WebedtecH

It’s so nice to find that you’re ahead of the curve sometimes.  Our school implemented Google Docs for the administration and staff at the beginning of this school year.  It’s been very well received and within the last month we rolled out a Google Apps environment for one of our computer classes primarily for document collaboration.  There’s no question in my mind that collaborative technologies such as this are an excellent addition to the classrooms and schools.

Higley schools mull Google partnership

The Higley Unified School District is in talks with Google Inc. to partner with the Internet powerhouse, district officials said. The partnership, which school officials say would be a first for a K-12 district, would give Higley a chance to communicate what schools need in their online services, and the company is listening, governing board President Ed Moore said Wednesday. “All the discussions have been great because they (Google) are taking everything that the board members bring up,” he said.  The plan is to tailor Google Apps - a blend of services such as e-mail, word processing and instant messaging - to fit the needs of elementary and high school students, Moore said.

OpenOffice 2.3 is now being offered in a purely online version.  Once they get the collaboration functionality of Google Docs in the software, I can see it being an excellent solution…hey, wait…isn’t that Zoho Writer?

Hands on with the new online version of OpenOffice.org

Hustle and bustle, what to get, who needs a present, what do I have left to spend…bah.  Think about this:

Better yet, at some point during your holiday celebration, take the time to sit down with each person you care about and tell them that you love them and thank them for being a part of your life.
That will mean far more than any tchotchke you can stick under the tree
this year - and all it costs is a few minutes of your time. Talk about
a bargain.

The Simple Dollar » Christmas, Money, Family, and Love

Interesting insight:

Now, “the fiddler” - This is the guy (and I know what I’m talking about here - this was me about 3-4 months ago) who spends just about all of his time poking around the web, looking for specific GTD implementations that other people use. I suppose this either comes from a place of “the grass is always greener”, or perhaps they just get bored too easily with their paltry Moleskine, or maybe their current web app just isn’t ringing their bell the way it used to. These are the types that get so caught up in modifying and tweaking their system that they don’t actually do any of the things on those lists. Again, I speak from experience - I’ve tried just about every type of notebook, pen, paper and software imaginable as a candidate for the “perfect” GTD system. You know what I’ve discovered?

…

Fiddlers, listen up: Switch to paper. I’m talking the absolute lowest-fi system you can tolerate. Get rid of the fancy notebook, the expensive software and the pen made from the carcass of some endangered species. Go buy a couple boxes of crappy manila folders, a box of bic pens, a few reams of plain white printer paper and a pocket dayrunner-style calendar. Use only these tools (aside from your phone and your brain) and set yourself up caveman style. Force yourself to live in the GTD wilderness for awhile (which is paradise to some, by them way) and you’ll start to appreciate the way some of the higher-tech setups work. Or you’ll fall completely in love with it and never go back.

It certainly will save me money over the Palm T/X I have been lusting over recently.  Then again…they did just lower the price…

One of the cardinal skills everyone should master is the ability to speak on demand.  When we’re asked our opinion or insight on a topic we are passionate about it comes easily, the thoughts and words flowing effortlessly.  When we’re called to the front and asked to speak unprepared we stutter and stammer, flush with fear and self-doubt, and wish the whole ugly event would end quickly.  Developing our ability to speak on a topic on demand can push you away from the wall and make you stand out in the crowd.

1.  Find three thoughts.  Right away your mind should race on your topic and find three thoughts that stand out to you as important.  If the topic is “improving education” the thoughts might be “technical literacy”, “staff training”, “administrative cooperation”.  Grab those thoughts and hold on to them…you’ll need them for the next step.

2.  Weave the story.  Rearrange the ideas in a sequence in your head that you think you can verbally walk a person through.  It might be easiest to try and craft a “storyboard” of a sentence for your speech.  For example you may come up with, “Technical literacy can be greatly improved through staff training which needs administrative cooperation to succeed.”  You’ve now framed your speech in a way you can refer to whenever you get lost in your train of thought.

3.  Draw three pictures.  You need an illustration for each of your thoughts.  Come of with an example, story, quote, whatever can draw the images for your audience to truly grasp each of the thoughts and how they interconnect.

4.  Go for it.  This is off the cuff, seat of your pants, skydiving without a parachute type of speaking that challenges all but the most experienced presenter.  Your audience will be happiest that it is you and not them having to do this, so don’t be afraid of the result.  Take your time, speak slowly (more slowly than you think is necessary would be best) and always, always, always watch your audience’s faces.  They will tell you what you need to see.