Becoming a Millennial

217. 25 Random Things About Me

Just for fun I thought I would share my list of "25 random things about me"  that I recently posted to Facebook.  In a way this seems like a silly game, but I've had more fun learning about my friends -- even stuff I didn't know about my wife and kids!  See the rules of the game below.

1. I was born in Yokohama, Japan (July 14, 1953, 2:00 am if my memory serves me right)
2. Took violin lessons from 4th-8th grade
3. As a 4th grader I was 5’ tall – actually taller than my Japanese violin teacher
4. I’m 6-6 now, haven’t started to shrink yet
5. I trusted Christ to be my Savior when I was 9 years old
6. Living for Him (even imperfectly) has benefited my life in incredible ways
7. At CAJ (Tokyo) set school HJ record at 6-4
8. Jumped 7-0 my senior year at TU, biggest thrill of my athletic career
9. Played basketball my entire life (until I quit at 44)
10. After college played on 16+ basketball ministry tours in Africa and Asia
11. Taught mathematics at Eastbrook High School from 1977-84
12. Third year of teaching had my first exposure to a computer – an Apple II
13. Came with no software, so I wrote (in BASIC) my own gradebook and basketball program
14. Taught math and computer at Faith Academy, Manila, Philippines from 1984-96
15. Now I’m playing blue-grass fiddle
16. I’ve got an amazing wife and three great kids … and a grandkid
17. I’ve read most of John Grisham’s novels
18. I enjoy mowing the yard
19. I like country
20. I drive a silver mini-van
21. I own a 16’ Hobie Cat, love to sail
22. I don’t twitter … at least not yet
23. Cranky Geeks is my favorite podcast
24. Randy Alcorn’s Heaven influenced me greatly, can’t wait to get there
25. I think we’re in for some very tough times …

Rules (for Facebook users): Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)

206. Vacation in Yellowstone

Last week Janet and I vacationed in Yellowstone.  We weren't able to get away this summer as our ETC team pretty much worked flat out getting everything ready for the new school year.  Projects included installing 80 new computers in labs and classrooms, "trickling down" the 80 replaced computers to other areas, installing 15 new classroom podiums and control systems, and preparing for our 6th annual Technology for Teaching Conference. 

Yellowstone was beautiful.  Graphic artists and digital gurus work so hard creating special effects that can be amazing ... but don't come close to the beauty the hand of God has painted all around us.  We saw turquoise hot-spring mineral basins, wildlife of all types, and the night before we left experienced the season's first snow fall.

It was a great vacation ... and now it's back to work.

 

203. Guitar Hero

Ben's last day of work in the ETC was June 20.  His informal going-away party included some fun with the popular music video game, Guitar Hero. 

A month ago at the CCCU Technology Conference I had the chance to play a similar game, Rock Band, with a bunch of young techies from Trinity Western University. 

I can see why these games are so popular.  You don't have to be at all musical to "play".  You set your skill level and then compete against your partner, trying to keep up with the simplified musical notation.  If you like the music it makes the experience even more enjoyable. 

This was definitely a "millennial" experience for me.  Not quite sure what prolonged hours of this would do to my fiddle playing...

 

188. Fiddling Around -- Making Technology Work

I've been amazed at how my new lightweight laptop has "worked for me" in the sense that the technology is right with me -- whether I'm at a meeting, on the road traveling, or just sitting at home in my living room watching the Colts demolish the Ravens.   

Yesterday, relaxing on my couch, I Googled "learn to play fiddle".  For about a year now I have been playing with a gospel/bluegrass band uptown at what we can the Gray Barn.  I do well with gospel, but I've had to pretty much fake the fiddling.

Guess what?  I found a website that provided (for free!) mp3 downloads of the top 10 fiddle tunes:  Cripple Creek, Bilem Cabbage Down, Blackberry Blossom, Soldier's Joy, ...

I downloaded them all into iTunes and spent several hours listening to them over and over, and getting them figured out on my "fiddle".  It wasn't too hard -- they pretty much all sound the same :)  With a little more practice I'm going to be ready for our next shindig.

