It’s not the tool, it’s what you do with the tool

I like toys. Especially tech toys. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that, as long I keep the toys in check. Not everything needs a technological solution, and even when it does, there are always multiple ways of solving the problem.

What is really interesting is seeing what others do with technology. A famous photographer’s answer to what is the best camera is “whatever camera is with you”. We need to realize that amazing things can be created from tools that are not cutting edge.

A great web cartoon series is Homestar Runner. Animated in flash, it started out first as a hastily written children’s book and then an animated cartoon created in Mario Paint on a Super Nintendo. Very impressive for a couple of games with a video game console.

Recently, Richard Dunn has become a media sensation with his music video All by myself. He filmed it with nothing but his iPhone in a deserted airport. Now, he did cheat a little by using Final Cut Pro to do the final editing, but his ingenuity in the actual recording process is quite brilliant. He was able to use what was available in the airport to do tracking shots, recording them all by his-self.

In ed tech we sometimes forget that we can do incredible things with what we have available. We’re in the 21st century, and have access to technology that was just a dream a few years ago. I’m amazed every day that I carry a camera capable of recording in 1080p.

Instead of getting distracted with what is brand new or hasn’t been released yet I am going to make a concentrated effort in hacking what we currently have. Everyone has the ability to make amazing things, I’m not going to let the lack of the new shiney stop me or my students and staff from being amazing.