I Just Returned from the Future

I just returned from the future.

In one of the strangest experiences I have had in a while, I lived the future as I read about it! I did not realize it for a while but then it struck me suddenly over dinner—”I am what I’m reading!”

Let me explain.

As I write this I am nearing the end of my annual Think Week (you can read details about Think Week in these two articles: How to Reduce Stress While Getting More Done; and in How To Find Time to Focus, Think, and Work). During my Think Week my primary focus is prayer and reading. On this trip I took several books with me including Humility (Andrew Murray), The Culture Code (Clotaire Rapaille), Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God (John Piper), Derailed (Tim Irwin), Death by Meeting (Patrick Lencioni), and Generous Justice (Tim Keller).

I also took Anywhere: How Global Connectivity is Revolutionizing the Way We Do Business (Emily Nagle Green). This is the book I was reading when I realized that I was living the future. I will summarize some of the key points of this book and their implications for our schools in a subsequent post but for now let me simply state the theme of the book;

Within the next ten years the global ubiquitous digital network will connect most of the world’s people, places, information, and things, which will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, teach, and learn.

The author, Emily Green, knows what she is talking about. She is the President and CEO of the Yankee Group—one of the world’s premier research firms on the impact of the global connectivity revolution with operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific.

One of the most fascinating parts of the book is her description of five consumer segments: Analogs, Technophytes, Digital Shut-ins, Outlet Jockeys, and Actualized Anywheres (AA’s). As I was enjoying my dinner and reading it suddenly dawned on me just how much I was exhibiting the characteristics of the Actualized Anywheres. The short description of AA’s is that they “bring the concept of a ubiquitously connected consumer to life.” This is when it struck me—-I was literally living the future she was describing!

Here is how I know. I wrote down how I was handling my recreational and work related tasks during Think Week. Here is a short list.

• All of my books, newspapers, and magazines are on my iPad. I read, highlight, annotate, and share my reading content electronically.
• I downloaded a book immediately onto my iPad based on a recommendation from the book I was reading at the time.
• I held a video-call with my daughter and grand daughter using FaceTime on my iPhone.
• I sent an email through Facebook to some friends and family. I accepted a connection request with a professional colleague on LinkedIn.
• I used the Yelp application on my iPhone to find restaurants and read reviews before choosing a place to have dinner. I also wrote my own review on Yelp for the benefit of others.
• I used my Garmin GPS to guide me to the restaurant.
• While driving and while dinning, I used an iPhone application called SoundHound to identify and order songs to download. I liked the songs but could not remember the titles. SoundHound solved that problem.
• I used an application called NoteSelf on my iPad to take notes using a stylus, including notes for this blog article. No paper or pen needed.
• I used the Evernote application to send clippings from the books I was reading to my administrative assistant for her to type so that the information could be put into my Endnote program for future reference and citation.
• I used Logos Bible Software on my computer to study and write a devotional for my faculty.
• I used Adobe Acrobat to print the devotional as a PDF. I uploaded it to Box.net (cloud storage and collaboration) so it could be shared with our parents with a hyperlink in an email, and then I emailed it to all school staff using Outlook.
• I used LoseIt on my iPhone to track my calories and my running.
• One of the books I was reading referenced a 2004 NYT article on how Apple Outflanked Sony in music players (this had to do with Disruptive Innovation). I went to the NYT website and downloaded the article.
• I am using my laptop to type this article using Live Writer, which I will then post to my blog using the same program.

Now, before you react with something like “are you crazy?!” let me highlight the key point. I am using mobile devices connected to a global digital network everywhere I go to get things done and to enhance and enrich my life. I have a seminary’s worth of books in my Logos Bible program. I have an entire library on my iPad for reading. I have a huge music library of beautiful music in my pocket. I can find and read reviews on local restaurants before deciding where to eat. And I was able to speak with AND see my granddaughter even though I am hours away in a hotel.

Some of my readers, perhaps many of them, have no intention or interest in using technology in the ways I describe above. That is okay. They are most likely Analogs. Most people are. All of us fall into one of the consumer segments that Emily Green describes in her book.

What does this have to do with our schools? Plenty! What I just described is how most of our younger parents and our students will conduct their personal and professional lives.