It's pretty exciting when computer technology can help you accomplish exactly what you want to do. It might be looking up your genealogy, finding that perfect quilting pattern, shopping for a used vehicle at CarMax ... or learning how to play two strings at a time like a real pro.   

180. Vacation in Utah

Janet and I are enjoying a 10-day vacation visiting friends in the Salt Lake City area.  Gorgeous country! 

165. I'm a Grandpa!

Janet and I just returned from a week in Florida where Neal and Michelle were married in a beautiful garden wedding.  Michelle has a darling 3-year-old son, Collin, whom we have fallen in love with. 

Neal recently was hired as Director of Recreation and Fitness at Highland Park Church where they attend.  He will be responsible for running summer sports camps, Upwards sports leagues for children, as well as adult recreation leagues. He'll be busy, but involved in what he loves to do.  Michelle is a respiratory therapist at the regional hospital. 

Click here to see some more pictures.

162. Arlene's Senior Art Show

Last Friday night was the opening of Arlene's Senior Art Show.  Her show was titled What's in a Game? and depicted what she learned and experienced in her 4-year volleyball career at Taylor University. 

She showed eight different pieces using a variety of media -- oil, acrylic, pen & ink, and digital photography.  Here you see some of her teammates enjoying her largest work.

149. Winning: Beyond the Final Score

Check out Taylor University's new athletic promotional video, Winning: Beyond the Final Score.  Steve Curtis, ETC Operations Manager and Media Specialist, worked nearly two years filming and editing this video. 

On a personal side Mike and Arlene Parsons, my son-in-law and daughter, are featured in the video.  Mike is pictured here on the DVD cover.

141. How About Those Colts!

My wife is an avid Colts fan ... but it's a little tough watching a game with her when things are not going well.  Which was MOST of the game last night.  With Indianapolis down 21-3 there was a lot of grumbling next to me on the couch -- missed pass-interference calls, fumbles, lousy tackling, and the like. 

However, it all turned to joy when Joseph Addai scored with one minute to go putting the Colts ahead 38-34, to send them on the Super Bowl.  Dancing around the house, Janet called everyone she knew.  Fun times!

The tissue box came in handy for the first half.

135. Mike & Arlene Parsons

December 16 was a happy day for Mike and Arlene.  They were married in Dalton, GA, where Mike's father is a pastor.  It was a 70 degree day with blue sky and sunshine!

At the reception they were introduced as "12 feet 7 inches of bride and groom!"  Click here for a bit more on Mike.

The father-daughter dance was a special moment for Dad.  For more photos click here to open a PPt presentation.

134. A PowerPoint Feature I Wish I Had Known About

Do you have a set of digital photographs you wish to quickly make into a PowerPoint presentation, one picture per slide?  PowerPoint has a "Photo Album" feature that allows you to do this.  Click here to download a Word document with the instructions.

With this tool you can literally take your set of 100 digital pictures and in a matter of a few minutes have a 100-slide presentation with each picture perfectly filling each slide.

Pictured at a wedding in June:  Neal Friesen, Janet Friesen, Arlene Friesen

127. Bluegrass in Upland

Last night we had our first "Saturday Night at the Barn" gathering.  It was a low-key event -- the idea was to get town-folk together to enjoy some popcorn, music, and hear some stories of their neighbors' spiritual journeys.  About 30 attended.  We had a great time. We're going to try to do this on a regular basis.

Our group got "famous" in the Upland Labor Day parade in September (pictured here).  We actually won first place in the float contest!  We beat out the girl on the horse and the old men riding their scooters around in circles :)  Actually, there were some 150 entries in the parade, with two or three thousand people lining the streets.  We love life in small-town USA. 

113. When Fantasy Supplants Reality

Yesterday my future son-in-law was distressed to learn that star receiver Reggie Wayne might not play this weekend for the Colts.  He wasn't concerned that the Colts would be disadvantaged (Mike is a huge Steelers fan)-- he was thinking about his fantasy football team.  Wayne is one of his receivers.

A thought struck me today -- Could it be possible that down the road professional players will perform more for their fantasy league ratings than to win games for the team they actually play for?

