As a teacher, we are asked to pay attention to a lot of things and to minimize distractions. But what if we could take a distraction and use it as a learning tool?

Text messages for pop quizzes? Using your camera phone for homework assignments? It’s not far from reality, some schools are starting to utilize this technology.

Also, consider the NETS standards – new standards that demand students not just get content, but experience with technology.

In the future I will be posting articles on such a shift. In fact, I composed this very article from my cell phone.

I was all about the new MyTouch 3G Android-based phone coming out for Tmobile, but after reading tons of reviews and looking it over, I have become concerned.

One of the main concerns, for me, is the fact that it uses a SD micro card for the basis of its memory. Currently, it is stocked with a 4GB micro card, which sounds good, but what kind of performance will it have? The other concerns are the reviews about the touch screen keyboard size and functionality as well as the concerns over 3G coverage that Tmobile has.

It’s a mad world in the smart phone game these days. I feel compelled, like many others, to join in the game since I am currently stocked with a cell phone that takes pictures, plays music, etc. but doesn’t have that final bit of smart phone touch – internet usage and storage of media. Then I read about another smart phone coming out for Tmobile – in October.

When the G1 came out, I was hooked. I was intrigued by going the Google OS route because it was open source. This is a shrewd move by Google to get into the ground floor of the smart phone industry – which cost Apple tons to get into, but they have made their mark for sure. The problem with the G1 was its hoky and somewhat rushed design. It has a slide out QWERTY keyboard, sure, but it also has a strange shape. The specs on it are solid, but not sexy. In other words, lots of improvement.

HTC is the manufacturor of the G1 and with Tmobile as the carrier, they have teamed up to refine the G1 to bring out version 2 in what is looking to be a drop date of October. Reports are also saying the price will be $148 (with 2 year contract) and it will be pushed through Walmart in a major holiday marketing campaign.

From the looks of this design, which has been leaked as of May, most of the concerns about the G1 original version are addressed. The QWERTY keyboard is retained, which meets the concerns about the MyTouch 3G. What remains to be seen is if there is a gyroscope in there that allows one to shift from portrait to landscape mode with the simple flip of the wrist, ala the Iphone. I think I am going to hold off on the MyTouch 3G for now and see what other Android phones start hitting the market.

So, the new updated Iphone is here – well, about to be. June 19th, the new Iphone 3G S hits the floor and the world will relive Iphone mania. I almost did it myself. How could you not, the Iphone is a nice piece of equipment for interpersonal communication and staying in touch with your latest social network updates.

Yet, I am holding out for what I think is the next great trend – Android. Google created Android to be an open source mobile operating system which is great because its FREE and it allows anyone to develop “apps” for it. This makes Android instantly competitive with Apple’s Iphone and being backed by Google, the Android OS is going to be trusted by handset developers.

TMobile launched the G1 last year, built by HTC, but I found it to be a little too clunky for my tastes. In fact, the only thing that sells the phone in my opinion is the fact that it is running Android and was the first phone to do so. But guess what? Now there are somewhere around 18 phones slated to hit the market this summer all using Android.

The one that is atop my list is the new TMobile MyTouch 3G – long title, but great looking set so far. Check out some of the stats for this new handset here and take a sneak peak at the box art for the handset. It will be available in white, black and merlot. Pricing is not known yet, but I suspect it will be comparable to the new Iphone and if TMobile is smart, they will release it as close to the Iphone release as possible. A little before that deadline would be shrewd – and I’d appreciate it as I would personally rush out to get a phone before my treck to Europe this summer.

Just upgraded to Wordpress’s new 2.7 software. Looks great as they have totally overhauled the backend and the way you can use the admin cp.

Haven’t tested out all the bugs yet and get a feel for it, but there are a few problems that you should be wary of off the bat. Not all plug-ins work – so before you upgrade, make sure you deactivate all plugins.

For example, the Drop-Down Admin plugin and the Tiny MCE Advanced plugins were not compatible with my 2.7 upgrade. I wasn’t able to access the left side menu on the admin cp (Drop Down Admin must have negated that somehow as when I deactivated it, I found it) and I couldn’t access the “visual” feature for posts (it seems the Tiny MCE Advanced plugin conflicted as well).

I have now deactivated all plugins and will bring each one online one by one in order to see which work.

It’s that time of year again – time to feel the crunch of getting gifts for everyone on your list. This is easily the most stressful time of year for us as we look to keep everyone on our social networks happy. Really the best thing you can do for a loved one is not just buy them something but rather, make them something. Like they say, you can give your money, but giving your time is something else.

