From Chalkboard to Tablets presentation in DC

From Chalkboard to Tablets was presented in DC on April 19, 2013. I told myself if I was ever in the area I was going to attend one of the presentations given by Julie Evans.

I have multiple interests in the data provided by Speak Up National Research Project for the last 10 years:

• As a parent of a high school student attending a school, in a district, with a NO mobile device policy
• As a custodial GParent of a youngster growing up digital
• As a doctoral student
• As an employee who needs the next generation to be able to defend the nation's cyber interests

The report, From Chalkboard to Tablets, presentation, press releases and  the Congressional Briefing are available from the site.

The panelists provided a positive presentation and information about some schools that are integrating technology but as many of us know this is not the majority. While we have diverse tech skills amongst employees, students, educators, parents/GParents and those with access, when you look at the workforce replacements (current K-12) the diversity exists. Of course, the time with the panelists went quickly. I would still like to know the impact on students and educators who transfer in and out of the districts that have the great technology integrated programs. Due to career progression, economic factors, or military families I can only wonder what options do students have when transferring in and out of the technology integrated schools. Maybe another data set for the Project Tomorrow Team ?

I am glad I attended and met Julie. The next session is scheduled for June 4, 2013, 12-1330 @ the Capitol Visitor Center, House Visitor Center, Room 201 with a panel of Students. If you would like to attend, RSVP Jenny Hostert @ jhostert@tomorrow.org where the theme of the presentation is "Celebrating 10 years of giving a voice to students!"

Camp Data no cost summer sessions

Registration forms for Camp Data should be available April 9, 2012 and submitted between April 16-30, 2012. This camp is a community outreach effort offered by Augusta's City IT department. Submit registration forms early as this is a no cost session and based on a first come first served basis. Transportation is not provided so start the car pool coordinating now.

Children ages 6-8 and 9-11 are invited to come and explore the exciting world of technology. If you have additional questions please contact the Information Technology department at 706-821-2522. 

Docusign Ink App

DocuSign Ink for personal use lets you sign and return ANY document sent to you as an email attachment or stored in a cloud service—for FREE. DocuSign Ink is available through the iTunes Store, Android Market, and as a plug in for Outlook through the Office Marketplace. 

Common Access Card holders have the option to use ApproveIt to digitally sign documents. Classroom images currently do not have ApproveIt installed. This situation will be resolved during the month of March as the classroom images are updated.

Screen capture from Android

Now the challenge is on to go paperless with some of the common documents that we use in the SCCC classrooms that require signatures. From vehicle inspection checklists that must be completed before every long weekend (government holiday, training holiday), student designed memorandums for record (MFR) for assignments, cover sheets of designated projects, to classroom QAO evaluation checklists, presenting options for those who use digital devices is another way to integrate digital tools. This provides another option for personnel participating in the iPad pilot.

As more SCCC students bring digital devices to the classroom, the budget cuts which always impact toner and paper purchases, the option to securely sign documents is a job requirement and a learning opportunity for the diverse group of SCCC students and their facilitators.

One issue that always arises is the security of the signature. As we are all aware, if something was created by humans, it can be hacked by humans. DocuSign has achieved ISO/IEC 27001:2005 certification as an information security management system. DocuSign Security and Legal information: 

• DocuSign warrants Federal ESIGN Act and Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) compliance.
• Exported signed documents are digitally sealed and verified for authenticity with a trusted third-party certificate authority.
• Detailed audit trails for each transaction include sender name and email address, timestamps, and originating IP address for each action.

Are you using DocuSign in a learning environment? Or for personal or professional use? If so, how is it working for you?


Recent screenshot from the iPad and the Android (above) devices I am using to tinker with the DocuSign Ink app.


Some additional features of DocuSign:
Additional options for those using DocuSign for Business: Signing, Sending, Collaborating, Enterprise Management, Mobile, Legal and Security.


All types businesses are using Docusign and the marketplace options from Independent contractors, Realtors, Salesforce, Banking, to parents signing permission slips.


What digital signature tool do you use most often?


Comments, recommendations +1s, and reaction check boxes are always appreciated.

