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Globalization Milwaukee Technology

TV ratings continue slipping

Television viewership continues to shrink. The week of July 4th was the least-watched week in recorded history.

Although you may look at the holiday and traditional weather and events, its clear TV is losing is hold on popular culture…summer reruns ring a bell? Only 20.8 million viewers were tuned in to primetime television at any given moment. The previous low: 21.5 million viewers set last July. But even traditional high ranking shows have fallen to thier lowest ratings, including the Academy Awards. But our media attention-span society is looking at YouTube, video games, iPods and of course the internet.

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Education Globalization Internet2 Milwaukee Technology WiscNet

Internet2 at EAA

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This is a single shot of a joint flyover at Wednesday’s EAA airshow in OshKosh Wisconsin.

This morning was my first EAA experience. On behalf of WiscNet’s Internet2 K20 Working Group I co-presented at EAA’s Teacher Day. Our session “Internet2: connecting classrooms” focused on the how new internet2 applications are moving out of the research phase. The new internet2 solutions are in the following content themes:

Multimedia libraries
Remote scientific instruments
Experiences and Expertise
Creating New Knowledge & Opportunities
International Learning Communities

Examples of the new multimedia libraries include the National Science Digital Library, the eSkeletons Project, The WGBH Teacher’s Domain and the Research Channel.

Remote instrumentation permits K12 educators to actually control the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. Experiences and Expertise have been hilighted by Project Jason the Manhattan School of Music and the Lewis and Clark Project. Part of Creating new Knowledge & Opportunities is the excellent Neptune program in Washington. The International Learning Communities has been hilighted by the MegaConference Jr. with began in 2004 for students in elementary and secondary schools the ability to communicate with schools around the globe.

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Education Reading

Latest read: Against All Enemies

For some reason I picked up Richard Clarke’s book Against All Enemies: Inside America’s War on Terror and left it on my shelf. Once I started it was difficult to put down.
Against All EnemiesI decided to read Woodward’s Bush at War instead. Then for some reason I moved to a very lengthy book by Stephen Ambrose about Richard Nixon. Regardless after a couple of months it was time to read this book.

As Clarke reveals American intelligence, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush knew so much about Bin Laden & Al Qaeda before 9/11!  Clarke was unable to address terrorism threats to the Bush Administration (requested in January 2001) until September 4th.

I simply cannot explain how upset I became as more of Richard Clarke’s words were revealed…and could not put this book down either. I can only suggest others who have read this book state: everyone should read this book.

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Education Reading Vietnam War

Latest read: 1968 The year that rocked the world

1968: The Year That Rocked the World. What a strange year…even from an American point of view. What do you remember? — I was two years old.

For most Americans 1968 was this series of events: The assassinations of MLK and RFK, The Prague Spring, USS Pueblo, Tet, The My Lai massacre, Civil Rights Act, Student protests, Apollo 6 & The death of Yuri Gagarin. The political election of Nixon, Wallace, McCarthy, Humphrey, Rockefeller, Reagan, Romney, McGovern and even Pigasus.

On a “smaller” scale: Onassis marries Kennedy, Saddam Hussein’s coup d’etat brings the Ba’tathists into power, US Army Deputy Operations officer Colin Powell wrote denials of initial reports regarding the My Lai massacre.
–Even Hypertext (aka – the web) was publicly demonstrated by Doug Englebart in 1968.

Clearly 1968 changed the world…
After finishing Mark Kurlansky’s book I realize the biggest global ‘event’ was the student protest movement. From France, Poland, Mexico, Greece, Czechoslovakia to America. –Where have all student protest gone forty years later?

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Education

Captain My Captain!

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Steve Yzerman announced his retirement today ending an amazing 22 year run in Detroit. I first watched Steve in 1983 when Detroit was known as the “Dead Wings” for poor play and low attendance.

 

Growing up less than an hour away from HockeyTown, Detroit games were available on Channel 50 and CBC’s HockeyNight in Canada.

Amazing to see him play in person in Detroit and Chicago. For those of you who may not follow hockey – Steve is the longest serving team Captain in NHL history. Longer than Gordie, Gretsky and Mario.

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