Project Pic365 - day196

2009-07-01T06:24:00.001-05:00

Stuffed

#NECC09 & an iPhone

2009-06-26T15:16:00.008-05:00

This year, I am going low budget... just me, my iPhone, backup battery and my digital toolkit:

These are the tools I'll be using while at NECC and EduBloggerCon. I use these tools on a regular basis and find them quite handy for capturing images, mircroblogs, retweeting, video streaming, uploading images, tweets and posts as well as listening to great music and finding the right places to eat... Here's a description of a few of my favorites:

Pixelpipe allows you to get your photos off of your iPhone and out to your favorite social network, micro-blog, photo/video and blog services. I use this to mass upload all #NECC09 / #EduBloggerCon images to Flickr.

ShuZu is a nice tool to post to your Blogger account, Flickr, Facebook or other social tool. I use this to post content to my costillacommunity.blogspot.com. Quick and easy.

Google App is a great tool to view your RSS / blog feeds with Google Reader. I use this to follow all the great posts from bloggers sharing their insights at #NECC09. Additionally, I use the Google Calendar to manage and track live sessions and events from the ISTE NECC calendar.

Twitterfon is a handy resource to have at #NECC09. This allows me to Tweet, ReTweet and follow all the buzz at conference. You can direct message me a@jcostilla

Additional tools that I will have in my mobile digital toolkit include Qik, a great live streaming tool to capture live events and share or post to my blog, Facebook or social site. With folks like Wes Fryer and others using their iPhone to record and upload sessions to YouTube, I'll have my phone ready to watch prerecorded sessions. Finally, with the many sites and walking excursions, I'll have my Pandora running to the tunes of Jack Johnson, John Mayer, Patti Griffin, Michael Jackson and few other artist as I look for the cool spots to shop and eat with iWant.

That's it for now, unless I learn about more tools to fit into my toolkit.

See you @ NECC09!

EduBloggerCon - I'm Attending! (jcostilla)

2009-06-24T13:54:00.003-05:00

I'll be there... jcostilla

EduBloggerCon / Classroom 2.0 "LIVE in DC" 2009

Saturday, June 27, 2009
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Main Room 206!

This is an international all-day "meetup" of educational bloggers and those using social media and collaborative technologies in education. All are welcome--whether you yourself blog, are just an educational blog reader, or even just want to hang out with an interesting group of people.

I'm looking forward to network and meet with the many folks attending eduBlogger. I participated in this last year and it was truly a great learning experience. I met many great thought leaders and have continued to follow them online. This is definitely worth attending.

Project Pic365 - day195

2009-06-23T20:09:00.001-05:00

Beautiful night

Project Pic365 - day194

2009-06-22T23:27:00.001-05:00

Time ran out.

Project Pic365 - day193

2009-06-21T00:37:00.001-05:00

Fathers Dsy gifts

All about Me (TM)

2009-06-20T07:25:00.008-05:00

On my flight back from Knoxville, Tennessee, I came across this article in the AA magazine. The title: Achieve Success by Building Your Personal Brand. You can read the full article here.

Stand Out
With so much white noise out there, it’s imperative you stay at the top of people's minds. Website posts, newsletters, Twitter updates, press releases, stories freely swapped with trade journals in exchange for a published link or a personal bio -- they all make effective self-promotions. While there’s a fine line between annoyance and assertiveness, one can’t afford to be coy. Remember: The greater your visibility, the likelier you’ll be clients’ first port of call.

This is something that has really captured my attention for some time now. Coke, Nike and the likes of Michael Jordan all have tremendous brand, but what's the big deal with "Me" as a brand? Last year, David Armano shared a lot of insight on this topic, especially as it relates to social media and marketing yourself as a brand.

Brand "U.0"

View more Microsoft Word documents from David Armano.

The basic points made in the article and in David Armono's slideshare deck is that "You" as an individual can build market share with your personal brand.

Know what makes you special and unique, and tap into those qualities as you build your personal brand online. Most people can spot a fake when they see one, so remember that being genuine is more important that presenting yourself in an artificially glossy manner. It used to be important for bloggers to "find their voice" -- now it's relevant to all of us.

