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I've seen that picture before

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August 2, 2010

I opened the New York Times yesterday and said to myself, "I've seen this picture before." A tech leader hovering over a laptop with his child. Granted, I'm no Scott McNealy and Sharendipity is no Sun Microsystems. But I hope to see many more pictures like this in which technologists are using their craft to make education better.

   
Click here to download:
i-ve-seen-that-picture-before-DrGgbHJkIirqoouIehmD.zip (168 KB)

"$200 Textbook vs. Free. You Do the Math" -- Ashlee Vance, New York Times. Photo credit: PeterDaSilva.

"Sharendipity aims to help Web creators of all ages" -- Kathleen Gallager, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Photo credit: Joe Koshollek.

 

 

Filed under  //   kids   sharendipity  

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Kids building software (@emmatracy)

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January 9, 2010

I was smitten when my daughter told me she had an idea for a web application. We were at the book store and were talking about how expensive it can be to buy books. She thought it would be a great idea to create a website where her friends could list the books they each had and then setup book swaps. And poof! It was born...

Here are the mockups she drew today.

     
Click here to download:
Kids_building_software_emmatra.zip (7083 KB)

Filed under  //   kids   software  

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Kick the can

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August 22, 2009

Chasing a one year old around the neighborhood, as he yearns to be with the big kids, isn't always the best way to spend your afternoon. However, it provides plenty of opportunity to over-analyze the big kids and watch how they interact.
 
Today's hot activity was kick the can. A game I used to play for hours and hours growing up. Oddly, I found myself actually coaching my kids as if they were playing soccer or getting ready for a big swim race.
 
A few interesting observations about how the kids play...

  • The younger kids essentially treat the game like it is hide and seek. It's the 'me first' attitude - "I don't care that there are six of my friends stuck in jail, I am not going to be found!"
  • There is great and long-winded debate over the interpretation of various kick-the-can rules. Everything from the placement of the can to the finer details of when you can call someone out.In fact, they

    It's great groundwork for negotiation skills in their adult lives.

  • The older kids have far higher tolerance for risk when they are "it". They won't hesitate to run half way around the house to nab multiple players early in the game.
    • Corrolary 1... the kids that are active video game players gradually reduce the risks they take as they accumulate more and more jailers.
    • Corrolary 2... the older kids are rarely phased when someone kicks the can. Failure is fast and they move on with their strategy.
  • The younger kids rarely take their foot off the can when they are "it"
  • The jailed inmates don't seem to hesitate doling out criticism of how the "it" person is playing. Seemingly forgetting the fact that they've already been caught themselves.
  • Creating and eliminating new rules was as common as hiding behind a bush.
  • I was dying to play myself!

Filed under  //   kids   observations  

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Birding Hacks II - Goldfinch

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August 16, 2009

We found this goldfinch snacking on the sunflowers in the backyard so we repeated our earlier hack to catch this footage...

 

Filed under  //   kids   observations   projects  

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Red Sox rally time

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August 15, 2009

With the Red Sox struggling so much offensively, the Tracys have been searching for a way to play their part in Red Sox Nation. We've been trying to figure out how to help bring the bats alive.

  • Team batting in August is 12th at .255
  • Team slugging in August is 9th at .439
  • David Ortiz?!? Oyh...

We did the only thing we could do... we brought out the Green Monster for a whiffle ball home run contest. Let's hope this helps!

Filed under  //   baseball   family   kids  

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Birding hacks

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August 15, 2009

We've been enjoying the family nesting in our backyard, but couldn't always enjoy it from the backyard because the mom bird was always very anxious when we were around.

 So we devised a video camera solution to capture some of the feeding action. We borrowed a planting stake from Mel's Green Garden and strapped the Flip to it using a miniature tripod.

 We videoed about thirty minutes of the bird house and managed to capture quite a few feedings. Then we fed it into movie maker to cut out most of the dead time. Too bad, we couldn't capture the time the mom spent sitting on top of the camera!

 Enjoy...

 

Filed under  //   kids   projects  

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Eating watermelon

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June 17, 2009

               
Click here to download:
Eating_watermelon.zip (9131 KB)

Filed under  //   kids   observations  

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A watchful eye over Fenway Park

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March 12, 2009

Filed under  //   kids   redsox   sports  

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Animoto for education

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March 2, 2009

My daughter is doing a book report on Jackie Robinson. As she started to get started with the research, she pieced together photos into a slide show using Animoto. It was a fun way for her to get started on the report.

 

Filed under  //   family   kids  

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