As school leaders we must understand that our younger parents (those born in the mid to late seventies) and certainly our current students and our future parents DO CARE. They will live and work much as I have described above. Mobile computing and connectivity will be a given—it will be woven into their lives. Their expectations are, and will increasingly be, that our classrooms and school-to-home communication reflect the realities of the new Anywhere Global Connectively.

This is a sea change. It is as evitable as the sun rising tomorrow.

Are we preparing our school infrastructures for this change? Are we preparing and training our faculty? Are we preparing our students for the new work world of tomorrow? Are we providing a biblical framework for understanding and using technology for God’s glory? Are we modeling the use of technology for our teachers and other administrators?

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book:

New things are an easy target for those who lack imagination … Years ago, no one understood why e-mail was worthwhile. Now, no one thinks twice about it—but they’re busy talking about why Twitter is stupid. Bob Metcalfe

Let’s put our sanctified imaginations to work—let’s travel to the future and then return to our schools to get ready!

How to Reduce Stress While Getting More Done

Too much to do!  Too much stress!  Not enough time!  More expectations!  More demands!  More information!  More interruptions!  People, meetings, calls, emails, documents, events to attend, speaking engagements, budgets, training ….. and the list goes on!

Does that sound familiar?

In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with information, the urgent, and ever increasing expectations. 

The weight upon us and the pace of our lives often leave us feeling dissatisfied, stressed,and sometimes burned-out.

There must be a better way!  There is!

How I work

Over the years I have worked hard at working smarter. My goal is to increase effectiveness and to decrease stress. I make no claim to having arrived—I haven’t. I have learned to juggle the myriad demands paced upon my professional and personal life by developing habits and leveraging technology to help me work smarter.

Below is a brief summary of how I approach my work and responsibilities. If you want more detail or have a question, simply leave a comment and I will respond with more information.

Calendar & Meeting Management

Time of Arrival at the Office

I am usually in my office by 6:00-6:15 AM, sometimes earlier—depending on how often I hit “snooze” on my alarm! This enables me to beat the rush hour traffic, making me less stressed and more efficient. I’m also in a better mood for devotions.

Prayer and Devotions

I start the day with prayer and Bible study. My devotional time is blocked and locked on my calendar. It is not always easy to begin the day with prayer and Bible study. Some days I don’t feel particularly spiritual and don’t feel like praying or reading my Bible. I am tempted to start reading and responding to email.

It doesn’t matter how I feel. I pray and study my Bible anyway. My soul is almost always warmed and enlivened through prayer and Bible study (coffee also helps!) but not always. It does not matter—I pray and study anyway. God never told me to feel like praying or to feel like reading my Bible—he simply commands me to do so.

My prayer is that the “Lord will bless the work of my hands, that he will grant wisdom, that as I plan my way he will direct my steps, and that he will grant me holy rather than selfish ambitions in my work.”

I am currently reading through the Bible using the ESV on the iPad. I leave the computer off and go to another chair in my office to pray and read. This is called “fleeing temptation.” J

Review of Next Action Items and Upcoming Appointments

After devotions, I have 30 minutes set aside to review reports, NEXT ACTION items, the day’s appointments, etc. I am able to do this easily and effectively because I use the Task function in Outlook to manage my To Do list and projects. I am able to see at a glance what is due today and for the week.

Meetings

Time is scheduled before and after every meeting for prep, travel, and follow-up. This allows me time to walk into a meeting well prepared with documents gathered. It also ensures that I setup follow-up meetings, write a memo or email, etc., immediately after the meeting so that “balls are not dropped.”

When someone other than a parent or staff member stops by and asks “do you have a minute,” usually a salesperson, if I’m not in a meeting or leaving for one, I will give him or her a little time in order to give a good testimony of the gospel. However, if this is an unscheduled drop-in, I start by meeting him or her at the door. I remain standing. This significantly shortens the unplanned meeting. I will invite the unscheduled guest to sit IF I believe the issue has the potential to benefit the school and if I have time. Otherwise, the meeting will end as a standup meeting or my assistant will schedule a follow-up meeting. In other words, in so far as possible and polite, I attempt to control my time rather than having someone else control it.

I also use lunch for meetings. I have to eat anyway so I might as well make it productive. Very seldom do I eat without meeting with someone.

I normally leave the office at 4:00. I go home and run four miles on the treadmill while catching up on the news—I accomplish two things at once! I shower and eat and then go to any evening meetings or events that I may have.

I am almost always in bed by 10:00 and up at 5:00 the next morning.