The fantasy world of internet pornography enslaves millions, substituting virtual experiences for the real.  Fantasy role-playing games such as SecondLife and Cyworld are captivating young and old by the millions.

What happens when one's fantasy world becomes more engaging than real life; when virtual relationships supplant traditional relationships; when one simply tolerates his day of work or school in order to get back to the computer to engage in the virtual?

My sense is that technology has created this iceberg, only the tip of which we are seeing.  And the size of what lies beneath the surface keeps growing at an exponential rate.

110. Promoting Volleyball Using a Blog

I just learned that the Taylor University volleyball team has been using a blog to promote it's games and activities.  I have a special interest in this, as my daughter Arlene plays (pictured here). 

104. Encouragement for my Artist Brother

Can a blog sell art?  It looks like it can.  USA Today published an article on Aug 23, 2006 titled Artists take paintings to masses. For the past eighteen months, Duane Keiser from Richmond VA has sold a painting a day through his blog.  "Every day he makes a postcard-size oil painting of something he sees around town or of a still life he arranges here in his studio ... Then he posts an image of the painting on his daily blog ..."

Loren, you'll have to check this out. 

103. A Life Well Lived

Dad passed away Sunday afternoon, Sept 3.  We are grateful that he died peacefully, without pain.  It was amazing -- just thirteen days after cancer was discovered he was gone.  Yes, there was sadness, but also gratitude and relief that his suffering with Alzheimer's was over.  We were just days away from having to make the difficult decision of nursing home care.  Thankfully, Mom and family were able to care for Dad in his own bedroom until he took his last breath.

This past week two of my brothers spent untold hours putting together a PowerPoint presentation that was shown at Dad's funeral on Friday.  The Heritage & Legacy of Roland Friesen is seventeen minutes long, but I believe you will find it inspiring.  From the Kansas farm ... to Japan ... to Taiwan ... to Upland.  There were tough decisions and deep valleys.  But through it all a life well lived.

(Note -- this "self-running" PPt presentation requires PowerPoint on your computer and works best in Internet Explorer.  Click on the above link and select Open.  Depending on the speed of your connection you'll need to wait a few minutes for the file to download.  The slides play fine in Firefox but unfortunately the soundtrack doesn't come through.)

102. Challenging Days

My Dad, Roland Friesen, has been struggling for several years with Alzheimers.  This past month his physical health began to take a dramatic decline. Last week we took Dad to the hospital for tests and they discovered aggressive cancer in his liver ... we were told he only has days left.

It has been a remarkable weekend.  We made some quick phone calls and within hours our entire family was able to make it to Upland.  This included the six of us siblings and most of the 19 grandchildren. 

As we have spent time with Dad over these past few days I have been overwhelmed with gratitude -- for a father who modeled for us a lifetime of Christian faith, for a family who loves, for a God who deeply cares for us in our times of need ... for laughter, for singing, for prayer, for hugs, for tears, for friends who come by to help.

Our family memorized several of the Psalms when we kids were growing up.  One of my favorites was (and still is) Psalms 103:

"Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all of your sins; Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit; Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle." 

What more could a person want?

97. The Read/Write Web

Will Richardson in his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms writes: "In and of itself the ‘old’ read-only web was a transformative technology. It has changed the way we work, the way we learn, and the way we communicate. I would argue that historians may look back on these past 10 years the same way we look back on the early days of the printing press, the steam engine, or the automobile. The Web has changed our lives.”

Janet and I are at the tail end of a 10-day trip through Canada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. Every motel we have stayed in has had internet access, either in the room or at least wireless in the lobby. In fact, right now Janet is catching a few extra winks and I’m lounging in bed with my ETC laptop writing this blog entry.

The fact that the web has changed our lives is not news to you. What might be news to you is Will Richardson’s next statement: "This 'new' Read/Write Web will change it even more." Yes, what's new is that people can now write to the web using tools that are as easy to use as email. For years it has been possible to publish on the web, but you had to be a techie. You had to be able to navigate Frontpage or some such web editor to create your web site. But with blogs, wikis, and social networking software one can literally sign up and within minutes begin sharing ideas with the world.

