The special day has finally arrived! Today, April 25th, marks the start of my giveaway contest for a brand new Lenovo m90z ThinkCentre desktop computer. It’s big, it’s shiny, and if you’re the lucky winner you’ll be able to smudge the screen to your hearts’ desire because this thing has touch input! At 23 inches, and a full multi-touch experience, this computer would be great in an elementary classroom as a touch-powered, interactive digital learning center, useful for students with fine motor control problems preventing keyboard and mouse interaction, or as a learning kiosk in a public place within your school building. There are many more uses, but I’ll let the winner decide how they’re going to use it!
“How do you enter to Win?!”
Since it’s National Poetry Month, I thought it would be fitting for everyone to dust off their inner poet, and write a poem about using technology. It could be about how you use technology in your classroom, with students, with other educators, or even the trials and tribulations of navigating the social media landscape. Any poem about technology is fair game, whether it’s a haiku, a limerick, prose, or any other type of poem, but it MUST be original (plagiarized poems will automatically disqualify your entry). Submit your poem in the comments below, along with a valid e-mail address to ensure that I can contact the winner once selected. Entries may be submitted until 9pm EST on April 29th.
“Are there any restrictions?”
Other than having a pulse, and submitting a poem about technology in the comments, there are no other restrictions. Anyone that has a valid shipping address or P.O. box anywhere around the world can enter. Lenovo and Ivy Worldwide have partnered to make sure that all can participate.
“How will the Winner Be Chosen?”
The winner of the contest will be chosen at random using the Random.org True Random Number Generator. You don’t have to write great poetry to win, but it sure would be nice to read your best effort! Leaving a comment won’t be good enough, you have to write a technology poem to enter. While you may submit more than one poem, you are only allowed one entry per person, so multiple submissions will only count as one entry. The contest ends at 9pm EST on April 29th, and the winner will be announced the following morning on Saturday, April 30th.
What are you waiting for?
The giveaway is now over, and entries are no longer accepted!
Looking for more chances to win? Check out the other Lenovo m90z Giveaway Contests Below:
| Site | Start | End Date | |
| Free Tech 4 Teachers | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | |
| Ilja Coolen ICSS | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | |
| Physician Mom | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | |
| Scrubd In | Apr 17 | Apr 21 | |
| Kathy Schrock’s Kaffeeklatsch | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | |
| Steve Hargadon.com | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | |
| Box of Tricks | Apr 21 | Apr 25 | |
| Clinton Fitch.com | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | |
| Around the Corner | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | |
| Tech Savvy Ed | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | |
| Small Biz Technology | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | |
| Ablet Factory | Apr 27 | May 1 | |
| Click Newz | Apr 28 | May 2 | |
| Geekazine | Apr 29 | May 3 | |
| 21st Century Education Technology | Apr 30 | May 4 | |
| A GeekyMomma’s Blog | May 1 | May 5 | |
| Marsha Collier’s Musings | May 2 | May 6 | |
| VA Networking | May 3 | May 7 | |
| Your Virtual Assistant | May 4 | May 8 | |
| Jake Ludington’s Media Blab | May 5 | May 9 | |
| Mobile PC World | May 6 | May 10 | |
| Dangerously Irrelevant | May 7 | May 11 | |
| Bud the Teacher | May 8 | May 12 | |
| Kikolani | May 9 | May 13 | |
| Geeks To Go | May 10 | May 14 | |
| Chad Lehman.com | May 11 | May 15 |
RSS - Posts
STEP ASIDE, EXPLORERS
It’s easier
if you just step aside for a moment
and let them play to learn
Let them find the buttons
the workarounds
the excitement of discovering
something new
as you guide them from the side
and let them
guide you, too.
You are explorers, together.
–Kevin
Every now and then
I need help from my PLN.
Friends from Twitter, Facebook, Ning
Their help and assistance makes me sing.
Classroom projects, lessons or tech
these people help avoid potential wreck.
So here’s to you, my professional network
Without your help I would go berserk!
I wonder what we’ll do today?
Head to Tech to play play play?
I wish that all my classes run
Like this one making learning fun
Instead of droning old man voice
Lecturing on, we have no choice
But tune it out and wish for a say
in planning what we’ll do today!
THE BOARD
They attached it to the wall.
My fingers began to scrawl.
It knew what I was writing.
Wow…this is exciting!