Friday mornings are blocked on my calendar for project work—off campus to minimize interruptions. This is an important time each week. I am able to focus on those BIG rocks that can be crowded out by the urgent.

Phone Calls

I have the blessing of having a wonderful administrative assistant. I have instructed her to log all phone calls into Outlook’s Notes function. This provides a permanent record of every call. After returning the calls I make quick notes on each log. This ensures that I return calls in a timely fashion and I have a record of my response—which can be as easy as “Returned, Left Message, Referred, etc.

I also return calls in the car using hands-free voice activated dialing. NEVER dial when driving. (That sentence will make my attorney happy!)

Managing Email and Information

Email management is a challenge—but not impossible! Rather than outline strategies for managing email in this article, I have created a PowerPoint Presentation that you may find useful. At the end of the presentation are links to short Microsoft training videos.

Click HERE to download the PowerPoint Presentation. You may share the PPT with whomever you wish; I only ask that you refer them to this blog.

Think Week

My Think Week is one of the most important practices that I have developed over the years. As I write this, I am preparing to leave for my Think Week. I will be reading 10 books and a stack of research documents—all on my iPad. For more information on Think Week see my previous post: How To Find Time to Focus, Think, and Work.

I got the idea for Think Week from articles I read about Bill Gates and his Think Week. Here are two articles that may interest you: Article 1: Bill Gates in Secret Hideaway, Article 2: Bill Gates Think Week.

Tools I Use

• I strive to be as paperless as possible. To the extent that I have everything in digital form (which is almost everything) I can have my documents with me anytime and anywhere. They are also searchable and shareable. This is far more productive than keeping up with paper, legal pads, notebooks, post-it notes, etc.
• I use a Dell laptop on a docking station with two monitors. On the left is my project management/brainstorming software—Mindmanager from Mindjet. The center monitor is used for Outlook and other Microsoft products (Word, etc.)

• I make extensive use of video-conferencing. I use ooVoo-think Skype on Steroids! Video-conferencing makes phone calls far more personal, there is less temptation to “multitask” while on a phone call, and you can share your desktop and/or files while on the call. Video-conferencing also reduces the number of emails I must process.

· I use the iPad for virtually all of my reading and note taking. There is a very effective and powerful note taking application called “Note Taker HD.” Used with a stylus it is as effective as a legal pad but with the advantage that all of your notes are in one location, searchable, and shareable.

Software I Most Frequently Use

• Microsoft’s Office 2010
• Docs-to-Go on my laptop and iPad. This program syncs all of my laptop documents to my iPad so that I have everything with me at all times. Docs-to-Go also enables me to read, create, and edit Microsoft documents-Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Mindmanager with a Catalyst subscription—for project management, brainstorming, and collaboration. The program tightly integrates with Outlook and Microsoft Office products making it an extremely effective task and project management tool.
• The new I.E. 9 browser and Google's Chrome. They are fast, secure, full-featured, and customizable.
• Note Taker HD—replaces a legal pad.
• Logos Bible Study software—on my laptop and iPad. For in-depth Bible study.
• Kindle software on the laptop, iPad, and iPhone—I carry my library in my pocket.
• Skydrive—for online document storage, creation, and collaboration. Skydrive and MS Webapps integrate seamlessly with Microsoft Office.
• ooVoo for video-conferencing.
• Twitter—for keeping up with the news.
• Jott—for leaving myself reminders when I’m in the car.
• Adobe Acrobat Pro—for PDF creation and electronic forms completion and signing.
• Loseit-see below.

Personal Health

Staying fit is critical to reducing stress and being efficient and effective. Although it gets tiresome, I count calories (I use a software program called LoseIt on my iPhone) and I track my exercise using the same program.

I run four miles a day six days a week (Sunday off) unless providentially hindered. I maintain my weight within the “ideal range,” for my height and age.

I do NOT like running and I do not like counting calories—but—doing so makes a big difference in how well I sleep at night and how much energy I have each day.

Because I do not like running, I do not sit down when I get home—not even for a minute!! I walk immediately to the closet and change into my exercise cloths and mount the treadmill.

Life is hectic and our jobs are demanding. Learning to thrive rather than merely survive as a leader is a challenge. It can be done. Attention to one’s spiritual and physical health, establishing good practices and habits, and making appropriate use of technology can all, when used in combination, reduce stress while we strive to accomplish more for God’s glory.

