My Speedy 2013

Once again, here is our year in quick time. The little critters are growing up so fast and becoming so independent... and so are the big critters. It's always chaos in our house, but with a lot of help from above, we make it through... Check out our 2013, and for laughs the previous 5 years. Happy New year and God bless. John & America

Speedy 2013 from John Costilla on Vimeo.

2012

2011

2010



2009



2008

Costilla Speedy 2012

As Twenty-Twelve 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 2012.

Lessons from a Llama & John M

As you may or may not know, America has been homeschooling the two littles this year. As such, there has been a lot more flexibility and creative structures to "schooling." Having worked for education technology groups for the past 22 years, I thought we should use more technology with the kids.

Recently we signed the home academy up to Edmodo. I wasn't sure America was going to buy into it, but it has become a great resource to manage, organize, share and deliver open source resources. Additionally, it is great for creating daily assignments tailored for each of the two kids. I especially like finding great resources by age or grade capability and organizing them into the library for later use or to create short assignments. Once they are assigned, the kids can complete the task, come back to Edmodo and mark their activity as "Turned in."

From a technology end, it is great to manage content, embed content and curate great resources all into one location. There are some things I wish it did better like organize and archive assignments, posts, etc. The linear sequence of scrolling through activities can get cluttered, but overall it's something I wish I had when I was in the classroom. The kids love it.

So below is a screenshot of a short lesson America assigned to John M. & Grace: Write a creative story about a Llama with a beginning, middle and ending. Using good old fashion paper and pencil, she had them write their story, illustrate using a Draw Write notebook. Then I had them go to Blabberize.com to narrate their story and animate a Llama to tell their story. Once he completed his story, we were able to take a picture of his story and drawing and upload them to his Edmodo profile/portolio from our iPhone Edmodo App. How cool is that?

Finally, he posted his final production Llama video to his profile. Take a look...






 I am just amazed at how much these kids can do if we give them the tools and engaging resources to do so. I think the notion of "teaching to the test" is something we hear over and over, but I don't believe we are really teaching them when we do this. Kids are going way beyond "learning from the test" when they get home or go online. This is the digital world they know and they are moving ahead with or without the adults. There are so many good things happening in classrooms today that go beyond traditional textbooks, worksheets and test taking. And, the web has made it so compelling to find shared resources online to teach and reinforce concepts. I have discovered and stored many great online education tools. What are some of your favorite resources that you use to engage your students?

Tips for a better you.

A friend of mine gave me this and I wanted to share with you. These are great tips and thoughts to ponder as you go about your busy day. I have this posted on the side of my desk and try to take time to at least do a few a day. I've perfected #9.


Tips for a better you.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, and prayer. They provide daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water.. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or
things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that
appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.
18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. GOD heals almost everything.
29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
30. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
31. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
33. The best is yet to come.
34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
35. Do the right thing!
36. Call your family often. (Or email them to death!!!)
37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.
38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

Which tip do you favor?

Costilla Speedy 2011

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

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?

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

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...

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)

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

Testing autoload from posterous to blogger / flickr. Cool.

Posted via email from jcostilla's posterous

Who want an Easy Button?

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

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

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.

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

Thanks to Miguel for posting and sharing!

Assorted Podcasts from VSS 2009

Sunday, December 06, 2009 Posted by Miguel

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!

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

(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...

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

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
			Name	Platform	Cost
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