Pictures, sounds, a movie—
Hey this thing is groovy!
Add a bunch of clickers.
Now it’s even slicker!
The magic was performed—
A classroom now transformed.
I knew it from the start…
Boy this thing is SMART!
LOST
I would like to learn,
but can’t afford the institution
I would love to read,
but can’t afford the books
I yearn to listen,
Yet heard only echoes from a distance
I hope to be heard,
But what can my feeble voice do?
Oh Age of Wonders,
thou has came at last
Swift as a Storm,
did catch me before old age
I must race time,
to reach as many souls as I could
Impart my knowledge,
That thou had taught me.
O glorious technology,
what could be more delightful
To be able reach out to friends and kin with a single click,
thus has established my existence
Oh Age of Wonders,
O amazing technology.
Thou have given me matter,
and now no longer lost.
Here comes Lenovo Thinkcentre,
making our education better,
teaching, learning, we are on our way!
Giving every girl and boy
A way to learn that’s full of joy,
Playing and laughing, every single day!
It will help with our projects
With all of its’ fabulous specs
Engaging, motivating, learning while we play!
(to the tune of peter cottontail)
A new computer!
Touch the screen or smudge the screen
It works for teachers.
Once I typed my thoughts.
Now a finger brushes pixels
Next, perhaps a glance?
***
Digital natives
Gather round the CRT, perplexed.
Fingerprints smudge glass.
TECHNOLOGY
We live in a small town
Where nobody boss around
The cities are all too far
So nobody comes to see how we are
Every time someone had to go downtown
he had to go all the way round
shopping, working etc, wasn’t an easy task
but someone had to do these stuff
Now, with a computer in every house
its like turning the world upside down
Everything is done in a few simple clicks
even the old men are now computer geeks!
Friends from Australia, France and the U.S.
It’s like everyone lives in the same village with us
We can play games, chat and make girlfriends
But it seems that we’re cutting off from our real friends
Fiber optic wire
Umbilical connection
To lightspeed children
Love, Your Computer
Boot me up, don’t shut me down!
Be constructive, not destructive.
Create with me,
Learn with me,
Read with me,
Write with me.
Laugh with me,
Cry with me,
Sing with me,
Dance with me.
Click on!
My Love for technology
The first time I laid eyes on you I have loved you
You then showed me many exciting and wonderful things that amaze me
You came to me like a new love to enhance my intelligence
I embraced you in open arms and expand my horizon
Even though my spouse is jealous of our relationship you always there for me
Late in the night while everyone is sleep you whisper sweet thoughts into my mind
I enjoy the conversations into how well you introduce me to the information highway
You keep showering me with knowledge even when I think I had enough
I will never take you for granted and always respect how you take care of me
You are my one and only
Hunt and peck or flying fingers
Advancing technology never lingers
Falling behind or staying up to date
What is my students’ fate?
Ode To My Lenovo
Lenovo, Lenovo, oh, what will I do
when I get my hands on brand-spanking new you?
I might touch all the buttons upon your front
and cease for eternity my new laptop hunt!
Oh a new Lenovo to replace my faithful, old IBM
Keep my fingers crossed and hope, that’s my stratagem.
I’m not a teacher
I build them their classroom labs
New hardware’d be nice
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Technology makes my life easier
And students think so too
Teaching Technology
Monitor and my Desktop
A QWERTY Keyboard
Mouse with my Laptop
A power outlet cord
Carpel tunnel syndrome
A smooth leather chair
Lotus for Dummies tome
Sure would be rare
Skyward is my Gradebook
Mac is work’s OS
School has no netbooks
PC’s are the best!
Students use the network
To save and to store
An awesome little perk
Kids should never ignore
I text, chat, and email
Google runs the clouds
It’s all in the details
As a teacher, I’m proud!
Technology is necessary
in the 21st Century.
Where computers are evident
students are dependent.
It’s easier with touch
but at times it’s a crutch.
Students are better equipped
and can teach others quick.
Technology keeps us moving
students keep grooving.