How To Find Time to Focus, Think, and Work

It is hard to find it hard to find time to focus, think, and work on important projects.  We are constantly interrupted and distracted.  The immediate crowds out the important. 

In his excellent article Who Else Needs More Mental Focus?, Michael Hyatt, Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the world's largest Christian publisher, offers very helpful tips for improving one’s focus. (see a short excerpt and link to his article below)

I have used many of the same practices for years.  In addition to Mr. Hyatt’s recommendations, I also do the following to carve out time for focus, thinking, and working on critical projects.

• I schedule several hours every Friday morning off campus to focus and think.  I do not come into the office.  I can be reached by cell phone in an emergency but my administrative assistant has been instructed that I am not to be interrupted.  This is some of the most productive time in my week.
• Each year I take several days for a “Think Week.”  I got this idea from Bill Gates who pulled away each year for an extended time of research, reading, and reflection.  I have adopted this practice.  I spend these days praying, reading, reflecting, and writing.  I take a substantial amount of reading material with me.  Because I use my iPad exclusively for reading I am able to carry an entire library of books and research articles with me.  I read and reflect from morning to evening only interrupting my reading for eating, running, and showering.  It is usually during Think Week that I come up with long-range initiative such as our BCS SMART SCHOOL program.

Click here to read Mr. Hyatt’s article, Who Else Needs More Mental Focus?

A few weeks ago, I had to prepare for a board meeting. I really needed an extended period of time to review the material and prepare my presentation. In doing this, I realized that I go through a similar pattern whenever I need to increase my mental focus and get a lot of work done in a short period of time.  Here are ten tactics I use that may help you…

What do you do to improve your focus and creativity as you lead your school?

Goodbye to Discs and Pages?

This article, although related specifically to Apple and Amazon, the larger story is the fast movement to digital content for books/textbooks. 

Amazon vs. Apple: Battle of the books

With its new iPad, Apple is taking aim at Amazon's core business and its Kindle book reader. Can the 'e-tail' pioneer keep up as books, music and movies go all-download?

By Michael Brush

Amazon.com (AMZN, news, msgs) has come out on top in the digital revolution that's moving sales of books -- as well as compact discs, DVDs and lots of other products -- online.

But there's a second digital uprising afoot, and some experts think Amazon won't fare as well -- and could lose a sizable chunk of its core bookselling business.

Any Amazon losses would likely be gains for Apple (AAPL, news, msgs), which could do to its "e-tail" rival what Amazon has been doing to brick-and-mortar competitors.Apple's chief weapon in this battle of online giants -- the iPad -- will be rolled out April 3, with preorders starting March 12. Among the many things people will be able to do with these flat touch-screen computers: download and read digital books from Apple's new iBookstore.

Amazon has its own successful book reader, the Kindle. But Apple dominates in music downloads, so there's good reason to think it will take a big share of the market for downloadable books. "In music, Apple is the dominant player. Now Apple wants to do the same in books," says Jeffrey Liebenson an attorney with Herrick, Feinstein who was involved in some of the early music industry negotiations with Apple. And the iPad threat is part of a bigger-picture "digital transition" risk to Amazon that has led many investors to head for the exits.

The worry? Books are joining music in a broad shift to entertainment via digital download, and that's a game Apple tends to win.

Goodbye discs and pages

Think how this second digital revolution has changed the way we get entertainment:

• When was the last time you bought a CD? Sales of CDs declined to 301 million last year from 712 million in their peak year of 2001, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Instead, people download music -- and Apple, with its iTunes store, dominates with a 70% market share. Amazon has 8% of the music sales market.

• The same thing is happening to DVD sales. Video stores such as Blockbuster (BBI, news, msgs) are already hurting. Consumers will soon wonder why they should buy a DVD anywhere when they can get a movie online -- instantly.

E-Book price wars

Amazon hasn't ignored these changes. You can download music at the online retailer -- and from many other places, of course -- but Apple simply rules this game.

You can also get movies over the Internet from Amazon. Here Apple isn't dominant, but the field is crowded with strong rivals: cable companies, Netflix (NFLX, news, msgs), Hulu and Vudu, which was recently purchased by Wal-Mart Stores (WMT, news, msgs).

Books are next, and Amazon is certainly a major player in the digital book market with the Kindle. But imagine that Apple does to the book market what it's done in music. How much will be left for Amazon or anyone else?

