Song of the Day - Billy Bragg - Waiting for the Great Leap Forward

In September of 2008 I had the pleasure of attending a very intimate show featuring Mr. Billy Bragg. He played the tiny La Maroquinerie in Paris' 20eme arrondissement. Having been a fan for some time, I was more than excited to see him perform. What I'll say about the show is this; it was arguably the most enjoyable concert I have ever been to.

It was a perfect night. Billy played an amazing show and created a wonderful connection with the 300 or so of us in the audience. He sang our favorites and shared for us a bit of his ideology about love, war, peace and life.

After the show he came up from the basement to the outdoor courtyard and mingled with those of us who wanted to continue the evening talking about our favorite moments of the show. He proved a humble, gracious man who, to me at least, really is his music. His songs are captivating, moving and timeless.

Here is a clip of Billy doing Waiting for the Great Leap Forward for a television show in Seattle. The intro for the show is a bit long, but this version gives you an honest look at what it's like to attend a show.

Enjoy!

Visit his site for information on his Summer 2009 tour dates. He will be playing across the US from 31 July to 05 October.

http://www.billybragg.co.uk/index.php

String Theory is a bluegrass band that is well-known in and around western New York.

Check out String Theory and have a listen to the band, read their latest news and find out about upcoming shows!

‘Making A Difference’ Through Technology

“Like the students they teach, I think educators learn best when the content is presented in an engaging way.”

Years ago I was involved in a discussion about the idea of “making a difference”. A debate began about how when someone performs a self-less act, like community work for example, that that was somehow extraordinary and hailed for making a difference, rather than being the norm. We ended the discussion by agreeing that our society is far from perfect, but if everyone attempted, at least once in their lives, to make a difference, things could improve.

I had an opportunity to sit down with someone who is doing just that. He is an Assitive Technology (A.T.) trainer with a mission – to help students in need by improving the use of technology in the classroom.

Christopher Bugaj is the host of the award winning podcast A.T.TIPScast which focuses on the implementation of assistive technology in public schools. As he prepares for his 3rd season of the podcast I sat down with him to talk about starting the podcast, its future, his audience and his future professional plans.

Why did you decide to put out a podcast?

About 7 years ago I was one of 5 people asked to create an assistive technology team for my school district. We were given an incredible amount of freedom from the administration to develop every aspect of the team including the policies, procedures, management, awareness and promotion. I found those first few years of "building" very exciting and some of the most rewarding experiences in my professional life. As time marched on, the team began moving upon its own momentum. So, the building aspect subsided.

I missed the feeling that accompanies the creating and building of something. During this time I was listening to a handful of podcasts during my commute to work each day. After a bit of research I found that there weren't many podcasts that centered on technology that could be used to help students having difficulties in school. There were educational technology podcasts and disability awareness podcasts but none specific to the topic of assistive technology in public schools. So I created the A.T.TIPScast, and now I have a project in which I’m building something and providing a resource for helping others.


How does your podcast inform your work, or, how does your work inform your podcast?

Really, the two overlap quite a bit. Although I make an effort to keep the time spent on each separate, the content in the podcast comes from my experiences of working in the field of special education. One of the principles that we adhere to when implementing technology in the classroom is to try to use the tools which are immediately available before looking to purchase additional tools.

Doing this is often less restrictive for the students and more effective and efficient than imposing something new. This principle influences the choice of content in each episode of the podcast. Almost every strategy, tool, or resource provided in the podcast centers around using some sort of technology that is already available in most educational settings.

For example, episode #39 of the A.T.TIPScast is about how to use the PhotoAlbum feature of PowerPoint to assist students. The MS Office Suite, including PowerPoint is something that most educators have access to.

Who is your target audience?

The target audience is any person who cares about a student or students in public education. The content in each episode is presented in such a way that any parent, educator, or future educator will learn ways to adapt and diversify the use of technology in instruction.

Do you know (roughly) how many listeners you have?

The host site http://www.cyberears.com provides statistics on the number of times each episode has been downloaded. One of the "learning experiences" I had was that on January 1st my first year of statistics were wiped clean. The statistics are only tabulated for one year. I didn't know this so I didn’t save that data.

I do have some information about the number of downloads prior to 01 January 2009, but the specifics are gone. What I find interesting about the specific statistics is the number of downloads to specific episodes. That is, it appears that many listeners to the show might listen, use, or share specific episodes based on the episode’s topic.

What Kind of feedback do you receive?

I have received quite a bit of feedback in the form of e-mails, Tweets (http://www.twitter.com/attipscast), messages via Facebook and face-to-face meetings at conferences.