Lenovo
Sleek computing
Touchscreen fast connection
Power to my students
Thinkcentre
The boys laze in the back row
Gazing out the window to the football field below
Thinking about what to download, what to IM, what to text
Thinking about what minute activity we’ll have them do next
Why not let them collaborate and get creative
Let’s reconnect the young digital native
With a classroom that lets her truly explore
What’s outside his window, or outside her door
It’s high time that us teachers begin to re-engage
Step out of this cage
Rethink our tired methodologies
Which have developed into pathologies
Where we bang our collective heads against those four walls
That used to contain our classroom
But never could contain their creativity
We’ve got to kick the staff-lounge-refrain
“When I was young…” or “Let’s go back to basics…again”
Because the basics are different…sure we’ve got the three R’s
But it’s their generation we’re teaching, nor ours
So hook into something meaningful
There’s learning there you see
When you think outside of tradition,
And reach for some quality ICT
Let’s not look back at the past with nostalgia and sorrow
Let’s remember it’s the future we borrow
From these kids, these huddled masses
Who will lead us into tomorrow.
Mike De Rose
My students, my students
Ask for more practice
They want fun practice
Honing their skills.
Everyone wants a turn…
Making their own cartoons online
About the topics we discussin class.
Technology is required and something
I’d like to provide more of.
Condsider my students for this prize.
So much thanks is given!
Touch, create, and share
The ideas that will shape the future
Of art, learning, life.
ThinkCentre
Teachers
Help
Ideas,
Nurture
Kids,
Computer
Needed
To
Reach
Everyone
Oh my my Google,
If it wasn’t for the Cloud,
Where is my file?
Ode to Lenovo
There’s a new guy in town,
Slim, shinny and bright.
He stands out among the old and dimming lights.
The crowd ewws and ahhhs over the new device,
They poke him, prode him, and he doesn’t complain,
He complies with their request with no refrain!
Oh, how he wishes there were more of he!
L earning community builder.
E mail communication with adminstrators and parents.
N ew way of learning.
O pportunity for applying 21st century skills.
V ast network of resources at your fingertips.
O utstanding collaborative learning tool.
I surf the wayward winding road,
That may not end in vic’try.
But many times a good refresh,
Will solve the frozen mystery.
Students wrestle with
New found “love” for tech gadgets
communicate NOW
communicate NOW
a new knowledge taught freely
on an open web
Writ on water
Li Po, who folded his poems
into paper boats and sailed them
down the stream, wouldn’t have fretted
over data loss, but he would have saved
his poems in the cloud
just for the metaphor.
A poem you say?
A poem for today.
A touch screen, how cool,
For those at my school,
It will be so fun,
The students will run,
The library will be,
The place for all to see!
Lenovo, yippeee!!
Please, please do pick me! 🙂
I thought i knew technology,
Wherever I go, whatever I see,
iPads, Androids, Touch PCs,
It never ceases to amaze me.
I get so much done in a day,
Facebook, twitter helps me on the way,
Whether at work or at play.
Technology is here to stay!
Touch Screen Computer!
Oh the possibilites,
Reach and Engage All!
(not much of a poet, had to go with the Haiku)
The Tech Teacher
Tons and tons of sites to use
written in my brain like tattoos.
Millions of ideas blossom
the possibilities are awesome.
Will my students grow their skill?
The privilege of finding out is my thrill.
Think
Quiet, Simple
Dazing, Gazing, Boring,
What works for digital natives-
Taking, Creating, Collaborating,
Noisy, Messy,
Do
Bright, Shiny and New
Drawn like a moth to a flame
Touch the pretty colors
and then the magic happens
Worlds open up
Knowledge flows in
Communicate, Play, Learn, Grow
The amazement never ends
Who knew what a bundle of transistors could do?
My Brilliant Mouse, a Haiku
plastic mouse of mine
runs wild around its pen,
illuminating all
“running” that is!
Please oh please, listen to me
I have this need for technology.
Playing games, surfing the net
are just a few of the things I can get.
I’ve been trying hard to stay on top
of the latest technology that I’ve got.
Pass the butter pass the bread
Help us win this Lenovo so we can get rid of our overhead.
Black but so Green
Very compact
My fingers fly
“Screen Generation”
Teachers don’t teach the way they used to
Thank God for that
We can’t if we want to “connect” with our students
and our new screen generation
Black boards have turned to screens
Typewriters to computers
pencils to fingers
books to touchpads
We are in a generation of Wii
A generation of information found online versus books
They are growing up with technology
And neither will stop
You’re scared?
There’s no reason
Let them lead you
Let them show you
Let them teach you
And that is how you will learn . . .