This is so true. As I follow Tweets or bloggers, I can instantly tell the voice, content and even the image/profile pic across various social tools from folks who have carried their brand across various platforms. I think it's important to have a consistent brand; I also think it's more than a logo or profile pic, but that's a great place to start. Some of my favorite "You brands" I follow include: David Armano, Jeremiah Owyang, Chris Parillo, Guy Kawasaki, Wes Fryer, Steve Dembo, Bud the Teacher, David Warlick, Will Richards, Lucy Gray, Miguel Guhlin and way too many others to name.

See also: "What would you pay for a name, by Steve Demo."

Here's my personal brand. As much as I'd prefer to change the pic, it's something that has just stuck and what it conveys to me is technology, marketing, education, social media, current, fun and all around good guy.

Project Pic365 - day192

2009-06-20T07:24:00.005-05:00

Project Pic365 - day191

2009-06-20T07:24:00.003-05:00

Dinner?

Project Pic365 - day190

2009-06-20T07:24:00.001-05:00

Self explanitory

Project Pic365 - day189

2009-06-20T07:23:00.006-05:00

Royalty

Project Pic365 - day188

2009-06-20T07:23:00.005-05:00

Caro's Bday

Project Pic365 - day187

2009-06-20T07:23:00.003-05:00

Project Pic365 - day186

2009-06-20T07:23:00.001-05:00

On/Off

Partnership for 21st Century Skills - LIVE

2009-06-12T07:51:00.014-05:00

Today's National Summit on 21st Century Skills is being held "live" in Washington DC and "LIVE" online at the P21 Cyber Summit.

NOTES from National Summit. (excuse typos and speed typing) :-/

- Introduction with Framework for 21st Century Skills

- Ray Suarez, NewsHour (Moderator) -

Emily DeRocco - US Chamber of Commerce
- technology advances have shifted the manufacturing workspace to an environment where works have to know advanced skills, education and knowledge that workers bring to the 21st century manufacturing work space.
- manufactures have identified the skills required - personal effectiveness skills, academics, industry tech skills; levels of competencies in education for manufacturing workforce
- must include these skills in our education curriculum

Emily DeRoco (National Assoc. of Manufacturers)
- school system needs to prepare workforce with skills needed for small business and larger organizations
- what do employers want that the are not finding? Employers want people who can THINK. Also includes P21 skills.

Steve Pain - WV Dept. of Ed
- How do we grow cognitive demand while building 21st century skills
- How do we grow teachers knowledge to apply 21st century skills

Patrick Gaston - Verizon Foundation
- What kind of people does Verizon need; how is it different from 25 years ago
- Technology has changed; customer needs has changed
- employee of today needs critical skills we need for today
- individuals needed to be able to work independently
- communication, motivation, collaborative skills
- eliminate redundancies in the system

Tony Wagner
- problem is not just finding the right teachers, but having the right mission
- not just about workforce readiness; redefining what it means to be an educated adult in the 21st century
- skills have converged
- this is not a teacher workforce problem; problem is defining the goals for today's goals
- transform the nature of the teaching job to teaching as a team
- get clear about the goals; get clear about working conditions
- rethink what the teachers work is and how they work collaboratively
- In Finland, teachers spend 10-20% in front of students; the spend their time working as teams
- what does teaching need to look like? if you get clear about goals in education; align a system of teacher preparation, assessment and pd around that, you get dramatic results

Emily DeRocco
- what are drivers in business success? Innovation - not only in product, but corporate structure, technology, customer service, the companies ecosystem
- give workers skills and education to be a mobile and productive member
- individual change jobs 7-10 times; not just jobs / careers

Patric Gaston
- 200 M dollars on education literacy skills spend - verizon

Lydia Logan
- people who are applying to be journeyman are not passing entrance exams
- what is required for an entry level job is very different across the board
- myth of high skill / low skill is not the question
- are you equipped to think, option to change jobs, adapt
- we are eliminated options for job opportunities
- how do we prepare our citizens for opportunities that come along

Patrick Gaston
- P21 as a forum to discuss these issues and how we integrate training, pd, how we hire, prepare workforce
- do leadership /execs have the skill sets that reflects our marketplace

Tony Wagner
- how do we take this P21 'rainbow' and make actionable?
- Greatest gap: critical thinking, communication and collaboration (3 cornerstones)
- 1 actionable item - how do you assess critical thinking; not on state assessment; evidence students have mastered this skill
- we need assessments for critical thinking skills

Steve Paine
- as collective body, use political capital to move legislation
- kids want skills (critical thinking) and technologies
- Our national assessment for the last 8 years has been a mockery
- we need accountability in our system, assess critical thinking skills
- embed performance skills that work, bring skills to all learners/teachers, bring to manufacturing sector

Emily DeRocco
- it is more than content; it's about 21st century skills (curriculum, pd, assessments)
- how do manufacturers and educators work together to bring forth effective knowledge workers?

