So this was a bit of a confusing week for me due to terminology. And I guess the takeaway for me is that when it comes to technology, as in all other areas, words can mean everything to different people.
Last week in class, we watched two videos about how future technology will make our lives easier and more manageable. The videos dealt with Corning's efforts to develop what I will call "smart glass." which is just glass combined with touchscreen techonology that offers all sorts of applications for home, education and business. While I admit that some of what was shown was interesting, a lot of it reminded me of new developments in quilting - you have to consider whether the "NEW" way of doing things is actually more complicated or time-consuming than the "OLD" way and then just go from there. I am at an age where I am a bit set in my ways and hesitant to change to a fully automated me. But.....go with the flow and pick what works and move forward.
So we had to do a workflow that incorporated technology. What I heard was use techonology to make a flow chart of a process - so I did a chart of the decision making process of a theatrical production from start to finish. I wanted to use my ipad because I''ve scarcely touched the surface of what I can do with that device other than play Candy Crush. I found a very easy app to make my flow chart and was happy with my finished product.
But when we got to class, I found out that my interpretation was incorrect. Instead, we were supposed to look at our daily routines as teachers and plan an organized workflow of daily activities that incorporated technology to help make our tasks easier to manage and complete. Boy, did I miss the mark on that one. But it turned out that pretty much everyone in the class construed the assignment a little differently, so it turned out ok.
The takeaway from this is the need for specificity when discussing technology because what you hear may be completely different than what is desired. And also, it's ok to play with and investigate different things for your ipad. Chances are, you're not going to break it. :)