A college professor has recently used the A.T.TIPScast as an assignment in his class. Students were asked to listen to episodes and then answer questions using the staff development booklets I created (http://bit.ly/attipscastsda). He provided me with the feedback from students as well. The feedback, in general, has been extremely positive and supportive. I plan to comprise all of this feedback into one "Listener Feedback" episode when I get a chance.

How do you come up with the subject matter for each episode?

The content for each episode comes from a variety of sources. I keep a list of running "ideas for future episodes" that I add to whenever I see a strategy, tool, or resource that looks like it might be useful.

There are certain strategies that I share with teachers in my job all of the time. According to them, these strategies have been very useful in helping students. I consider them "priority" strategies that I want to get out as soon as possible.

Some topics come from conferences I've attended. In an effort to break things up and to add some diversity to the show (so that the audience isn't just listening to me prattle in each episode) I try to include interviews when I can. Furthermore, I try to structure episodes in such a way that it might be entertaining to the audience. Like the students they teach, I think educators learn best when the content is presented in an engaging way. Therefore, I try unique ways of presenting the information.

How much work is put into one episode?

I would say that every minute of an episode equals roughly one hour worth of work. If you're listening to an episode that is six minutes in length then to outline the script, record the audio, edit the audio together, post the audio, promote that the episode was completed, and create a blog post takes approximately six hours. It takes a long time to complete an episode, but the more I do it, the easier (and faster) it becomes.

What are your future plans for you and the podcast?

Season 3 of the A.T.TIPScast is right around the corner. Currently there are two seasons, a total of 40 episodes. I hope to complete another 20 episodes in Season 3 including more interviews, guest hosts, additional bumpers, and more great tips for using technology to help students achieve in school.

As for me professionally, I was asked to co-author a book for the International Society for Technology in Education (www.iste.org) on the topic of building an assistive technology team to be available for pre-order in February of 2010. The title of the book is the The Practical (and fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools: Building or Improving Your District's AT Team. There are many different questions that plague educators when it comes to assistive technology practice in public schools. This book provides answers to those questions in a fun and engaging way using analogies and humor. The book is written in a very similar style to the A.T.TIPScast, providing useful content in an entertaining way.


Christopher R. Bugaj, MA CCC-SLP earned his Bachelor of Science in Education at the State University of New York at Fredonia and earned his Masters of Arts in Speech Pathology at Kent State University.

Chris is the host of the A.T.TIPScast, an award-winning podcast on the implementation of assistive technology in public schools as well as the co-author of The Practical (and fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools being published by the International Society for Technology in Education in February of 2010. Chris is an active member of the American Speech- Language-HearingAssociation and an adjunct professor at George Mason University.

He currently works as an assistive technology trainer for Loudoun County Public Schools in Northern Virginia and lives in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia with his wife and two children.

Connect with Chris!
Email: attipscast@gmail.com
Blog: www.attipscast.wordpress.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/attipscast
Facebook: A.T.TIPPERS Group

Song of the Day - The Go Betweens - Bye Bye Pride

The Go Betweens often go unnoticed and rarely get the credit they deserve outside of their cult-like following. Shortly before Grant passed away, he and Robert Forrester played a little jam session which they recorded and released on a DVD titled'That Striped Sunlight Sound'. Here is a sample of what they did. This clip shows the two really enjoying playing music together as if they were teenagers again. Bye Bye Pride is just one of many fantastic tunes from their extraordinary canon.

Positive Peer Pressure from the European Union on Climate Change?

On 26 June 2009, the day the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) of 2009 was narrowly approved by the House of Representatives, President Obama, standing next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, openly admitted that the US lags behind Europe on climate change. Perhaps an understatement for those of us following the progress the European Union (EU) has made over the past few years. America's dawdling approach to tackling the climate crisis has forced others to step up to the challenge.

The world understands, just 6 months before the all-important UN climate change conference Dec. 7-18 in Copenhagen that real leadership in the fight against climate change must come, in part, from the United States. Yet even with the success of the ACES in the House of Representatives, the US must have, at least, a clear cap-and-trade law in place or else the chances for a global agreement in Copenhagen may collapse.

One hope is that Europe's strong commitment to the environment will act as an example for the US. Europe's go at it alone position in the fight against climate change may just act as the positive peer pressure the US needs to once again be a beacon of change in the world. As the world's second largest polluter behind China, the US has a responsibility to at least match the efforts of its European counterparts.