The risk to Amazon's business is real, and it is one of the main reasons Credit Suisse analyst Spencer Wang is telling investors to avoid buying Amazon stock now. He has a "hold" rating on the online retailer and a 12-month price target of $130 a share, around where the stock sells today.

Because of these worries, investors sold out of Amazon stock earlier this year when it became clear Apple was entering the e-book market, analysts say. The stock is down from a 52-week-high at $146, though, like the market as a whole, it's way up from its lows.

Among those selling has been Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos. In February, he sold 2 million shares of Amazon stock at prices between $116 and $120, according to Thomson Reuters. He sold 7 million shares in 2008-09, after selling no stock at all during 2005-07.

The strong side of Amazon

Mind you, this is a battle of giants.

Amazon's stock is up 50% since I wrote in August 2008 about a different battle for online sales ("How Amazon is beating up eBay"). The Standard & Poor's 500 Index ($INX) is down more than 10% from where it was then, and eBay (EBAY, news, msgs) is down slightly.

Amazon revenue grew an impressive 37% in the fourth quarter of 2009. It owns 22% of the North American book market, according to a Credit Suisse estimate. And it can continue to grow by doing what it does best: taking market share from brick-and-mortar retailers.

It sold an estimated 2 million Kindle book readers last year, and 3.1 million are expected to be sold this year, according to estimates by Barclays Capital analyst Douglas Anmuth. Amazon's stated goal of having every book ever printed in any language available on Kindle in less than 60 seconds is a bold one -- and however realistic, it means Kindle owners should eventually be able to get virtually any book they want.

The Apple advantages

Apple, though, is a fierce competitor, which is what makes the battle intriguing. And it has two big advantages as it goes after book sales.

Advantage No. 1: Apple has eager allies in the publishers.

To promote Kindle, Amazon has been offering great deals on new and best-selling e-books, a 55% discount off a typical $22 list price to $9.99. It's selling many e-books at a loss, says Wang, the Credit Suisse analyst.

This annoys publishers. They think Amazon has too much clout in the book business, and they don't want to see that extended to e-books. And they worry that a $10 price will "cheapen" books, training consumers to always expect low prices.

Enter Apple. It has offered publishers better prices than Amazon asks -- as long as the publishers make other vendors (i.e., Amazon) raise the retail price on best-selling e-books to $12.99 to $14.99. Most of the major publishers have signed on. If the alliance sticks, it will hurt Amazon's strategy for taking market share and fueling Kindle growth.

"All the publishers I talk with are hoping the iPad will live up to the hope," says Todd Eckler, the vice president for print and publishing at North Plains, which sells software to help providers put their content online.

Advantage No. 2: Apple is better than almost anyone at making gadgets.

This is key, because the gadgets can be crucial in determining which company eventually controls the content ecosystem, including the all-important formats that can be used to lock out competitors.

One of the main reasons Apple dominates music is the popularity of its iPod players and its music-playing iPhone. Lots of companies make music players, but Apple dominates so thoroughly that "iPod" is nearly a generic term.

Though we won't know for sure until it hits the market, with its smooth interface and bright color screen, the iPad seems sure to be a comfortable way to read books, believes Scott Testa, a professor of business administration at Cabrini College in the Philadelphia area and an avid Kindle user. "The iPad is going to blow the Kindle away as far as ease of use and the quality of the screen," he says.

Amazon's gadget will have the price advantage. The Kindle starts at $250 and is likely to get cheaper soon. Apple's iPad will start at $500; if Apple wins, it will likely be because the iPad does much more.

Though the iPad's features and processing power will be overkill for the simple act of reading a book, they're likely to contribute to an evolution in what constitutes a book that could move that market toward Apple.

A next-generation iPad book could easily include video on "the making of the book" as with DVDs, an author interview or music -- features that will make book reading a richer experience, says Eckler, of North Plains, which sells software that helps publishers do these things.

Beyond books, consider that the many potential customers who already have deep libraries of iTunes music and video can play those on their iPad. They don't work on a Kindle or on other manufacturer's devices. If customers buy only one device, that's an incentive to go with the iPad.

The Google wild card

Amazon also has Google (GOOG, news, msgs) to worry about. The latter is scanning as many books as possible to build up the world's biggest digital book database.