How can we address the diversity and change in population?

Tony Wagner
- (3-10) students won't go to college
- 1 in 3 Caucasian students graduate from college and are productive citizens
- 1 in 6 hispanic students graduate college and progress
- we have a belief to be college ready means more content means more prepared for college
- kids need the skills to make it in the workforce
- ensure all kids graduate from high school
- kids must be career, citizenship and college ready

Leaving skills not prepared for 21st century learning, it is a lifetime of low wage opportunities

Lydia Logan
- employers care about content knowledge and critical thinking skills; rigor is important

Tony Wagner "Accountability 2.0"

False argument - skills vs. content

Audience reactions:
- every other month our department gets together to talk (voice of teacher)

Steve Paine
- Global 21. Need to voice the message and carry it out to community.

How do you learn in the 21st century?

Tony Wagner
- this generation is very differently motivated to learn and to work
- Global achievement and global learning gap

How much change are you seeing from Ed schools? Very little

Is our economy a "winner take all" economy?

National Student Clearinghouse
- we need to track kids in college and in the workplace

Community colleges have stepped up to the plate on workforce and getting students ready for careers

- K12 is hard to crack; how do we get more aligned as manufacturers to K12?
-

T3 notes from @wfryer

2009-06-11T06:50:00.003-05:00

I pulled this out of the notes taken by @wfryer regarding T3 (Target Tech in Texas) which is the artist formally know as E2T2 in Texas. Wes provides a great deal of insight and summary information around the grant opportunity. Read more.

In a 21st Century classroom:

Students have access to appropriate technology and digital resources for technology-integrated curriculum activities on the campus, in the district, at home, or at key locations in the community.
Teachers seamlessly integrate technology in a student-centered learning environment where technology is used to solve real-world problems in collaboration with business, industry, and higher education.
Teachers and students apply technology across all subject areas to provide learning opportunities that are not possible without the technology.
Teachers create and integrate web-based lessons that include TEKS-based content, resources, learning activities, and interactive communications that support learning objectives throughout the curriculum.

Project Pic365 - day185

2009-06-10T20:27:00.001-05:00

Eclipse

Wait No More

2009-06-09T06:47:00.007-05:00

Gone are the days when we waited to read about the latest happenings on Yahoo, Google, ZDNet, or your other favorite news & search resource. You will tell your children and grandchildren..."remember when we had to wait to read about it online minutes after it happened?" Your parents will say...'Why, I remember when we had to wait to hear it on the 5 o'clock news."

Last year I participated in the WWDC twitterverse and instantaneously heard the news of the iPhone release, app store as it was happening. It was so amazing to get the news just seconds after Apple made the announcements at the live event. It was as though we were getting it even before CNN could poston their program or other well-known broadcasts either on TV or online. And the best part, it was coming from average folks like you and me sharing their tweets to all us iPhone junkies waiting for the announcements.

Yesterday was no different, but I did seem to get a better handle on it and even got information quicker if you can believe that. Tapping into Ustream, me and so many others, were able to tap into a live video feed of the WWDC as it was happening live. Even the tweets couldn't catch up with that. Again, everyday folks, albeit tech types, were sharing their video stream, probably running off of their jailbroken iPhone, with the rest of the world. Further, sites like Engadget, and Gizmodo were sharing images as the slides were being shared live. So even if the video was grainy at best, the images on the blog sites were crystal clear. To play it out further, I used the search function on Twitter to aggregate the #WWDC twitter feeds as they came by. I was amazed that at any given time, an average of about 250 tweets every five seconds were coming across the screen. It was truly mind blowing.

What an amazing experience and a long way we have come... It was as though I was actually there in San Francisco. And, seconds, minutes later, the rest of the web was able to post all the same things I heard right to their websites. Later that day, news stations shared their remarks about the price of the iPhone and it's capabilities. By then, it was old news and best of all, I didn't have to sit through bad commercials.

What a truly extraordinary day. To not only get content anytime, anywhere, but just as it is happening in all forms... from video, to status updates, to tweets, to blog images and comments and the list goes on... truly amazing.