Richardson writes, “The bad news is the Read/Write Web threatens to make the differences between teachers and learners even more acute. Whereas students are open to the ways of new technologies, schools by and large are not.” 

What if our writing teachers would encourage their students to write their essays on a blog where they could easily be read by the rest of the class … or their parents, friends … or the world at large? Would their motivation be greater knowing they are really publishing as opposed to generating what they perceive to be busy work that gets graded and thrown away?

We have a success story. This spring I spent a couple days in English Methods (as I have done for the past 4-5 years) teaching these education majors how to use Publisher to make a website to which they would post their group semester projects – lesson plans, course units, links to resources, etc. For the first time we announced that the site would be posted on an external server, linked to the English Dept web site, and kept live for the world to see (including participants at a conference the professor was going to present at later on in the summer). It was amazing to see the difference in motivation as the students attacked a project that was genuine and not just an “assignment”.

96. Podcasts and Shopping

I enjoy shopping with my wife … I really do. And yet, there are times when I need a little help. My trusty Olympus player has been a great companion for those hours outside the fitting room.

Prior to leaving on our trip I downloaded from iTunes a number of Patrick Norton’s DL.TV podcast episodes. You need to be somewhat of a techie to appreciate these podcasts, but this has been one of my sources this summer for keeping up on the world of technology.

Yesterday between Kohls, Penny’s, and Christopher & Banks I learned about BlueRay, duo-core, P3, Bluetooth, VOIP, the AMD & ATI merger, and all kinds of other good stuff.

There are podcasts on every subject imaginable. You, too, could do a little multitasking on your next shopping trip.

Carry this one step further. Could we package content for our students so that they could do the same with their iPods on their next outing? Schools like University of Michigan and Stanford are experimenting with this and finding it effective.

95. Baby Boomers in Toronto

It was an amazing weekend -- my 35th CAJ high school class reunion.  Some of these were “kids” I lived with in the dorms all the way back to first grade. We played together, got in trouble together, studied together, dated each other.

Some of my classmates I hadn’t seen in 35 years.  I was fascinated by their stories. Listening to each one share was like being treated to a good novel – conflict, successes and failures, romance, intrigue, humor, heartache – all the pieces were there.

Missionary life is never easy, for the parents or the children. The stresses of overseas cross-cultural living can take its toll. Some of my classmates left Japan with serious issues to overcome.  But I was amazed as I listened to their stories -- how God had met people in different ways and put pieces back together.

Four years ago one of my friends lost her husband in a plane crash six weeks after they were married.  But through this tragedy and the chance befriending by a woman at a swimming pool she discovered a relationship with God that had eluded her for so many years.  Her face radiated joy as she shared her story with us around the circle.

Our 40^th reunion is already planned.  It will be in New York City in 2011. 

92. Discussion With a Philosophy Professor

I'm in Toronto at my 35th high school class reunion.  My 50 classmates from Christian Academy in Japan (CAJ) are scattered all around the world.  Nearly 20 of us are here for the weekend.  Ruth flew in from Germany, Ken from Southern California, Mary from New York, Jennifer from Texas, ... Many brought their spouses.  Tonight we feast on sushi at a downtown Japanese restaurant!

One of my best friends, Paul Reasoner (pictured), is the chair of the Philosophy Department at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN.  Paul and I grew up together in Japan. He was our point guard who got me the ball :)

We were talking last night about the current generation of students.  Are they different from the students Paul had in his philosophy classes 20-some years ago?  How has technology helped or hindered what happens in his classroom? 

Paul talked about the amazing search capabilities of internet technology, and the potential to find things quickly.  The downside is that students often grab the easy stuff and don't go the next mile to find those sources that would be the "mother lode". 

Philosophy is difficult.  It takes time to read an argument and think through its implications.  Many students today have difficulty focusing for any length of time.  Yes, they can multitask.  But is it possible to develop a difficult philosophical argument while you're watching TV and loading pictures into Facebook?  Is it possible to hammer out a difficult proof in Abstract Algebra (bringing it into what used to be my world) while IMing a couple friends and checking your email?  I don't think so.

