gotta' get yourself connected...

today i've been researching and preparing for a technology seminar i'm teaching next week. i have taught this seminar for the past three years at a conference for senior adults. somehow the word has spread and i've been asked to teach it at another conference. my seminar generally covers what's out there on the internet...social media, photo sharing sites, blogs, etc. every time i prepare to lead this class, it begins to seem so basic. i mean, i use these tools on a daily basis, and i quickly begin to lose sight of the fact that not everybody does. plus, i use these tools, but that doesn't make me an expert. so, i find myself questioning, in a typically self-deprecating fashion, why they've asked me to teach and if anyone will even come to my class.

then i read this quote that helped put it into the proper perspective..."whatever technology that's in front of us always challenges us, [for instance] our parents thought that we listened to the radio too much." (Jesse Rice, author of the church of facebook).

that's the truth, isn't it? it is always changing, there is always something new. and sometimes, that newness scares us. it also tends to divide generations. so my task, whether i choose to accept it or not, is to bridge that gap. and, to show my audience what's out there and how it can work for them. it seems a daunting task...wish me luck!

during my research i stumbled upon some videos that i thought were pretty fun and i thought i would share them...



this next one was presented to me as an idea for a new communication tool in my office. i personally thought it was a fabulous idea...

Auto Tuning from Casey Donahue on Vimeo.

this last one really doesn't pertain to my task, i just thought it was adorable. this little boy is an extremely talented ukelele player. any guesses on how old he is? performing "I'm yours" by Jason Mraz...