So here's what I used to engage in the WWDC experience:

1. http://live.gizmodo.com/ - this gave me access to the images and comments as they appeare. (A bit delayed.. about 2-5 seconds; very slow according to our standards today.)
2. http://search.twitter.com/search?q=WWDC - formally known as 'summize.com,' I used this twitter aggregator to get all the latest tweets from followers and their reactions.
3. http://www.ustream.tv/ - last but not least, i used the Ustream channel that was being broadcasted live on the show floor. Audio was great.

So if this can all be done around our education system, why can't we do it within our system, or better yet, create a new system? Today's learners and leaders all around us are doing these very skills. If we are truly to be a 21st Century learner and 'globally aware,' we need to take advantage of what is going on around us. Virtual learning, anytime access and content ready for teachers and students is the mode of operation for learners today. Textbooks and limited access is not going to drive us into the 21st century.

All this being said, I will admit, I am an rookie at this live tweet, Ustream, blog experience. However, I also want to share that this is not something I went to school for or received in-depth training on. This experience, or 'skill,' was acquired through trial and error, practice and following best practices of practitioners and others who have engaged in these experiences before. Through participation in social communities, reading blog posts, following Twitter members, reading and watching live videos and podcasts, many of the skills to acquire the information yesterday was self taught or learned through the online community. These are the experiences that our students are doing at home and outside the firewalls.

Today's learners will not wait anymore for us to catch up.

Tune into the P21 Cyber Summit to participate with thought leaders and educators who are pushing the envelope to get our students prepared for 21st Century learning.

Project Pic365 - day184

2009-06-07T22:58:00.001-05:00

Up john

Project Pic365 - day183

2009-06-07T08:29:00.001-05:00

My prayer

3r's & the 7c's

2009-06-06T08:10:00.002-05:00

The focus on information and innovation begins with the foundation of knowledge and skills and the support systems to think critically—21st Century Learning.

Project Pic365 - day182

2009-06-06T00:04:00.001-05:00

Forgotten

Project Pic365 - day181

2009-06-04T22:55:00.001-05:00

Project Pic365 - day180

2009-06-03T23:05:00.001-05:00

New read

Project Pic365 - day179

2009-06-03T07:44:00.001-05:00

Cool

TED Instead - Practical Wisdom

2009-06-02T07:49:00.003-05:00

Barry Schwartz on our loss of wisdom.

Barry Schwartz makes a passionate call for "practical wisdom" as an antidote to a society gone mad with bureaucracy. He argues powerfully that rules often fail us, incentives often backfire, and practical, everyday wisdom will help rebuild our world.

So instead of locking down our school systems (scripted, lock-step curricula) trust the wisdom of teachers and students.

We don't trust the judgments of teachers to let them teach on their own... Scripts like these are insurance policies against disaster They prevent disaster, but what they assure in it's place is mediocrity.

Rules and incentives are important and necessary, but practical wisdom goes a long way. What fascinates me about this particular TED video is the basic and simple message that he shares. No whizzbang innovation or futuristic gadget, just a simple message... "it's about practical wisdom."

21st Century Skills in action

2009-06-01T07:44:00.002-05:00

Today marks the start of the Cyber Summit on 21st Century Skills. This event is being directd by The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a leading advocacy organization that focuses on student success in the global economy.

In my quick preview of the Cyber Summit site, I have lots of content, not only from partner members (Luminary Leaders) and the focus on what 21st Century Skills include, but also a wealth of resources of 21st Century Skill "In the Classroom."

Each day, the Cyber Summit will host a webinar at 2pm EST. View the schedule of live events to participate.

Project Pic365 - day178

2009-05-30T21:26:00.002-05:00

Breakfast with a smile

Project Pic365 - day197

2009-05-29T23:45:00.001-05:00

Fake mickey

Project Pic365 - day196

2009-05-29T04:14:00.001-05:00

Project Pic365 - day195

2009-05-27T22:11:00.001-05:00

Sweet

Where did the time go?

2009-05-18T00:13:00.008-05:00

It's been a while since my last post. With my new job, I haven't had as much time to share much of life's happenings. For friends and family, I thought I would give you all an update on this tremendous week of change.

