Google Wave

Okay, it is not quite here, but it is in progress. Google wave is an online real-time communication and communication tool. Google states that a wave can be both a conversation and a document where people can discuss and work together using rich formatted text, maps, photos, videos, and more.

Because this is real-time people can see as you type, edit, and interact with you as you communicate through a live transmission. Any participant in your forum can reply anywhere in the message, edit content or add participants at any point during the process. Oh, and you can play back what everyone said.

Worried about typing and spelling in your real-time conversations? Well, Google has server-based models that provide suggestions as you type and correct spelling.

Wave brings new meaning to the social networking and social gadgets. The Google API is more for the developer. Currently, they are allowing developers to "play in their sandbox."

All this good stuff can be available now? You are right. Currently, only a selected few have passwords and access to Google Wave. The are currently doing some test marketing and beta testing to workout all the bugs before it goes open for public. If you want to be a participant you just need to send a request. Google will contact you once they have a need for someone like you in their demographic or testing area. So, make your reason a good one to be selected.

Go to http://wave.google.com/help/wave/closed.html for more information.

Google Squared

Ever looking to do some comparison research? Googlel Squared extracts data from web pages and presents them in search results as squares in an online spreadsheet. Google is looking for data structures on the web that imply facts, and then grabbing it for the Squared results.

So, if I was looking for a small dog the return results would provide me with names, descriptions, size, weight, origin, etc., in columns and rows.

Take stab at it and try it out. Go to http://www.google.com/squared

21st Century Literacy

I recently read an article in the NEAToday magazine sharing about what it means as educators to being literate in the digital world. It means more than reading words on a printed page and turning to digital tools such as blogs, wikis, videos, ans social media to initiate higher levels of student engagement. Read the article and watch the video clips posted. It is very interest. We know they are out there, but educators are trying to figure out how to incorporate them.
Go to http://www.nea.org/home/35892.htm to learn more.

New Job

New job, new experiences, new beginnings, new learning...

I am excited about my new job at KS. I know I have a great deal to learn and I am looking forward to the journey that is ahead. The office I work for does many things, but what I appreciate the most is the people I work with. They are all intelligent and dynamic in the way they think and operate. It is like moving to another world. They all know their function, but also know now they integrate with others to exercise their function to the team.

For anyone who reads this you will learn that new beginnings brings new leanring, and a new job definitely brings new experiences.

Digital Technology in an evolutionary society

Technology as we new it five years ago has drastically advanced. It is becoming the new analogy that we used when referencing new car purchases. When you purchase a new vehicle and drive it off the lot it is now an old vehicle with 5% less of the value.

Employers who are CEOs, CFOs, and/or COOs are concerned that the next generation does not have communication or people skills because majority of their interaction is using some kind of technological device where human contact is not required. On the flipside of that thought, technology provides limitless possibilities for collaboration, sharing, and communication that can captivate a variety of niche markets where a normal face-to-face environment would not due to social issues or factors.

How do we bridge the gap between the two different generations in our evolutionary society?