Doctoral dropout and Custodial GMama

It is official. I withdrew from my Comps and from NCU. It is OK, I can return when I have time. There are times when you have to choose the hard right over the easy wrong. I admit...I wanted to complete my last year...comps and the dissertation phases and be done with something I started.

I beat myself up and down trying to make life work with school, work, custodial grandparenthood, and 4 generations in a household. The last year has been full of adapt, implement, and overcome moments. This post is kind of long...so pour your drink of choice and get comfortable.

While many children under the age of 2 have a digital presence, I have only shared Jazlyn's pictures with select individuals through Picasa. Below is the reason that I chose to be a Doctoral Dropout for now. She is definitely a gadget girl who likes to tinker, from the iPad to the Kindle Fire and she loves Elmo. I did create a GMail address for her so that I can share all of the events that have kept us so busy and so she is not mistaken when she Googles her own parents.

I did not want to be called "Grandma" so I am opting for "GMama". My neighbors adopted the GMama and GDaddy titles and to this day their granddaughter calls them by that title respectively. The other grandmothers in this picture are happy to be grandmothers, both are younger than me and with younger children at home. I know there is another blogosphere on why young adults have unprotected sex.

It is challenging seeking help for our young adult children who want and need to move on with life. I loved being an empty nester in North Carolina. I thought returning to Augusta, GA would encourage my daughter to move on with her life. We went to counseling. The other family talked her into self admitting to the hospital. I am trying to protect my daughter's HIPPA rights but I know that I am not alone in this situation. Then she aged out of my insurance program and does not have any benefits through her employer.

My lawyer said that grandparent custody cases are rising for his firm. Choosing to seek custody of Jazlyn was a tough decision but after a few incidents, consulting with my own mother, and heightened media of the Casey Anthony case...I opted for going to court versus having my daughter committed through probate court.  I work with three other women who are stepping up as custodial grandparents. My daughter has not lost her parental rights...she must show that she can support herself and her child. 

I will continue to blog as the Unique Ed Techie and just update the profile descriptions throughout the web. I thought about starting another page with a tab at the top and opted against it because I am a unique educational technologist in my personal and professional life. Who knows what the future holds? Maybe I will throw my name in the race for school board in May 2012...maybe our prayers will be answered and my daughter will get her life together and be the responsible single mother that I know she can be...maybe...regardless of what happens I will continue to blog, maybe more that I don't have as much research and reading to do and maybe less because of what LiL JJ brings to our life.

Single parenthood the first time was challenging and never did I think I would be going through this again particularly at this time in my life when I wanted to enjoy "Me Time". I am thankful for everyone in my village for making this work. I am particularly thankful to my mom as I could not continue in my career without her being there for Jazlyn when she cannot go to daycare and I know she did not expect to be taking care of babies after recovering from her fractured neck vertabrates in November 2009.


I know something has happened to my young adult daughter that I cannot help her with. I continue to take the high road and move forward as the other options would put me behind bars. She will not discuss anything with me but apparently lashes out at me via her social media connections. She has blocked anyone who may contact me about her on or offline behavior.


Jumping off of the virtual blog soap box. Keep us in warm thoughts and prayers this season along with those service members who continue to serve and keep on learning every day!

Add the G+ icon to your site and Authorship

Link your Google Profile to your site to help users find your content.
Connecting to your Google Profile will help users find your content on the web.
G+ button generator

Read the branding guidelines - This site outlines the various ways you can use the Google Profile name, logo, and icon without having to have your people call their people.

Hat tip to +Linda Lawrey for sharing this Google+ post today:  Online Tool To Check and Improve How Google Displays Your Search Results

Run your site through the Rich Snippets Testing Tool (beta).

Use the Rich Snippets Testing Tool to check that Google can correctly parse your structured data markup and display it in search results.

Authorship - Google is piloting the display of author information in search results to help users discover great content. This feature is being rolled out gradually and will be implemented algorithmically, so author information will not always display in search results. 

Have you added the Google+ icon to your site? Have you checked your site results in the Rich Snippets Testing Tool? A viable option for learners to start their digital portfolios beyond a walled learning environment?

Comments, recommendations, +1s, and reaction box checks are welcome.

