Monday, November 26, 2007

Why Are There No "A-List" Ed Tech Bloggers from Maine? (Or, When Did I Start Smoking Crack?)

I certainly don't think it is because anything is wrong with Maine -- they're a leader in K-12 ed tech. You could ask the same question about other innovative states like Indiana, or for that matter, innovative schools like High Tech High or The Met.

It is an important question though if you want to understand the lack of zip in K-12 ed-tech blogging.

Update...Stephen points out that I am on crack. Bob Sprankle is from Maine, as is Cheryl Oakes. Those weren't intentional slights, I just didn't know they were from Maine. Also there is Learning in Maine.

But addressing Stephen's second point, one would think that working in a Maine middle school in particular would give one a lot to blog about, since those schools have had 1-to-1 laptop programs for what, five years?

7 comments:

Bud Hunt said...

Define "lack of zip." Please.

Bud Hunt said...
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Tom Hoffman said...

Stuck in a rut? Never getting beyond jargon and vague abstractions?

Bud Hunt said...

Fair enough. Thanks.

Stephen Downes said...

I don't know how you define A-List, but it seems to me that Bob Sprankle has been blogging (and podcasting) very influentially from Maine for a number of years now.

As for myself, I doubt that moving to Maine would move me any further out of my rut nor cause me to speak any less in jargon and vague abstractions.

Being *a* leader doesn't make a region *the* leader. It's a big world; there are lots of leaders.

Sharon said...

Come on Tom - There are lots of us "out here in the wilderness". David Trask - one of the primary open source resources. I try to stay in the loop also. - at least on the B-list at Sharon's Share leaders abound in Maine!

Tom Hoffman said...

Sharon,
Well, David needs to blog more. I suppose what I should have said is why don't I read blogs by people in, say, Maine, which has had laptops in all middle schools for years, that seem obviously different than blogs from Texas or Georgia who have much more limited access?