Together
‘Fox, Chrome, Explorer
Which one has the most POWER?
Google the answer.
‘Fox, Chrome, Explorer.
Which one has the most POWER?
Google the Answer.
First you learn to read,
then you read to learn.
First you learn to compute,
then you compute to learn.
First you learn to teach,
then you teach to learn.
First you fail to learn,
then you learn to fail.
First you try again,
then you gain a try.
First you try old things in new ways,
then new things in new ways.
Welcome, Information Age.
Technology, or tech
What is the correct?
For teacher is the long
For students is the short.
For some it’s a workout
For the young it’s a play.
But the name of the game
Within the 4 walls of school,
Is – to break the walls down and go out top the world.
I like to read books on my Nook
ski on my Wii
take a look at my Facebook
and write a paper about bees on my PC
*written by Belle 9yrs old :O)
Technology
Such a fun-filled way
For teachers of any age
To awake the mind
(I’m SO not a poet!)
🙂 ~Nicole
Exploding universe
Shrinking globe
Paradox of connection
Hey, Hey, Hey
Whether it is a lcd
plasma or tv, I like to watch movies
hey hey hey
I like watch movies.
even my ps2 don’t play,
I be always with my ps3
for all the stuff to work.
Whether related to project or nothing
I always take time to end up with my pc.
Chatting on facebook,
Scraping on orkut,
Twitting on Twitter,
Hey I never tired.
I never tired.
Can you touch technology?
I can see it.
I can read and visit far away places.
I can watch life unfold.
But is it enough?
I can hear it.
I can listen to voices and music.
I can stream news from across the sea.
But is it enough?
Can I feel it?
Do certain things make me feel empathy and excitement?
Does technology impact my mood?
Is it enough?
Technology can touch me.
Technology can warm my heart.
Technology can stimulate my brain.
Technology can help fill my soul.
And that is enough.
Technology tools are here for the taking,
just grab a cloud and then start making
a new life in which to work or play;
a new you growing night and day.
POEM
I love poems,
Especially the ones
that win me
computers
RU 21?
No longer the sage on the stage
Or the guide on the side
but co-constructors of learning.
How do we live?
How should we learn?
Every turned off device is a turned off learner
Take advantage of your student’s potential…
Motivate through creativity
Teach students to search, validate, synthesize…
Communicate…
Collaborate…
It’s time to turn 21!
Technology rap
Technology rock
Technology roll
Plug it in
Boot it up
Press the screen and see it scroll
Meet new friends
Waste some time
Hit submit
It’s technology time!
Oh Lenovo
Digital delight
you invite
encourage
and intrigue
in a word
you’re
Dyn-o-mite!
Tablet
E-mail
Cache
Hard Drive
Network
Operating System
Laptop
Online
Gigabyte
Yahoo!
Where would I be
Without technology
lost in translation
in a digital nation.
No smartphone
no dialtone
no mobile web to tide me over.
No app store
to game more
and tweet the world over.
No Facebook
No twitter
No Instagram or LinkedIn
No immediate response for requests from a friend.
No email or blogs
No iPad or Glogs
Just slimy old snail mail
And hand-written data logs.
No OpenOffice
or Linux-based Code
To make life compatible
with all other Nodes.
Where would I be
without technology?
Lost and unengaged
In a digital age.
Technology:
Can be a teacher’s friend
Can be a student’s friend
Can be a teacher’s friend
Can be a teacher’s foe
Can be a teacher’s friend
Can be a teacher’s frustration
Can be a teacher’s friend
Can be a teacher’s essential tool
Can be a teacher’s friend
Can be a district’s budget buster
Technology: indispensable in today’s classroom
Technology, thats all i ever here.
Technology this, Technology that;
You can be my greatest asset, yet you can be such a hindrance!
One day you are my friend, the next, uve turned your back on me.
Technology oh technology, how i cant seem to understand thee.
Feeling the keyboards beneath my fingers
reminds me of a society worth knowing.
All of our minds stretching, reaching, growing…
A way to connect to friends and family.
A way to teach the children how life should be.
I need a new computer
My old one is so slow
Wouldn’t surfing the net be much more fun
On my new cool Lenovo
Technology Rules
Alas not a solution
Technology Fools
Technology is more than just the hardware we see,
it is knowledge, ideas, and global awareness.
