Context: John Hall, Regional Coordinator of the Lower Hudson Regional Information Center, Southern Westchester BOCES invited Cathie and Elliot to deliver a keynote presentation at the Mohonk Mountain Retreat on Oct 16th. About 60 K-12 IT personnel (directors, CIO’s, network specialists, and a smattering of classroom teachers) attended.
Elliot: Mohonk Mountain Resort, perched on the top of a mountain, nestled amidst towering pines and weeping willows, its castle-like structure sprouting turrets asymmetrically all over the place, and all dusted with glossy white powder from the first – and much too early – snow fall of the year gave Mohonk a Harry Potter-Hogwartsesque feel.
Cathie: Harry Potteresque? Hogwarts? How old are you?
Elliot: My birthday is the end of this week; what did you get me?
Cathie: Like I said, how old are you?
Elliot: Old enough to being comfortable with saying controversial stuff!
Cathie: We certainly did that at Mohonk.
Elliot: After almost 3 hours of powerpoints, and discussion, and a substantial hands-on experience using cellphone computers, I just had to find out what the Mohonkers felt about the viability of cellphones in the K-12 classroom. So, I asked them to vote: how many thought that within 5 years all children in America’s schools would routinely be using cellphones in their classrooms.
Cathie: I said it then – you were brave to call for a vote.
Elliot: Well, I felt we had to know – and darn, if about 50% were believers…
Cathie: … and 50% were not.
Elliot: It just seems so obvious… and so compelling. Cellphones are so ubiquitous now; thinking that they will be less so in 5 years is .. is…
Cathie: Controversial?
Elliot: Apparently so, apparently so!
Cathie: You’re repeating yourself; you usually do that when you’re nervous.
Elliot: I guess I am; I guess I am. One IT director – who couldn’t have been in his forties yet -- said in a discussion after the session “I just can’t see my elementary school kids giving up their laptops.” I responded: it’s in elementary school that we are especially seeing success with the cellphone computers. He just shrugged his shoulders; he was genuinely perplexed.
Cathie: Relax. Remember, you have high blood pressure. Maybe you actually don’t enjoy being controversial; maybe you want everyone to agree with you.
Elliot: Perhaps. It’s just that it is frustrating that others don’t see what we see!
Cathie: That’s the good news – we have a job! We just need to work on making a better, more convincing argument; it’s a wonderful challenge.
Elliot: And you still have time to get me a wonderful birthday present.
Cathie: So how old will you be?
Elliot: Like I said before, old enough to be comfortable saying controversial stuff.
Cathie: That’s the kind of answer a woman would give!
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