And what about class time? Paul appreciates technology and is a competent user.  Does he have to accommodate today's Millennial and change what he does in class every 10 minutes to keep their attention? Isn't there still a place for spending an hour wrestling with a difficult intellectual concept -- with no multimedia? 

We as educators are in challenging times ...

A side note about Paul.  I can't imagine teaching philosophy in English -- the concepts can be so challenging and slippery.  Paul spent several years at a university in Tokyo teaching philosophy in Japanese!

91. Cheating

My future son-in-law came home today from his class at Ball State talking about the latest cheating technique.  Kids are bringing their cell picture-phones to class, photographing their answers and sending them to each other during the test.

Here you see Mike checking to see if it really is possible to take a digital picture of your answer sheet ... and have it appear readable on the screen.  Given the right zoom level it does seem to work.

Mike is pretty excited because he figures he might now have a chance of making it through graduate school.  Just kidding.

For the teacher, the moral of the story is you had better proctor.  Most students today do not consider cheating to be wrong. A good practice is to sit/stand in the back of the room where you can see virtually any movement a student makes.  It is easy to catch someone glancing at a neighbor's paper, even more so getting out their cell phone to make a call.

78. Grandma's Now On Board

Last night Grandma Betty got into my blog.  I had to show her a few things, but very quickly she was flying around reading all of my postings.

Her reaction?  "yo ... this rocks ... me and chuck will have to make sure we check this every day.  this millennial thing really works!  i feel 10 yrs younger already ... b4n"

Actually, she didn't say any of the above, but I thougnt it made for a nice quote. 

77. A Young Millennial's First Airplane Ride

For two years I've been working with a young boy as part of the Kids Hope USA program.  Yesterday both of us had a first-time experience.  He had never been in an airplane.  I've flown all over the world, but never in a small Cessna 4-seater. 

This little guy's favorite activity is playing computer games -- Nintendo, Play Station.  He is constantly talking about the new games he has been able to buy or those he rents from Blockbuster. 

My own Millennials are 18, 21, and 23 years old.  None of them have had much of an interest in gaming.  I wonder about the impact of gaming on children who are immersed in it from the time they are small.  How does it affect their learning styles?  How do we as educators prepare to teach this generation?

Well, it was fun to give my mentee something other than a virtual experience.  How did we pull this off?  A colleague of mine is a pilot and he brought his little Kids Hope boy along as well.  He flew the plane.

Here is a view of Taylor University from the air.

76. Exhibit B

Reading a book sure is hard work!  I'll just have to sleep it off ...

74. Exhibit A

I gave myself a C- on my recent "Millennial" report card.  My 18-year-old daughter, Carla, is a solid A.

I've been known to "set up" shots to make a point.  However, this one is just as I saw it after lunch today.

Note the two remotes.

Note the cell phone on the table.

Note the *laptop computer.

Note the prone position -- I didn't bother to ask her where in her day's sleep cycle she was.

Note the book.  This should probably knock her down to an A- or B+ because Millennials don't read.  It's a habit/skill/pastime that we desperately need to keep fostering in our children.
______________________

*The computer is a Dell that we just purchased for Carla as she starts college in the fall.  We couldn't pass up Dell's $499 and $699 deals a couple weeks ago.  We went with the $699 deal, paid another $99 for the longer-lasting 9-cell battery and came away with a great computer for under $800 (Centrino duo-core processor, 1 GB RAM, 60 GB Hard drive, 14.1" screen, CD/DVD burner).

Carla is by no means a "techie", but by the time I got home the day the laptop was delivered ... she had it unpacked, turned on, and by that evening she had figured out how to connect to our wireless.  Yes, she's a solid A.

72. From My 23-Year-Old Son

Dad,
Wow spending money on Beethoven's symphony. I am going to have to dock you points on your report card cause this is definitely not what a millenial would download. If you want some good music with mandolins / sometimes violins or fiddles check out some Hootie and the Blowfish or Dave Mathews Band. These guys really jam. Haha love ya. Neal

61. eMusic

My co-worker, Ben, put me on to eMusic.  It is a site similar to iTunes from which you can download music.  It doesn't have quite the selection that iTunes has, but the songs are cheaper.  I signed up for a $9.99/month subscription which allows me to download 40 songs each month -- that's $.25/song compared to iTunes' $.99/song or Walmart's $.89/song. 

