Processing Speed as a Function of Time

During the two months that have passed since I have posted a blog (this long amount of time could be explained by tesseract theory a la Wrinkle in Time) I have been watching robins build nests and hatch chicks with my grand-daughter. I have been at my computer only to read and respond to email and do some work on the upcoming Beyond the Classroom Conference (which on Monday, June 25 will become real and then part of the past).
The nests are now empty and all the work the parents did to help keep the hatch-lings warm, safe and fed as well as all the time my grand-daughter and I spent observing that activity have joined the stream of some dimension that is now the past for us.

On a recent Thursday evening I enjoyed the company of some innovative educators. I only knew a handful in the room but the spirit of collaboration and celebration filled the space.
For the past 15 years (5567 days) the 2Learn.ca Education Society of Alberta have been exploring how to equip teachers and students for the power and change technology is bringing to the process we call learning. Along the way they explored the cascade professional development model and will soon have the results of a University of Alberta study posted on their website.

Imagine my delight when I strolled the room and discovered my new partner in site-based education EJ School adventures (and encourager of Tweeting), Karen Unland had written an article about the future implication for education of cellphones (way back in 2000).

We ate then, Catherine Macklam, Provincial Team Leader, took us on a stroll down memory lane. She was followed by guest speaker, George Siemens' (his book Knowing Knowledge will be my first on-line book read) whose rapid-fire delivery smash-drove me into the 21st century of learning. 

TESSERACT

I am still processing it all - several in the room were tweeting away while I was making notes in my trusty journal (yes, I am a digital immigrant by virtue of age).

Then today I get in my email Edna's new post (I love how she boils it down) reminding me that a focus on learning (not teaching) keeps the process in the right place.