My grandmother's first podcast (and her oatmeal cookie recipe)

As part of our "12 Hours of Play"

Thank you for joining us at our "12 Hours of Play" workshop. It is always fun to share things that you are passionate about with a group who are equally as passionate. We had a great time sharing our explorations and play on the computer. My grandmother brought her voice and recipe to the event- thanks Grandma! I'll post it soon.

Alex Inman's Keynote

Alex Inman is the Knute Rockne of OpenSource. It isn't often that someone tells state administrators to question their foundational approach and tell teachers to "be quiet in the classroom", all while garnering whole-hearted laughter. OpenSource software allows educators and learners (and if we are lucky- they are one and the same) to manipulate their programs to do what they would like, create new and authentic learning experiences and gives power to the student. If you didn't get the chance to see it, I'll post the address here shortly.

Open Minds are Everywhere!

The conference has begun! With some opening introductions we are off and learning. These are the take-aways of some folks I know and some folks I don't:

*Linux levels the playing field in international education.
*David Thornburg's video of duct tape on the moon.
*The model of "Flow"~ the best learning opportunities happen halfway between boredom and anxiety.
*"Common Pitfalls for implementing Linux~ I've just gone through it, so I'm getting more info."
*Be creative, think out of the box and let your kids do.

Indiana is in his blood...

... and even though he said "Oh good, movie" it was actually just a verbal pat pretending he was listening. His mind was already back to his childhood trips in the car with his siblings. Hence, the beautiful piece below. Enjoy.




We are excited to be in Indiana.

Go to Greenup!

The dinner in Greenup (see Alex's post below) was splendid. Great history, true fountain sodas and people who directed me to probably the best homemade strawberry ice cream in the state of Illinois. Stop by if you get a chance:
The Candy Kitchen (123 West Cumberland, Greenup IL.)

Dinner in Greenup!

We got off the highway in Greenup, Illinois because we saw a sign for a restaurant called "The Stockyard." How can you go wrong with a place named after acres of pens for animals about to be slaughtered? Alas, The Stockyard was closed and appeared to be boarded up. Perhaps it was a good thing we didn't eat there. However, we found a friendly person in the park who thought Lora was a little on the crazy side. Despite that, she was kind enough to recommend another place for us to eat.

We went to a wonderful 1950's fountain shop called the Candy Kitchen. This place was great. Lora, being a history teacher learned that the fountains, mirrored walls, lights and counters were all original. She learned that the owners were Greek and that the wife used to chase the husband around the place with a butcher knife. She tasted the fudge...well, I also had a taste of the Apple Pie Fudge too. She learned about all of the signage and even looked at pictures of the restoration process.

I had the breaded pork loin sandwich. Lora went a little crazy on the strawberry ice cream.

Trippin' with Alex...

For those of you who don't have the pleasure of taking a road trip with Alex Inman, you are missing out on a great experience. Lukas, on the way home, set the tone by asking his dad to put in a CD. It is an excellent CD, but the accompanying entertainment is amazing. Ladies and Gentleman, may I present....