Note: As of 1 Oct 2026, this is a FULL STATIC COPY of all 6,390 posts shared on this blog since 2003. Updated content and ideas from Wes Fryer are still available!

Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wes Fryer

Year: 2007

  • Future world and local leaders at play

    I just love this sign! We saw this today when we drove by our local Campfire camp in Oklahoma City: Camp Dakani. The need for young people to spend unstructured time in natural environments to develop self-confidence and capacities for independent decision-making skills is a key theme in Richard Louv’s book Last Child in the…

  • Download offline copy of a VoiceThread digital story?

    Susan Ettenheim posted a question as a comment on another post regarding VoiceThread. I don’t have an answer, so I’m hoping someone else will. Does anyone know how to download an offline copy of a VoiceThread digital story, other than using screencasting software which records a region of the screen? (I’ve posted other options for…

  • Ecto 3 Alpha released, not recommended

    For the past couple of years I have used the offline blog post composer Ecto, and I have loved it. Since upgrading to WordPress 2.2 as my blogging engine, however, version 2 of Ecto has not functioned for me. I was pleased to learn an alpha version of Ecto 3 is now available, which DOES…

  • Real versus fake learning experiences

    I think many of the activities we do in school could fall into a category I call “fake learning experiences.” A real learning experience is one which either creates new schema (background knowledge) in the mind of learners that is retained in long-term memory, or attaches itself meaningfully to existing schema so it further deepens…

  • Getting a new haircut

    This past weekend our three year old got a new haircut. With encouragement from Karen Montgomery, I’ve shared this experience as a 5 picture digital story on “Tell a Story in 5 Pictures for Educators” and now, on Voicethread! (link updated 24 Dec 2022) Of course, the fact that this story is told by Rachel…

  • Recognizing the value of social networking

    I am glad to see eSchoolNews has picked up on the Grunwald research report for the National School Boards Association on social networking which I blogged about last Friday, in the post “Clarifying perceptions about digital social networking risks.” The eSchoolNews article today is titled, “96 percent of teens use social-networking tools: Survey reveals schools…

  • The line betwen learning and entertainment

    What defines the line between listening to Internet audio or watching Internet video for “learning” or for “entertainment?” This question came to mind this morning as I logged onto the guest wireless network at MetroTech here in Oklahoma City: As you can see from the above screenshot, the AUP for MetroTech states: Users may not…

  • Want to improve learning and memory? Try getting more SLEEP!

    The interactive website for the NOVA ScienceNOW special “The Sleep-Memory Connection” provides an opportunity to explore both the stages of sleep as well as intriguing connections scientists are exploring between sleep and memory. According to the website: Psychologists have long suspected that sleep– both before and after learning something new– aids the development of memories.…

  • Some heartfelt thoughts about textbooks, laptops, and digital curriculum

    I’ve penned a new post for The Infinite Thinking Machine I’ve titled, “A call for a textbook purchasing moratorium.” Is the fact that I’m unsatisfied with “School as usual” showing yet? 🙂 I’d welcome your comments and feedback on that post.

  • Thoughts on video annotation and 1:1 computing

    It just amazes me to be a witness to the emerging power of digital communication technologies in the early 21st century. Despite the frustrations many of us feel for the apparent lack of broad-based change in Schools in 2007, part of me remains VERY optimistic that we are going to see the sea change we’re…