First, my oldest daughter, Gab, graduated this weekend. For two years, she has been involved in the TAMS (Texas Academy of Math and Science) Program. Basically, she attended her junior and senior years and the University of North Texas and now has a high school diploma with 67 plus college credit hours. I am obviously a proud papa and more proud that she graduated with honors as did the other 144 students in the program. We are equally as proud of her full scholarship - the wallet is happy. Needless to say, while I am proud, I am also sad. Where did the time go? My wife always told me, enjoy your kids and every moment with them... you will look back one day and wonder where all the time has gone. I always said to myself, I would never say that... I've said it more than once or twice this weekend. So my first born will go off to continue on with her remaining two years of undergrad and then off to bigger and better. One down, four more to go as my sister reminds me. (For friend & family that missed the graduation, I've posted the video on Facebook.) They only allowed 8 guest per family; 5 of those included just my kids.

This week we celebrated my birthday, Gab's graduation and Caroline's dance recital. All wonderful and memorable events in the Costilla household. Caroline was a dancing machine. She loved the fact that she could wear make-up. Her first and last opportunity!

On a final note of this week of change... and this is the tough part. As we watched our oldest walk across the stage and on into her future, America and I were eagerly awaiting to share news of the arrival of a precious life. America and I have known for two months that we were expecting our 6th child. A true blessing from God to the Costilla family. We wanted to wait to let our friends and family know until after Gab's big day - we did not want to take anything away from that. However, plans changed... As we prepared for the big day, America started feeling uncomfortable and noticed some changes. Long story short, we took her to the doctors to learn that she was undergoing a miscarriage. Luckily, her parents and mine were in town for the graduation, we have had so much love and support. Amidst the chaos and ceremonies, everyone is doing fine. It is a difficult time and hard to comprehend or even discuss. But I do ask for your continued prayers as I'm not really sure what all this means. In all things God has a plan and we are grateful for His blessings. As our first born angel embarks on her new life, we also welcome our unborn angel into heaven.

Enjoy your time with your kids, they grow up so fast.

Project Pic365 - day194

2009-05-12T21:47:00.001-05:00

Pure energy

Education reform in a new ARRA

2009-05-06T15:11:00.002-05:00

These are notes taken from a recent webinar that a colleague participated in. I thought it was worth sharing...

In listening to Walter Isaacson on education reform yesterday he stressed several point. He was appearing on one of the morning talk shows with Mayor Fenty (Washington D.C.)

His point was that we had a fundamental problem with NCLB in that you had to make children proficient to get federal $$. The United States already spends more per pupil than any industrialized nation, and yet continues to get less of a result in terms of student achievement. He was proposing that we need innovative new types of schools, trying innovative new approaches to learning. Among other things they think we will begin to see:
National standards – linked to international benchmarks
New approaches to testing – more relevant, more real-world context
Merit pay for teachers – particularly those evidencing success in high poverty, low income settings
Willingness to take on the teacher unions to bring about positive reforms
day, extended year, extended support mechanisms for students/families
Greater sense of urgency to turn around failing schools
Embracing of charter schools that work (Isaacson referenced Kipp Academies and their academic/support structure)
Governors and cities that they mentioned were worth watching: Sonny Purdue (Georgia), Illinois, Chicago school system, Washington DC, NYC, Recovery District in New Orleans

They also suggested that in the next several weeks we will see Duncan rewarding states for voluntarily signing on the concept of embracing/developing/implementing national standards. Rewards would come from the $5B “Race to the Top” fund in the Stimulus package and will likely go to states that have been working with the standards project being coordinated through Achieve, CCSSO and NGA .

Project Pic365 - day193

2009-05-06T00:29:00.001-05:00

Cinco de Mayo

Project Puc365 - day192

2009-05-02T17:03:00.001-05:00

Ladybug

Project Pic365 - day191

2009-04-28T22:15:00.001-05:00

Give me that car

Project Pic365 - day189

2009-04-28T22:06:00.001-05:00

Thumbs up

Project Spic365 - day188

2009-04-24T19:23:00.001-05:00

Kid n play

Simply the best?

2009-04-24T07:41:00.003-05:00

I love this blog post response to a leading news publication that states the following:

You Call These The “Best”?
from AssortedStuff by Tim
A writer at CNET offers Five tools for the world’s best teacher, calling them “five teachers’ aids that stand out from the rest”.

Blackboard
Classroom 2.0
Engrade
MyGradeBook
TeacherTube

Huh?

First of all, numbers three and four are both gradebooks. To me that falls under the category of classroom management, not teaching tools.

While Classroom 2.0 is a wonderful community, it’s about professional development and not for use with the kids.

TeacherTube is also excellent, a great place for both teachers and their students to share their work.

