The Last Day

Today, I took a little step back from all the technical workshops offered (although I did attend one about the State of the Web on about Firebase and one about optimizing voice activated apps). I started to feel so overwhelmed and overstimulated that my brain could not process any more stimulation.

The highlight of my morning was the Daydream and Tango demo dome. So, Daydream is a Virtual Reality platform. I was able to wear the headset, headphones and be completely submerged in 360 degrees of a virtual world. It was such a wild experience. I had tried Google Cardboard about a year ago and this was so superior to that, just incredible.

Then I ventured over to the Tango portion of the demo. This is where my wheels were turning about the implications of being able to implement this type of technology in our schools. Tango is an augmented reality that uses the Smart Device to place digital objects in view that are relative to the space around them. So the first demo, I was able to choose a character to place in a room and digital objects to have. This objects you place in the room remain in place so you can actually zoom in and out with the phone for more detail. So, here's a picture of me with Scarecrow from Wizard of Oz...

Next, I was able to go shopping online by virtually trying on clothes! In this demo, the Gap online catalog was pulled up. I was able to click on the article of clothing that I liked and enter the size I wear. The clothes would then be displayed in front of me so I can see how it looks in that size. Again, being able to walk completely around the outfit and zoom in to look at material or detail.

Next, I was shown how this same device can take a picture in which it scans and turns 3D. An entire home could be scanned and viewed with accurate dimensions. They can they be used compatibly with the Virtual Reality headset to "enter" the home.

Finally, I was able to experience Google Expeditions as a student. The first thing I said was, "maybe I wouldn't have hated science if I had this as a student."

So in about an hour I will depart Mountain View and head toward the airport to fly home with a ton more knowledge, some new friends, and a new perspective on educating students about technology. A trip that I was so nervous to attend, across the country not knowing a single person and it was the single best professional development I have ever had. The entire experience has been so positive, rewarding, encouraging, and exciting. I am so grateful to have had the experience and hope it will not be the last of this nature.

Next week, a new part of my journey begins when I get to share my new knowledge and experiences with my colleagues and my students in hopes we can continue to build our curriculum to allow our students to grow with the technology around them.

Day 3, Big Ideas

Another long and exciting day in Mountain View. It is late and I'm overwhelmed and exhausted so I'm going to just highlight the areas that peaked my interest the most today. Among sessions on Android Wear and App Building, I attended a session called Daydream in the Classroom. This was focused on using Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence in the K-12 classrooms.

The biggest take away from this is that learning must be immersive to keep kids engaged, interactive which empowers them, and social so they can learn from others and share their knowledge. Google Expeditions now has 600+ virtual reality tours. Students can dive down and explore the bottom of the sea and the next day take a tour of Mars. Companies like Best Buy sell complete kits. There are databases with supporting lesson plans, there are new search features and the app works on tablets or phones. During an expedition students can have annotations on the screen, the teacher can even draw on his/her device and have it shown on the students' individual devices.

So now, using Tango Google has moved from just Virtual Reality to Augmented Reality. Teachers can place a digital object in the classroom and students can walk around seeing this digital object from all angles. There is 360 degree imagery.

This can also be used to teacher professional trade skills in the classroom.  It was stated that in the last 30 years we have made more progress teaching computers to learn artificially than we have made progress teaching humans to learn creatively.

This is definitely a leap we need to explore!

The rest of the day was filled with networking and exploring the Google Campus. I got to visit the Android Garden where they "retire" all the old versions of the Android Operating system.

Lastly I skipped the evening social event to visit my beautiful little niece in Petaluma. San Francisco rush hour put the Long Island Expressway traffic to shame as it took me 3 hours to drive what should have taken an hour and 20 minutes. It was worth it when I got to see this face. 

So, tomorrow will conclude my adventure. Stay tuned for the grand finale...

I/O Adventure part 2...

There is no way I can articulate this day in one post but I'm going to try. It started out good but ended amazing. 

The day started with the 2 hour long keynote speech. 

Google announced Google Lens. This allows your camera to act as an input device. For example, you can scan a restaurant sign with your camera and the restaurant reviews, menu, phone number will show up. You can take a picture of a flower and Google Lens will identify the flower for you. Just. Amazing. 

A hot topic for today was Google Home and Google Assistant. Now, Google Home will be proactive and it will also allow hands free voice calling.

Also in store for the near future are indoor Google maps or VPS (Visual Positioning Service). Find the exact location of a specific item inside a building! You could pinpoint a certain screwdriver to it's location in Home Depot within a few centimeters.

Coming soon...stand alone virtual reality headsets.

The announcement about Android Go struck my interest. The new version of O allows for low budget devices with less than 1GB of memory to run on optimized versions of apps like Chrome and YouTube. This could be a great, inexpensive way to ensure that all students have a device in hand. It even allows for offline sharing.

There's even more! Read about all the new releases here. https://www.recode.net/2017/5/17/15654076/google-io-biggest-announcements-keynote-highlights-2017

After 2 hours of awe inspiring presentations we had an hour for lunch on the lawn and then went back to the amphitheater for the Developer Keynote. 