We're still not sure how Google plans to make money off this, but one approach is obvious: Google will likely discount books (or give away books in the public domain, without copyright limits, for free), and make up the difference by charging sponsors for ad words, just as it does for search. Plus industry experts believe that like Amazon and Apple, Google will roll out its own book reader at some point soon.

So what to do with Amazon?

Against this backdrop, what does Amazon's future hold?  

An Amazon spokesman declined to comment for this column. But in a recent conference call with investors, when asked about the emerging book battles, Amazon finance chief Thomas Szkutak responded: "We think we are positioned very nicely from a digital perspective. We think we are focused on the customer, and I think Kindle is certainly a good example of that."

Even without the price advantage, the Kindle would be good enough for many book fans, particularly older readers who will be happy to read books and newspapers on the Kindle's black-and-white screen. "It is a generational thing," says Eckler. "The Kindle is simple. There are not a lot of buttons."

Wang, of Credit Suisse, believes Amazon will continue to see 7.5% annual growth in North American book sales over the next five years, even with Apple entering the market.

There's also a macroeconomic reason Amazon will be OK: Online sales still represent only 3.8% of overall retail sales in the U.S. So there is still plenty of room for Amazon, the leader in the space, to grow as more retail moves online, says Mark Mahaney of Citigroup.

The key takeaway for investors is this: Don't buy Amazon stock expecting the kind of huge gains seen over the past couple of years. Many market players will wait to see how the online retailer manages the all-digital transition, but with savvy competitors such as Apple attacking its core book market, growth will slow.

Apple's stock, on the other hand, just keeps rising. You would be buying today at an all-time high, which can be risky. But citing the iPad, plus continued strength in iPhone and Mac sales, Credit Suisse analyst Bill Shope has an outperform rating and a 12-month price target of $275 on Apple stock, from about $223 today.

For consumers, the book battle could mean higher prices on new and best-selling e-books, as Apple aligns with publishers to raise prices above Amazon's big discounts. But gadget prices should fall quickly as the competition heats up.

And the cool news is that the iPad may open up a whole new world of "words" that brings lots of cool features to the concept of a book. Amazon and others will have to match technologies or lose out. The simple act of reading is changing forever.

At the time of publication, Michael Brush did not own or control shares of any company mentioned in this column.

Asking Important Questions About Technology

By: Mitchell Salerno, High School Principal and Arlene Outerbridge, Director of Guidance (The Master's Academy)

A recent editorial in The Philadelphia Inquirer (Click here to view article) raised questions about “one-to-one computing” initiatives sprouting up in schools around the country. Zimmerman (2010) argues that this technology has the potential to drive students further away from human interaction and that there is little evidence that one-to-one initiatives actually increase student learning. Zimmerman further suggests that qualified and talented teachers, rather than the latest technology, will improve learning. Humorously, Zimmerman quotes Thomas Edison (in 1922), “I believe the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks.”

If you listen carefully, you will hear similar language among today’s educational reformers. Simply replace “motion picture” with “Kindle” or “iTouch” or “laptop.” Are these tools going to revolutionize education and replace textbooks?

I am a technology fan and have pushed technological initiatives at every opportunity. Our students need to understand how to live in a 21^st century world and our schools are largely responsible for providing opportunities for students to interact with the abundance of technological tools available to them. However, our schools must continue to ask the hard questions such as:

· How do we see technology as a positive for our students?

· How do we see technology as a hindrance to our students?

· If we add (insert technology), how do we ensure that the positive benefits to our students outweigh the negative?

Zimmerman (2010) also raises a secondary question regarding the parent’s ability to aid the students as they navigate the new world of technology. Our students are growing up in a fundamentally different world than we grew up in. As an example, I was at the barbershop today and my barber and I were discussing the latest video games. We had seen an ad on the television and couldn’t tell if it was for a movie or a video game. It is amazing to think that technology has advanced to this point. So as all old-timers do (I am 34!), we began to tell stories of how things used to be.

As I reflect on that conversation, I am amazed at the fundamental difference between our world in the 1980s and the world today. Yet, I am also amazed at how the human condition has not changed. Christian schools, and education in general, really has not changed. We are still asking the same questions about what students need to learn, how they should learn, etc. While our ability to do stuff has increased exponentially, our “condition” has not changed at all.