Last night I downloaded Beethoven's Sonatas for Violin and Piano.  Beautiful!  I've played the violin for a long time.  I took lessons for four years as a kid growing up in Japan, beginning in 4th grade.  My teacher was Mr. Uchida, a wonderful but tiny man -- I was already taller than him as a 9-year-old.  Following 8th grade I put the violin on the shelf for about 20 years, then picked it up again when I was 35.  Music is a wonderful gift.  Listening to the Sonatas last night on my Olympus MP3 player inspired me.  The violinist was unbelievable.

58. It Wasn't Long Ago That I Read My First Blog

You are undoubtedly aware of the tragic April 26 accident in which four Taylor students and one staff member lost their lives.  For years we have been close friends with the Cerak family.  Newell and Colleen, Janet and I, all worked with the high school youth group at the Upland Community Church back in the early 1980's. 

For several years now I have been aware of blogs, but never felt inclined to make the effort to read one.  After the accident I began to follow the VanRyn family blog which journaled the recovery of (who they thought was) their daughter.  Following the unimaginable turn of events when the mistaken identify was discovered, the Cerak family picked up the blog on behalf of their daughter, Whitney. 

Two days before the accident Whitney had emailed Janet and me to see if she could store some things in our basement for the summer.  We had done this for her older sister, Carly, for a couple of summers. (Our home is one block off Taylor's campus.)

You may be interested in following the Cerak blog as Newell writes about his daughter's recovery.  Your continued prayers would be greatly appreciated.

55. Two Major Paradigm Shifts

I'm not making things up when I say that I'm really new at all of this.  Yes, I've been a technology guy for 26 years, beginning in 1980 when Eastbrook High School bought an Apple II computer ($4,000 for the computer, b/w monitor, 9-pin dot matrix printer) that landed in my room.  The computer couldn't do anything because it came with no software.  I was forced to become a programmer (using Apple's version of BASIC called Applesoft).  I learned to make a block bounce around the screen, then I wrote a program to do my grades, then one to do my basketball stats, then track stats, then an address book. 

The next year a fellow teacher brought in a disk (5.25" floppy) with a program on it called Magic Window.  It was a word processor!  Anyway, that was the start of my gradual swing from the teaching of math to teaching computer programming and applications.

Paradigm shift #1:  For me the mid-1980's was a major paradigm shift when I moved from programming the applications I needed ... to using purchased application packages (Lotus 1-2-3, Appleworks, PFS, dBase II). 

Paradigm shift #2:  The second major paradigm shift for me happened June 2006 when I started using the "Millennial tools" or "Web 2.0" tools, whatever you want to call all of this.  This is a major transformation!

47. Can a Blog Sell Art?

My brother Loren is a gifted artist.  His many years in Japan (we grew up there) influenced his artistic style, as well as left him fluent in Japanese.

Recently he has begun to look into the possibility of selling his art on eBay.  Last night I suggested he create a blog to complement his eBay account.  The blog could feature his paintings, provide a forum for him to write about his artwork, and exponentially increase the "social network" connections it requires to sell art.

I'll keep you posted ...

44. The Power of Electronic Tools

Neal (see entry #4) graduated from Taylor this past January with a degree in Mass Communications and a minor in Computer Graphics. 

This spring he got his first (real) job with a company in Florida called USA Water Ski, the national govening body for organized water skiing in the U.S.  It was pretty amazing because they hired Neal sight-unseen.  A friend of Neal who works for USA Waterski put in a good word for him, Neal emailed in his resume along with the link to his online portfolio, they had a hour-long phone interview ... and he was offered the job the next day.  A neat example of what can happen over a distance of 1000 miles because of today's technologies.

Here you can see what Neal's portfolio looks like.  We've tried something innnovative at Taylor, using the Blackboard course management system to facilitate student e-porfolios.  This spring 90% of our 1850 students had an electronic portfolio in progress.  The senior education majors no longer create the 3-ring binder porfolio -- they do it all electronically.  Other departments are considering making this a requirement for their majors as well.