CACs and Personal Computers

Want to use your Common Access Card (CAC) to log onto AKO/DKO from your personal computer?

You need four things:

• Have a CAC reader (hardware)
• Install the DoD Certificates (software)
• Install ActivClient (software)
• CAC registered with AKO 

Where can you find this information?

MilitaryCAC Public site developed and maintained by CW3 (Chief Warrant Officer Three) Michael J. Danberry

Additional resources from the Military CAC site and on Facebook

AKO log in needed for the following links:

From the AKO/DKO CAC Reference Center

Resources for Apple users

Resources for Linux users

Don't want to do a total install or do not have the requirement to sign documents or use DTS?

Try LPS (Lightweight Portable Security) which allows you to use your CAC to log on to CAC enabled sites. Lightweight Portable Security (LPS) creates a secure end node from trusted media on almost any Intel-based computer (PC or Mac). LPS boots a thin Linux operating system from a CD without mounting a local hard drive.

The MilitaryCAC.com website was developed and is maintained by CW3 (Chief Warrant Officer Three) Michael J. Danberry. MilitaryCAC.com has been online since 9 November 2007 and has grown into a large website for CAC related information and support. CW3 Danberry is the content provider for the AKO CAC Reference Center.

Have you installed a CAC reader on your PC? Do you have recommendations and lessons learned for others?

Links used (for those whose cannot access links to click through):

CAC Readers http://militarycac.com/usbreaders.htm

AKO/DKO CAC Reference Center https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/241504
AKO/DKO CAC resources for Apple users  https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/610909
AKO/DKO CAC resources for Linux users https://www.us.army.mil/suite/page/610911
MilitaryCAC.com Many resources https://militarycac.com/
Military CAC on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54695915978
Lightweight Portable Security (LPS) http://spi.dod.mil/lipose.htm
About CW3 Danberry https://militarycac.com/aboutme.htm

FUD Do you perpetuate or eradicate?

FUD - Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt or Fear, Uncertainty, and Disinformation
Do you perpetuate or educate to eradicate this acronym?


From Wikipedia:  "FUD is generally a strategic attempt to influence public perception by disseminating negative and dubious/false information designed to undermine the credibility of their beliefs.


The Wikipedia FUD article also addresses:  Definition, Contemporary examples, Real estate agents, Security industry and profession, Non-computer uses, References, and External links.


FUD is addressed in some dissertations I have been reading and reflective thoughts are conjured up of individuals with coercive leadership styles who perpetuate this acronym. These individuals range from community members, parents, educators, administrators, and church leaders, who continue to ban technology for no other reason than, "I said so" or "I am in charge and that is my final decision."


How do you deal with those who perpetuate FUD? How do we help others to think critically about the FUD factors?  Do you perpetuate or educate others to eradicate FUD?  Would you challenge your learners to update this Wikipedia entry on FUD?

Comments, recommendations, and solutions are always welcome.

Leadership Day 2010 - Call to all bloggers

For the 4th year, Dr. Scott Mcleod is calling all bloggers to participate in Leadership Day 2010 on July 30, 2010. Everything you need to know to participate is available in the Calling all Bloggers - Leadership Day 2010 blog post.  

From Dangerously Irrelevant

Dr. Mcleod provides you with prompts to spark ideas, a checklist, history of the Leadership Day blog challenge, a badge, and instructions on how to participate in the Leadership Day 10 blogger challenge post. Leaders come in all forms, all ages, and all levels of technology experience, we learn from you, because of you, or in spite of you.


For those who choose to "lurk and learn" review ISTE NETS-A, search for the official hashtag #leadershipday10, comment on someone's blog post, forward links to friends, tinker with something in technology, or NOT. For those who share knowledge, skills, and experience...thank you, continue doing what you do.


Last year for Leadership Day 2009, I did a blog post asking the question, "What are you doing? Leadership Day 2009", this year I continue to challenge you to do whatever you can...with and for our replacements...at some point you will be replaced. 

If our learners are our credentials...how is that working for you?

Regardless of your role...you are a stakeholder, whether you work for, live near, pay taxes for a learning environment, whether you are one, know one, want to be one from a student, administrator, educator, parent, support staff, parent, guardian, business owner, community member, concerned citizen or a combination of the above...do something.