Technology shows us what the future will be,
but it is up to the user to use it with fairness.
Bytes
Kites
Bits
Kits
Tech is a huge hit
Not just at home
Not just at school
But in the hands,
at your side,
used as more than a tool
Terrific
Exciting
Cool
Handy
New
One of a kind
Laser
Open Source
Google
Yahoo!
OLD, TIRED, DUSTY TEACHER. . . .
OLD, TIRED, DUSTY LESSON PLANS. . . .
EMBRACE, EMBARK AND RISK IN TECHNOLOGY. . . .
MACBOOKS, PROMETHEANS, MOBILE DEVICES
HAVE THIS TEACHER MUCH MORE EXCITED
O’ME, O’MY O’LENOVO WILL ONLY HELP ME CONTINUE TO GROW!!
Tomorrow I will reaserch computers to buy
Mac, Dell, HP, Acer I will try
So many functions
So many tools
But why should I bother
The Lenovo seems to be
The computer I will see
For Free
Oh technology how I love thee,
where else can i watch youtube for free?
How else can I look up a fun recipe,
or encourage my students to be the best they can be?
For a student who struggles with writing at school,
technology has provided the dragon tool.
Now instead of their knowledge being stuck in their head,
they can talk and technology writes for them instead.
Some say put your cell phones away
I say keep them out and lets take a class survey.
One to one learning is very near,
how exciting to present content in a different atmosphere!
What a surpirse on my first day at school
to walk into my room and see a new tool.
a promethean board on my wall
a differentiated way to present content to all
Oh technology how I love thee,
and all of the things you have provided for me
but most of all my students say thank you
for providing them an equal opportunity at school.
Technology is grate for thoze ho cant spel,
It mackes ur papers luk bettur, how swel!
A teechur can see wat im thinkin so clearlee,
Thank goodnes for spel chek, I luv it so deerly.
Technology in Education
Technology, shmechmology, he said.
If I can’t use a pencil, I’d rather be dead.
Eeek, a mouse!
These thoughts in my head swirled.
It is time to join the world.
Find ways to use tech as tool.
1993
Roses are red
Violets are blue
When technology works
I can connect with you
Son of a gun
I already have one
Can I get two?
That’s up to you!
Twitter, Twitter on the wall
Who has the most followers of all?
Blog subscribers and Facebook friends
The conversation never ends
Should I post or blog or tweet?
Or do all three and then repeat?
On a train or with a goat
In the rain or on a boat
Despite the phishing and the spam
I do so like it, Ben I am!
Twitter, twitter, Little Geek
Always finding the info you seek.
Around the world your tweets fly
Connecting ideas and helping them to multiply.
NO LONGER
We study infrastructures instead of sentence structure.
Snow Leopards are no longer just in zoos.
Children play with Xboxes instead of toy boxes.
And browsing is no longer just done at the mall.
Saving our souls is attempted while celling our souls.
Backing up no longer requires you to move.
We are protected by fire walls instead of fire drills.
Cursors are no longer people who swear.
Outerspace seems smaller than Cyberspace.
A field is no longer used to play ball.
You can order from a menu but you won’t receive anything to eat.
Your home is no longer where you hang your hat.
You can open files without picking them up.
You no longer have to take classes to improve your memory.
The web holds every known thing not just bugs anymore.
CBS, NBC & FOX are no longer the major networks.
However, one small thing is a great blessing …
Servers no longer require tips!
Yahoo!
As I type on my mac I enter and sometimes delete,
I can talk to many without leaving my seat,
I use my webcam so others can see my face,
Even if we are miles away in a different place,
I love my music I happen to find in iTunes,
I use it to dance around on free afternoons,
My computer is so amazing and it always helps me,
This is all possible thanks to brilliant technology.
I sat at my computer
And nursed my baby son.
I watched as he played ‘puter games
Before he had turned one
So now it is not surprising
That now he is a man,
When I need ‘puter help, I ask
And he says, “Course I can.”
Oh once there was a girl
Who gave poetry a whirl
because she hoped to win
a computer to make her grin.
Go Computers!
She used to be a computer guru
and then crazy life made her lulu
She got behind with technology
and yet smart she still yearned to be.
Go Computers!
Really, anyone, who can say
if this will be my lucky day?
I hope it is true
but others do too.
Go Computers!
How I love my tech
Without it I’d be asea
It’s now part of me