Freshmen are introduced to the e-portfolio in the COS104 required computer literacy course.  They post their picture, autobiography, resume, and some other artifacts.  Over the course of their study they add to their portfolio.  In their senior year our Career Development office will assist them in polishing up the porfolio for external presentation to employers.  This has been a 4-year effort spear-headed by the Educational Technology Center and Career Development office.  We really think we're on to something here.

34. I Now Have 6 Friends

Two are my children, one is on my staff, one is a Taylor faculty friend, two are colleagues from another CCCU institution on the West Coast.

I can see how Facebook can become addicting.  There is something about getting that email that asks if it is OK if someone can be your "friend".  It warms your heart when it is a family member or co-worker; but it is equally heart-warming when it is someone you can't quite place and you try to figure out how they know you.  I guess we all have that need to be liked and to belong.

31. A Big Milestone!

I gave Janet a little "press" in my blog yesterday, but she wasn't satisfied :)  So here it is.  Last week was our 25th wedding anniversary!   We celebrated by driving down to a Japanese restaurant in Indy and feasting on sushi, tempura, udon ... (I was born and raised in Japan and Janet was born and raised in Taiwan, so Asian food is high on our list of loves.)

Proverbs 31:10 asks the question, "An excellent wife, who can find?"  Well, I did find one and have enjoyed the benefits for 25 years. The passage goes on to say, "For her worth is far above jewels.  The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain."  I truly am a fortunate guy. 

By the way, the cake was made by our two wonderful daughters.

Another little footnote here:  I had an email message waiting for me this morning. Carla was inviting me to be her "friend" in Facebook.  So I now have one friend in Facebook.  When your teenage daughter wants to be your friend that makes your day!

22. You Thought I Was Kidding, Didn't You?

20. My One Experience With Instant Messenger

We left the Philippines in 1996 after Carla's 2nd grade year.  She missed it greatly.  In fact, last July she chose to return to Manila for the fall semester of her senior year. 

In this photo from 1996 you can see her three rows back, twelve in from the right. 

You'll note the kids on the roof.  There are certain things you can do overseas that you wouldn't think of doing here in the States. 

Anyway, one evening late in the fall Arlene and Carla were communicating via AOL Instant Messenger and I thought I would give it a try.  I quickly created an account and connected with Carla.  It was really fun and she was pretty impressed with her old dad.

The funny thing is I never touched IM again.  I've got to give it another try.

19. The Red Truck?

Actually, this is
what I'm still driving ...
but, at least it's not tan.

17. Mid-Life Crisis?

One might think that this "becoming a Millennial" urge might be a sign of mid-life crisis, not too different from going out and buying the red convertible (or, in rural Indiana a monster pickup truck). 

Actually, I had my mid-life crisis about ten years ago (and I don't think I'm allowed to have two).  From 1984-96 our family was involved at Faith Academy, a school for the children of missionaries located on the outskirts of Manila. Twelve wonderful, but challenging (and often stress-filled) years in the Philippines eventually caught up with me.  I was the K-12 computer coordinator, taught high school math and computer science, coached basketball, and in hind-sight was involved in far too many other things.  In 1996 I experienced a severe episode of burnout and depression that brought our family home for recovery.

I credit my family and a God who cares for pulling me through a major personal crisis, and getting me back on my feet.  In 1997 I was hired on at Taylor University in a position that eventually evolved into my current role of Director of Academic Technology.

Life has its interesting and unexpected twists.  In my wildest imaginations I would have never dreamed I would be in a role that has provided as much challenge and satisfaction as that which I am currently enjoying.  The school buys me all my toys ... and I get paid to do things like write this blog.  I call it "R & D" - Research and Development.

11. Cell Phones and PDAs

Four years ago I decided I needed to "get with it" and buy myself a PDA.  I purchased an HP iPAQ that had a lot of great features: color screen, calendar, task list, email reader, Word, Excel, Solitaire, ...

The only problem was that I quit using it after less than a year because I found I just didn't like to fuss with entering text using the stylus.  It's kind of like that shirt that hangs unworn in your closet month after month ... eventually it dawns on you that you really don't like it and you might as well donate it to Good Will.  Well, my iPAQ became a $495 night-light sitting unused in the docking station.

