the idol is what you don’t have and want and when you get it you realize it doesn’t satisfy.

in love you get what you want, but it only calls you to go deeper when you realize you can’t own it.

we are like ships sunken in the ocean. the ocean contains all of the ship, but the ship only contains a portion of the ocean.

what we think is actually a cover for what we believe and that what we believe is actually hidden within our actions.

i can say i love animals, but if i participate in a cruel dairy system of practices, then i don’t really love animals.

i can say i don’t believe in child slavery, but if i participate in clothing, technology or chocolate systems of injustice, then i do believe in child slavery.

hitler was probably a lovely guy… his Facebook profile would have been very attractive. that is not the truth of his beliefs, it is hidden in his actions.

it is not about embracing cynicism or skepticism, it is about scrutinizing what we really believe.

admit our true selves in a community of grace that accepts you for who you are and mysteriously we begin to change and become more human (more like God’s image).

we need to become more human.

Chris Dede from Harvard gave an outstanding talk called “Transforming Higher Education with Emerging Technologies” at the recent Educause Learning Initiative in Austin Texas on the morning of February 14th. In vuDAT (where I work), we had the privilege of hosting an online streaming of this talk and host of others for those interested in attending at Michigan State University.

This talk envisioned the transformation of teaching and learning for 21st-century skills and citizenship. The focus highlighted an array of interactive Web 2.0 technologies designed to aid in collaboration, social interaction, and creation. Both formative and summative assessments strategies were described. These strategies were proposed to be able to leverage the holistic data derived from an immersive simulation interfaces such as augmented reality with mobile devices as well as virtual worlds.

One of Dede’s main points was that education has historically been purposefully removed from the chaotic world in order to reflect analytically. He argues that now with these emerging technologies there are opportunities to strengthen links between life inside and outside the classroom.

Video of this session can be viewed here.

What are your reactions to his vision?

the day we were introduced
i shook your dainty hand
a dazzling smile enchanting
with heart of gold on sleeve

as if i knew you all my life
our conversation gliding
laughter, spontaneity
have yet to ease relent

to the contrary
joy only seems to swell
beyond a point of sense detection
into mysterious bliss

like inter-winding twine
i am yours
you are mine