And then we come to Blackboard.

This “technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems” either has a huge grudge against teachers or is clueless to make that his first choice.

Or include it on any instructional “best of” list at all.

I absolutely agree with Tim. Some of the best teaching tools should cause kids to think critically, problem solve, analyze and access information, etc. One of my favorite excerpts from the book, The Global Achievement Gap, is...

“It should be obvious that there is no way to teach the competencies of critical thinking, problem solving, effective communication and accessing and analyzing information, and so on without also teaching academic content. Subject-content material is what you think and write about, and problem solving is initially best understood and practiced as a part of the study of math, science and social studies.”
(Pg. 265. The Global Achievement Gab)

The tools that teachers use and the instructional strategies that rank "the best," should cause student to:

Competencies for the Twenty-First Century

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Collaboration across Networks
• Agility and Adaptability
• Initiative and Entrepreneurialism
• Effective Oral and Written Communication
• Accessing and Analyzing Information
• Curiosity and Imagination

So what are the best teaching tools?
1. The teacher
2. Content that causes kids to think critically, access information and collaborate (Inspiration, Nettrekker, Adobe software, Apple iLife tools, Ti nspire calculator and resources, and I'm sure you can come up with a lot more than grade books and a course shell.

Regarding Classroom 2.0, I am a big promonent of this community, but it is a community. I think it's a great place for educators to collaborate and engage in instructional interactions / conversations. While there are great links, resources, videos, etc., it's not the instructional tool that teachers use with their students in the classroom.

It's great to read the responses to the original post as many of the folks comment don't agree or share their favorites:

Others that were shared;
Mediawiki, YouTube, SlideShare, Google Docs, MindMeister, Moodle, MS Office workspace, gCast, SchoolTube, etc.

I recently started working for a company, CompassLearning, and while many folks may consider this to be a legacy offering, I have been amazed at the new development and the high school content that has so many engaging elements that gives students the opportunity to think cricically, engage and interact in a way that is based on brain research. I don't want to use this post as a plug to promote the organization I just joined, but I will say that 21st Century Skills can not happen if they don't have core foundation of skill or knowledge from which to biuld upon. I would love to engage in a conversation with edubloggers out there who are embracing social media & web 2.0 tools and ask them to kick the tires around to see how they would use core content or learning objects tied to these tools. I think it's not any one tool that is "the best," but how the teacher moves through the various recoures at his/her figertips to engage the learner.

Please comment or send me a note. (jcostilla - Twitter)

Targeting the Right Social Media

2009-04-23T07:45:00.004-05:00

Social media is all the buzz... but what is the right mix to meet your targets?
Be it education, consumer, community or commerce, we have all found our way to what is becoming more and more mainstream. Educators are utilizing social networks like Ning to setup school profiles and student projects to communities (Classroom 2.0) where tech savvy educators can congregate to share teaching and learning best practices. Additionally marketers and everyday members post tiny blog posts on Twitter to share what's going on in their world and helpful links to relevant content. YouTube has put into motion a production of video-based content like no other. My son learned how to play a guitar thanks to the many hours of video lessons online. And now, he sells his own short video lessons on his own e-commerce marketplace site.

So my real question is this... What is the right mix of social media to leverage a brand, program and business? I have read numerous blog posts that tell us social media is where a huge portion of marketing dollars will go... that word of mouth recommendations carry more weight than banner ads or commercials. Blah blah.

Social media implies grassroots. Leveraging a community or the masses to share their thoughts and reactions to products and ideas. For educators, social media is a platform to share their great teaching lessons integrating technology and Web 2.0 resources. It's also a forum to post blogs, images, videos on student work, conference, models of instruction and the list goes on. It's invaluable because educators are not solely relying on content from publishers. As knowledgeable experts in their field, they are sharing their teaching skills and lessons to audiences worldwide, not just to their students or parents.

For companies, they are now getting input on product development, focus groups, promotions and marketing by average everyday folks like you and me. They no longer have to rely solely on high priced click ads or 30 second commercial spots.

Most importantly, institutions and companies are not relying on their own employees or marketing tactics to promote their brand. I'm sure many of you have see the Zappos, free shoes Twitter post that caused folks like David Armano, a well know marketer, to post a feed and write a blog to his constituents. It's these grassroots efforts and posts that cause a great reaction and create an interest to learn more about a brand or product and even further to go out and purchase something as a result of these little to no cost social media efforts.