I sold the iPAQ for $100 to one of my (thrilled) student workers and I went PDA-less for a couple years. Last fall I saw something that made sense -- a PALM Treo that included both the PDA and a cell phone ... and a "thumb" keypad that works amazing well.  I bought a Cingular family plan, got myself a Treo, surprised my wife with her own flip-top phone, provided Carla with her own phone to solve the "perpetually-ringing-phone" problem in our home.  The Treo has been hanging on my belt ever since.

7. Details

Here's the part you needed yesterday.  Two years ago when Arlene brought her new 6' 8" boyfriend home I couldn't believe she found the one guy on campus taller than her dad.  I'm learning to deal with it.

6. Does it Have to be an iPod?

Today my MP3 player came in the mail.  It is a nifty Olympus WS-320M that can play Windows Media and MP3 files, record voice, and also function as a 1 GB flash drive (the cover actually pulls off to reveal a USB connector). 

At lunch when I brought it home to show my family Carla asked me, "Why didn't you get an iPod?"  It could have been interpretted, "Dad, you're such an idiot -- don't you know anything?" but Carla was nice and I explained that it had some neat features ...  She said it was cool.

It is hard to know whether to stay completely within the Apple world (with iTunes and iPods) where everything works together so well, but where sometimes you lack flexibility -- for example, if you want to convert your iTune song to an MP3 format to play on another device

5. Digital Charm?

Middle child, Arlene, complained that she wasn't given more press in the previous posting.  So I'll make a few comments about her.  Arlene is the quiet one in the family -- takes after her dad.  She's not the social butterfly like her brother and sister.  It may not have been digital charm ... but she did land her man.  Arlene and former Taylor basketball player, Mike Parsons, have been engaged now for six months and are planning a December wedding.

Mike just graduated with a History Education degree.  Here you can see him getting his diploma from Dr. Habecker.  He is currently pursuing his Masters in Special Education at Ball State.

4. I've Got Three Millennials

I've been blessed with three wonderful children (Neal 23, Arlene 21, Carla 18).  They are great kids, very much a product of the digital age. 

Neal bought a cell phone while in high school.  Some months later I asked him if he could really afford the $50/month subscription and he said, "Dad, I can't live without my cell phone".  As I watched him operate with his friends I began to understand what he meant. 

Since she was in junior high Carla has been our IM queen ... always several windows open, fingers flying on the keyboard.  She'd come in from hanging out with her friends and immediately get on the computer to talk some more via IM.  Our phone rang constantly.  It got so we wouldn't even answer it -- we'd simply call out, "Carla, it's for you!"  The best decision we made was to get Carla her own cell phone about six months ago.

3. Music All Day With iTunes

Yesterday we had three Taylor students over for Sunday lunch.  I asked them what they used for their blogs.  Two out of the three were posting on Xanga.  So, I decided that's what I would use also.

Today, Monday, I was in my office and I cranked up iTunes and listened to music just about the whole day.  It was "Blues" at the office, then "Classical Guitar" here at home (as I write these blog entries).  You know ... I can multi-task!  One of these days I'll open a couple IM windows and see if I can do three things at once.

1. 52-Year-Old Becomes a Millennial

I've been involved in educational technology for 25 years at both the high school and university levels.  Currently I am the Director of Academic Technology at Taylor University, Upland, IN.  Over the past several years we have been very successful at Taylor in moving our faculty toward greater and more significant use of technology.  However, I am not sure many of us understand very well the way the current crop of students uses technology.

Last week at the CCCU technology conference at Cedarville University I was struck by the fact that I really don't understand how today's young people use technology.  I'm totally fluent with the Microsoft Office products, etc., but I don't blog; I don't IM; I don't have an iPod; I've never installed iTunes; I don't listen to podcasts; I've never posted to a wiki, ...

Last Friday, June 2, as the conference began winding down I made a decision -- I needed to become a Millennial!  How else could I effectively help our faculty better connect with our students and leverage the technologies that they are all using?