Technology’s Influencing Us
Over the year, I’ve noticed that I have been writing more and more on technology. We know it is all around us, and there is very little you can do that doesn’t have some technological impact. It might be booking a taxi using Grab, meeting online, or using your ID card to pay for lunch at ISB.
From the Main Library perspective, we are trying to develop a new ‘Technology Playground’ for next year. The HS Tech Council working with me (Mr. Bell) and Mr. Prybilski, the MS Tech Coordinator, to make unique technology experiences available to students. The idea is that the HS Tech Council will provide instructions and then two times a week for an hour or so after school, be available to help guide users through using these technologies.
Our first three installations are currently being built out. We have 4 High-End VR stations where we are going to offer Google Earth tours, 5 Desktop Publishing computers with all of the industry standard software for Publishing and Movie Making, and finally, a high-end 3D printer as an option.
Once we have the instructions created, then we hope to start next year by having 2 afternoons a week where the HS Team offers to be there and teach the MS students. The hope is that by mid-year, the MS students can work in tandem with the HS students to build capacity and keep everything available for more students.
While some may say they are tired of technology influencing our day-to-day, it might be inevitable at this point. At ISB, we are embracing technology and trying to make sure we not only use it in class but that we also provide opportunities to explore new technologies in meaningful ways. Lastly, the collaboration between the MS and HS students as a service to other students at ISB is really highlighting one of the life skills that we hope our really ‘techie’ kids will add to their already robust skill sets.
Keep your eyes out for these opportunities in the future and stop by the Main Library to check it out when you get a chance.
Bell’s Recommendation
Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay
What is the worst horrible thing that you could wake up to in the morning? Almost all of your family has passed away is definitely top of the list. That’s how this book starts. However, for Matt, an NYU Film student, unfortunately, wakes up to this very thing. To make matters worse, the FBI showed up to tell him not only this horrible information but that they need him to go tell the only other surviving family member, his older brother, who by the way is currently incarcerated for murder. The plot then thickens as we find out that Matt is going to have to identify the bodies who were on vacation in Mexico. It also is mysterious that the FBI agents work in the financial investigations teams. Need a good who done it type of mystery – this is it. It moves fast and definitely written for older readers and adults.
Tech Tools
How about a fun one today? I’ve done a lot of tools that are aimed at improving your workflow and your research. It is kind of fun as well to play around with the bots. If you need a cool idea, go add SnackPrompt.com. This is a place where people are putting up some very unique prompts and then sharing. You simply go in there and copy/paste their prompt into Chat to see what it gives you. Then you can modify it for your own use and purposes. An example is to put in your travel plans and ask it to give you an itinerary. There are workout ones, and there are ones that will give you recipes, and much more. Enjoy!
Digital Citizenship
I have been a big proponent of the Microsoft Digital Citizenship course for students. This is because it is really solid. However, I went to look at Google’s version of this topic. They are just as valuable. The big win for Google is that they are much faster and focus on their online presence. It really shows how the two different companies are approaching a similar topic via the lens of their business model. My suggestion is to give both a look and pick and choose the best parts.
