With this post I’m excited to share some job front news. This month I have joined 42 Lines as their “Harmonize Success Coach.” This is an interesting title for an interesting position. Part trainer, part customer success coach, and part customer support, it’s a new opportunity with a new product that I’ve enjoyed using over the last few months – the Harmonize Discussion LTI.

Check out the short product overview video below to see how Harmonize can be used with a Learning Management System. By leveraging what works best with social media platforms; easy uploading of multi media files, and tagging, Harmonize helps instructors and students connect with each other and the content. Fewer clicks, more connections. Increased engagement leads to decreased drop out and failure rates. Fight that feeling of isolation in an online course with a robust discussion platform to build community and increase social presence.

Although change is never easy, I’m excited to step into this new role and learn how educational software is designed, launched, and revised over time. It will also be interesting to learn more about the relationship between the educational technology industry and higher education clients.

Get ready to see more posts about using discussions in online courses, engaging students, and Harmonize – the LTI to “take discussions further!”

Educators using Nearpod love this feature in their district accounts, Student Paced Lessons.  Along with teaching live lessons to learners in the classroom, in-person, you can use Nearpod to teach remotely online when you make and share student paced lessons.  Check out this short screencast to learn how.

Getting people to stop driving while digitally distracted requires more than building awareness, it requires behavior change.  When we hear about people who text and drive we direct that fault on those around us.

“I don’t do that, it’s someone else.  And if I do text and drive, it’s okay because I’m an excellent multitasker.”

No you’re not.

This recent campaign from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the Massachusetts State Police and Department of Transportation does an excellent job of encouraging drivers – “don’t be that guy”.

Learn more at their website – https://www.mass.gov/service-details/distracted-driving

Thank you to Reilly Mortimer of eRepublic and the Illinois Digital Government Summit Advisory Board for having me today as a guest speaker at your event.  Kiitos!  It was a pleasure to visit Springfield for the first time.   Now I can’t wait to go grab a slice of Gabatoni’s Pizza.

As promised, here is a PDF containing all of the slides and the information shared today:  Collateral Change Illinois DGS 2019

 It was an honor to meet Illinois Secretary of Innovation and Technology / State CIO Ron Guerrier.  And also quite intimidating to present after hearing from Governor Pritzker.

Everyone in Illinois is lucky to have forward thinking, well balanced tech minded people leading the state into the future.

Until next time, don’t forget to keep your eye out for Mikael Hakkarainen to start getting some time at center. Go Blackhawks!

It’s always a pleasure to travel down to St. George in the fall to spend a day with Librarians and Media Specialists from all over Utah who attend the SUMS Conference.  Thank you Chris Haught of SEDC for putting together a fantastic event and inviting us from UEN to come down and present.

If you’d like to access the Apple Keynote presentation that I shared in the first session covering the Mixed Reality Tools for Education, here is a PDF version – Mixed Reality Course SUMS 2019

And for all of the Genius Hour presentation materials shared in session 2, they are all shared in a Google Folder linked here.

Also, if you’d like to take the online course “Sparking Curiosity with Genius Hour” taught by Chris, register online at the UEN PD Catalog Site 

Thank you “Michiganders” for a chance to return and visit the Mitten State!  It was nice to meet and talk with many of you about the way Information Technology is supporting the residents of Michigan.  Thank you for your time and attention, and as promised, here is a PDF File of all the slides you saw this morning in the Collateral Change presentation.

Collateral Change Michigan DGS 2019

And a brief take-away thought for you if you’re one of the 70% of us in the room that would feel “Oh No!” or “Crisis” if we forgot our phone today…

That little device doesn’t deserve that much power over your mental well being.  As you put in to place new ways to restore balance to your digital life, don’t forget to replace the tech time you take away with new quality time activities.  Spend time connecting with your loved ones in person.  Explore your community.  Meet new people.  Learn new things.  There will be a very short sense of loss when you set down and power off the constantly connected technology (dopamine), but it will quickly be replaced with a sense of satisfaction and purpose that will not wear off anytime soon (serotonin).