Japan Society Workshop on Technology in the Classroom

This past weekend I was honored to have been invited to speak at The Japan Society in Manhattan to a group of educators about technology in the classroom and contemporary Japan. I put together a new page on my website with some of the materials that I presented in class that might be of int rest to teachers or technologists out there.

The six hour course when over some specific ways to incorporate technology as a tool in class without losing focus of the content and featured some great inspirational information from groups like: RSA Animate, Dan Pink, and Brainpickings as well as some of the photographs I took in Japan over the past few years. I created a series of lessons which incorporate teaching Japan into the basic principles of design which will be posted on their website shortly. Also the society offers an unbelievable 3 week summer Study Tour to Japan for educators that is well worth checking out, it'll change your life!

Here is the link to the workshop pages: TimNeedles.com

Here's more information on the Japan Society's Social Networking Project: Going Global SNS

The Workshop Art Show

Last night I participated in an art show which included a selection of work from the classes in film and photography at the Maine Media Workshops. The show had some really great work- some of my favorite pieces (in addition to my class) were from Joyce Tenneson's class in portraits and Dirck Halstead's Platypus classes in photojournalism.

It was really a joy to be in such an eclectic show and after it was over I headed out to Camden to celebrate at the Waterfront Restaurant and Bar where I had the best dessert in recent memory. The Maine Wild Blueberry Cobbler was like a box of magic trapped in a warm tart. It was as near perfection in a dessert as I've ever seen and it was a perfect end to the night.

Maine and Me

It's my last full day up in Rockport, Maine and the classes at the Maine Media Workshops conclude tonight for the week. It's a bittersweet feeling being up here for the 3rd time- I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get as many great photographs as I would've liked and the experience wasn't what I've had in the past. Unfortunately Bob Sasha had to cancel and I would've loved to spend some time with him.

I did get to talk with Lauren Greenfield who is an amazing photographer and filmmaker. She presented her latest documentary Kids + Money which will air in December on HBO and it was pretty awesome. I've always loved her work with teenage kids especially her book Fast Forward. Her work was quite profound, I was especially moved by her film Thin which is about anorexics in treatment.

I also saw a screening of Pucker Up: The Fine Art of Whistling by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner which was fantastic as well. It was a great lighthearted documentary about the whistling championships in Louisburg, N.C. They also brought along the world champion in whistling Geert Chatrou to do some live songs. He whistled a few jazz classics along with David on guitar then did one with his son who was performing for the first time. It was so much fun seeing him perform after watching the film.

Elmer's Barn

I drove out to Elmer's Barn, a great antique and art barn in Coopers Mill, Maine yesterday to take some pictures. The barn is a well stocked 3 story shop loaded with an interesting collection of Americana and mementos. I spent over an hour looking through the never-ending piles of interesting stuff such as: ancient tools, 1950's family photographs, handmade sculptures cut out from steel saw blades, and 1970's soda cans. The place was pretty amazing but after an hour I was so dreary that if I had found Teddy Roosevelt's teeth for sale I wouldn't have noticed it.





I was only 14 miles out of the Capital City of Augusta so I thought I'd go and try to grab a Starbucks coffee and see the city. When I entered the city I thought I had made a wrong turn because no city- just a street with some nearly abandoned historic buildings. It felt like a city that had burned down years ago and no one mentioned it to the handful of residents that stayed on. There were barely even people but on the way back I did catch this magnificent photo of a guy mowing his lawn in what appeared to be a bathing suit?