It is possible that our students’ parents do not know how to deal with the rapidly changing technological landscape. Our efforts to train the children are often the easiest task we have. Zimmerman (2010) shares, possibly inadvertently, his struggles as a parent in this new technological world. Our parents might be struggling as well. Our schools need to be mindful of the “old-timer’s” struggle with encroaching technology and begin to ask questions such as:

· If we add (insert technology), how do we combat parent fears?

· How do we help parents understand the purpose and benefit of this technology?

· Have we considered the impact this technology will have on the home?

In the end, technology is merely a tool. It certainly may be leveraged for the Kingdom, but we must begin to teach our students how to properly value and utilize technology, beginning with our own actions. As we devise new ways to implement technology, let’s make sure that we are taking care to keep Christ first and refuse to allow education to be about tools rather than children.

References

Zimmerman, J. (2010, March 2). Should schools be giving out computers?. The

Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved from

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/85934327.html

I Hate to Say It, But Told You So! :-)

Dr. Barrett Mosbacker, PublisherThe title is a bit tongue in cheek but I want to update you on a major trend that I believe will have a significant impact on our schools—the rapid development, growth, and acceptance of e-publishing and e-book readers.  The textbook and library as we know them may disappear or at minimum be radically transformed. 

A few months ago I wrote Welcome to the Library. Say Goodbye to the Books:

Things are changing!  For many years e-books have resided in the back waters of publishing.  Early adopters and gadget freaks have read them but the vast majority of the population were either unaware of them or didn’t care.  The lowly status of the e-book may be about to change—and radically.

Consider the latest developments:

The US Kindle Catalog is has surpassed 400,000 Books.  On Saturday (Dec. 26) Amazon issued a press release announcing that on Christmas Day, for the first time ever, customers purchased more Kindle books than physical books." That's exciting and seemingly newsworthy, although it is natural that this would have happened with hundreds of thousands of new Kindle owners opening their Kindles and finding nothing to read on them but a snappy welcome letter from Jeff Bezos. But that's not to say it is not a big deal.

It is the latest in a steady flow of data points suggesting not only that Amazon is dominating both the hardware and content markets of the e-book sector but also that the e-book revolution itself is moving with stunning alacrity from its inflection point this past September to a tipping point that should occur, at the latest, in 2014.

In a separate article, Mr. Bezos, CEO of Amazon makes this statement (emphasis added):

Our vision for Kindle is to have every book ever printed, in every language, available in 60 seconds from anywhere on earth. We have worked with publishers to get the most popular books you want to read. The Kindle Store currently has more than 390,000 titles and we are adding more every day. Whether you prefer biographies, classics, investment guides, thrillers, or sci-fi, thousands of your favorite books are available. The Kindle Store offers 101 of 112 books currently found on the New York Times® Best Seller list. New York Times Best Sellers and most new releases are $9.99, and you'll find many books for less.

In yet another news story:

Amazon.com said Monday that its Kindle e-reader has become the most gifted item in the company's history…The online retail giant also noted that its customers purchased more Kindle e-books than physical books on Christmas Day -- a first for the company. However, not everyone buying e-books from Amazon this holiday season will be reading them on dedicated Kindle devices.

Amazon has unleashed a Kindle app for the iPhone and iPod touch that users in 60 countries can download from Apple's App Store. Moreover, in November the online retailer released a free Kindle for PC application that enables customers to read Kindle books on notebooks PCs….The new strategy makes sense in light of Forrester's projection that e-book sales will top $500 million in 2010. "This is still small compared to the overall book market, but it's growing quickly," Rotman Epps observed.

The potential for selling content that's never been consumed digitally before is huge and helps to explain why Barnes & Noble recently launched its nook e-reader at the aggressive price of $259, Rotman Epps noted. Barnes & Noble's long-term strategy is "to profit not so much off device sales as off of e-book content sales," she explained.

My Personal Experience

I confess, I am  now the proud owner of a Kindle 2.  My wonderful wife, with wise advice from my daughters, bought me the Kindle 2 Global Edition for Christmas.  Below is a picture of my Kindle on my desk in my study with full bookshelves in the background.

After using it now for several weeks, here is my take on it; it is fantastic and not because I like technology.  Simply put, it is better than a physical book.  Here are some of the reasons why I like the Kindle better than traditional books.