The challenge is what is the right mix? It's no question that more and more companies are embracing social media as a platform to get the word out. With more than 200 million users, Facebook is the largest single audience to market to. How are educators, consumers and businesses embracing this community?

With the company that I worked for, and now serve as a social media adviser, we immediately set out to build a social community for educators that allowed them to connect, collaborate and post their content for commercial purposes. Learn more. As we did this, we too fell under the misnomer that if you build it, they will come. And of course, they didn't. So many companies have fallen into this trap. I think schools / educators are victim to this as well. A hand full of edubloggers, facebook users, or Twitter geeks jump on the bandwagon, share these "cool" toys with their colleagues only to get a deer in the headlights look back. I've been in sessions where the battle is over online protection, rightfully so, and access, etc. Many districts block image sharing, YouTube, social networks and blogs. So half the battle for educators is getting a widespread acceptance and application for teachers and administrators to embrace the tools. The other half of the battle is getting access and filtering for appropriateness of content.

Anyway, we built it, they didn't come. It wasn't enough to build it or talk about it, we had to engage and connect with the audience. We later learned that if you identify where they reside, you can intercept. That proved to be a great model for us. Often times companies want to build their own platform / community as opposed to joining in on other communities... for fear that they may take their customers or share their customer base. The reality is, consumers and social media type already belong to a community. They will likely join yours, but not come back unless there is a reason or someone sends them an email note. I have joined so many Ning communities, video sites, etc. I rarely go back to them unless I have a need. I have my homebase and then I branch out from there. Go where they are at and connect the dots.

In addition to building community and connecting, you also have to give them a purpose while they are there. Engagement is key. One way is through content and not always that of the host. Give opportunities for members to participate. Whether it's a blog post, image sharing, status updates, polls, commenting on posts, pics, or videos, create a reason for members to come back. We made the mistake early on of creating all the content. This did not work because it was a one way channel. This is why Facebook works so well in my opinion. They have managed to provide a newsfeed of all the activity of your friends. You view a pic or a post and immediately you respond and two or three others follow there after. Content is being created by the masses and Facebook basks in all the click throughs and memberships.

This brings me to the final questions. While social media is all the buzz, and all of us are jumping on board as though it was the next AOL moment. At what point do companies realize monetization or ROI of this approach? While this may not be a big push for educators. I think educators or bloggers, sometimes those famous bloggers, are looking for a large following. That in turn gets them some level of voice. Sometimes even a banner add or two. But the reality is this... Yes all these social media tools are free. Very few if any have a subscription service to their base community, tool or resource. But really, is anything really free. Click throughs, eyeballs, membership numbers are the game. The more you have the more you can sell sponsorships, ads, and eventually seek investment, funding or buyout.

For these social media / Web 2.0 companies, I am grateful for the great resources, and for free at least for my purposes. But for them to stay in business and keep their lights on, they have to be able to bring in revenue. I think this is something that has been a challenge for many, including Facebook. On paper they have a lot of value because of the audience and engagement. But in terms of selling of services, I'd like to learn more on that.

All this said, I am on the bandwagon of social media and will leverage the tools in my current business.

School not ready.

2009-04-22T07:03:00.004-05:00

Interesting image by Bud the Teacher.

NPM2009: Prompt 22

photo credit: Bud the Teacher

My poem:

School in not ready,

but the students are.

Are you?

Live video on Facebook with Qik

2009-04-21T06:29:00.002-05:00

I use this app on my phone and link live video feeds to my blog and now Facebook.

Qik Adds Mobile Video to Facebook

from Mashable! by Ben Parr

Qik, the live streaming video service for mobile phones, has launched its own integration with Facebook’s video application to help you publish your videos to the social network.

Now, not only can video lovers upload their mobile videos to the Facebook video app using Facebook Connect, but they can update their status, post it to their wall, and add it to the news feed as well.

For those unfamiliar with Qik, it is a mobile streaming video application that’s available for most phones that have video capabilities. With its Facebook integration, users can now post any of those videos to Facebook. This doesn’t require the user to install a Facebook app, but instead simply linking their Qik account to their Facebook account.

Project Pic365 - day187

2009-04-19T21:26:00.001-05:00

B-day

Project Pic365 - day186

2009-04-19T00:22:00.001-05:00

Light

Project Puc365 - day185

2009-04-19T00:05:00.001-05:00

When it rains...