Here's where we were told that we would all get a Google Home to take home with us. In addition we will get $700 worth of cloud storage and a free photo book. 

Got to Hug an Android! 

Next I went to Assisting the drivers: from android phones to Android cars. Executives from Audi and Volvo announced that their new consoles will be powered by Android. It will have GPS powered by Google maps, know your personal settings but also be able to do things like "Google play a game with the kids". It will then play an age appropriate Trivia or travel game with the kids. 

What's New in Android Accessibility focused on creating apps that are user friendly for everyone. 1 in 5 people will have a disability at one point in their lives and they are a large part of users. This session focused mostly on accessibility for low vision users but touched on other disabilities. Many great features that will also be helpful for students with disabilities. 

Up next was the State of the Mobile Web and then a session on Progressive Web Apps. These are apps that are designed to use minimal data and run quickly making the user experience much more efficiently and effortless. 

After this session I had a truly unique experience. I found out through Facebook that I have a cousin (whom I've never met) that works at Google. He works out of Cambridge but happened to be in Mountain View this week. He was kind enough to invite me to the Googleplex for dinner. Only a 10 minute walk away from the conference. We spent about 2 hours catching up on some genealogy but also "talking Google". Just amazing to hear it from an inside perspective. 

After dinner I walked back to the amphitheater where I was met by my new friends. We made a 3D video, hung out in the "old school" arcade room and watched as the lady leading the karaoke party via bicycle rode by. 

A good time was had by all. Let's see what tomorrow brings. 

Women Techmaker Dinner, end of Day 1

I am blown away by the amount of effort and thought put in to this event to promote and encourage women in technology. The dinner was an outside event and every detail was carefully thought through. From the variety of eloquent foods, the decor, the seating, games, and photos all to create a sense of belonging and community.

I went there not knowing a sole and left there with new friends. I met women who develop apps, sell apps, collect data on apps, and women who teach others about developing. I was just trying to absorb it all. I can't wait to share these prospective job outlooks with my students! The theme of the dinner was equality-- go up to someone who doesn't look like you and make a new friend. Love this whole atmosphere!

Check out the pictures below...

There were traditional table and chairs and couches, but I loved this set up!

I wish I took more pictures of the food! 

Check out the giant Jenga game being played by a bunch of women engineers!

Making Friends...

I made it to San Francisco! I kissed my babies goodbye at 5am this morning and was on my way. Had a great flight, rented a car, and then got to go to Google to pick up my event badge. Yes I was the person excited just to see the signs!

Tonight, I am off on another adventure. I am meeting 15 women who I connected with via social media who are also traveling alone and have never attended I/O before. We are meeting at a cafe for an hour and the we are headed to the Women Techmaker Dinner at the Google Athletic complex. This is a huge networking event for women in the technology field. 

To I/O I Go!

On Tuesday I leave for the biggest leap of faith I have taken in my career so far. I am traveling across the country ( literally from NY to CA) to embark on an adventure filled with awe, excitement, envy, and anticipation.

I am attending Googles annual developer conference. It is a 3 day outside tech festival with the most talented computer engineers on the planet.

How do I fit in?  Well, I'm approaching this from an educators point of view. I have started to dabble in coding and find my humanities based education has done me a disservice in this area. I am finding that learning to code at 37 years old, without a formal education is extremely frustrating and difficult. Alas, I persevere and whether it is my OCD or just a delusional amount of persistence I will continue.
 
I am no where near the skill level of the other attendees of Google I/O, but what I do have is passion. It is highly unlikely that I will become a master engineer in this lifetime, but I do have an advantage. I am an educator and although it's late in the game for me, attending I/O gives me insight to what is in store in the near future and what my students need to know to get there. I can then go back, to the higher functioning, humanities part of my brain and help to develop curriculum and strategies for our next generation of productive adults. This generation can then learn to be able to use their science based brains to make a difference in our changing society.

Stay tuned for details about my adventure!

It's been a year of growth

So, I know I haven't been very consistent with blogging, but I have been very busy. This year brought to light a lot of milestones in my journey in educational technology.

My skills are finally being recognized in my school district and although I proposed a full time educational technology integration specialist position a year ago, it is being talked about and I do believe time is proving it is necessary.

In addition to my daily job duties and becoming a building technology mentor last year (which I continue to serve as), I was invited to participate in a district technology committee. This committee involves administrators, teachers, board members, students, and community members. This committee reviews district technology needs and proposes to the Board of Education solutions to the many obstacles involved in its implementation.

I was called upon, because of my Google training, to create a database for Parent Teacher Conference sign ups. With 3000 students and 250 faculty members this was not a small task. I did it using all free Google products. I created a Google Site in which each teacher has a page. On each page each teacher has a google form to make an appointment with. Thanks to the amazing add-ons, like Choice Eliminator and Simply Send, I was able to configure the form to suit our needs. I then used my Professional Learning Network to ask for help to create a master spreadsheet where all the teacher appointments would be imported for administrators to be able to view. I came across an amazing contact who was more than willing to help and continues to provide technical support.

Each day I look forward to challenging myself with a new task or something I haven't attempted before. I never stop learning and every day I look forward to improving upon an old practice. I am sure there are bigger and brighter things in my future.