I subscribe to a lot of magazines. I have for a while. I really like them.

But a few renewal notices came in the mail today and the truth is I am not sure if I am going to renew. And why?

Because, in a way, I am reading more now than ever. And so are our students, I believe. (But does reading the web really count as reading? Lots and lots of people who do reading studies seem reluctant to include web-reading as a valid form when they draw their conclusions… a blog for another day, I guess.)

The truth is, all of my web reading is just blowing to smithereens my magazine reading time… cause book reading has a place as well for me in my life and there are only so many hours in a day.

So, should I renew? It’s not really the money. Magazine deals make subscribing affordable enough. It’s not really that the writing or content isn’t something I enjoy, either. Each magazine to which I subscribe has a “voice” and I like each of them for it.

But I have a stack of unread issues – and I mean a stack – that I want to read but never got around to sitting in my magazine rack.

I mean if I just paused my subscriptions for a year, that would give me time to get all caught up, right?

But if I pause, let’s be honest… do I ever go back?

Yes, I love magazines… but I fear I am about to become a former customer.

The idea of using Kindles in classrooms across the country is already starting to manifest itself. And I gotta say, I think the kids are going to laugh the device out of the room.

Can we build a webquest on it?
No.
Can I hit up Google Lit Trip to get a better sense of the setting of the text?
No.
How do I download apps onto it?
Kid, I think you need to lower your expectations of this device a little bit.
Okay, can I even go online with it?
Depends what you mean by “go online”.
Can I access my email, send txt messages and stay socially networked with it?
You can shop in the Amazon bookstore with it.
What actually does this device do?
It allows you to read ebooks. You read off of it.
But I can see any of the graphs.
The technology is still evolving.
But I can barely use the keyboard to annotate the text the way I want or make flashcards to create a core bank of important ideas.
The technology is still evolving.
Why did you even give this thing to me?
Because schools have gone high tech… and you now have a kindle. Just read the PDF of the textbook that we bought pre-loaded and consider yourself cutting edge. You know how many schools are jealous of us right now?

Let me tell you something… buying schools Kindles is a pretty short-sighted, if not awful idea. Netbooks, laptops, iPads (my personal fave) that makes sense to me.

But Kindles?

The device just doesn’t do what our kids today can do with the power of technology in their hands… and to pretend that we are empowering them with the latest and greatest piece of educational technology when it’s not really represents a HUGE swing and a miss to me.

Is the Kindle cool for a reading device? Yep… I like the e-ink screen. But can kids “do” things with it – and do the types of amazing PBL type of things that kids today have the power to do when they have access to technology in their hands that runs commensurate with their skills?

It’s like handing students a landline rotary phone in the age of the Blackberry. And don’t be surprised when we discover that those Kindle recipients are 1) Underwhelmed 2) ungrateful and 3) thinking that we don’t know our elbow from our butt in terms of technology when we make this purchase for them.

Here ya go, Kids… it’s an Underwhelming Kindle – You are now a Digital School.

Be prepared for laughs.

In a world where so many gadgets can do, the Kindle just doesn’t. That’s fine for adults who are readers but for students who need to be readers, composers, researchers and synthesizers… the Kindle falls short.

I really like Jeff Bezos, too. 2 years ago this product was cutting edge. Now… it’s already almost obsolete. Wow, things change fast, no?

I’ve been blogging less this summer. But reading more. Considering how the mathematics of educational logic function (more time reading + less time spent socially networking = greater intelligence), one could probably assume that I am now smarter, about to write with more keen and astute insight.

Bzzzzpt! One would be wrong.

To wit, I spent about 5 hours working on one of my new books today. My best line.

“Your butt says HOME OF THE AARDVARKS. Aardvarks is a funny word. Wanna play after school?”

Taken in context, I think it’s going to be somewhat funny. Of course, taken out of context, I might be mistaken for someone that is, as the Australians say, “A real wanker.” (NOTE: I am writing a YA comedy… but please don’t unfairly judge me by that non side-splitter; I’ve got plenty of other non side-splitters by which you can judge me more fully once the book is complete.)

Basically, I am already out of blog shape. I ramble, I don’t hyperlink, and my sauciness doesn’t feel like it has nearly the bite it should.

Heck, I even have nice things I am ready to say about the bubble tests.

Okay, let’s not get cuckoo.

The big point is that, like all other activities, if you do not practice regularly with attention, intention, and focus, your whetness will be blunted.

Now think about what your next year’s students have been doing for the past few weeks. And then think about what they are going to be doing for the next month and a half.

Yep, reach for another sip of bourbon, baybee, cause they are gonna come in to your class about as sharp as marbles. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… SUMMER BREAK IS TOO LONG.

Sure, it’s fun to be able to go do errands at 12:15 on a Tuesday afternoon and not have to wait in line for squat but summer slide is in full swing right now. And our students are, in my estimation, the worse for it.

With all the challenges on our horizon, do we really need the crop of 2010/2011 students to be less sharp? Goodness, I hope (at least) the rich kids, are enriching. Cause my students, with limited finances and even less being offered in the community due to recent budget cuts, are probably, for the most part, slothing away.

As this blog post illuminates, it doesn’t take much to lose your edge… and that’s assuming you ever had one in the first place.