Yes, it’s been far too long since I’ve updated this blog. My most recent adventure was a trip to Northern California to attend a NITLE (National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education) Summit in San Francisco. The organizers of the conference asked me to present on W&J’s possible move to using wikis as a course management tool. Two others (A faculty member and technologist) from Pomona College also shared my time slot. I had a great time at the conference catching up with old friends and seeing some great presentations. Of note was a keynote address by Michael Wesch, Assistant Professor at the University of Kansas. You may have seen his most famous work, “The Machine is Using Us” on YouTube. If not, I highly suggest you watch – it’s well worth the time.
Professor Wesch told the assembled group a little bit about his into courses (about 300 students) and how one of his classes did some research on today’s students. The result, “A Vision of Students Today” is posted below. Again, well worth the time to watch.
After the conference I had the opportunity to spend some extra time enjoying San Francisco and Northern California. San Francisco was very different than I expected it to be. In may ways it reminded me of Pittsburgh with its rolling hills and waterfronts. Click the image below to see some shots I took of the city.
My first trip outside the city was a visit to Muir Woods and Sonoma County to do some wine tasting. My tour visited three vineyards: Jacuzzi Family Vineyards, Cline Cellars and the Larson Family Winery Each has its own distinctive flavors. My favorites were the reds from Cline Cellars. Too bad Pennsylvania has such restrictive laws about purchasing wine over the internet… The Muir Woods were quite a site. The images below don’t really do justice to how large the Redwood trees are.
In the final days of my trip I drove south along the Pacific Coast Highway through Big Sur towards San Simeon. Wow, words can’t really describe the beauty of the Pacific and Big Sur. I’ll let the photos do the talking…
In San Simeon I had a chance to visit the over-the-top Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument commonly known as Hearst Castle. And to think William R. Hearst called this place his ranch! The photos below only give you a small glimpse of why the castle is such an amazing place to visit.