You play a vital role in the unity of a community, observe, assess, adapt, implement, overcome, self educate, encourage others to share what they know and from Steven Covey's 7 Habits, "Seek first to understand, then be understood".


Look how far Google Apps Education Edition has come in the last 4 years.
From the Oregon Dept of Ed and Google Apps presentation as Oregon became the first state to allow districts to implement GAEE:
The published slide presentation
The Question and Answer session
Oregon Department of Education Google Apps Case Study
Google Moderator Questions and Answers for the ODoEd webinar
Colorado and Iowa opt for Google Apps Education Edition (June 2010)

In June 2009, PBS Frontline Digital Nation did a piece titled, How Google Saved a School? Principal Jason Levy used Google applications and a 1-to-1 laptop program to turn around Intermediate School 339.
IS 339 Dot-to-Dot A digital celebration program June 16-19, 2010
Presentations from the 2009 Dot-to-Dot program
Follow Jason Levy, Principal of IS339 on Twitter
About Dot-to-Dot A Global Learning Reception FAQ

Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) Project Plans for Google Apps.
18th largest school district in US, 209 Schools, 129,500 Students, Over 22,000 Employees, Over 60,000 Computers. Change from previous presentations 20K more computers, 6K less employees.

Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) has been Googlized and subsites of presentations at CloudCamp, CoSN 2010, Gartner 2009, NECC 2009, MICCA 2009, ASBO 2009.

Dr. Helen Barrett's ePortfolio Mash Up with GoogleApps (2007)

Save the time and energy wasted on complaining, banning, and ignoring it and take some time to listen, understand, learn, then share it with someone.

Thanks to Dr. Scott McLeod for taking time from his own busy schedule to keep the Leadership Day blog call to action a positive and shared learning experience and thanks to everyone who does something to support Dr. Mcleod's reminder, "because , I promise you, if the leaders don't get it, it isn't going to happen" (2010).

Do you Qurify? Are you using QR codes?

What are you doing with QR codes? What can you do with QR codes? What do you need to qurify? Have you seen a QR codes on name tags, in the windows of building, on business cards, blogs, tattoos, symbols on shirts?


QR Code News, Videos, and Forum. Multiple resources of information on who, what, where, why, when and how (5WH) of everything QR code information. Want to know if your phone is capable? Want to know who is doing what with QR codes?


QR Codes via Wikipedia. Where you can read about the standards, license, storage, variants, QR codes as artwork, standalone apps, and references.


Want a QR code for WordPress or Blogger? Check out: QR Code Plugin for WordPress and Blogger Gadget Display whatever QR Code you want and let your users qurify their messages into a QR Code as well. On your blog! Test the gadget here and install the free gadget on your blog.


Diigo lets users qurify the app and download it to your phone. Diigo Power Note for Android - Your memory booster on the go! Key features:  Add text notes, bookmarks, snapshots, pictures, text messages to your diigo library; Access recent items in your diigo library; Access your bookmarks marked as "Read later".


So what do you need?
A smart phone with an operational camera, a bar code reader, and depending on the bar code reader users have the option to directly visit the URL, send the information via email or SMS.
You can test your phone and bar code reader by accessing your bar code app on your phone, viewing the bar code on the right side of the blog (or through this link) and the bar code reader app should display the link to this blog. 


Depending on your device, the apps market for the device there are more than enough bar code readers to choose from. Let me know if you have a favorite, or if you have changed bar code reader apps, or ones we should avoid and why. How do you use QR codes? What is your favorite bar code reader or QR code generation site?

Vicki Davis aka Cool Cat Teacher posted this entry Hardlink to the Future: QR codes (June 2009)
Liz Kolb posted this entry on how to create QR codes for any subject and how QR codes can be integrated in the classroom (January 2009).
Mr. Robbo the PE Geek has some interesting posts about using QR codes in education (2009-2010).
Gerry McKiernan 's posts: QR codes and libraries and  QR codes in publications


Comments, recommendations, and links to your favorite QR codes are welcome. For those who have used QR codes at one time, are you still using them? your students? businesses?