• I now have access to a million (yes, a million) FREE books, letters, and essays that I can download in 60 seconds.  That alone is enough to justify buying the Kindle. Here are a couple of examples:

• Virtually all Kindled edition books are cheaper than the printed versions.  For example, I purchased three volumes of a photography book.  I saved more than shown because I purchased each volume separately for only $9.99 each! I paid 29.97 for all three volumes compared to the normal price of $69.99, a savings of $40 or (57%).  Not even counting the free books, the Kindle pays for itself very quickly.

• My library is full.  I have no more room for books and can’t afford new expensive bookshelves even if I had room.  However, I can store 1,500 books on the Kindle.  When I fill it, I can archive the one’s I’ve read on Amazon and download more books.  I can move books back and forth between the Kindle and Amazon, which means I’ll never be out of room.
• I can read the books on my iPhone, my laptop, and the Kindle and they all sync.  That means if I read something on my iPhone and later open the same book or article on the Kindle, the Kindle version starts where I left off reading on my iPhone.
• The books are archived safely on Amazon's servers. I don't have to worry about losing my books if the house burns down!
• The new e-ink technology makes the Kindle read just like printed material.  It is not backlit there is no eye strain like there is when reading on a computer monitor.  It also means that the battery lasts much longer.
• I can literally carry my entire library in my hand. I can read any book, essay, newspaper, magazine or blog—any place, any time, any where.  Great for the doctor’s office, on planes, etc.
• I can highlight and annotate material and access my notes, annotations, clippings on my computer for using in articles, presentations, or for sharing with others.
• Newspaper, magazines, and blog subscriptions are downloaded to my Kindle at night, while I sleep and before they are online or on newsstands.  When I get up to have my coffee, I can have my devotions and read the newspaper before the start of the workday.
• I have free broadband 3g coverage via Sprint on the Kindle.  This means I can browse the web on my Kindle.  The browser is not great, but usable.
• I can have a sample of any book or newspaper sent to my Kindle prior to buying.  This saves me from making expensive purchase mistakes.
• I can search any book or my entire library on my Kindle by key word(s).
• I have immediate seamless access to a built in dictionary and Wikipedia.  I can lookup anything without looking my place in the Kindle.
• I have an always available “built-in” book light in on Kindle case (light and case sold separately).  I don’t have to find the book light.  It is always available with my Kindle.  This is great for reading in bed or on flights when I don’t want to disturb my seat mates.

Those are just a few reasons by I prefer the Kindle.  There are a few downsides:

• Even though the Kindle can go two weeks without recharging (with wireless off), it still has to be charged.  Print books do not have to be recharged.
• The Kindle is a computer with software, which means there will be occasional technical issues.  I’ve never had a technical problem with a book.  :-)
• Although within limits you can share your Kindle account with other Kindle users (meaning you can share books with each other, e.g., family members), it is limited and requires that they have a Kindle. There is no restriction on sharing printed books.
•   Some will argue that e-readers like Kindles don’t give the pleasure of holding a book in your hand.  Although I understand this concern, I believe it is over-stated.  First, there is nothing particularly pleasurable about holding a paperback.  Obviously, holding a nice leather bound book provides a certain pleasure, but who can afford many leather bound books?  Second, as indicated above, with a good leather cover on the Kindle, it feels like you are holding a good leather bound book.
• A library in one’s study is beautiful, Kindles are not. I would not want to see a room full of Kindles.  :-) 

What are the implications for our schools?

• It the trends are any indication, textbooks, newspapers, magazines, blogs, etc., will migrate to electronic versions.  The price point should be lower, saving schools money. 
• We may finally be able to eliminate the heavy book bags that our students carry.
• Lockers may no longer be necessary.
• Curriculum can be updated more frequently, which is particularly important for science textbooks.
• Students and teachers could have access to textbooks and other readings on cell phones, computers, and Kindles (or other e-book readers) simultaneously.
• There may be a convergence of this technology into one handheld device.  It is rumored, for example, that Apple is working on an iSlate and Microsoft on a similar device.
• Students can have access to the world’s best literature and historical documents—for free.
• We can reduce the size of our libraries making room for more classrooms.

What are your thoughts about these developments?

Given the anticipated explosion in e-books and e-readers, what are your thoughts about the implications for our schools?  Would you promote the use of e-readers and e-textbooks as substitutes for printed textbooks and the traditional school library?  Do you see any intrinsic advantage or disadvantage to the move to electronic reading and publishing?