Hello world!

1/1/08 (First seen on http://jeffpresents.com)
On Jeff’s iPod now:	In Jeff’s travel bag:	Jeff’s website of the week:
Circle: Big Head Todd & The Monsters - A great way to ring in the New Year. http://www.bigheadtodd.com/	The Templar Legacy: Steve Berry - 4 out of 5 stars.  I’ve just enjoyed reading fiction over the break for a change!  http://www.steveberry.org/	http://citationmachine.net – Great resource for perfect APA or MLA citations!
I’ve been thinking about this blog a LOT!  What to say?  What’s important enough to write down for the world to see?  But I got an idea from my basics of public speaking students who reminded me that the need for a preview cannot be overstated.  While advanced public speaking can start to break “the rules” – this is one that shouldn’t be broken often.  So…a preview of the blogs you can expect from me.  (In other words – here is what’s exciting and fun to me right now!) ARGs – I’ll be putting on an Alternate Reality Game at a conference in March.  The concept intrigues me beyond belief!  The idea that entire collectives are learning, interacting, and discovering in a symbiotic fashion…wow.  I think the implications for education are staggering and corporate ARGs won’t be far behind. Serious Games – Similar to ARGs, the idea behind Serious Games is brilliant.  The idea that life is a game is not lost on me and I think the role of simulation, strategy, and gaming in the near future will be significant in educational contexts (both scholastically AND in professional development arenas).  The fact that the military is using the concept shows how impressive it is – I hope education will actually lead the way on this one rather than taking a back seat! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serious_game) Immediacy – This tried and true concept applies in so many arenas.  It’s the first thing I teach my communication students (well, top 3 anyway) and it is as valuable today as it was fifty years ago. Media Based Learning – The concept of learning style based on similarity versus difference is brilliant…and long overdue.  I highly recommend checking out Chris Dede’s (http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~dedech/)work, but I look forward to blogging more about this fantastic concept! Professionalism – I believe that one of the biggest problems in both corporate America as well as the US Educational system can be blamed on a lack of professional expectation and professional credibility.  This is the notion that people are not treated as professionals, but are treated as supplements (augmentations) to books, computers, processes, etc.  I believe this significantly impacts debates around vouchers, vacation time, pay scales, standardization, creativity, and the list goes on. Creativity – I believe the leaders of the future will be those who can manage creativity.  That seems to be the next “age” we are entering into. Outcomes / Standards Management – Accountability is going to be front and center as we head into 2010.  This will be true in business, education, and most facets of life.  Technology is definitely helping us move toward this reality.  Will we be ready? There will be LOTS more for sure, but this should be a good starting ground for the blogs that you will see here in the year 2008.  I look forward to writing and as always, if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, don’t hesitate to send them to: jborden@jeffpresents.com – See you online!