The 27-nation EU has agreed on what many are calling the 20-20-20 - a 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions, a 20% improvement in energy efficiency and 20% of energy to come from renewable sources, all by 2020. They have even upped the ante by indicating that it would raise its own targets for emissions cuts from 20% to 30% if other developing nations sign on.

That remains a big 'if'. In the US, the ACES must still meet the agreement of the Senate. Although this is likely to happen, the bill remains imperfect. Many environmentalists argue that the bill's aim to cut green house gases by 17% below the level in 2005 by 2020, is not only less than initially promised, but simply not enough in the face of such a crisis.

Even the EU's bold initiatives are not enough if they must continue to go at it alone. Their pledge to raise their already ambitious target to 30% if others sign on is a clear indication that the EU, not only means business, but that they clearly perceive this in less abstract terms than others around the globe.

Europe's decisions demonstrate their leadership and commitment in facilitating an agreement in Copenhagen. Many in the EU, citizens and politicians alike, understand that time is not on our side. Thus it is time for the United States to close the partisan divide on this issue and lay out clear initiatives like the EU.

As the President of the European commission recently stated, "Developed countries have a special responsibility to take the lead" on climate change. This may have been a plea to the US to pursue a global cooperative effort to prepare a better, cleaner world for future generations.

image taken from: www.greenprophet.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/g

Paris’s Sustainable Museum of Modern Architecture

From every corner of the globe, an estimated 8 million visitors flock to Paris every year to marvel at architectural wonders such as Notre Dame, the Louvre museum or the world-famous Eiffel Tower. Yet, few tourists extend their cultural visit to take in what is frequently referred to as "the world's museum of modern architecture" - La Défense - Europe's largest business district.

This Manhattan-like area in the west of Paris is divided into 12 sectors and covers an area over 400 acres. It is the home to the city's Grande Arche and the tallest high-rise buildings which house over 1,500 businesses and 150, 000 employees.

In an attempt to stay competitive with rival European cities such as London and Milan, a revival project for La Défense was begun in 2006. The project focuses on regenerating outdated skyscrapers, the construction of new buildings, ensuring a better balance between offices and residential housing and improving the commute for employees to and from their place of work. The target for the development of the area extends to 2015.

On the list of priorities for the modernisation of the area, is a commitment from the organisation responsible for the project; Etablissement Public d’amènagement de la Défense (EPAD) to incorporate sustainable guidelines into the design of the new buildings. The planned projects respect the latest environmental standards put in place by the EU and will prove more economical and more environmentally friendly.

Construction green lights were granted for several key 300-320 metre (980 to 1,000 ft) tall ‘sustainable’ skyscrapers such as Tour Generali, Tour First, Tour Phare and the Tour Signal, designed by award-winning French architect Jean Nouvel. These architectural giants could pave the way for greener, more sustainable design standards in the building construction and business centres in Europe and further afield. The ambitious plans for La Défense could be the example others will emulate in future, maybe even Manhattan?

60% more energy-efficient than a conventional skyscraper
The 312-metre high Tour Generali, proposed by the Generali Insurance Company, for example, aims to emit just 500 tonnes of CO2 per year, 70% less than a conventional tower. It will recover and recycle rainwater and will be equipped with 400m² of photovoltaic cells, 800m² of solar panels and 18 axial wind turbines on site to produce energy. Overall, it will be 60% more energy-efficient than a conventional skyscraper.

The Tour Phare is a planned 300-metre-tall skyscraper designed as a green building. The curvature of the tower will allow for a bouquet of wind turbines to be installed on the roof. According to its designer Tom Mayne, it will be "a prototype for a green building" with a wind farm generating its own heating and cooling for five months of the year.

The Tour First, one of the many reconstruction projects, will be the first in France to obtain the standard High Environmental Quality (HQE). It will utilise the exterior air circulation and the heat from the sun for heating and cooling of the building. Its bioclimatique façade, made up of double-glazed windows will help to maintain a moderate interior temperature, which will further reduce the buildings dependence on traditional heating and cooling.

The Tour Signal will become the symbol of the modernisation of La Défense. This 301-metre-tall structure, through a combination of solar panels, wind turbines and mirrors integrated with windows, according to Jean Nouvel, should not exceed 50 kWh per square meter per year of energy consumption.

We have created a way of life that is dependent on economically healthy business. As our businesses continue to flourish, it is our responsibility to ensure business practices work in concert with our attempt to improve the quality of our environment. These buildings provide a few examples of what could and should become the global trend in construction. One of the pillars of sustainable development is the conservation of natural resources. At the very least, these projects aim to do that, and more.


image taken from: www.linternaute.com/.../la-defense-2015/1.shtml

"I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?" ~Robert Redford, Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985