That said, here are some pretty cool gifts you may want to consider – for yourself or for whomever. Some of them are what I would consider big tickets, but they could be a gift for a family as opposed to just an individual.

• Flip Mino – ranging in price from $180 to $200, this tiny little gadget allows you to film whatever you like, up to 60 minutes of footage. It has a nifty little switchblade USB for easy uploading to your computer. It also comes loaded with software that make it a snap to upload to YouTube.
• Milwaukee M-Spector Digital Inspection Camera – wanna feel like a spy? Put the power of an over-budget action film into the palm of your hands as you use this nifty little device to look in between walls, under doors, and in car engines to diagnose problems. You can get really creative with the uses of this device – but I will leave that to you.
• Sorapot – This architectural beauty merges the art of tea with modern feeling. It can be an heirloom piece that could be passed down throughout your family – novel idea. Great gift for the sophisticated, health conscious and wise!
• Silver Sonic XL – Yeah, I just saw the infomercial on this one. I remember a similar product advertised last year and I thought it would be an excellent product for someone who is hard of hearing but also for someone who likes to watch TV when everyone else has gone to bed. Or maybe someone who wants to practice stalking. He, he, he.
• The Roku player for Netflix – Simply an amazing idea. What if I told you that you could watch any movie you wanted on your TV whenever you wanted? Well, that is what this little device can do for you and it is only $100 to buy. That’s it. If you are a Netflix subscriber, you can use this little device in tandem with your membership and get access to Netflix’s total library. Never go to the movies again – or even the video rental store!
• Electronics Workshop 1 – This is a great way to get your kids interested in science and in tinkering with things. It is for all the techies in all of us – but this comes with a story. You read the story and as you read it, you recreate the experiments that go along with the story – a novel (I know, bad pun!) idea. I want one for myself!
• EasyBloom Plant Sensor – Give the gift of gardening! This is a pretty amazing little device that I think could have future applications that may take this to a new level. What it does is it analyzes your soil and environment and helps you estimate the optimum growing potential of your garden.
• Admetior Digital Spoon Scale – Tired of trying to figure out how much is a splash, a dash, or a touch? Well, this little spoon gives you measurements of your favorite herbs and spices by weight – to the nearest gram. This won’t get you an audition on Top Chef or anything, but it will help.
• Polar FT80 with GPS – This watch helps you collect data to optimize your work out and training sessions. It really helps with cardio training as it tracks your heartbeat. The watch also looks nice and you can wear it out. Plus, this model has a GPS feature which is helpful in measuring distance running, etc. There is also a cheaper model without the GPS.

If you find any other great gift ideas – please leave comments. As always, remember to check woot.com as they have great stuff on sale all the time – it is like Black Friday everyday!

Let’s face it, as we advance technologically, our privacy disappears. And in its stead we have a new version of discrimination – only this time it isn’t by a person or a group of people, but rather by a cold “unbiased” machine such as a computer linked to a data base.

What am I talking about? Well, I am talking about “super crunching” which requires large amounts of data to be collected, compiled and spit out about people and the information will describe their actions, buying patterns, past history, etc. In fact, some of the information that is collected on you you may not even recall yourself!

I recently listened to a program on Coast to Coast that interviewed a Yale professor who seems to be very supportive of this – which to me seems pretty naive. It cannot be solely a positive thing; regardless of how we may feel about it it is here. Google is a pretty good example of this as Google is a private company that wants to catalog and store as much information as it can. Other companies use these large databases of information for many purposes, such as to estimate your “pay pain” or how much of a discount you would need to purchase your product. Based on the data compiled, they can formulate a picture of you and your future and place in society and determine your economic footprint.

It is a tool that can be used for both good or for evil. Fears about insurance companies accessing your spending habits may lead them to increase your rates because you are buying alcoholic products or perhaps buying lots of fast food. Regardless, this information can be used against you in some situations which begs the question – why not pay cash for everything? After all, our economy is crumbling and it is based on creating debt and not acquiring savings. If you pay cash for everything not only are you exercising good economic principles for yourself (and the economy in which you live) but you also keep private your spending habits so companies can’t get a hold of this information.

Unless you willingly give it out – such as with surveys, etc.

It is interesting to note, however, that as data storage technologies advance, our privacy deteriates. The more data that can be stored and accessed the easier it is to compile this data and the more it will be used. And you thought keeping up with your credit report was a problem.