Technology Matters 2005

Thursday, July 21, 2005 '''A Day at Tech Matters 2005 .... '''

It started like any other morning -- dark, cool and the clock's digital presence blinked 7:20.

"Aaargh! I need to be in the lobby at 7:30."

Everyone met in the posh hotel lobby of Hilton Huntington. Some looked fresh and energized while others seem to be dragging their two left feet and Martinis.

Then, Danilo dragged in -- hastily attired after an all-nighter with "del.icio.us."

"Delicious?" We murmured to each other as we drove to breakfast. Was that a desciption of lemon chess pie at Hall of Fame's Restaurant last evening? A woman? A web bookmarking system? Who remembers exactly?

Our suspicions about "Delicious" were cut short when a very pregnant Amanda raced across the main street of Marshall University dodging impending doom from red neck trucks and Paul Allison's streaking silver PT Cruiser. When she reached the other side we can only imagine that she was really questioning her skills at depth perception. That silver Jetta was a lot closer and driving a lot faster than she probably first thought!

Breakfast
Another sumptuous breakfast with calorie-less cinnamon buns, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes but no Pace's thick and chunky salsa available. With caffeine and carbs racing through our bloodstreams, we saw the reason for Danilo's blood shot eyes. No martini bar for him on Wednesday night. Instead, he fed his tech addiction by creating an inspired daily log featuring arrows, bubbles, and Tech Matters' participants' pictures as we worked.

Lunch
The lunch discussion turned to podcasting, and all the possible uses thereof. Leah and Austen deliberated recording Leah's gag reflex when she tried the cucumber and onion salad, to be podcast from her blog as a)a warning to others, b)a dieting device for those of us having dessert after every meal while away from home, c)the narcissistic minutiae of her ever-important life, or d)all of the above.

We also learned that lunch can be used for a stroll through the university bookstore. One of the nice things about the bookstore is that they do not limit the amount of money one can spend. The quest for the perfect children's book continued and lunch became extended as we queued up in the checkout line. The search is expected to extend in the afternoon and become a topic at dinner--that would be after dessert. No one can have too many children's books or get enough sugar.

Wiki-wiking
We wiki-wikied and learned about wiki-ing. We learned that Wiki was Hawaiian for "quick". What a nifty way to construct knowledge collaboratively! That's how today's log is being be built. "Take me to Wiki Town."

Giving blogs purpose
Peter gave us some information about weblogs and we purposefully looked at a few, a tour of sorts. Perhaps the most pertinent of Peter's observations about blogging in academic settings was his reference to Margot Iris Soven. The Soven quote reminded us that online writing is governed by the same principles of every other kind of writing...young authors need a purpose for writing, a context, an idea of who the audience is, and other vital information that informs the creative process.

Playing around
This afternoon we played with Audacity, learning to mix two or more audio tracks as we experiment with podcasts. Chris, Dave, and Natalie are talking about having students from Utah, Maine, and California create podcasts they would share on a weblog to show their kids life from different parts of the country, giving them a real audience for their writing. It's a great experiment in blending new technology with collaboration, both in our own states, and through the TL network.

We're still debating the connection between giant squids and tech matters- isn't that del.icio.us???

Disregardless Dinner with the Capt'n
Our journey to delicious led us to dine with the Capt'n at the "Barge and Grill" on the Ohio River. It can only be described as a night of revelations, worthy to be noted on someone's wikipedia accounts.

Lizzy revealed her secret love for Philadelphia's Fresh Prince of Belair. Amy recounted growing up in Rineyville, Kentucky, and Karen, speech pathologist extraordinare, guessed about people's regional dialects. Paul Oh mused about the newly coined term "disregardless," and Deb explained why her children were happy to be known as River Rats.

While Leah, Natalie, Danilo, and Austen scampered off to visit the local Target, Paula, Dan, Chris, Dave, Mike, Will, PJ, and Paul Allison swept down the Ohio on a riverboat from the old South. Sally, decked out with her bright green leg, mysteriously wheeled off through the barge's lounge. Were they rendezvousing with the Capt'n?

Amanda, Lizzy, Cindy, Deb, Amy, and Kristy formed an alliance known as Paul's Posse and accompanied him back to Pullman Square, eyes ever alert for flood zone danger or a thundering herd of Alabama Red Elephants.

A Pullman Square summer concert greeted all the Tech Matters crew as we returned to the Holiday Inn Huntington--the delicious sounds of music tickling our ears.

It ended like any other evening -- dark, warm and the clock's digital presence blinked 11:45 p.m.