The Election is in the bag...or is it?

Looks like we get to endure another 6 weeks of election campaigning and political analysis with the news that Mayor Emmanuel will go into a run-off with candidate Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia. Not a total shock, but pleasantly surprising. So how did the incumbent Mayor with the 10-1 fundraising edge and a presidential endorsement not crush his opponents. Grassroots marketing by challengers probably played a part, but as you can see from this info graphic and analysis, big social media numbers don't guarantee wins:

http://thesixthirty.com/lifestyle/infographic-rahm-emanuel-crushes-other-mayor-candidates-on-social-media/

Moving forward though, social media and getting the word out to vote will likely be significant factors in determining our next mayor. What do you think?

Smithsonian Digitization Project

Here's an interesting article about the Smithsonian's current strategy for digitizing their collection.  It's easy enough to think about museums' digital presences and the potential the internet and other digital technologies hold for these, but it's important to consider the work that goes into making any of it possible.  The Smithsonian's use of a conveyor belt to blast through the process of photographing their objects is their response to other projects, like Freer-Sackler's, where it took 15 years to digitize 40,000 objects...

Wii Hacks

This one is a bit of an oldie now, but still one of my favorites. (And a TED talk just for you, Justin!) It demonstrates how we can repurpose tools and technology to provide low-cost alternatives to the big budget tech that is so popular in classrooms. Any other examples you all have come across?

Maybe we need less Tech in the Classroom?

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/01/30/opinion/can-students-have-too-much-tech.html?_r=0

An interesting opinion piece on tech as a panacea for all that ails us in the classroom. But is it a condemnation of too much tech? not enough training in proper instruction with the tools? OR a broader societal issue? Interested to hear your thoughts!

Everyone loves the '80's!

Just a little something to get you all excited for our visit tomorrow. Now a quick show of hands. Who in the class wasn't born in the 1980's?